Wilson Dynapower Forged Irons Review
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Been reading a ton about these irons and wondering how they’d stack up against my current gamers, and my previous set. Looking a lot at both lofts (of course), but also stock shaft lengths which, I think could potentially play into the equation.
So excited to see the lucky bunch and their reviews.
Things are about to heat up in here!
Its a package that likely has a huge amount to love that just hasn't gotten out for everyone to enjoy yet. Its coming though. Blow this place up with info guys. Looking forward to it.
Lets kick this off with an About The Tester post. The goal in sharing this is to provide the reader some context about my testing.
Age / Skill Level
I'm a mid to late 50's RH golfer without a current index. My last accurate number was 13.2. I've been as low as 10.1(?) and as high as 30.
What's This Guy's Story
I have been around THP for a decade or more, most of that time I was in serious Golf Hacker - Addict mode. The past few seasons I just lost the golf bug and have not played a lot. I have just started to get the itch back.
What Has He Played / What Does He Know About Irons?
From memory, 2008 Callaway Big Bertha > TM RocketBladez > Bridgestone J40 > Ping i20s > Cobra King Forged One Length > Hogan PTX > Callaway Apex (2018).
I feel like I'm forgetting something but the point remains - I've played numerous OEM offerings and (using old school language) they've all ranged from GI to Player-ish. Players Distance is my Jam. I need as much forgiveness and distance help as I can get and I want it in as small a package possible with great feel.
What Does He Know About Fittings?
I live 5 miles from the largest fitting center in my state, and have been fit there several times for a number of different club offerings. I was fortunate to be fit by a world class fitter at The Grandaddy.
What Is His Iron Game Like?
Iron play is my long-standing weakness. Even after years of lessons, the "hump the ball" early release move is a solid part of my repertoire. I trend toward hitting the ball reasonably straight but don't compress the ball well; I'm usually all over the face and can wear out the low grooves.
I think that's enough for now. Any questions?
Age / Skill Level
I'm a mid to late 50's RH golfer without a current index. My last accurate number was 13.2. I've been as low as 10.1(?) and as high as 30.
What's This Guy's Story
I have been around THP for a decade or more, most of that time I was in serious Golf Hacker - Addict mode. The past few seasons I just lost the golf bug and have not played a lot. I have just started to get the itch back.
What Has He Played / What Does He Know About Irons?
From memory, 2008 Callaway Big Bertha > TM RocketBladez > Bridgestone J40 > Ping i20s > Cobra King Forged One Length > Hogan PTX > Callaway Apex (2018).
I feel like I'm forgetting something but the point remains - I've played numerous OEM offerings and (using old school language) they've all ranged from GI to Player-ish. Players Distance is my Jam. I need as much forgiveness and distance help as I can get and I want it in as small a package possible with great feel.
What Does He Know About Fittings?
I live 5 miles from the largest fitting center in my state, and have been fit there several times for a number of different club offerings. I was fortunate to be fit by a world class fitter at The Grandaddy.
What Is His Iron Game Like?
Iron play is my long-standing weakness. Even after years of lessons, the "hump the ball" early release move is a solid part of my repertoire. I trend toward hitting the ball reasonably straight but don't compress the ball well; I'm usually all over the face and can wear out the low grooves.
I think that's enough for now. Any questions?
Last edited:
- Staff
- #260
Good stuff Frank. Looking forward to how your Ai Fit goes!
@tequila4kapp Thanks for posting this, I had been thinking about it all day - while continuing to delete emails and reboot the company computer as I have been doing all week - after being out 11 weeks - 15 emails - and I can't just delete them unseen good thing I have grey hair, or I would when this work is over. Now the fun work.
Age / Skill Level
I'm 63 64 next month. My last official handicap was 17.2 but that was built on a bum knee. I think it could be lower - but I am still working on stamina and concentration - I have shared details in the knee replacement thread. I hope that by end of summer I'll be closer to 13-14 than 16-17. Oh, and while I am not the longest hitter I am still playing the whites or whatever tees are about 6000 yards - it just seems and feels right.
What's This Guy's Story
I have been a THPer since 2021. I was returning to golf after losing a lot of weight and having a hip replacement. I found THP while looking for club info - first thread I think I read was one from @Jman a review of the previous year's TEE driver. Then I was looking for irons and PMed a few people for their input and was lucky to still later in 2021 meet @Desmond who had been helpful in my iron search. Ironically, I was a participant with James and Jerry and several other great THPers including @Canadan who helped with a swing concern that I still use today, at the Mizuno Experience. It was a long sticky and very hot several days - but as many can attest Experiences and golf with THPers is just the best.
At one time I could play this game As the blade listed below may show. I played in HS and most of you if you watch movies have 'met' my golf coach, if you saw 'Remember the Titans,' Bill Yoast was my golf team coach in HS. My dad taught me the game, and I have fewer lessons in my life than my daughters and wife - I will need to work on that.
What Has He Played / What Does He Know About Irons?
Before the weight gain and hip issue, I was a golf equipment nerd, I guess I sort of still am - always looking and tinkering.
Current irons are Mizuno Pro 225s, Recoil Dart 75 F3 shafts 5-G
Before those I will only go back 3 or 4 sets otherwise, you'll fall asleep, in case you haven't already.
PXG Gen 2 XFs with MMT 80 shafts Stiff, softstepped.
Callaway CF 16s with Recoil 95s Stiff I think, first set with graphite shafts as I had carpal tunnel issues.
I cannot recall all the others, but suffice it to say multiple Pings S23 (their first foray into 'blades' I think, I series, and the copper eye 2s. Taylormade MBs RAC Coin forged and the combo set. Nike Combo, Hogan FTX (?) Combos, Titleist, Wilson Staff Fluid Feel, and I started with the ever popular Sam Snead Blue Ridge odd clubs only. Oh and many in between all these, TigerShark something or other, Macgregor clubs - at least to sets. And many more.
I'm not sure playing all these clubs means I know anything that I can quantify in words but I can tell you this much, when I play demanding clubs I tend to concentrate just a smidgeon more and that can translate into better contact - at least for me.
What Does He Know About Fittings?
I was first fit for a driver - it did not go particularly well, the fitter was a substitute and he was more interested in anything else, when it was over he showed me the fitting sheet and cost (over $1G) for a club that did not perform any better than my then current driver - and he even said as much - that did not keep him from calling and texting to see if I wanted to buy it - more than once. Subsequent fittings have all gone better, I know what to expect, and sort of how they work. I have not had a lot of fittings but I have one tomorrow!
What Is His Iron Game Like?
I think my iron play is spotty - I am not a long hitter, so I now hit 6 where I used to hit 7 - and scratch my head am I really hitting a 5 with the 'jacked' lofts? But when I am playing well, I can hit those clubs and get great feel and feedback I know a good hit from a bad one and am still working on it.
The beauty for me now, is I have been golf free (except for the last few weeks) since the New Year due to weather and a knee replacement. This has me very eager to get back out there and play. I can proudly hit the sweet spot or shank the ball or hit off the toe, up high on fat shots and thin so taht I rattle my fillings - I can offend any iron at any time. I will also be using the Rapsodo that I have set up in the basement and I have a stencil for a variety of golf balls so I an use more than 1 or 2 types of ball. I have not taken it to a range yet, but I will. My current course the range is irons only - maybe that's an omen for testing these irons.
So, if you are still here and lucid, feel free to direct any questions my way. I look forward to tomorrow's fitting, working with my DynaPower Forged brothers, sharing any and all data with THP, playing more golf, and improving along the way.
Note, this is the most typing I have done since December - I apologize for rants, tangents, grammar, spelling, etc.
Age / Skill Level
I'm 63 64 next month. My last official handicap was 17.2 but that was built on a bum knee. I think it could be lower - but I am still working on stamina and concentration - I have shared details in the knee replacement thread. I hope that by end of summer I'll be closer to 13-14 than 16-17. Oh, and while I am not the longest hitter I am still playing the whites or whatever tees are about 6000 yards - it just seems and feels right.
What's This Guy's Story
I have been a THPer since 2021. I was returning to golf after losing a lot of weight and having a hip replacement. I found THP while looking for club info - first thread I think I read was one from @Jman a review of the previous year's TEE driver. Then I was looking for irons and PMed a few people for their input and was lucky to still later in 2021 meet @Desmond who had been helpful in my iron search. Ironically, I was a participant with James and Jerry and several other great THPers including @Canadan who helped with a swing concern that I still use today, at the Mizuno Experience. It was a long sticky and very hot several days - but as many can attest Experiences and golf with THPers is just the best.
At one time I could play this game As the blade listed below may show. I played in HS and most of you if you watch movies have 'met' my golf coach, if you saw 'Remember the Titans,' Bill Yoast was my golf team coach in HS. My dad taught me the game, and I have fewer lessons in my life than my daughters and wife - I will need to work on that.
What Has He Played / What Does He Know About Irons?
Before the weight gain and hip issue, I was a golf equipment nerd, I guess I sort of still am - always looking and tinkering.
Current irons are Mizuno Pro 225s, Recoil Dart 75 F3 shafts 5-G
Before those I will only go back 3 or 4 sets otherwise, you'll fall asleep, in case you haven't already.
PXG Gen 2 XFs with MMT 80 shafts Stiff, softstepped.
Callaway CF 16s with Recoil 95s Stiff I think, first set with graphite shafts as I had carpal tunnel issues.
I cannot recall all the others, but suffice it to say multiple Pings S23 (their first foray into 'blades' I think, I series, and the copper eye 2s. Taylormade MBs RAC Coin forged and the combo set. Nike Combo, Hogan FTX (?) Combos, Titleist, Wilson Staff Fluid Feel, and I started with the ever popular Sam Snead Blue Ridge odd clubs only. Oh and many in between all these, TigerShark something or other, Macgregor clubs - at least to sets. And many more.
I'm not sure playing all these clubs means I know anything that I can quantify in words but I can tell you this much, when I play demanding clubs I tend to concentrate just a smidgeon more and that can translate into better contact - at least for me.
What Does He Know About Fittings?
I was first fit for a driver - it did not go particularly well, the fitter was a substitute and he was more interested in anything else, when it was over he showed me the fitting sheet and cost (over $1G) for a club that did not perform any better than my then current driver - and he even said as much - that did not keep him from calling and texting to see if I wanted to buy it - more than once. Subsequent fittings have all gone better, I know what to expect, and sort of how they work. I have not had a lot of fittings but I have one tomorrow!
What Is His Iron Game Like?
I think my iron play is spotty - I am not a long hitter, so I now hit 6 where I used to hit 7 - and scratch my head am I really hitting a 5 with the 'jacked' lofts? But when I am playing well, I can hit those clubs and get great feel and feedback I know a good hit from a bad one and am still working on it.
The beauty for me now, is I have been golf free (except for the last few weeks) since the New Year due to weather and a knee replacement. This has me very eager to get back out there and play. I can proudly hit the sweet spot or shank the ball or hit off the toe, up high on fat shots and thin so taht I rattle my fillings - I can offend any iron at any time. I will also be using the Rapsodo that I have set up in the basement and I have a stencil for a variety of golf balls so I an use more than 1 or 2 types of ball. I have not taken it to a range yet, but I will. My current course the range is irons only - maybe that's an omen for testing these irons.
So, if you are still here and lucid, feel free to direct any questions my way. I look forward to tomorrow's fitting, working with my DynaPower Forged brothers, sharing any and all data with THP, playing more golf, and improving along the way.
Note, this is the most typing I have done since December - I apologize for rants, tangents, grammar, spelling, etc.
- Staff
- #262
Good stuff @JW Smoove
- Staff
- #263
I’m especially extcited it sounds like everyone is going to be able to go do the Ai Fit, or close to it at least.
Cannot wait to see the info that gives back.
For me, I went ahead and confirmed KBS Lite 105X, ok pretty excited about it.
Cannot wait to see the info that gives back.
For me, I went ahead and confirmed KBS Lite 105X, ok pretty excited about it.
The fitting is completed. Interesting experience.
Finding A Fitter
Start by going here and navigating to "Find a Wilson Fit AI Location": https://www.wilson.com/en-us/explore/golf/golf-fit-ai.
This was choppy at best for me. Search results for my address showed 1 fitting location. Turns out that location was a different golf shop that went out of business and is now reopened under another name. No web site. I hunted and found a phone number, but it returns a "No longer in service" message. No Dice. Hey, anything can happen and there are a lot of places across the nation to monitor but...not good. I suspect the average consumer stops here and looks at other products. Wilson needs to do better.
But wait, there's more to the story. I returned to the search engine and entered the next biggest city 45 minutes south of me. I got 3 search results, including 2 generally in my area - the one I already mentioned and another shop just north of that. Why did this new shop not appear with my address as the search but appear when searching 45 minutes south of me? The web site needs to return results more effectively than this. Let's call this #2 for "Hey Wilson, gotta do better." This shop was friendly and got me in at lunch on the same day I called. The proprietor explained that they just got the fitting equipment from Wilson, had been practicing with it but I would be the first person fitted with it.
Bottom line: there may be some rollout issues but be patient and work through them if you want to do this fitting.
How The Fitting Works
Wilson sends a kit and LH/RH 7 irons to the fitters. That 7i is the only fitting club you hit; there are no shaft options other than the stock shaft already in the head. The kit includes a sensor that attaches to the end of the 7i. The sensor connects to a fitting app on the fitter's device. You start with the fitter creating a profile for you and asking basic info you have likely seen with other online services - what's your index / average score, how often do you play, height, distance from floor to wrist, etc. Then you hit 5 balls. As you hit each ball the sensor measures certain things about your swing and automatically sends it to the fitting program on the fitter's device. After the 5th ball a little bell sounds and you are done. You then move to the device to see your results. I missed getting a picture of the 1st screen, but it shows you things like swing path, angle of approach, etc. The 2nd screen gives you your recommendation. Interestingly, the recommendation has not been emailed to me, even though they do collect your email address in the Profile process. Including warmup and extra fitting with different shafts that my guy gave me it took 30 minutes. A normal experience would likely take 10 minutes or less.
Pictures reflecting the info shared about the experience:
My Results:
Some tidbits about my results:
1. By my standards, I was swinging the club well.
2. It was cool / lucky that this shop used their Flightscope bay for the Wilson Fit AI fittings because it allowed us to compare and contrast results. The Wilson results were not expressed in the same way as Flightscope so it was hard for me to understand if they were aligned. The fitter seemed to think so.
3. The fitter and I both found it curious that the system gave me a 130g steel shaft but a 75g graphite shaft recommendation. The fitter thought my numbers clearly put me in a Stiff flex, not the recommended Regular flex. The fitter also didn't like my spin numbers and wanted to experiment to bring them up, hence the extra time with extra shafts. Since this part isn't especially germane to Wilson I'll summarize and say he felt it confirmed the 75g graphite - but in Stiff - was the right option for me.
As always, any questions?
Finding A Fitter
Start by going here and navigating to "Find a Wilson Fit AI Location": https://www.wilson.com/en-us/explore/golf/golf-fit-ai.
This was choppy at best for me. Search results for my address showed 1 fitting location. Turns out that location was a different golf shop that went out of business and is now reopened under another name. No web site. I hunted and found a phone number, but it returns a "No longer in service" message. No Dice. Hey, anything can happen and there are a lot of places across the nation to monitor but...not good. I suspect the average consumer stops here and looks at other products. Wilson needs to do better.
But wait, there's more to the story. I returned to the search engine and entered the next biggest city 45 minutes south of me. I got 3 search results, including 2 generally in my area - the one I already mentioned and another shop just north of that. Why did this new shop not appear with my address as the search but appear when searching 45 minutes south of me? The web site needs to return results more effectively than this. Let's call this #2 for "Hey Wilson, gotta do better." This shop was friendly and got me in at lunch on the same day I called. The proprietor explained that they just got the fitting equipment from Wilson, had been practicing with it but I would be the first person fitted with it.
Bottom line: there may be some rollout issues but be patient and work through them if you want to do this fitting.
How The Fitting Works
Wilson sends a kit and LH/RH 7 irons to the fitters. That 7i is the only fitting club you hit; there are no shaft options other than the stock shaft already in the head. The kit includes a sensor that attaches to the end of the 7i. The sensor connects to a fitting app on the fitter's device. You start with the fitter creating a profile for you and asking basic info you have likely seen with other online services - what's your index / average score, how often do you play, height, distance from floor to wrist, etc. Then you hit 5 balls. As you hit each ball the sensor measures certain things about your swing and automatically sends it to the fitting program on the fitter's device. After the 5th ball a little bell sounds and you are done. You then move to the device to see your results. I missed getting a picture of the 1st screen, but it shows you things like swing path, angle of approach, etc. The 2nd screen gives you your recommendation. Interestingly, the recommendation has not been emailed to me, even though they do collect your email address in the Profile process. Including warmup and extra fitting with different shafts that my guy gave me it took 30 minutes. A normal experience would likely take 10 minutes or less.
Pictures reflecting the info shared about the experience:
My Results:
Some tidbits about my results:
1. By my standards, I was swinging the club well.
2. It was cool / lucky that this shop used their Flightscope bay for the Wilson Fit AI fittings because it allowed us to compare and contrast results. The Wilson results were not expressed in the same way as Flightscope so it was hard for me to understand if they were aligned. The fitter seemed to think so.
3. The fitter and I both found it curious that the system gave me a 130g steel shaft but a 75g graphite shaft recommendation. The fitter thought my numbers clearly put me in a Stiff flex, not the recommended Regular flex. The fitter also didn't like my spin numbers and wanted to experiment to bring them up, hence the extra time with extra shafts. Since this part isn't especially germane to Wilson I'll summarize and say he felt it confirmed the 75g graphite - but in Stiff - was the right option for me.
As always, any questions?
Last edited:
- Staff
- #265
I kinda love this @tequila4kapp
I think it’s a much more simple fitting setup than I anticipated, but it’s also kind of logical. I like that it’s concise at least.
I think the DART’s were a good fit for you, they’re one of the no up options, yeah?
I think it’s a much more simple fitting setup than I anticipated, but it’s also kind of logical. I like that it’s concise at least.
I think the DART’s were a good fit for you, they’re one of the no up options, yeah?
I liked that it was quick and easy. In past fittings I have reached a point of fatigue and diminishing returns; at a certain point the time with the fitter just hasn't been productive or additive. This cuts through all of that.
I was not charged for the fitting (they normally charge $100). I am not sure if that is always the case for the Wilson experience. But if so, then the 10m version of a fitting is especially good.
People need to have realistic expectations. It is not meant to replace a Club Champion experience. I think it also helps if you trend toward anti-OCD. For example, it could have been easy to get really hung up on the R vs S flex thing. I have enough experience in that zone that I know - for me at least - it really doesn't matter.
I am fully expecting to be charged for the fitting but that’s ok. If i have additional time, i hope to validate the putter I’m using. I’m already in DART 75 R so i was ready to just order, but i want to go through the entire process.
I was expecting it too - even tried to pay / asked how much.
@Jman - order is in and yes, I'm going Recoil Darts 75g, stiff instead of regular. I am pretty darn confident they'll work great for me - I've had a long run with assorted UST / Recoil iron shafts.
- Staff
- #269
Excellent! I’m glad that worked out for you!
Great point. That realistic expectation piece is huge. It seems like a good tool to get a really good option. But would be easy to go down the ‘what if’ rabbit hole
Wondering if these could be improvement on my zx7s. They seem like a tremendous club!
I love the kbs Lite 105 stiff...
I’m in the same boat. I love my ZX5’s but these clubs have turned my head. I’m excited to learn more about AI fit for those that use it and eager to read some additional reviews.
I am in the same boat in that I absolutely love my gamers, which are excellent irons.
As do I. I’m eager to get fit. Sort of hope for same shaft as it would at least seem to make for a better comparison, but I’m open to other shafts.