Wilson D9 Irons Review – Good for High Handicappers & Forgiving?

“With the D9 irons, Wilson stepped into the 21st century…so to speak.”

That’s a roundabout way of saying that the Wilson implemented AI technology to help them design the Wilson D9 irons.

They took a page out of Callaway’s book in order to create the best game improvement irons they possibly could.

But did they succeed? It’s no secret that the Wilson D9 irons are game improvement irons – you can just tell by looking at them.

But you should never judge a golf club on looks alone. To find out what the Wilson D9 irons were all about, we took them to the course for a practice session.

The Wilson D Iron Family

“If you’re looking for super game improvement irons, you may want to check out the Wilson D7 irons.”

The Wilson D7 irons look even more forgiving as their footprint is a bit larger than the Wilson D9’s.

They have a progressive “Power Hole” configuration that improves face flexion and helps increase ball speeds.

The Wilson D7 irons are a year older than the Wilson D9’s so you might even be able to get them for a lower price.

Are They Good for High Handicappers?

“Wilson wanted to make these irons appealing to both low and high handicappers.”

While we can’t see lower handicap players loving the offset and lack of workability in these irons, they look and perform great for high handicappers.

The Wilson D9’s are cavity back irons. In the long irons, you can actually see the cavity back jut out a bit at address.

Again, not something that low handicap players would like but definitely reassuring for high handicappers.

The Wilson D9 irons have a very large sweet spot and like the D7’s before them, a deep face profile. You get forgiveness from every part of the hitting area and the low CG makes for good launch angles.

While the Wilson D9 irons don’t launch as high as the D7 irons did, we actually consider that a good thing. You get a more controlled launch that will suit players with swing speeds in the 80 MPH range.

The Wilson D9 irons are great for high handicappers because they will increase your distance and allow you to score from distance.

Are They Forgiving?

“When you look down at the Wilson D9 irons behind the ball, you will likely notice one thing.”

The hitting area has a matte finish while the heel and toe area have a polished chrome finish. To be quite honest, this was a distraction to us.

It wasn’t pleasing to the eye and we couldn’t figure out why Wilson opted for this kind of “two-toned” finish.

But after a few swings, it started to make sense. The stark contrast between the hitting zone and the perimeter makes  it very easy to frame the ball properly.

At address, you can clearly see when you’re square and it even gives you a visual cue on your downswing.

With time, we can imagine that even high handicap players would be able to hit the sweet spot of these irons with their eyes closed.

The heads are still pretty big even though they are overall smaller than the previous D7 irons. The soles are moderately wide and the CG is nice and low.

The Wilson D9 irons also feature the “Power Holes” which are cavities in the sole that are filled with soft urethane. This allows the face to float freely which increases ball speed on pure strikes.

The Wilson D9’s were very forgiving. You get a good sense of the sweet spot very quickly and there is plenty of face to work with.

Difference Between the Wilson D9 Irons and the Wilson D7 Irons

“On the surface, the Wilson D9 irons have a cleaner, crisper look.”

We also liked the sound of the Wilson D9 irons over that of the D7’s. The Wilson D9 irons have a crisper “snap” at impact.

They also look cleaner at address because you can’t really see the cavity back anywhere but in the long irons. With the Wilson D7’s you could see the deep cavity back in almost every iron in the set.

Available Shafts

The only stock shaft that Wilson made available for the Wilson D9 irons is a KBS Max Ultralite which was actually a very nice pairing for these substantial irons.

Are the Wilson D9 Irons Worth it?

“Wilson clearly made improvements over the D7 irons.”

The Wilson D9 irons represent a step forward for Wilson. They are more refined but still offer the same distance help and forgiveness that high handicappers need.

Plus, they won’t cost you $1000 so we would say they’re definitely worth it.