Perhaps because Ben used one, or maybe due to Phil who did also, I've always like the look and feel of this putter style. With putter options today that look more like boat anchors or back-scratchers, the simplicity and straightforward utility of this model hearkens back to an earlier time in golf. It's hard to argue that the advancements in putters have not helped many a golfer better get the ball in the hole, but a good putter is the one that feels comfortable in your hands, and the Wilson 8802 (nearly identical to the 8882) has always been that for me. While this putter might provide great feedback and a satisfying feel at impact, it does suffer on off-center hits. The heel-shafted and toe-weighted design create an open-to-closed putting stroke. Again, that method works for many golfers. But if your putting style is more straight back-straight through, you'll fight (and probably curse) this putter from day one.

At the end of the day, whether you're 63 or 23, the Wilson 8882 putter, or for that matter any of the 88 Series, has a certain appeal that cuts across all generations of golfers.

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The X-31 originally appeared in the 1950s and was of a design common to the era: a muscle back iron with smooth lines, small heads, and fitted with steel shafts, while the accompanying woods had heads of solid maple. Generally these were made as a department or sporting goods store set -- rather than something you would find at your pro shop. This was an era when Sam Snead and Patty Berg were actively designing on the Wilson Tour Staff, and their names were most often attached to a mass-market set of clubs. While the X-31 bears neither of their names, the concept is indelible, and the frequency with which these '50s-era sets or individual clubs can be found -- even today -- speaks to the thousands of sets made and sold.

Like many companies, Wilson has used the X-31 model for years, and throughout the 1970s and even into the mid 1980s it remained largely unchanged. A hard-to-hit (by today's standards) iron with a very small sweet-spot, no offset, and no cavity back or perimeter weighting. I played a similar set (Wilson Staff Tour blades) in the late 1980's and can testify that nothing feels as good as as well struck iron shot with a forged club -- and nothing feels worse than a poorly struck one. The problem for me was, far too many of the latter and not nearly enough of the former.

Wilson has recently resurrected the X-31 mark yet again, and once more applied it to their department store sets that are sold complete with irons, woods, and bag, and geared at the beginning or very casual golfer, just as they were over 60 years ago. Today's X-31 features game improvement technology such as cavity back irons, large, forgiving wood heads, and a shaft flex best suited to the beginning player.

I’m not a big fan of this set for a few reasons. It’s not any better than your basic Wal-Mart set. Most of the full sets that are out there right now are cheap and ugly. It’s designed to look like the better equipment but the materials are shoddy. I wouldn’t use these shafts in my broom.

The driver head is oversized (which is good) but the sound it makes at impact rivals nails on a chalk board. And the shaft of the driver is whippier than a riding crop.

If you want a cheap set that you only pull out once or twice a year, then by all means grab this set. However, if you are interested in getting into golf and playing this wonderful game for a lifetime, than check out the Adam’s A7 OS hybrid set. This is an awesome set for beginners (and intermediates). These hybrids let you enjoy hitting the golf ball right out of the gate and the materials and technology allows you some room to grow. You will have this set with you for a long time.

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The KC Model 4 putter is a combination of old and new looks. With a simple offset hosel and nearly blade-like appearance from straight on, you'd think this putter was from the early '80s. Get over the top of it, though, and you can see the modern styling and deeper head design that are so common and popular today. A series of six "chevrons" behind the blade provide an excellent alignment tool and are done in a satin finish on a black background -- no glare coming off of this club head to blind or distract you. The club features a milled face, which really helps to keep the ball online as it comes off the putter face.

Available in right hand only and at 35" in length, this is a pretty straightforward offering in that respect. The adjustability for weighting on both the shaft and head provide some interesting options, though, and as such, this putter has several possibilities for achieving the perfect fit for your game.

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The Wilson Smooth Driver comes in a few iterations including both a right and left hand orientation and is equipped with a very solid-performer: a Fujikara graphite shaft in Senior, Regular, and Stiff flex. Lastly, loft options of either 10.5 or 12 degrees are available (see specific seller for exact shaft, loft, and hand options).

If Wilson is your "go to" brand, give the Smooth Driver a try. Compared to most others in the category, though, it'd be easy to pass this one by based on looks alone.

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Move over blades, the cavity back is being more and more prevalent, even with the big boys and girls of the tour. Back in the old days, the thought was that to have good feel and be able to work the golf ball – one had to swing a club that was reinforced with solid steal from top to bottom, thus making the sweet spot the size of an amoeba’s eyelid. (Yes, I’m aware that amoebas don’t have eyelids. Don’t get smart. You’ll be using this metaphor tomorrow at the office.)

Somebody figured out that workability and feel has nothing to do with swinging a blade. It has more to deal with the size of the heal and topline. It seems pretty logical to me. If you have a club that has a thinner topline with a small heal, it is more “user friendly.” I know that I have no problem working the ball with a smaller club than one of those huge ping-pong paddle things.

With this club, Callaway has combined the things I like most about irons: The faces are small, but the sweet spot is big. So I can have all the advantages of a forgiving clubhead, but I am still able to hit high draws or low cuts, just like Padraig Harington.

Of course, Padraig doesn't play these irons on tour; these are designed for us amateur golfers looking for some game-improvement technology. Other technology includes a modified exoskeleton which distributes weight to the bottom of the club. This moves the center of gravity deep and low on the club. This really helps you get the club down to the ball (especially in deep rough) and it promotes a higher ball flight. And Wilson has made the shaft tip wider. (Man, they’ve thought of everything.) You see most with most clubs they make the actual clubhead bigger to raise the MOI so the club doesn’t twist on mishits. But in order to keep this clubface small, Callaway added size to the tip and left the club face alone. This makes the club very stiff and prevents twisting on mishits.

I recommend these irons to high to mid handicappers, and even some of you lower guys. You won't find a forgiving, game improvement iron that is longer and with workability to boot. However, for the price (at least as of February 2011) I would go with the previous model, the Wilson Staff Di9 Men's Iron Set. Unless you are that guy that has to have the latest and greatest, I don't see a lot of discernable difference in the two sets.

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I recommend these clubs for high handicappers, but not beginners. (Beginners should check out Wilson Fybrid Staffs.) The DI7 is one of the easiest clubs to hit on the market. They are very reasonably priced and will provide you with greater confidence.

However, I don't like the grips that come on the irons. They are hard. As you get better, you will definitely want to replace them.

Finally, if you think you need something a little more advanced, check out the Wilson Staff Di9 Men's Iron Set. These irons have a slightly smaller clubhead and a wider sole with a lower profile blade. This is beneficial if you are getting to the level where you want to work the ball.

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I grabbed a set of these for the garage because they were inexpensive and I figured it would be nice to have around for guests and family when they came to visit. I used to have a set of old Fat shafts lying around but they finally left me one day when my girlfriend had a garage sale. (Come to think of it, I haven’t seen my old Ping putter since then either, nor my box of old golf gloves, my bag of salvaged golf balls, my persimmons fairway woods, my broken tees, my stained towels, my old golf shoes and my golden retriever, “Opie”).

I decided to take them out for a trial run and boy was I impressed. First of all they are a full club longer than the old bubble shafts and way more forgiving. Because of the cavity back the sweet spot is much larger. Toe hits and heal hits traveled on target and flew the same distance as center hits.

The best thing about the set, though, is the feel. It has a very smooth feel when you hit the ball right on the large sweet spot. It’s one of those feelings that you just can’t describe to somebody who doesn’t play golf. It kind of feels like nothing at impact but the ball flies high on a penetrating ball flight. Don’t get me wrong, the set has decent feedback and you can certainly feel it when you hit a bad shot. The club has a very balanced feel and it is very easy to control your distance.

Let’s talk a little about the technology. The Di stands for distance, and they certainly deliver that. Most of the cavity weight is located directly behind the sweet spot. The ball jumps off of the face with a mid to high launch angle and carries a long way.

The club has a larger MOI then its predecessor, the Di7, but has a lower profile blade, thus giving it both forgiveness and workability. Another difference between the Di7 and Di9 is the size of the clubhead. The Di7 is an oversize, where the Di9 is mid-sized. To me, this is much more appealing, but if you are a high handicapper, I would recommend you go for the bigger, more forgiving clubhead.

Finally, I like the feel of the Di9. Wilson has added a "shock trap" urethane insert. If you are still perfecting your swing and don't hit it on the sweet spot as often as you like, then you will really like this feature (especially on the driving range on a cold day). Mishits don't rattle up into your elbows like your "old school" irons.

If you are mid to low handicapper, you should also check out the Wilson Staff Ci9 Control Iron Set. This is a beautiful set designed for better golfers.

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These clubs are sweeeeeeet! I wish I was good enough to play them. PGA Tour pros Ricky Barnes and Padraig Harrington have both swung these. Ricky came very close to winning the 2009 US Open at Beth Page with these suckers. Put on your white gloves and let's take a closer look.

When you pick up the club, the first thing you will notice is the heavy, powerful forged clubhead. It feels solid enough to break out a car window. (Don't tell Elin Woods -- she is still sponsored by Nike.)

The heads look great at address with a very compact, classic look with a thinner top line. When in the hands of a skilled player, the ball flies off of the clubface with a soft smack that feels powerful but provides incredible feedback.

The clubs were made by the legendary designer Bob Medrella who has built clubs for Sam Snead, among others.

My only complaint about the clubs is the modern large "FG Tour" lettering design on the back. I'm partial to Wilson's more classic branding with the simple W/S logo.

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The Wilson Ci9 iron is the third generation of the very popular, award winning Ci range. Ci stands for Control Iron as opposed to Wilson's Di (Distance Iron) series. Thus, this set is designed for the better golfer who wants to shape his shots and have a little bit of feel. The midsized face has a thin topline and a sleeker, playable look. (These are comparable to the Nike Victory Red Forged Split Cavity Irons.)

I found the club very easy to work the ball. I could flight the ball high with a soft cut or hit low drawing stingers that would run to the back of the range. The clubs are very shiny and look very cool in the bag.

One nice thing - when you give up forgiveness you gain feel. The Ci9s are very responsive and you can easily feel it when you miss the ball towards the toe or the heal. And when you catch it right in the middle – OH BABY! It has a very pleasing feel which actually feels like nothing… But the best nothing you ever felt.

In addition to the feel, the sound is very nice as well. A ball struck on the sweet spot has a crisp satisfying pop, as opposed to the dull thud of the more game improving irons. It’s like the difference between the crack of a baseball off from a wood bat in the MLB vs. the tink of those aluminum ones used in college.

Don’t get me wrong, the irons are built with some game-improving features as well. For example, there is a very subtle progressive offset and the grooves are modified U-grooves that push the maximum limits of the new USGA specifications. This gives the face tremendous spin and helps you work the ball.

There are a couple things I should warn you about this set. First, I'm not a big fan of the wedge. It's too square looking. I would recommend the W/S TW9. I'd also throw in a 50-degree gap wedge, because the PW and SW are 44 and 55, respectively. That is too big of a gap and can lead to some over-swinging – or worse, under-swinging.

Another thing is the stock grips are crummy. I’ve seen better grips on Wal-mart clubs. So when you are figuring out your total expense, make sure to budget for some high quality Winn or Lamkin grips.

Finally, I like the soft 431 stainless steel. It provides great feel and feedback, but you will need individual head covers to keep them from scuffing when being banged around in your golf bag.

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The Wilson Staff Fybrids uses Wilson's Fybrid HS technology. This is a heavy sole which gives the club a low center of gravity and a high MOI. Consequently, it is a very easy-swinging fairway wood.

These fairway woods are available in 7 different models. The lofts go from 13 degrees to 27 degrees. Obviously, once you get into the lofts that are higher than 19 or 20 degrees, you are getting into the hybrid territory.

I recommend these for all players looking to have a very fluid transition from your driver to your hybrids. One word of warning: even though you are holding a club in your hands that looks and feels like a hybrid, you still need to swing the fairway woods like a fairway wood. This means: don't get lazy and "handsy." Imagine you have your driver in your hands and take a nice, smooth swing.

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