Martin Hopley
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Wilson say the Smooth driver’s classic, clean looks have been inspired by the sleek, uninterrupted lines of today’s high performance sports cars and we can see where they are coming from. Wilson has combined the classy exterior of the 460 cc head with their own performance technology on the inside using their own Variable thickness design in the face to deliver a sweetspot that is twice as large as normal.


The Smooth also features a unique internal weight positioning design that moves the weight back as the loft of the driver increases. This means that each of the available lofts - nine, ten point five and twelve degrees - offer the maximum stability to optimise the launch conditions that best suits your swing.


The Wilson Staff Smooth also offers the Fujikura E-Fit shaft system allowing you to match your swing to the correct shaft so that whatever your swing speed you should be able to get the ball up and away consistently.


There is no doubt that the Smooth is a modern looking driver that combines a feeling of power with a more traditional, understated design, but it was maybe little too rounded for us.


Looks, of course, aren’t everything and in our tests we felt that the Smooth driver performed very well and delivered in all the important areas of distance, consistency and forgiveness. Make sure you get the right shaft / loft combination from the Fujikura E-Fit shaft system as that will have a significant effect on the height of your trajectory.


Given how forgiving the driver was we wondered if it would be as workable as some of the rival drivers aimed at the better players but, again, the Staff Smooth performed very well and all the options for moving the ball right or left off the tee are available.


We couldn’t really fault the performance of the Smooth and most golfers would find that this club rarely lets them down. It is however up against some stiff competition in this sector and is maybe missing a little of the ‘wow’ factor to make it stand out. But the Wilson Staff Smooth is a quality driver for all levels of player with a reasonable price tag and if you like a more traditional shaped driver then you won’t go far wrong with this club.

Golfalot Rating: 4 stars
Overall Rating - 4 stars:
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Wilson Staff Smooth Driver

Wilson Staff Smooth Driver - Product Details

UK Launch01 December 2008
USA Launch01 December 2008
GolferMens
Hand AvailabilityLeft, Right
Left Handed Lofts10.5°
Right Handed Lofts9°, 10.5°, 12°
MaterialTitanium
Shaft TypesGraphite
Shaft FlexX Stiff, Stiff, Regular
Manufacturer's WebsiteWilson Website

User Reviews

Jaycee
August 2017

Well I bought a 10.5 head from eBay and fitted a stiff rombax shaft cut butt end to make it 43.1/2" overall playing length, it stopped my slight fade and gave me virtually a straight shot every time (as long as I was facing in the right direction ha ha ) then the second round I played it I got more confident and got more positive with the effort and am very pleased as I now have a driver I can depend on and feel comfortable with also the reason I tried the 43.5 length due to Tiger in his prime used that length for his driver to gain max control, hey you never know until you try, right?

James
July 2009

The Wilson Staff Smooth Driver is a fun club to hit that looks good and performs equally well. The head looks refreshingly like a driver should in comparision to some of the competition in the 460cc market and this leads to a confident look and feel at address.

I tried out the stiff flex shaft and the performance was great with a nice sound at impact and a powerful looking, boring trajectory which was ideal as I was hitting it into the wind.

The Staff Smooth scored well in the forgiveness stakes too, with off centre hits still getting out a fair distance. Although this may have taken something away from its workability it was still fairly easy to move the balls both ways in the air. If you are looking for a driver and are prepared to look away from the marquee names in this sector then the Wilson Staff Smooth is worth trying out.

CReid
June 2009

First up, so important with drivers these days, looks. This one is fine but I think Wilson have set out for something a bit refined, a bit classy. This works fine underneath the club but the design on top is a bit bland. Which can make it look a bit like a big, black blob at address. There's worse out there though.

Performance wise - which should be more important anyway - there is absolutely nothing wrong with this club. If you struggle with the driver you will perform more consistently and if you're already doing well off the tee this will in a likelihood give you a bit of an extra boost. And when you properly catch it the ball will travel.

Are you sensing a "but?" Well here it comes. It is what it is, as Tiger might say. It's hard to find fault but I'm not sure it really inspires. Do you need to be inspired? Probably not but at the price I think you can find other drivers out there that come closer to ticking all the boxes.

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Media Reviews

Golf International
July 2009
It feels solid and sounds good..more traditional club.
Golf Monthly
June 2009
Solid, powerful..head looked small compared to some others.
Golf Monthly
May 2009
Looks great..performs brilliantly. Good distance and arcing trajectory.
Golf Monthly
March 2009
Superb offering, performed brilliantly..feel and sound equally impressive.

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