Staff Turnover

Wilson updates its better-player irons with three attractive new models

By Tony Dear

Wilson, Wilson, Wilson. Ah, what to make of its once huge and now unpredictable golf business.

A century ago, Gene Sarazen used Wilson clubs to win majors, then Sam Snead took over the baton, which subsequently passed to Arnold Palmer, Cary Middlecoff, Hale Irwin, Payne Stewart, Bernhard Langer, and John Daly. Nick Faldo played Wilson clubs early in his career. Wilson’s golf brand was huge for much of the 20th century, winning 62 majors (according to the company) and holding significant market share.

Cracks began to appear in the 1970s, however, as ownership changed and the brand’s focus shifted from making forged clubs for better players to mass-market box sets. Its reputation plummeted, reaching an all-time low in the early 2000s. A subsidiary of Helsinki-based Amer Sports, Inc. since 1989, Wilson Sporting Goods, and its golf division specifically, has enjoyed limited success at the elite level in recent decades, with Padraig Harrington (three majors) and Gary Woodland (2019 U.S. Open) providing occasional highlights. The brand has attempted to recapture its knack for making Tour-level clubs since around 2005/6, and it has had a number of hits with its Staff Model irons, even though Harrington remains its only widely-known staff player.

Last week, the company announced the latest update with the 2026 Staff Model Blade, CB, and XB. The Blade and CB are familiar names, of course, while the XB is something new.
Even a quick glance at the lineup will tell you it was built to facilitate creating combo sets. You don’t have to combine them, of course, but if you do, you’ll likely be pleasantly surprised by how much clubs from the different sets resemble each other.

Strangely, perhaps, the CB was always more compact than the Blade. But the Blade’s length has decreased slightly, and the CB’s increased to bring the two much closer together visually. There’s less offset on both models, and the CB’s sole has been narrowed to make it more Blade-like. The CB’s topline is a little thicker, as you’d expect of a club that seeks to be more forgiving, and the club does look a bit, er, chunkier than the Blade, but the difference certainly isn’t what it used to be.

In a nod to the Dyna-Powered irons of the 1960s, each set’s Fluid Feel Hosel features a hole drilled into the heel which removes six grams of weight that is re-positioned nearer the toe. That moves the Center of Gravity toward the center of the clubface, improving sound and feel and increasing the club’s MOI slightly. A little tungsten in the toe also helps shift the CG toward the club’s center.

The XB, the new kid on the block, is a two-piece forging and features a hollow body partially filled with urethane to dampen vibration. Using what it calls “Topology Optimization”, Wilson worked on the placement of internal rib structures to enhance the club’s sound and feel.

As noted, all three models feature the Fluid Feel Hosel and toe tungsten, and are forged from soft 8620 carbon steel. They also share a brushed satin finish which reduces glare and gives them a refined, elegant look. That’s not to say chrome-finished irons don’t look good – but these new Wilson Staff Model clubs look especially sweet.

And not only do they look alike, they are designed to perform similarly, too. Each has its own characteristics and level of forgiveness, and will appeal to specific golfers, but even Wilson’s own testing shows the XB’s launch and descent windows are much like those of the Blade and CB. Because it’s hollow-bodied and has stronger lofts, though, the XB differs by producing slightly more ballspeed, a little less spin, and about five yards more carry distance (7-iron). Five yards difference with a 7-iron is a significant amount for golfers who hit a lot of greens and whose “Proximity to the hole” numbers are all-important.

As you’ve no doubt realized, finding a fitter who can help you optimize your set might be a very good move.

Staff Model Blade
$1,400 (4-PW). 3-iron also available at $200.
Lofts – 4-23⁰, 7-34⁰, PW-46⁰
Shaft – True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid 115
Right-hand only

Staff Model CB
$1,400 (4-PW). 3-iron and GW also available at $200/club.
Lofts – 4-23⁰, 7-34⁰, PW-46⁰
Shaft – True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid 115
Right and left-hand

Staff Model XB
$1,400 (4-PW). 2, 3-iron, and GW also available at $200/club.
Lofts – 4-22⁰, 7-32⁰, PW-46⁰
Shaft – NIPPON MODUS TOUR 110
Right and left-hand.

All are available to pre-order now, and should be in stores by the middle of February.
wilson.com

Colorado AvidGolfer Magazine is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it, publishing eight issues annually and proudly delivering daily content via coloradoavidgolfer.com.

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