Wilson Launch Pad 2022 Fairway Wood Review

Wilson Launch Pad 2022 Fairway Wood Review

The Wilson Launch Pad fairway wood does exactly what it says on the tin, launch it higher for golfers who need extra help hitting a wood off the fairway or the tee. These fairway woods are simple, uncomplicated and designed for improving golfers that want clubs that are easy to use and which correct some of their swing faults. In this case, the Wilson Launch Pad fairway will help dampen down a slice.

The most obvious thing you notice about the Wilson LP fairways is that they sit very closed and have an obvious draw bias. This naturally benefits the golfer who slices and helps straighten up ball flight for the majority of mid to high handicap golfers who come over the top on the downswing, hit across the ball and promote a left to right flight.

As a scratch golfer, this wouldn’t be a club I’d consider putting in my bag, which sparked my interest as to how it would compare against some of the new releases from so-called better player or premium brand equipment manufacturers.

To test it out, we put it through its paces at the performance testing studio at Wynyard Club on Teesside using a Foresight Sports GCQuad launch monitor and Titleist ProV1x golf balls. We backed up indoor testing with a range session and play on Wynyard’s Wellington course.

On paper, you get a reasonable amount for your money. At £200 RRP, the Wilson Launch Pad fairway comes with a True Temper Project X EvenFlow 55g shaft in an attractive grey swirl effect. The grip is a midsize Wilson branded Tour Velvet equivalent and feels great, while the unfussy head has a sleek soleplate, eye-catching design but no adjustability in weighting or shaft sleeve.

The first thing I noticed when swinging this club was how light it feels. The shaft is around 15g lighter than I’d usually choose to play and the clubhead is also noticeably light. You instantly feel that you could swing the club quickly with minimal effort, which is a big plus for slow to moderate swingers. The impact sound is high pitched and loud but no more than the Ping G425 Max, Honma TW757 or the Callaway Epic Speed fairways. Wilson says it used a high-strength Carpenter Custom 455 face to increase ball speed for more distance.

In launch monitor testing, our results were surprising. The Wilson LP held its own against more expensive better player models, delivering impressive middle of the pack performance across most categories, including ball speed, carry distance, peak height and spin rate.

On the range and in play on the course, it lived up to its billing as being easy to hit. I found it easy to find the middle of the face due to the forgiving and generous clubhead and its all-round lightness. It flew too high for my liking and I drew it more than I’d want, but these are characteristics that make it one of the best fairway woods for high handicappers.

Wilson has moved the COG forward and heelward in this club to promote a draw bias and keep the spin rate controlled. At 4430 rpm, it span far less than we expected.

If you’re actively looking to dampen down a slice, then the Wilson LP is one of the most forgiving fairway woods we’ve tested. There may not appear to be much to it, its lack of adjustability is a negative, but across the board the Wilson Launch Pad fairway exceeded expectations and delivers great value for money.

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