Wilson goes half and half

Last updated: 17th December 2009

Wilson Golf has pushed the boundaries of club design to the limits with its new Wilson Staff D-FY iron and hybrid combination set, featuring a revolutionary half graphite-half steel shaft that is ideal for higher handicap golfers looking to improve distance while maintaining accuracy.

The exclusive co-cured Half-and-Half ShaftTM design is the first of its kind in golf and fuses the responsiveness of steel at the tip with the lightweight and vibration-dampening properties of graphite at the top. The shaft is combined in the D-FY irons with an innovative selection of utility clubs, super-wide sole mid-irons and perimeter-weighted cavity-back short irons to provide a unique balance of performance-enhancing technology for players with low- to mid-swing speeds.

"The Half-and-Half ShaftTM allows players to get the best of both worlds while maximising performance," said Bob Thurman, global director of R&D. "It is like no other shaft on the market and was the perfect way to marry our distance iron heritage to our FYbrid distance gapping technology."

Weighing in at only 76 grams, the Half-and-Half ShaftTM features a steel tip section that provides bending stability and low torque at the hosel for straighter shots on off-center hits. More than 30 grams of weight have been removed through the inclusion of the high modulus graphite section of the shaft which increases swing speed and improves distance. A strong and durable joint section also provides maximum vibration dampening at the junction of the two materials.

As a division of Wilson Sporting Goods Co, one of the world's leading sporting equipment manufacturers, Wilson Golf is able to take advantage of resources outside the golf world. Wilson Golf's Half-and-Half technology is a perfect example of this synergy as it is inspired by the DemariniTM baseball bat - a high-performance two-piece composite bat made of two fused materials to make it both lightweight and responsive.

The fully integrated eight-piece D-FY set comprises a 19.5 degree FY club and a 4-hybrid from the new FYbrid HS range, plus 5i and 6i super-wide sole mid-irons with a hollow core designs to hit the ball higher and longer. The set also features 7i-PW perimeter-weighted cavity-back short irons which allow maximum forgiveness in scoring club range.