The newest driver on the market wasn’t the result of years of industry advancements or funded with millions of dollars from an angel investor; it was designed by a guy in his garage in Cincinnati, Ohio who is now $500,000 richer after winning Golf Channel’s Driver Vs. Driver reality television show.
Introducing: The One That Made the Cut, the #WilsonStaff #Triton.#TechXFive #DriverVsDriver pic.twitter.com/l9Ok8YzbFZ
— Wilson Golf (@WilsonGolf) November 23, 2016
Here is Golfweek.com’s review of Eric Sillies winning club design.
The 460cc Triton comes with a 22-gram titanium sole plate and a 9-gram carbon-fiber sole plate. Wilson said most players will benefit from the titanium plate, because it lowers the club’s center of gravity and helps it create a higher launch angle with less backspin. When the carbon-fiber sole plate is used, the CG elevates slightly, the initial launch angle lowers and the club produces a more penetrating shot with less spin.
The Triton was designed with three ports to house adjustable weight screws, and each club comes with five weights (one 12-gram, two 6-gram and two 2-gram). There are 18 combinations of weight placements, and each shifts the CG of the head to encourage a different shot shape. Putting the 12-gram weight in the heel promotes a draw, while adding it to the toe encourages a fade.
The combination of the interchangeable sole plates and the movable weights should allow custom-fitters and golfers to fine tune the Triton.
At address, the black crown is split by a gray bar that Wilson calls 1:1 Visible Swing Active Technology. It’s really an alignment line that is the same width as a golf ball. Like an alignment line on a putter, it is designed to help get the face pointed at the target more easily. However, because the line is so wide and stands out against the crown, Wilson says golfers can see it as the club makes impact with the ball and get a better idea of where contact occurs.
The six-setting adjustable hosel allows players to increase or decrease the stated loft by 1 degree. There are also draw settings for the different lofts.
The Triton was released into 1,000 stores on Black Friday and retails for $449.99. While the driver hasn’t been approved by the USGA yet due to the timing of the shows finale, Wilson expects there to be no problems.
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