How Wilson Golf Has Reinvented Itself For The Future

Boasting an incomparable heritage that dates back to 1914, Wilson Golf may not have seemed the likeliest brand to undergo a modern reinvention, but that is exactly what is occurring in 2025 as a fresh approach under General Manager Bob Thurman has recalibrated the outlook and ambitions of the revered golf division.

You don't have to study the history books for long to understand the prominence that Wilson once enjoyed at the highest levels of the game. The legendary Gene Sarazen was connected to the brand for 75 years, while the likes of Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Billy Casper, Hale Irwin, Ben Crenshaw, Bernhard Langer, Payne Stewart, John Daly and Vijay Singh all won major championships using Wilson equipment.

More recently, Padraig Harrington - who remains a Wilson mainstay - won his three major titles as a brand player, while Gary Woodland's 2019 US Open triumph at Pebble Beach came just months after he signed a 10-club equipment deal with Wilson Golf.

However, there is no question that Wilson has slipped under the radar since those halcyon days of old, usurped by manufacturers such as PING, TaylorMade, Callaway and Cobra, but Thurman is looking to change that reality and transform the brand into one that will have greater relevance in the future.

Speaking recently to Golfshake's Equipment Expert, Ryan Rastall, Thurman explained what makes Wilson unique. "There's no other equipment company like us, they don't exist anymore, because we're in all these different sports. It's a part of who we are, which is a difference in golf, we have real authenticity."

He's not wrong, as Wilson is the market leader in sporting equipment in the United States for tennis, baseball, basketball and football. "You look at the players we endorse, the leagues that we're involved with, raising awareness of what Wilson is as a brand."

Thurman's story with Wilson dates back to the early 1990s, when the trained aerospace engineer was part of the golf ball research and development team, before later (in 2010) becoming Global Vice President of R&D overseeing all of Wilson's various departments.

Appointed Golf General Manager in 2023, Thurman is now attempting to replicate the philosophy that has made Wilson dominant in other sports.

"When I took this job, I promised two things; we're going to do the technology right and get every bit of performance out of our equipment and we're going to have a brand that we're all very, very proud of."

Stripping things back in order to create something new, Wilson has already made impressive gains through its new DYANAPWR range, building from the ground up with a mindset that without risk there cannot be innovation. Engineering and marketing brains have been recruited, and significant investment has been placed into Artificial Intelligence in the form of Wilson Fit AI, which has taken custom fitting to another level.

Once the most played irons on the PGA Tour, ball striking is at the forefront of what Wilson is looking to achieve. "We want people to be proud to put our equipment in their bag, and the iron legacy is really important too because it's the soul of who we've been for so many years, the product that we have the most credibility with, ball striking is at the soul of our brand."

Thurman is aware that the product is just one part of the equation, as improved marketing and communication are also essential to grow Wilson's place in the golf market.

"We need to let people know who we are. And that's the number one thing that I'm trying to solve right now. Get the equipment right, get the brand right, let people know the soul of our company."

Part of that is by connecting with a younger demographic, which Wilson's prominence in other sports makes an appealing prospect, with one objective being to bridge the journey between those who move into golf after playing the likes of basketball, baseball and football (both gridiron and association) when younger.

"Over time, we probably let out brand age. We're not trying to be something that we're not, but in the U.S, we're number one in all these sports now, which kids play in high school, but when they get to 18, they might have to find a new sport, and that's where golf and tennis come in, those are two of the lifetime sports that we need to get this thing right.

"This demographic is open to new brands, new ideas, they want their own thing. They're open to a different sense of style."

Delivering equipment that provides forgiving clubs that will perform, making golfers proud to have Wilson in their bags, and creating a brand that resonates with emerging generations, these are the targets to restore the glory days of the golf division.

Thurman added: "This new era isn't just a marketing choice of phrase, I'm one year into the job, I see things differently, I place an emphasis on a high-performance product, premium brand positioning, and we have this new marketing leadership, communicating outward, in a way that we've never done before."

The golf industry has a sleeping giant in Wilson that has now been awoken. 

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