Nothing Feels Like A Mizuno

For years, Mizuno irons have consistently been described as having the best feel of any other iron in the marketplace.

Loyal fans swear that they will never use another iron because what Mizuno produces can’t be beaten.

So how have they achieved this almost cult status?

Why is it that the irons they produce are consistently regarded as being the best-feeling forged irons money can buy?

In this article, we’ll take a look at

• Mizuno’s history

• The forging process

• Grain Flow Forging - improving the winning formula

• Famous victories

• Mizuno in 2023

 

Mizuno’s History

Mizuno was founded in 1906 in Osaka, Japan and produced its first golf clubs in 1933.

Mizuno gained success in their native market by being the first company to mass-produce forged irons and a number of players on the Japanese Tour used Mizuno irons.

But it wasn’t until the 70s that Mizuno branched out into selling their clubs in Europe that their reputation began to grow beyond the domestic market.

The forging process

So, what is the key to Mizuno gaining a reputation of building the best irons in the game?

We have to look back to when they first came onto the European Tour in the late 70s.

Up to this point, professionals chose between clubs that “looked right”, but because manufacturing standards differed from club to club professionals could have 14 different clubs in their bags.

From an iron point of view, forged heads were traditionally manufactured using a single mould process.

This produced a head which required a high degree of human input to grind and shape the mould into a useable iron head, ready to be attached to a shaft.

The problem here was creating a consistent set of heads which offered the same feel and finish.

Mizuno’s process was different, it used a double mould in its construction process, which required a lot less manual grinding.

The net result was that the finished heads offered larger degrees of consistency and finish, which meant when the professionals got a hold of a set of Mizuno irons they could trust their performance.

Grain Flow Forging - Improving the winning formula

Introduced in 1998, Mizuno premiered their Grain Flow Forging technique to further enhance their iron’s feel and consistency.

Mizuno had spotted a weakness with other forged irons in that the head and the hosel were essentially two separate pieces of metal that were joined in the hosel.

To combat this, Mizuno pioneered using a single billet of steel which is heated to 1200 degrees Celsius before being shaped and bent to the shape of the iron head and hosel.

A second round of heating takes place for what Mizuno calls its precision forging stage which moves the iron head close to completion.

Mizuno states that 15 different people are checking the production at this stage before going to final grinding and stamping.

The whole process for producing irons is geared up to obtaining the highest levels of consistency.

Mizuno has also been very selective on the steel it uses and in the Grain Flow Forging era, they have selected 1025E pure select mild carbon steel which provides strength with the ability to be bent to the desired shape.

This selection also helps to ensure Mizuno’s legendary status when it comes to feel and feedback for the player.

But Mizuno also is a company that moves the golfing market forward with new innovations.

This is most evident in their “Hot Metal” range which whilst not sacrificing looks and feel introduces a new material called nickel chromoly, which helps to produce high ball speeds off the club face.

Mizuno’s irons are still made in the same factory in Hiroshima that opened in 1968 specifically to cater to golf club production.

Operators in the factory have to have worked for a minimum of three years before they can be considered to work on the massive 1000-tonne hammers that help shape the heads.

Even once an operator is selected to work on the hammers they spend another 5 years under supervision by a master craftsman before they can operate the hammers by themselves.

This staggering detail alone is surely enough for people to understand just how passionate Mizuno is about producing the very finest irons available.

Famous victories

Some of the very best players in the world have trusted Mizuno irons in claiming the biggest prizes in the game.

The greatest success arguably belongs to Nick Faldo.

All six of his major championships came using Mizuno irons which when released to the public had huge commercial success.

Sandy Lyle’s famous shot out of the fairway bunker at the 18th in the final round of the 1988 Masters was executed with a Mizuno TP-11 7-iron.

This win was iconic as it was the first British success in the Masters which opened the doors for Faldo to win back to back in 1989 and 1990 and Ian Woosnam in 1991.

Whilst he hasn’t won a major championship yet, Luke Donald is a player that needs mentioning. His long relationship with Mizuno has seen him reach the pinnacle of the sport by ascending to world number one whilst being a Mizuno staff player.

When Mizuno says that “nothing feels like a Mizuno” they have every right to make that statement.

They pioneered a forging process that some of the best players in the game could trust which helped it sell clubs in the amateur game.

They have enhanced their process further with the introduction of Grain Flow Forged clubs in 1998 which has not only kept its loyal fans happy but has brought many new players to the brand.

Mizuno in 2023

We are excited to stock the best offerings from the 2023 range of Mizuno irons.

For the player who’s looking for maximum feedback and shot-shaping capabilities, we have the buttery soft Pro 221 muscle-back blade.

Featuring a thin layer of copper behind the face helps enhance the feel of what arguably is the best-looking muscle-back blade on the market today.

Favouring the mid to higher handicapper, the distance-enhancing more forgiving JPX 923 Hot Metal irons are available.

Packed with technology but not sacrificing Mizuno’s dedication to creating great-looking irons and producing great feedback, the JPX 923 Hot Metal irons are a fantastic option.

We offer stock options from Mizuno but we can also custom-build any set of irons to match your exact specifications giving you the ultimate set of irons to help you achieve your golfing ambitions.

If you have any questions about the Mizuno range please don’t hesitate to contact us on 020 3995 5638.