Wilson Launch Pad 2 Driver, Fairways and Hybrids – Key Takeaways
- Super-forgiving anti-slice metalwoods
- Driver features AI-engineered titanium Peak Kinetic Response (PKR) face
- Driver $349.99; Fairways $219.99; Hybrids $199.99
- Available at retail March 14
Like its companion irons, the new Wilson Launch Pad 2 Driver, fairways and hybrids are niche products. Only more so.
While Wilson’s new family of metalwoods is aimed at a specific slice of the golfing population, it’s a pretty substantial slice. In fact, it’s the slicer’s slice. That is to say, if you’re a slicer and no amount of practice, lessons or prayer will make that slice go away, the new Launch Pad 2 metalwoods might be able to help.
On the other hand, the Launch Pad metalwoods are pretty much a one-trick pony. If they don’t fit you, they really don’t fit you. The results won’t be disastrous but Launch Pad was designed to fix a specific problem. If you don’t have that problem, well …
There is, however, one possible exception.
Wilson Launch Pad 2 Metal Woods: The Next Generation
They always say to never buy the first generation of a new car. Give it a year, they say, so the manufacturer can work out the kinks.
I don’t know if that theory applies to golf clubs in general but it does apply to the Wilson Launch Pad in particular. The original Launch Pad metalwoods debuted a little over two years ago. They were non-adjustable, super-forgiving sticks with a metric crap-tonne of offset to mitigate, as best they could, the off-the-planet slice.
The problem is they really didn’t test well, at least for us.
The original Launch Pad driver finished near the bottom in every category (except forgiveness) in the overall 2021 Most Wanted testing. You’d think it would have done better for lower swing speeds since that’s its target but it was still near the bottom. The Launch Pad hybrid finished in the lower third in overall performance and was the shortest club in that test. And the fairway wood? DFL—and not by a little.
So yeah, there was some work to do.
The new Launch Pad 2 driver, while not the longest by any stretch, was one of the few drivers not made by one of the Big Five to appear on the 2022 Most Wanted medal stand. It finished an impressive third overall for forgiveness.
“With its combination of high launch and high spin, the Wilson Staff Launch Pad 2 is one of the most consistent clubs in the test.” MyGolfSpy 2022 Most Wanted Driver Testing
It performed best for golfers in the 81- to 90-mph swing speeds, finishing seventh overall for carry and sixth for ball speed. And it stayed in play.
Launch Pad 2 Driver
Just what did Wilson do to improve the Launch Pad 2 driver? It put the computer to work.
“Everything about the Launch Pad 2 driver is about straighter shots for those who struggle with a slice,” says Jon Pergande, Wilson’s Golf Club Innovation Manager. “Straighter shots equal longer shots. But with that, we also have technologies that deliver ball speed.”
Count Wilson among the growing number of OEMs utilizing forms of artificial intelligence to design its clubs. Wilson calls its AI-powered driver face technology Peak Kinetic Response (PKR). It’s Wilson’s method for optimizing variable-face thickness for the target golfer.
“PKR delivers ball speed across the entire face,” says Pergande, “and we can tweak it and package it up for Launch Pad 2.”
Specifically, Wilson says its studies of impact locations for average golfers show nearly 70 percent of the strikes occur more toe-ward. So Wilson used AI to optimize the face for that type of impact. The face itself is actually a touch larger and the toe section is a bit deeper to enhance forgiveness.
It also has a pretty aggressive face offset and an upright lie angle. Helpful if you are a chronic slicer but worse than useless if you’re not.
“If you’re a traditional player and used to a traditional club, the features in the Launch Pad will make for an awkward swing,” says Pergande. “It’s not for everyone but for the right player it can solve a problem.”
Fairways and Hybrids
As always, fairways and hybrids get the “also appearing in this episode” treatment during any product launch. Wilson is expanding the Launch Pad hybrid line with this iteration. In the original launch, there was only one hybrid, the 19.5-degree FY.
The FY remains but it’s joined by a 22.5-degree 4-hybrid and a 25.5-degree 5-hybrid. Wilson says it’s to better blend with the Launch Pad 2 iron set. The hybrids are lightweight and draw-biased with a thin, high-strength Carpenter Custom 455 stainless steel face.
The fairway offering is expanded, as well. It features a 16-degree 3-wood and a 19-degree 5-wood along with a newly added 22-degree 7-wood. And even though the original Launch Pad fairway wood finished dead last in last year’s Most Wanted, there’s hope for this year’s model.
“When we have large demo days, it’s a home-run, easy-to-hit product that people aren’t necessarily looking for,” says Pergande. “For one of our fitters, it’s his favorite club to put into someone’s hands. It’s an eye-opening experience because of how easy they are to hit.”
In the right hands, fairway woods are powerful, let’s-reach-this-mother-in-two weapons. In the wrong hands, and I speak from some experience, they can be more of a why-didn’t-I-stay-home-and-do-chores kind of club. A light, heavily draw-biased 3-wood might be just the ticket.
As always, we’ll see how it plays out in Most Wanted testing.
Wilson Launch Pad 2 Driver, Fairways and Hybrids: Specs, Pricing and Availability
The new Wilson Launch Pad 2 metalwoods lineup will be available for both lefties and righties. The entire lineup features the lightweight Project X Evenflow as the stock shaft and the standard Wilson-branded Crossline as the stock grip.
“The entire line is geared toward lighter shafts and very flexible shafts,” says Pergande. “If you’re an S or an X-flex player, we don’t really have a shaft and flex solution for you because we’re trying to bring the loft up and help people hit the ball as high and as far as they can.”
We’ve already mentioned the loft options for both the hybrids and fairways. The driver will be available in three loft options: nine-, 10.5- and 13-degrees.
The driver will retail for $349.99. The fairways will sell for $219.99 and the hybrids for $199.99.
They go on sale March 14.
For more information, visit the Wilson Golf website.
Sam Evans
1 year ago
I’m 84 and just bought a Launchpad 2 driver, A-Flex. Love it. I hit 13 out of 14 fairways. My previous driver was Taylor Made and an R-Flex. The only way I could hit a good drive with the Taylor Made was to close the club face and swing as hard as I could. Using this much energy, and by the 13 hole or so I was running out of gas. The Launch Pad 2 is lighter, I swing easier, and hit it about 200 to 210 yards. About the same as the Taylor Made and i don’t get as tired.