It’s Open Championship week and for most of that means getting up stupid early, or waiting for the replay while hoping that nobody spoils the suspense.
The Open Championship also means it’s time for Mizuno to start releasing pics of their fall lineup. As has been the case the last couple of years, Mizuno has quiet about the tech and other actual information, but they’re more than willing to show off the product.
And why shouldn’t they be? It’s all just so damn pretty.
For those of you who haven’t been keeping up with the Mizuno Forum this week, clean that goop out of the corners of your eyes, sit down, and take a quick look a that what is to come from Mizuno.
JPX-850 Driver
Pics of the upcoming driver have been floating around since Luke Donald was seen testing it at The Player’s Championship. The tech story here could be compelling.
Clearly weight can be shifted along the sole, and one would assume that moves the center of gravity forward to back. Weight ports on both sides of the perimeter should, as the text clearly indicates, allow the driver to be configured with a fade or draw bias.
The hosel is loft/face angle adjustable, and at the risk of stating the incredibly obvious, the damn head is blue.
Mizuno is going bold and I like it.
Mizuno generally releases metalwoods in the spring, but with the economics of the equipment industry being what they are right now, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Mizuno release the JPX 850 this fall.
MP-15 Irons
Mizuno started messing with their numbering system last season (probably because the 50 series was getting ready to cross into the 60s), so what-follows-what isn’t as clear as it used to be. Still it’s barely a Phil Mickelson-sized leap to suggest that the MP-15 is the much anticipated follow-up to the MP-59. That TI Muscle Cavity sure does look familiar.
Has it really been 3 years already?
In my opinion, the MP-59s are an absolutely perfect blend of modern technology and traditional styling. It’s hard to image that Mizuno could have made them any better, but much like PING, Mizuno has a habit of making small performance gains with each and every release.
Who else is excited?
MP-H5
The H5s are a bit of an anomaly in Mizuno’s MP lineup. They’re broad-soled, they have thicker toplines, and if not for the clean and classic cavity styling, they’d look more the part of a JPX iron. They’re basically an entire set of utility irons.
Mizuno staffers will likely have a go with the H5 1 and 2 irons during The Open Championship.
MP-T5 Wedges
Mizuno generally offers up new wedges each season; alternative between T (tear drop) and R (round) series wedges. The T-series is up next, and while we’re certain there will eventually be a groove story, and hopefully a grind (as in multiple available) story as well, for now all we’ve got is a finish story (satin chrome and black carbon).
Coming Soon?
Our expectation is that new MP Irons and MP Wedges along with something new in the JPX iron lineup, will be available sometime in the September time frame. The JPX850 Driver, could go either way.
What do you think of what you’ve seen so far? Does a new Mizuno iron release excite you? And what about that driver…how do you feel about Mizuno’s bold choice to go blue?
BigStick22
5 years agoI am a 7 and have been hitting the 58s for a few years now. Looking for something maybe a little more forgiving since I AM getting older. Not a great ball striker. Any suggestions?
Geno marchetti
6 years agoI went to a golf show recently and hit all the drivers from the major manufactors. The bright blue Mizuno driver blew me away but there were no simulators to back up my feelings with hard data.So,since the show was sponsored by Golfsmith, I visited their store to hit one on their computers. To my dismay there were no demos to hit and no drivers on the shelf. I asked the manager and he informed me they do not carry Mizuno drivers because they don’t sell but you can purchase them online. Not going to increase market share with those business practices.
Fraser
7 years agoI’m still gamimg the MP630 FastTrack. Still haven’t found anything to knock it out my back.
Maybe the new Blue boy will.
McaseyM
7 years agoLuvin the design. I haven’t had luck myself with Mizuno woods before, but the irons (JPX800 Pro) and wedges (MP T11) have been great for me. I love the blue heads for the driver as I am looking to upgrade to an Amp Cell driver ( I upgrade equipment 1-2 years behind). The styling and look of the wedges are sweet, especially the black, I’d match them up with my black KBS shafts for an absolutely sick look and I imagine awesome performance. Any specific grind/bounce options?
lee
7 years agoNow that is what I call Jewelry ! Performance based, Technologically innovative and the finest feel with the grain flow forging. Shame on them for having never told their stroy to the consumer. I heard it at a demo day and it is quite impressive. These guys are light years ahead of the market and the loud mouths have used past Miz technology… revisited to sucker punch the consumer. 5 years ago Miz introduced the Slider weighted drivers and this year they have shown the market again how to improve what everybody else hitchhiked on.
Miz…Go tell YOUR story and quit teaching others how to steal your thunder. Ok, I love Miz but then again, everyone who plays it will tell ya the same thing. Best Feel, Best Performance …it is simply the BEST. Enough said!
Pim
7 years agoBeautiful as always
Juan Carlos
7 years agoMP-15 Irons are looking sick, Driver looks great. Props to the designers over at Mizuno!
Mackdaddy
7 years agoI am confused, why are players irons considered to be better. They are smaller, harder to hit well and less forgiving. I am a scratch golfer and very consistent iron player. I have been fitter for three different sets of great clubs over the years. I have Kzg forged III irons which are abit oversized with a thin top line, they are supper forgiving on off center hits pure contact feels like butter. I can shape them, hit them high or low and misses rarely cost me more than 1/2 a club vs pure. I also have Kzg ZO muscle back irons. I have the same shot making and pure shot feel. My third set is/are Miura CB-501 irons and I love them too! Here is the rub. I can’t find any difference between them on pure hits and I don’t feel any big change between the shot making with one set or another. The only difference for me is the Kzg forged III are 10 -15 yards more forgiving on misses. What am I missing here? Why are players irons considered better. The only advantage they have that I have discerned is when I am in heavy rough. What am I missing here???
flaglfr
7 years agoMack,
The difference is supposed to be that “blades” (i.e.: Mizuno MP-4’s) give you a higher ability to maneuver the ball in the direction you want. They are also supposed to provide you with more feedback as to where on the face you hit the ball. If you are playing a traditional style blade, they give you the maximum in feedback (stinging sensation in your hands when you miss) and the maximum ability to work (hook or slice when you miss) the ball. If you miss it too much with blades, (and that is not a whole lot) you will feel and see it. In other words, the main reason to play blades is one of control.
The new “players irons” are becoming much more of a blend between game improvement and blade. As this article is about Mizuno, the MP 54, 64 & 59’s are good examples where the line has been blurred. In many cases the help they give is slight, but just enough to be useful for better players. The MP-64 is what I am playing now, but I switch back and forth (depending on my mood) between the 64’s and the 63’s. I like the ball flight on the 63s better in the wind as it has a tendency to hit the ball lower. I grew up playing blades. I grew to like them and their ability to help with intentionally curving the ball in one direction or another. I still have an affinity to blade like clubs. Just can’t hit them like I used to.
One of many joys to aging…
Ryan
7 years agoI am around a 2-5 handicap and I refuse to play “hot” or “distance irons” anymore. They make you complacent with your ball striking and are sometimes really hard to control distance with. I rather have a consistent, small faced iron that really makes me think and control what type of shot I want to pull off. If you just learn to hit the ball well consistently, you wouldn’t need a super forgiving iron.
thehacker
7 years agoBeautiful driver. Maybe it’s me… my impression of Mizuno drivers is that it is not a long hitting driver compared to the likes of TM or Callaway. Think they have a marketing problem.
I’m sure if well fitted to the player, it is as good or even better than others.
pgapro
7 years agoMizuno needs a solid hitting driver—-have not hit one since the 2004 mp-001. The blue color will tell everyone from a distance that it is a Mizuno without question.
Rob Samson
7 years agoThis is how I think the meeting goes when Mizuno brainstorms on a new line of irons.
Team Leader: Anyone have suggestions, drawings, or thoughts on what our new line of clubs should look like?
Random Dude: I have an idea
Team Leader: I like that idea, I think we’ll go with that.
Random Dude: But I haven’t even made my presentation.
Team Leader: We already know where your headed. We will take the MP-14 and jazz it up a little..
Random Dude: But that’s what we do every year we come out with irons.
Team Leader: Look dude, I know you’re new here and I’m not sure if you know how things work just yet. The MP-14 is our bread and butter into this business. Don’t try and question the way we do things around here. You don’t want to end up like the guy who created the T-Zoid.
Random Dude: What happen to him?
Team Leader: He almost bankrupted us. Last we heard, he was going out to courses looking for cans to recycle.
Random Dude: How about calling it MP-15?
Team Leader: I like the way you think kid, 15 it is..
golfer4life
7 years agohaha Funny, but really? Mizuno is regarded as having some of the best irons in the game. Guess your point is they don’t take big swings at it? Prob not for a lack of effort though. I think when you get put into a category of better player irons it’s hard to be excepted as anything but…Ask the T-zoid guy haha
ron
7 years agoWhat is with this silly bird logo or whatever it is on their clubs it makes it look cheap , just go back to the simple M logo they had its much more professional looking , plus their irons aint as good as they were in the 90s anyway.
Tom
7 years agoLove that Mizuno bird, still playing my mp62 irons
Jeff
7 years agoWell said
sam
7 years agoLook-N forward to the new 850 DR. Really like my JPX EZ Forged Irons.
Sam
7 years agoG’day I am a lefty and have been playing mizuno for several years now and I must say it’s an amazing club with feel quality and overall consistency I have owned the MP68 MP 59 MP53 and now the MP54 to which I own 2 sets of as it seems mizuno seems to be letting the lefties down of late by making less and less left handed models take for example the JPX models which is supposed to be an entry level club but nothing in left handed so if mizuno what’s to increase its market share it needs to pull their finger out of their backside and realise the left handed market is growing before we all go to PING who also make Amazing golf clubs to which I have owned
Cole
7 years agoGlad I am not the only one. Last summer I went into my local Edwin Watts store and hit a couple of sets of irons. we decided to order jpx-825 pro’s because they compared to the ap2’s and were a bit cheaper. Only to find out the next day that Mizuno doesn’t manufacture a left-handed version of this iron.
Jeff McCarthy
7 years agoTry the Miura cavity LH.
Fantastic.
Adam
7 years ago“need input”
Bill
7 years agoInteresting.. Mizunophiles will love them no matter what…I’ve always found the players irons to be some of the most attractive and best to hit. These don’t do much for me visually but I’m guessing I’d still love them.
The driver is intriguing…look forward to hitting it.
whiskey golf
7 years agoIt’s interesting to see some 1 irons coming back. First Taylormade’s UDI in 16 degrees and now Mizuno is offering a 1 iron option in the H5’s.
golfer4life
7 years agoBeen waiting for someone to come up with the adjustment on the sole that slides from heal to face. Should be very interesting to see how much of a difference it makes, and to how much advantage it could be for different swing types/speeds.
Jondagcl
7 years agoI’ve always thought that anything Mizuno put out under their MP line were the most attractive irons offered. I have been equally hesitant to even demo them since I’ve also linked this beauty to being too much club for me as a 10hdcp. It seems like anytime I see someone playing anything in the Mizuno MP line it’s definitely someone who’s skill surpasses mine. Is this a misconception on my part? Is there a part of this line that leans towards a goodish iron striker and not a perfect iron striker.
flaglfr
7 years agoJon,
I would argue the answer is no but. The MP series (particularly the MP54’s take some range time to get used to. The 15’s look really nice and should be a bit easier to hit. I have the MP H4 2&3 irons, but don’t like the feel of the rest of the set. They are really good alternatives to hybrids. Guess they actually are hybrids, but the sort of fall into another category in my mind.
You don’t have to be a perfect iron striker to play them. They allow for a margin of error. Not as much as the JPX’s, but not as bad as pure blades either. In other words they have a little forgiveness. I have played Mizuno nearly all my life and admittedly am partial to them. They just fit my swing and feel the best to me.
My current handicap is 8.5. That said, if you are younger and your handicap is coming down, you might want to consider the above mentioned clubs. If you are older (like me) or your handicap is going up, you may want to look at the H4’s or the JPX line. It is also possible to make up a mixed set (what I play) of clubs as well such as h4 for the long irons, 54’s (or 15’s) in the middle and 4’s on the short irons.
The real answer though is whatever you pick, get fitted for them.
Jondagcl
7 years agoThanks flaglfr for the feedback. Definitely goes in line with what I had previously thought about the irons. My game is probably hovering around the area where these could be a contender without it negatively impacting me. Maybe I need to hit them at a store on a simulator and just get a little feel for them and see how they fit into what I’ve got going on.
stevenhw8
7 years agoDefinitely a misconception. I’m play off 15 now and I’ve been playing the MP59 since release. I think I was 28 back then when I first bought them?
Although I must admit, there are days when my swing is really off and I wish I had some big shovels to make my life easier… a few weeks ago I went to test the Bio Cell irons, which are supposed to be more forgiving… long story short, I stayed with the MP59…
I only chose the MP59 over the MP53 due to the sound lol (that was a couple of years ago) I wonder if the MP54 sound better than the MP53?
You can definitely go for the MP5X line without worries and they will follow you to scratch! 😀
Jondagcl
7 years agoThat is reassuring to hear! I think sometimes (at least for me) my handicap reflects less my ability to hit the center of the club face and more a poor decision or a really bad shot on a hole that causes a big number. This isn’t to say I don’t value forgiveness, I don’t crush every single ball. Gosh I really like these new Mizunos.
David W
7 years agoI am an 11 and love the way the 54s hit on a mat. I haven’t had the chance to actually play with them and hit from different lies. I did hit an H4 along with a 54 (6 irons) and from the perfect lie of a mat my shots were almost identical. My longest shot was from the H4 but my straightest was from the 54.
I have a buddy that is a 7 and he hits the JPX 800s and loves them. I have hit his and I have to say, they are some SWEET irons.
Sira
7 years agoIMO, the only models you should be avoiding is their top of the line true blades (MP 33,67,68,69,4), the rest of the MP line you should be able to handle them reasonably well.
I’m a mid single, gaming MP 67, and when i borrowed a set of MP 64 from a friend, i felt like it was noticeably easier to hit.
golfercraig
7 years agoPlay whatever you want. It’s your money. Either way, you’re not going on tour. It’s why we have a handicap system. Play to your number. And please, don’t let a 15 tell you how easy they are to hit. Nothing is easy to hit for a 15. Just play what feels good, and looks good. If you want to actually get better instead of playing for fun, that’s when it matters. Even then, how much better are you going to get? Go from a 12 to a 9? Now you’re the 357th best player in town? Just play, and have fun, and don’t worry about how your bag looks.
adan
7 years agoMP-15 look absolutely awesome! If I hit them well, I’d consider them over AP-2’s.
David W
7 years agoI hope they release a new MP-55 so the price drops on the awesome MP-54s!!
GolfSpy WD
7 years agoAll I can say is, finally!!
Looking forwarding to hearing more about the MP-15, specifically if they’ve addressed issues the MP-59s had with dispersion.
golfer4life
7 years agoI tried to love the MP-59’s in the worse way. Only way I could get things close to how I wanted them was to put a C-Taper in it. Generally a little to much shaft for my liking with irons. Can’t wait to check out the MP-15
GolfSpy WD
7 years agoI’m the same way, could never pull the trigger though.
Scott
7 years agoIs that a beautiful one iron I see?
Kenny B
7 years agoBlue is fine… it all depends on the shaft that goes with it.
Ryan
7 years agoReally excited to hear more on the tech for the driver and MP-15 irons. I was always a fan of the MP-59s and these look to be good sucessors. I think the blue color is very bold for them and a great option but if I was Mizuno I would have offered the black as a option for the traditionalist out there to not lose sales based on color alone.