As big of a raging golf nerd that I am, there are still plenty of golf clubs and brands both old and new that I had no idea existed. There was one significant set of clubs that somehow slipped my radar from my “sweet spot” era of early 2000s golf. Those were the Wilson Fat Shaft irons. These were a line of golf clubs best explained by their name. They featured an oversized shaft that was roughly 10% larger than your standard golf shaft. These shafts are typically made of steel, but Wilson also offered them in graphite.
I first learned about them when my buddy @midwest_vintage_golf posted a set of them earlier this year. While I thought they were cool, I didn’t fully appreciate them at the time. Nevertheless, the Wilson Fat Shaft was now locked into my brain and of definite interest for my future thrift adventures.
One overcast weekday evening, I stopped at a random Goodwill in between running kids around to their activities. The golf club rack was full of the usual knock-off brand trash that would be best fit for a scrap pile (at an environmentally friendly recycling center, of course). But there were a handful of clubs that just stood out from everything else. They were scattered throughout the club rack, but they looked notably different from everything else. The bright orange-ish/red-ish Wilson logos on the soles were eye catching and they were of a clear better quality than everything else there. I pulled one out, and sure enough…it was a Wilson Fat Shaft iron. After a few minutes of digging around, I found a complete 3-PW set of Wilson Fat Shaft irons. $3 per club later, I was on my way!
Benefits of Wilson Fat Shaft Irons
So what’s the point of a “fat shaft” in golf club? I had no idea and could only make assumptions, so I did some research based on my “new” Wilson Fat Shaft irons.
The increased shaft diameter is supposed to provide the following benefits:
- Increase in stability and forgiveness: The larger shafts are more resistant to twisting and bending, which can help to improve swing accuracy and reduce mishits. (Apparently…) Or in other words, reduced torque and energy loss due to shape changing throughout the golf swing.
- Higher launch angle: The fat shafts can also help to generate more launch angle, which can lead to longer distances. (I can’t confirm this at this point.)
- Increased feel: The shafts can also provide a more solid feel at impact, which can help golfers to better control their shots. (I can’t tell you this is an improvement, and I’m not sure what the measurement of “increased” is in regards to feel, but it’s certainly a different feel…I need more time to really convey this sensation.)
Some other benefits of the Fat Shaft irons is that they are a thicker cavity back iron making them a bit more “generous” for a higher handicap player. They also have a good amount of offset to them. I’m told these were popular across all skill levels, but I can’t imagine low handicaps enjoying them all that much. I say that without having played an actual round of golf with them, but the profile and feel alone are enough to tell me that.
Drawbacks of the Mighty Wilson Fat Shaft Irons?
Based on my research, there also a few “drawbacks” to using Wilson Fat Shaft irons. The larger, thicker shaft adds some weight. The heavier weight is pretty noticeable as soon as you pick up the club. Don’t get me wrong, the balance is pretty solid…but the club weighs a ton. I don’t see this weight being all that advantageous for the player they’re geared toward.
They’re a THICC cavity back iron reminiscent of a game improvement profile. As such, the club head doesn’t lend itself to easy workability. Add in the fat shaft and I could imagine this only makes shaping and flighting shots more difficult.
And let’s all be honest with ourselves…the Wilson Fat Shaft is kind of ugly. True, aesthetics are subjective, but the club head is large with a massive top line. Then you’re looking down at the larger shaft going into the hosel-less club head and there are strong hockey stick looks. I suppose it was a vibe at some point, but they aren’t pretty. That said, a lot of the beloved clubs of my generation cherishes to this day weren’t the most beautiful things. (Except the Scotty Cameron TeI3…easily one of the most beautiful golf clubs ever made.)
Final Thoughts
Are the Wilson Fat Shaft irons the greatest clubs of all time? Certainly not, but they definitely hit nostalgic notes for a certain era of golfers. In fact, I’m told these were THE club to have in the UK when they came out. I’ll take my various British friends’ word for it. All of that said, I’m definitely intrigued by these irons and pumped I found a full set of them! I’ll definitely take them out for a “funny round” of golf or two and see what they’re all about before I eventually get rid of them. Maybe I’ll even post a full throwback review of them!
There was a Robert Mendralla signature series in the fat shafts that played very well at the time, roughly twenty five years ago. It was something R. Mendralla always wanted to do, have his own signature iron vs. designing many legendary staff model numbers. The best year of them had three steps of thickness in the cavity back area with a perfect bright chrome finish everywhere but the cavity. That particular RM model was a seriously good looking iron at the time. Wilson had already lost market share and the Mendralla signature model went completely unnoticed.
I had a set of the Wilson Fat Shafts back in the day, when I was much stronger and in better overall better shape. I have very good feel and they didn’t feel any heavier than other steel shafted irons, but weight did feel distributed differently. I got them as the shaft was logically more stable/less torque, hence more accurate. Loved them. Was playing to a 10 hdcp before getting them, got down to 6.9 with them. Easy to hit high and straight, and could work the ball decently but rarely needed to. More GIR’s and regularly closer to hole, but I was an erratic putter which denied me from getting better. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I’m taking my fat shaft clubs out for a round. They are heavy compared to my graphite shafted clubs .
Did the reviewer even hit them ? Lol !
I did, and I wouldn’t exactly call this a review, but more a conversation about these weird irons from a certain point on golf gear history.
Just saw my Dad’s old set of Wilson’s fat shafts in the garage today. He absolutely loved them, and his Taylor Made bubble shaft driver. Thanks for reviewing them.
There is SO much TaylorMade bubble burner content in the works on this site and I’m SO excited. SO excited.
I owned them in the late 90s to about 2005. I hit them well. Like that guy up there said, I was a much stronger person in those days and the added weight wasn’t noticed. I replaced them and eventually gave them to an intern who was getting into the game. I miss them now and kind of wish I kept them lol, thanks for the memory.
I had the graphite model of fat shafts ,even my driver had a fat shaft.
One of my buddies picked up a matching driver for me awhile ago, I just haven’t gotten it from him yet. I’m sure I’ll bomb it like a pro 🙂
I’ve still got my set that I bought over 20 years ago, and they still work! My 17 year old son can hit the 7 iron as far as I hit the 4, so maybe I need to get some other clubs.
I purchased a set of them in 1999 and still use them to this day along with the Wilson Deep Red driver. Have considered changing them for something lighter but I still love playing with them.
Got them new as a gift from my dad back when I was young.
Still play them, I don’t like change (and neither to the clubs)
Screw You All! I still use them and still love them to this day and I bought mine in 97. I am getting worried because my 4 iron and PW seem to be getting loose and have a bit of a rattle when you hit a bad shot. I found this sight looking to see where I can get them redone, you know new shaft and grips. I’m Out of Luck since no one seems to carry the shafts. It was great reading the review and stories.
If you’re looking to replace your set, I know a guy who would probably part with his for the right price 🙂
I still use a set bought in ‘01. Missing 4i, PW and SW. Picked up non-matching versions of those, but on the lookout for replacements…or maybe upgrade and get some used Mizunos or something. Since getting my daughter into the sport, my golf budget is half of what it was lol. Thanks for the entertaining “discussion” on these vintage quirky clubs!
I just found a SW from a local Goodwill to add to this set…got home and realized the shaft was slightly bent! Not like finding a replacement shaft is exactly easy so I’ll have to get creative.
Thanks for stopping by. Your reply is exactly the “point” of these posts.
Masterfit Golf has Fat Shaft shafts. Give them a call. 904-779-1177
I was working as a assistant golf professional when my head professional i worked for agreed to a staff sponsorship with Wilson golf. I received a full set of Fat Shafts and the red and white staff bag with my name on it, pretty cool! Played that set until they were stolen out of the bag room. I really liked them, well balanced classic iron look except the fat shaft. Still those irons preformed well. If my memory serves me right i was holding a +3.8 handicap in 1999 thru 2004. I was a winner of several pga section events with them too!
If you need a replacement set for nostalgic purposes, I know a guy that’d part with his set lol