The Wilson Sporting Goods Co. has had a long association with professional golf, dating back to the corporation’s origins in 1914, when the Ashland Manufacturing Co. became the Thomas E. Wilson Co.
In less than 10 years, golfing legend Gene Sarazen joined the Wilson Advisory Staff, and soon Wilson clubs were being used by some of the top golfers in the world.
But it wasn’t until the 1950s that Wilson introduced a golf ball, and since then, its golf ball, too, has become a key part of the game and a product used around the globe.
Origins
For its first 40 or so years, Wilson concentrated on making golf clubs. Top pros and weekend duffers were using an ever-expanding variety of Wilson clubs.
But as golf exploded in popularity in the 1950s, due in large part to beloved superstar Arnold Palmer, Wilson seized the opportunity to create a golf ball bearing the Wilson name.
In 1954, the Wilson Staff ball made its debut, and the company claims it has been used by more Masters and U.S. Open champions than any other ball since then.
The Middle Years
Throughout its history, Wilson has supplied golf’s top professionals with equipment, starting with Sarazen and including Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Payne Stewart, Nick Faldo and Padraig Harrington. In 1970, PepsiCo purchased Wilson Sporting Goods, but Wilson continued to research and develop better balls and clubs.
The 1983 introduction of the Wilson Staff Ultra golf ball saw advance sales exceed those of any previous Wilson golf ball.
Developments in the 21st Century
To help with both marketing and improving performance for its customers, Wilson continued to seek out ways to distinguish its golf balls from those of competitors such as Titleist, Top-Flite, Callaway, Nike and others. For example, the Wilson Staff True ball was marketed as the only perfectly balanced golf ball in the world and was immediately a top seller when it hit the market in 2002.
The Wilson Staff Zip ball, introduced in 2008, boasted a three-piece, zero-compression core—the only such ball on the market. The Zip ball was awarded the Silver Medal in “Golf Digest” magazine’s 2009 Hot List.Size Standards
Like all golf balls, Wilson Staff models must conform to the standards of the United States Golf Association. The USGA uses equipment that tests all new clubs and balls, and if the new products don’t conform to established regulations regarding distance and materials, they are not allowed on the professional tour.
Golf balls cannot be heavier than 45.93 g and cannot have a diameter less than 42.67 mm.
Significance
Wilson’s history of developing and refining golf equipment made it an early leader in the field and has kept the company at the forefront of new golf technology.
That early dedication to improving its equipment helped prompt other companies to put considerable resources into developing newer and better equipment to keep pace.
Wilson’s first golf ball, for example, quickly became known as “the long ball” and was said to blast off the club head 40 percent faster than its competitors. The Wilson Staff ball soon launched an enduring competition among golf ball makers to produce a longer and more accurate ball.
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Posted in Golf Equipments | 
Tags: Golf balls, Golf's top professionals with equipment, The Wilson Sporting, Wilson's history