Equipment Insider

Wilson unveils 2010 product line

By Adam Barr
Oct 14, 2009 7:44 PM ET

In an industry where buzz means so much, equipment companies are becoming more aggressive with product introductions. Instead of staged or timed intros of one or two products at a time, you might see a whole line come out at once. Call it a golf equipment blitz.

Wilson Golf is the latest to call this play. The Chicago-based brand just announced its entire 2010 product line, including three iron families, a hybrid/iron combo set, a heavy-soled hybrid, three golf ball models, and five putters.

The irons are the FG Tours (F for feel), the Ci9 (C for control) and Di9 (D for distance). The FG (photo, left) is a cavity-backed forged model that is already played on Tour. The midsize Ci9 (below, right), successor to the Ci6 and Ci7, offers a Tour look with game improvement features. The Di9, which Wilson figures will appeal to the largest group of players, enhances distance with low and deep weighting, plus a wide-tip shaft for stability.

The corresponding golf balls, FG Tour, C:25 and D:25, fall into the aspiration categories as you might expect. The FG is a multilayer urethane design with the softness and greenside response skilled players (and quite a few less-skilled players) prize. The C:25 is also a multilayer design with distance features and controlled spin within 150 yards. The D:25 is a low-compression, 2-piece model engineered to get maximum yardage out of a player’s swing.

D-FY is what Wilson is calling its hybrid/iron set; it’s designed to help players who have difficulty with long irons get the ball airborne with adequate loft. The FYbrid HS, the heavy-soled hybrid, has actually been in the market since 2008. It has a deep center of gravity to help with the long shots, all in a design that incorporates the best features of hybrids and fairway woods, Wilson says.