Wilson have brought out a new set of Staff Model CB irons as part of their 2024 range. How do they perform? Find out in our review of the Wilson Staff Model CB irons.

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Wilson Staff Model CB Irons Review: NCG Summary

NCG SUMMARY

The Wilson Staff Model irons have been around forever, and the new 2024 edition of the CB irons could well be a game-changer for mid- to high-handicappers.

The shape and design of this year’s CB irons is very similar to those from the last few years, and they look clean and sharp.

When it comes to performance, the Wilson Staff Model CB irons are very consistent and forgiving. Although they are not the longest, the grouping on these irons is much closer, allowing for more confidence when standing over those approach shots.

PROS

Great feel
Very forgiving
Low dispersion rate

CONS

Shorter than more forgiving models

Wilson Staff Model CB Irons Review: First Impressions

It is going back a few years, but my first proper set of irons were a hand-me-down set of Wilson Staff Model irons. They would have been at least ten years old when I first hit them, but they always felt good.

On the drive down to Worksop Indoor Golf Centre (which is where we tested these clubs due to the British weather in December), I was certainly hoping that all these years on, the latest edition of the Wilson Staff Model CB irons would provide the same level of consistency and feel throughout the set.

The Wilson Staff Model irons have always had a timeless look, remaining pretty much the same throughout its history. That has continued with their 2024 iteration, and once again, these irons look sharp, clean, and beautiful when addressing the ball.

NCG Verdict

From the start, I did note that the size of the club face was slightly smaller than the game improvement irons I currently use but not small enough that it is intimidating behind the golf ball.

This year’s Staff Model CB irons provide the added forgiveness of a cavity-back iron while maintaining their usual design. That comes through immediately, and the construction of the longer irons aims to aid in that respect as well.

Precise Toe Weighting and a Fluid Feel Hosel, are just some of the new technologies that have been put into play with this year’s edition of the Wilson Staff Model CB irons. There is also Forged Carbon Steel, which can allow players to work the ball in both directions.

As an amateur golfer who is currently struggling to maintain a single-figure handicap, being able to work the ball in both directions is not the first thing on my agenda when it comes to a new set of irons. Instead, I am more looking for consistency and forgiveness.

Luckily for the Wilson Staff Model CB irons, those both come in abundance. Distance is traded for these, but that is not the worst thing in the world. For instance, a usual PW with my current TaylorMade M5s carries around 130 yards.

As the data above shows, with the new Staff Model CBs, shots with the PW were carrying an average of 125 yards; I was pretty impressed with this distance, given how much smaller these clubs are than my gamers. The dispersion was also minute for an 8-handicapper. There was an average of less than three yards left of the target, which was playing with a slight draw as well. Those numbers really give you confidence standing over the golf ball.

That sort of data continued into the mid-irons as well. With my current irons – the TaylorMade M5s – my average carry with a 7-iron is around 165 yards. This decreased with the Wilson Staff Model CBs, down to just shy of 160 yards, but that is not something that bothers me too much given the control I am gaining.

Below is the data for the 8-, 7- and 6-iron shots during my testing with the Wilson Staff Model CBs. The carry distance (fifth column from the right) shows smaller numbers than I hit with my current irons. However, there is consistency across the board. There are only a couple of anomalies.

Again, like the PW data, the dispersion rates are relatively small, and certainly smaller than other irons I tested on the same day. That is a huge plus point for the Wilson Staff Model CBs. Another key point for these clubs is the descent angle. With both the 7- and 8-irons, the average descent angle was around 45 degrees, which would give the ball every chance of stopping quickly on the putting surface. That did come down to 40 degrees with the 6-iron, but that is not the worst thing in the world.

The last three shots in the data above come from hitting the 6-iron off the tee. Again, there is consistency in the distances with just a four-yard spread, and with decent roll-out as well, which is exactly what you would be after if you are playing an iron off the tee for safety.

In conclusion, the Wilson Staff Model CB irons are all about precision and control but I found them much more playable than I expected. If you keep hitting greens thanks to that smaller dispersion rate, what does it matter if you have to hit one club more? I will definitely be trying these out some more, and they may even be going into my bag for this season…

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The Details

Available: 11th January (pre-sale) / 24th January (retail)

RRP: £1,050 for a set of seven (4-PW)

Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Mid 115 Shaft (R/S/X)

More information: Wilson website

Mention a European country, and Matt will tell you which resorts make the National Club Golfer Top 100s: European Resorts list. He might even throw in who designed the golf course and how many rooms the hotel has got at each one…

Matt got into the game of golf from a young age, following his old man to the local golf club. He fell for the sport, and now can’t seem to go a day without thinking about how to improve his game (Thanks Dad!). Matt has been a member of Howley Hall GC in Leeds since 2020, and is just about managing to maintain a single-figure handicap. He likes to remind people that he once broke 75, but won’t tell people that it was on a shortened course during the winter.

He moved to Leeds after graduating from the University of Central Lancashire with a First Class Honours degree in Sports Journalism. Matt joined NCG after almost five years travelling the world with the Professional Squash Association, working on events in all four corners of the globe.

Matt currently plays a Cobra King LTDx driver and RadSpeed 3-wood. TaylorMade monopolise the rest of his bag, with a SIM UDI, M5 irons and both Milled Grind and HI-TOE wedges, along with a Monza Redline putter. He uses a Vice Pro Plus golf ball, because he’s a bit different…

Away from golf, Matt is a Manchester United fan, and a keen runner, having ran the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon (his first and possibly last), in May 2023.