In 2024, Wilson is bringing to market a new, better-player forged iron, looking to compete with the best golf blade irons on the market. The iron in question is the Staff Model blade, and I took it out to see how it stacks up against some of the best golf irons in the game.
Alongside the blade, Wilson is bringing out a Staff Model CB iron. This is more of a cavity back design but still retains the classic lines, shaping and dimensions of the blade.
In terms of tech, it would be fair to say the story is short, as you would probably expect in an iron of this type. How much technology can you pack into a solid forged lump of steel after all? Well, they do feature what Wilson calls Precision Toe Weighting, which is essentially additional mass placed in the toe to slow down face rotation and minimise left misses.
Does it work? Well, I will get to that in a moment…
First, to speak to the looks, you will do well to find a more classic looking iron anywhere on the market. From the shaping, to the topline and even the high gloss chrome, these irons are a throwback to years gone by, and I am absolutely here for it. The Staff Model blades look like they could have been in the bag for any one of Wilson’s 62 historic major championship victories, and playing them conjures up all sorts of nostalgic feelings.
To just speak of the past however, is doing these irons an injustice. The modern branding and asymmetric topography of the back let you know that this iron very much belongs in 2024. My only slight gripe with the look is the somewhat fussy indentations around the hosel of the club just beneath the ferrule. I know this isn’t new and is a nod to previous eras, it just looks messy to me.
From a performance standpoint, all is as you would hope. Feel is buttery soft and the acoustic is very muted and dull. Most of my testing was conducted from tight links turf of Saunton Golf Club and the interaction with the ground was superb. The narrow sole of the Staff Model blades slips through effortlessly, adding to the user experience.
Back to the tech, and I was keen to see if the toe weighting had any discernible effect on my dispersion, and interestingly it did. In my entire first session with the blades, out of nearly 100 balls, only three ended up left of target.
I could genuinely feel the clubhead resisting the urge to flip and this holds the face well through the impact zone. Obviously if you are a slicer of the ball, this is going to be counterproductive, but as most better players tend to fear the left shot, it is a nice addition to the overall package.
Distance output was moderate and somewhat in line with both my expectations (given the traditional 7-iron loft of 34°) and my current gamer set of Callaway Apex CBs, which measures the same. The data results were basically identical to the Staff Model CB too, which will likely be music to Wilson’s ears as they were designed in conjunction to help seamless blending for combo sets.
Price point on the Wilson Staff Model blade is probably about right at £1,050 for a 4-PW set, which puts it a little bit cheaper than other major players in the blade market such as the Titleist 620 MB and the Callaway Apex MB.
So, if you are looking to upgrade a tired old set of blades and want to stay in the category, the Wilson Staff Model blades should certainly be on your list to try. Beautiful looking, soft feeling and solid performance, there isn’t much to dislike here.
