SPOTTED: Wilson Golf Forged Staff Wedges & PXG Prototype Driver

It’s January 2nd, 2020, so you know that what means—gyms are overcrowded, we’ll be incorrectly writing “2019” for the next few weeks, the Masters is less than 100 days and the major OEMs are going to start debuting all their new equipment to the masses (which is great if you were lucky enough to receive some gift cards to a club fitter).

While we’ve been keeping tabs on the new Callaway Mavrik and TaylorMade SIM metalwoods, there are two more equipment releases that need to be highlighted.

Wilson Golf Staff Model Wedges

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Hozel Rocket 🚀 (@hozel_rocket) on Dec 31, 2019 at 6:00am PST

Wedges are your scoring clubs.  They’re not designed for maximum distance, they’re designed for surgical precision shots that provide optimal height and spin control to help stick it close.  Add in different grinds and bounce options, and it’s clear that wedges need to be able to perform in a variety of conditions and deliver the goods in a wide range of shot possibilities.

For 2020, Wilson Golf will be releasing two, distinct wedge models.

First, a traditional, blade-style wedge that, similar to the recently released Staff Model blades, are made from soft-forged 8620 carbon steel, which should provide a softer feeling (as opposed to traditional cast wedges) and increased durability, which is particularly important for wedges to ensure you are achieving ideal spin over prolonged usage.

That said, it’s worth noting that due to the softer, more malleable nature of a forged metal, you should periodically check your lofts and lies to confirm they are in-spec.

In addition to the forged steel, Wilson has designed the Staff Wedge with 16 milled grooves that are denser and spaced closer together, which should improve performance on more delicately struck shots as more grooves will come into contact with the ball.

If you’re interested and starting to consider adding some new clubs to your bag, like me, the standard Staff Wedge will be available in 48°, 50°, 52°, 54°, 56°, 58° and 60°, with a variety of bounce and grind options.

Second, Wilson appears to be following the crowd and will be releasing its own high toe wedge.  While the standard wedge will be forged, the Staff High Toe will be made from cast 431 stainless steel and feature grooves across the entire face for open-faced shots out of the rough and bunkers.

Accordingly, the Staff Wedge High Toe will only be available in higher lofts: 56°, 60° and 64°, which will be coupled with a wider sole design and increased bounce.

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Wilson Golf (@wilsongolf) on Jan 1, 2020 at 9:32am PST

Noticeably, the High Toe features two ported sections on the backside of the club head near the sole.  This is likely to remove weight from the sole and bring the center of gravity higher on the face, which should help increase spin while lowering ball flight.

Both the traditional and High Toe Wilson Golf Staff Wedges will be available starting on February 3rd, and will retail at $130 (which is an absolute steal if you’re in the market for a forged wedge).

PXG 0811 X and 0811 X+ Prototype Drivers

 

 

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by The Equipment Junkie (@theequipmentjunkie) on Jan 1, 2020 at 12:00am PST

Ultra-premium brand PXG wasted no time making some big announcements for 2020.

To start, PXG has added (1) Chez Reavie, Jason Kokrak and Joel Dahmen to play alongside Zach Johnson, Pat Perez, Billy Horschel, James Hahn, Ryan Moore, Scott Langley and Wyndham Clark on the PGA Tour and (2) rookie Haley Moore to play with Lydia Ko, Anna Nordqvist, Katherine Kirk, Austin Ernst, Christina Kim, Brittany Lang, Celine Boutier, Ryan O’Toole, Gerina Piller and Jennifer Song on the LPGA.

And to help the new team members compete with the rest of the field, PXG has equipped them with prototype 0811 X (distance and accuracy) and 0811 X+ (forgiveness) drivers.

Unlike prior club designs, the 0811 X drivers, notably, both ditch the signature silver and black PXG rivet weights that were located around the entire perimeter of the sole and, instead, feature four more traditional appearing sole weights located in a front/back and left/right orientation.

Presumably, PXG will offer different weights that would allow you to adjust ball flight, but specific details concerning the new advancements over the current 0811 X and XF Gen. 2 drivers remain to be announced.

That said, it’ll be worth watching new PXG staffer Chez Reavie at Sentry this weekend, as PXG has announced that he will be gaming the new 0811 prototype during the event.

Cover Images Via Instagram and Instagram