Wilson Golf has attempted to clarify the U.S. Golf Associations concerns with its new Triton drivers currently at retail that the ruling body recently ruled non-conforming to The Rules of Golf. In a statement on its website www.wilson.com/triton, Wilson Golf said “It is important to emphasize that changes to these two features do not affect the playability of the driver.’’
The first feature, according to Wilson, is an aesthetic one that involves reducing the rear edge of the driver’s sole plates by a few millimeters.
“The USGA has assured us this small modification to the sole plates will bring all three lofts into conformity with its “Plain in Shape” Rule. Further, this small reduction is consistent with the sole plates of the Wilson Staff 9° Triton DVD model,’’ the company said.
The second feature is related to the optional 12-gram weight in the 10.5° and 12° Triton driver accessory kits. In testing the driver with the maximum total of 24-grams of weight, with the optional 12-gram weight in the toe of the club, the USGA observed a CT (Characteristic Time) that was slightly above their allowable limits and testing tolerance. It should be noted that this specific combination of the Titanium sole plate and this extreme weight configuration was not used in our evaluation of the Triton as it would have resulted in a heavy swing weight and a fade/slice bias.
““While we are very disappointed in the USGA’s position on the Triton, doing what’s right for our players and their game comes first. As we are a global golf brand with a 100-year track record of only bringing conforming products to the market, we want to assure the Triton is not the exception, regardless of configuration,’’ Wilson said.
“Therefore, we will proactively remove the optional 12-gram weight from all Triton accessory kits. This action combined with the new modified sole plates will be submitted to the USGA for review this week. We are confident that these modifications will satisfy the USGA’s concerns, and that the driver, across lofts, will be placed on the December 19 conforming list.
“Upon receiving a conforming ruling, we will expedite exchanging the current Triton sole plates for the new modified plates. The new conforming Triton sole plates will be identified by a “DVD” logo placed on the bottom of the club.’’
Beginning January 1, Wilson said, shipments of the Triton DVD Driver (featuring the new modified sole plates) will be available through Wilson Golf Authorized Dealers and on www.wilson.com.
