"Fifty years ago Wilson Golf was the major player in golf, and Wilson Staff was the brand," said Angus Moir, Global Business Director for Wilson Golf. The return to Wilson Staff, Moir said, "marks the end of yearlong planning and the start of a whole new focus under the brand that made the company so successful in 1950s, '60s and '70s. Our plan is to recapture the energy and spirit of the Wilson Staff name and produce technologically advanced golf equipment that all golfers will want in their golf bag."
The Wilson Advisory Staff, which began in 1922 when 20-year-old Gene Sarazen joined Wilson as a technical advisor, consists of athlete advisors in all sports who not only promote Wilson products, but also test the products and suggest improvements. No better example of this came in 1932 when Sarazen developed the modern sand wedge, which one year later was provided to the public in the form of the Sarazen R-99 Sand Iron, which eventually became the famous Wilson R-90 Sand Wedge.
Over the decades, the Wilson Golf Advisory Staff has included the likes of Sam Snead, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Cary Middlecoff, Billy Casper, Julius Boros, Hale Irwin, Nick Faldo, Johnny Miller, Bernhard Langer, Vijay Singh and Payne Stewart. Women golfers who were members have included Patty Berg, Babe Zaharias, Mickey Wright, and Kathy Whitworth.
The Wilson Staff brand came into its own with the introduction of the Wilson Staff ball in 1954 and the Dyna-Powered Irons (Staff Model) in 1956. The Wilson Dyna-Powered Irons, often known simply as "Staff Blades," dominated the pro game from their introduction through the 1960s and into the '70s.
"The Wilson Staff Advisors were the dominant players on Tour, and golfers wanted the clubs they played," said Bob Mendralla, Wilson Golf’s master clubmaker who joined the company in 1947 and will complete his 57th year with Wilson this September. "The Staff players had even more input into the design of the Dyna-Powered Irons than they realized because when they requested changes in the design of their clubs, we recognized trends and incorporated those changes."
Today's Wilson Tour professionals include Padraig Harrington and Jesper Parnevik, both of whom consistently provide input on Wilson equipment, according to the company. Harrington has played with Staff protoype clubs and putters this year and his feedback has played a major role in the design of the new Wilson Staff clubs, the company said.
While the brand has remained through the years, it has not been the focus of Wilson’s marketing and advertising efforts like it was in the '50s and '60s. It was Moir who led the charge to reposition all of Wilson's premium business under a renewed Wilson Staff brand.
"When the golf division was re-structured a year ago, one thing was clear, we had to create a new, global brand identity for Wilson Golf to return the premium business to profitability.," said Moir. "Our new marketing will be 100-percent Wilson Staff equipment that features specific, breakthrough technologies. The heritage, equity, and respect associated with the Staff brand provides the perfect vehicle to accomplish our goal of elevating Wilson Golf to a position of influence in golf."
