Wilson Staff D7 Forged Review
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Wilson’s new D7 Forged Irons feature power hole technology and a new club head design.
Wilson Golf are building on the success of its D7 range with the launch of their new D7 Forged irons – combining distance, looks and feel to create a pure players iron with with Tour level appeal for the 2020 season.
Wilson has a hell of a reputation for making great forged irons, a reputation that was only bolstered when Gary Woodland bagged the US Open at Pebble Beach in June – astonishingly, the 62nd major won by Wilson irons (with at least one major victory in every decade since Gene Sarazen’s US Open win in the early 1920s).
Thanks to Woodland’s success, and because the company had a very strong game improver iron in the D7, the company had a successful 2019. The D7 iron in particular hit the spot with club golfers, as it’s fast, long and forgiving and came in for very sensible money compared to lots of its competition.
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But Wilson works on a two-year product lifecycle and just as D7 took off, sales of their C300 Forged irons (introduced in 2018) were nose-diving.
Wilson knew it needed a replacement to fill the gap between their excellent tour-level irons and game improving models. So it decided the timing was perfect, thanks to the equity in D7, to build on its success and launch a brand new D7 Forged iron, aimed squarely at the players’ distance category.
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Wilson listened to critics and learnt how the previous C300 Forged (a players’ distance iron) sounded hard and loud. So this time they’ve worked really hard on shaping the cavity back, sole, top line and face thickness to improve acoustics and perceived feel.
And because D7 Forged is just as much about distance as it is feel, Wilson tested 16 different power hole combinations (through the sole) before settling on the optimal set-up for generating and protecting ball speed.
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VERDICT: Wilson D7 Forged Irons
The D7 Forged is brand new for 2020, and it could easily be argued it slides into the players’ iron category. For us, though, the head size and sole width are very similar to some of our game improver models, which means it suits a large audience.
Less offset and a narrower top edge tailor the iron down to more confident ball strikers. But while the 30.5° loft doesn’t give the strongest carry performance, D7 Forged was the only GI iron to feature among all three of our drop-off categories (ball speed, backspin and carry).
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Wilson D7 Forged Irons: What you need to know
Proven Power Hole Technology has been taken to the next level by incorporating a Urethane filled Power Chamber inside the head and lower on the club face that flexes on impact. This combination allows the inner face to flex while reducing vibration for a more solid and consistent feel at impact.
Along with improved sound, the D7 Forged irons feature a new club head design – including a more compact head and ideal toe height – with a thinner topline and minimal offset to deliver ultimate distance and feel.
The thin club face is forged from soft 8620 Carbon steel and features a wider-sole supported by the Power Chambers. The thicker sole allows for more aggressive Power Holes and a lower Centre of Gravity to drive high ball speeds with a higher launch and spin.
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“Combining the distance technologies from the original D7 line with the aesthetics of Wilson Staff’s players irons, the D7 Forged irons provide an ideal blend of maximum distance and ultimate feel for golfers looking for effortless distance and ultimate control,” said Jon Pergande, Manager of Golf Club Innovation.
“Through the optimized sole and face thickness, urethane-filled Power Chamber and centered power holes, the new D7 Forged provides golfers world-class ball speeds, shot-making ability and a soft forged feel across the entire club face,” he added.
“As a brand, Wilson has the pedigree of producing some of golf’s best irons over the years and I believe we’ve continued the trend with the D7 Forged,” added Pergande.
