Wilson strikes gold with extended lineup of Deep Red clubs

In the golf equipment business, manufacturers love a hit product upon which they can build an expanding and continuing franchise. This year, Wilson is mining a gem called Deep Red.

Deep Red irons use a new Fluid Feel urethane insert in the clubhead. (Provided to SportsLine)

Back in January, Wilson Golf launched the first product -- the Deep Red driver -- in what is now blossoming into a full lineup of clubs. With a 305cc clubhead, the new driver has met with considerable praise since being introduced.

To many industry observers and golfing enthusiasts, it had been a long time since Wilson had produced a driver this good. While the company had pioneered a solid entry in its Fat Shaft irons over the past few years, some felt that its drivers and fairway woods had lagged somewhat behind.

That sentiment has been resoundingly put to rest by the Deep Red driver. It is sleek-looking for sure, boasting a lustrous cherry finish, but as many golfers have found -- and attested to -- it is long, unerringly straight and easy to control.

"We've been extremely pleased by the positive response we've gotten since introducing the Deep Red driver," said Jeff Sernick, Wilson director of marketing communications. "Our goal was, and is, to develop new products to help the average golfer play better. We put a lot of effort into research and development, and the Deep Red driver is one of the results. It is clearly a better driver."

Now, Wilson has extended Deep Red by adding a new, larger, even more forgiving driver (365cc) to its roster, along with a counterpart set of fairway metalwoods and the debut of a full line of Deep Red irons.

"Yes, it's true. This year we're launching a new everything," Frank Garrett, Wilson vice president of Research and Development, said with a laugh.

"All the new clubs are beginning to ship this month, and are a direct follow up to the tremendous success of the Deep Red driver," added Garrett. "It's a club you really have to try because, if you do, you are definitely going to like it."

That may seem a bit boastful, but it has been backed by numerous testimonials from several groups of amateur golfers in demo tests conducted by GolfWeb.

"I have never hit so many drives so straight and so far," said one mid-handicap amateur.

Here's an up-close look at the newest Deep Red clubs.

DRIVER

"After launching the 305 driver earlier this year, we found that there is also a market for a larger driver," said Garrett. "We've been working on a range of different sizes to develop what works best, and that's the Deep Red 365 driver."

The new driver incorporates the key features of its smaller cousin, including a thin, responsive face and a bulged toe. This enlarges the sweet spot on the clubface and moves it more toward the toe, where most average players need it. Additionally, the weight pad is deeper in the clubhead, positioned low and back for a lower center of gravity to create a higher launch angle.

Still, the driver produces a long, boring ball flight.

The Deep Red 365 driver has a Grafalloy Pro Lite .480-tip Fat Shaft to provide low torque and clubhead stability at impact, even on off-center hits, while a soft butt provides a comfortable feel.

"The driver, for its size, is unbelievably light," said one of our amateur testers, "making it really easy to control throughout the swing."

Available in clubhead lofts of 7.5, 9, 10.5 and 12 degrees, with four flexes of shaft (Lite, Regular, Stiff and Extra Stiff), the Deep Red 365 driver carries a suggested retail price of $449.

"The Deep Red 365 driver is an option for those golfers who prefer an even more oversized clubhead with greater forgiveness," said Luke Reese, vice president and general manager of Wilson Golf.

FAIRWAY WOODS

Like the driver, the Deep Red fairway woods position clubhead weight deep, low and toward the back. The weight pad element is designed to provide a high trajectory from a variety of lies.

The fairway woods also have a shaft with a thicker tip for greater stability and come in four lofts: No. 3 wood (15 degrees), No. 5 (18 degrees), No. 7 (21 degrees) and No. 9 (25 degrees).

Suggested retail price for the fairway woods is $250 per club with graphite shaft and $199 each with steel shaft.

"There was immense pressure on our R&D team to duplicate the driver's level of performance with these fairway woods," said Garrett. "Our whole team breathed a sigh of relief when we tested the final design. We are proud to be associated with these new sticks."

IRONS

The Deep Red irons were designed by Bob Mendralla, who's been making clubs for Wilson for more than 50 years. Although he remodeled the head shape, and increased it in size by 9 percent compared to the predecessor Fat Shaft Iron, the new clubs don't appear oversized.

Like the woods, the weight in the clubhead of the Deep Red irons is concentrated low to help get the ball airborne. The design also yields a larger sweet spot for more forgiveness on off-center hits.

Further, Deep Red irons incorporate a new Fluid Feel urethane insert in the clubhead. This is an interlocking web of soft and hard urethane placed in the cavity that absorbs vibrations for a soft feel at impact.

Two new types of Fat Shaft technology are available in Deep Red irons: a 535 Tri-Ply Graphite Fat Shaft that's .535 inches wide at the tip; and, a Fluid Feel steel shaft with a .500-inch tip with a urethane foam layer in mid-shaft for greater feel.

Suggested retail prices for the Deep Red irons are $949 per set (3-PW) with graphite shafts and $749 per set with steel shafts.

In introducing Deep Red, Wilson will discontinue making irons called Fat Shaft.

"Wilson has a tremendous heritage as an irons company," Garrett said. "The Fat Shaft technology, incorporated with Deep Red characteristics, improves trajectory, control, vibration dampening and overall feel."

Editor's note: Equipment specialist Chuck Stogel appears every Wednesday on GolfWeb and PGATOUR.COM.