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Wilson Launch Pad hybrid irons: First impressions
Although they wouldn’t like to admit it, most club golfers hit their mid to long irons the same distance. This is fine if you have room to run up shots from the fairway to the green, but not if you have bunkers or water hazards to carry.
There is a logical reason for this. Typically, the lower the loft in an iron, the more difficult it is to hit the ball high. This means most club golfers struggle to get enough height on long iron shots due to the fact they have a slower clubhead speed and don’t have a steep enough attack angle to hit down into the ball at impact. This lack of height on shots leads to reduced hang time and, overall, shorter carry distances.
Fear not, for there is a solution to this common issue.
Hybrids are easier to hit than irons. They launch higher and land softer, making it considerably easier to achieve consistent gapping through the bag and give you more yardages with which to play when it comes to flying those pesky bunkers.
They also spin more so, combined with the steeper land angle, it makes holding greens from long distances much easier.
Hybrids sit between irons and fairway woods and have much thicker heads than irons of the equivalent loft. This allows the centre of gravity to be moved further back from the club face which gives you a much higher trajectory. They also suit players with a more sweeping swing style, which is far more common among the amateur game.
All this information begs the question: Should most high handicap golfers be using a full bag of hybrid irons?
After all, they offer much more forgiveness on off-centre strikes and are far more consistent in terms of carry distances. What’s not to love?
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So let’s take a look at the new Wilson Launch Pad hybrid irons…
It would have been easy for Wilson to focus on technology and performance and leave the aesthetics to last. Instead they have dived into reshaping and redesigning these and, I’m sure you’ll agree, they’ve done a great job.
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Wilson Launch Pad hybrid irons: The technology
The whole Wilson Launch Pad range offers forgiving, slice combating technology. The aim is to provide more consistent distance gapping throughout the bag of every player.
The big difference in this range to other lightweight models is the use of hybrid irons rather than standard iron models.
So what is a hybrid iron? If the name didn’t give this away, it is a cross between a hybrid and an iron which is designed to replace irons and offer high-handicap golfers an alternative that’s much easier to hit and launch.
They are lightweight and draw-biased to help players who struggle with long irons and want effortless distance with the longer clubs in the bag.
There have been some significant updates since the original range. Weight has been redistributed in the club head to help created a thinner top line look at address.
This also allows more weight to be added lower to help launch the ball higher giving you more hang time and distance.
The hybrids irons feature a high-strength, super thin Carpenter Custom 455 face for maximum ball speed and distance.
“We’ve conducted extensive research on how the wide sole on the Launch Pad iron interacts with the turf at impact. Thanks to the sole design, the leading edge stays above the turf and produces a smaller divot, so the connection between clubhead and ball is a lot cleaner. We’ve seen a 1mph clubhead and ball speed increase with this latest technology allowing for longer and straighter shots.”
Jon Pergande, Wilson Golf
The hybrid irons run from 4-iron to sand wedge.
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Wilson Launch Pad hybrid irons: The details
Available: March
RRP: £600 (steel); £660 (graphite)
Stock shafts: KBS Max Ultralite (steel); Project X EvenFlow (graphite)
Lofts: 4-SW (men’s); 5-SW (women’s)
More information: Wilson website
If you’re after more equipment content, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, and if you have any questions about anything gear related, feel free to drop me a line on Twitter or Instagram.
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Wilson Launch Pad hybrid irons: NCG verdict
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All clothing and shoes used in our videos are supplied by FootJoy. This video was filmed at Malton & Norton.
If you’re after more equipment content, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel, and if you have any questions about anything gear related, feel free to drop me a line on Twitter or Instagram.
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