The new Wilson Staff C300 driver offers solid performance in an extremely forgiving clubhead. Along with a fair amount of adjustability and unique technology, the C300 is a fairway-finder that will appeal to mid- and high-handicap players.

Technology

Wilson Golf has done a great job in recent years to become a solid competitor in new club technology in a saturated space. Their lineup spans the entirety of the golf handicap spectrum, offering solid options to players of any skill level.

The Wilson Staff C300 driver is no exception to this trend. Available in three standard loft settings (9, 10.5 and 12-degrees), the C300 is built to flex more at impact, which Wilson says provides more ball speed across the clubface. This is achieved by urethane-filled Power Holes on the sole and crown of the clubhead, which "minimize contact between the body and face while providing maximum flex and an expanded sweet spot."

Said another way, the C300 face will flex more inward at impact, which results in a concept called "deflection." If you've heard of the trampoline-effect you'll understand the thought behind this concept.

Those little suckers are billed to do a lot of stuff, but do they actually work? We'll get there soon.

Appearance and Sound

I love the look of the C300 driver, especially its dark red coloring and minimal crown graphics.

You'd think the presence of Power Holes on the crown would be distracting, but I found them to be helpful with alignment and framing the ball at address. The small Wilson Staff shield as a sweet spot target is unneeded -- it is positioned directly between the two Power Holes -- but does not come across as redundant. Finally, the "Power Holes" lettering along the bottom of the crown could probably be omitted.

The sole of the C300 is busier, complete with three weighted screws that have become a common feature among competitors. This is where the Wilson Staff shield looks great and appropriate without looking too large or distracting. FLX Face and C300 lettering is minimal and completes the overall attractiveness of the club.

The driver is fairly loud and sharp at impact, which might be off-putting to some players. This contributes to a "harder" feel, but not to a distracting degree.

Performance

Unfortunately I did not see the distance gains in the C300 that I would have expected. However, the driver performed incredibly well in terms of dispersion, accuracy and consistency.

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When hit well, the C300 flies as far as my current driver average, which is encouraging. The Fujikura Speeder Pro 58 shaft is lighter than I would normally play, but provided a sense of light control throughout the swing. You still have a sense of where the clubhead is despite being slightly lighter than standard, and I felt like I could rip through the ball with ease.

Despite how great the club felt, however, I just couldn't get the distance gains I wanted in this session. A slightly higher backspin RPM average (2866 mph) is one contributing factor and could be adjusted by a lower loft setting.

I was very impressed with the C300's accuracy and dispersion trends. With the exception of one sliced drive, the majority of my shots stayed within four degrees on either side of the center line, equating to a tight and consistent landing area. This is incredible, especially since I was not custom fit to this club and using stock settings.

Simply put: you will hit more fairways with the Wilson Staff C300.

Overall Impression

Wilson continues to impress with their stock offerings, especially in the C-Series irons and driver. The C300 driver didn't provide incredible distances for me in this test, but the club's forgiveness and accuracy was by far the highlight.

I see this driver being a must-try for mid- to high-handicap players who just want to see the short grass more often. Taking the C300 on the course will provide further validation, but I have little doubt my score will benefit from what is a well-designed, incredibly playable driver from one of the game's best equipment companies.