Equipment Review:
Wilson Staff 8876 Putter
by Jeffrey Reed, Editor, LondonOntarioGolf.com

My love affair with Wilson Staff goes back to my days as a junior golfer, yet the one Wilson club I had yet to embrace was the putter. I confess, I had never stepped on a green with a flat stick from Wilson Staff.

In fact, while I have a new found admiration for the Wilson Staff 8876 putter, I still haven’t used it on a green. However, my indoor putting service has a newly-formed worn path, thanks to my many practice sessions with this outstanding putter from Wilson Golf. And as soon as we escape this latest blast from Old Man Winter here in southwestern Ontario, I can’t wait to see how the 8876 performs on the course.

Quite simply, Wilson Staff’s 8876 is a unique half-mallet putter designed for game enhancement, yet high-tech enough to be placed in the bag of a player. Wilson’s original 8802 putter stands as one of the most recognized putters in the history of the game. In celebration of this timeless classic, Wilson introduced the 8870 Series putter line in 2007. The result: an instant classic putter blending modern technology with timeless style.

As soon as you grip a new club, you typically know in an instant whether or not it fits your eye and your game. Gripping the new proprietary Wilson Staff Winn AVS wrap grip, I knew right away that this putter was a winner. I’m not usually a fan of thick putter shafts, but the 34-in. True Temper steel flared 0.370 in. shaft helps promote amazing stability in your stroke. 

The milled face of the 8876 comes complete with a TPU Urethane insert, which offers unmatched feel and response. The pill rolls off the face of this putter like a marshmallow, yet there is plenty of feedback to help judge your putt. A red and white five-strip site line on the back of the cavity helps, too.

The cavity back of this semi-mallet putter is quite unique in that it flares from wide at the toe to slightly less deep at the heel. The idea here is to promote a smooth stroke, and that it does, time after time. In fact, I am quite confident that this mallet-style putter is just as accurate with long strokes as it is with shorter putts – something you can’t always claim with a mallet putter.

So, now I’m hooked on a Wilson Staff putter. Heck, it only took 35 years. Better late than never. And a bonus is, the 8876 often retails in the $125 range – much less than putters of equal stature.

Check out all of Wilson Staff’s putter offerings at www.wilsonstaff.com.