Explore The Captivating Story of Mizuno

Certain brands in golf have a loyal fan base who will always use their clubs.

Mizuno is one of those brands. Their forged irons have few equals in the marketplace and are appreciated by professionals and amateurs alike. Mizuno's marketing line is "Nothing Feels Like A Mizuno", which is certainly appropriate for their irons, but does their reputation as one of the best iron makers in the game act as a help or a hindrance?

Mizuno doesn't just produce high-quality irons; they make drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and wedges. They are also actively producing putters and golf balls.

So Mizuno offers the complete package for golfers, and the quality we see in the production of their irons can be seen in everything else they make. In this celebration of one of the most iconic golfing brands, we'll delve into why Mizuno has gained the reputation it has for its irons and look at its other offerings, which are starting to gain a strong reputation as well.

We'll also cover:

• History of Mizuno and Their Introduction to Golf
• The Growth of Mizuno in Golf
• Mizuno's Fabled Forging Process
• Mizuno's Highest Profile Players
• Current Lineup

History of Mizuno and Their Introduction to Golf

Mizuno was founded in 1906 by brothers Rihachi and Rizo Mizuno in the city of Osaka, Japan. Initially, the brothers focused on producing American baseball equipment to capitalise on the sport's growth in Japan. Mizuno launched its first range of golf clubs in 1933 with the Starline range, which revolutionised the standard to which forged iron heads were produced. Contemporary iron heads of the day were forged but needed a lot of hand-grinding to achieve the finished product.

The extent of hand grinding required depended on the forging process. Still, the bottom line was that the finished product lacked consistency. While amateur golfers might feel little of a difference, professionals could and would regularly have multiple sets sent to them where they would individually pick each iron from each set to make their primary set of irons and additional backups.

Mizuno's process used two moulds to forge its heads, which gave a more precise finish with less hand grinding required, producing a more consistent set of irons. The improved consistency and finish to Mizuno's irons soon started to attract positive attention, leading to Mizuno becoming a respected name on tour.

The Growth of Mizuno in Golf

The Starline range gave Mizuno a foothold in a competitive market in its native Japan. The quality and consistency of the Mizuno iron set itself apart from its competitors, with professionals quickly switching to their irons. Success in overseas markets was just as strong, with the Mizuno Pro and MS Pro models proving popular in Europe in the 70s and early 80s.

Mizuno's success grew when it sponsored the first tour truck at the 1984 Open Championship at St Andrews. Players who used other manufacturer's clubs could get running repairs done on the Mizuno truck, which allowed them to leave some of Mizuno's own clubs lying around for professionals to try while they waited for repairs to be carried out.

The company changed tack with their iron range in 1986, introducing the Tour Preferred -TP line. Success wasn't far in coming as Nick Faldo claimed the 1987 Open and the 1989 Masters using Mizuno TP-9s.

The TP-11 range also had its fair share of success, with Sandy Lyle producing one of the most famous shots in Masters history as he used his TP-11 7-iron to escape the fairway bunker on 18 and set up a closing birdie putt to round out his victory. The links between the classic TP, MS and Pro ranges and the current generation of irons are in how the irons are forged, which has remained the same since 1968.

Mizuno's Fabled Forging Process

Mizuno's irons are forged in the same factory they have operated out of since 1968 in Chuo, Hiroshima, Japan. Each forged iron begins as a 10-inch billet of 1025E carbon steel with infused boron for added strength.

The first forging begins when the billet is stretched and bent by heating it to 1200 degrees Celsius. This first stage is crucial in the Mizuno process as it maintains the consistency in the grain flow in the steel from the hosel into the head. The heated and bent billet is then placed in a forging mould and hit four times with a 1000-ton hammer press to compact and align the grain flow of the steel.

The quality of the finished iron can be seen in this stage as the only operators to work the hammer must have completed a three-year apprenticeship. Even once they are cleared to operate the hammers, they are still under supervision for another five years to ensure consistency and quality of finish.

The heads are then left to cool down before going through what Mizuno calls the "Cookie Cutter" process, where excess material is cut to leave something that looks much more familiar as an iron head. The heads are then re-heated to be pressure squeezed into the final head design before being cooled down and made ready for the last part of the process.

The final stage sees the iron heads go through a hand-grinding and plating process before the final polishing and painting can be applied. The six stages of completing a Mizuno grain-flow forged head will pass through thirty highly experienced pairs of hands and eyes to ensure the finished product matches Mizuno's high standards.

Mizuno's Highest Profile Players

Mizuno claimed its first major at the 1957 PGA Championship when Dow Finsterwald used Mizuno irons to claim his only major success.

On the Japanese scene, Mizuno's highest-profile player was Tommy Nakajima. Nakajima is the most successful player on the Japanese PGA Tour, winning for the first time in 1976, with his last and 48th victory coming in 2006. He also recorded six top-ten finishes in the major championships in a career.

Many famous golfers in the world have used Mizuno irons. While some have been full-staff players, others used Mizuno irons because of their reputation for precision forgings and craftsmanship.

Arguably, the most successful exponent of Mizuno products was Nick Faldo, who used Mizuno irons to capture all of his six major championships. Luke Donald was a successful Mizuno staff player, becoming the best player in the world in 2012 as a full Mizuno staff player.

Notable players who have used Mizuno irons without being staff players are Brooks Koepka, who captured four of his five major titles using Mizuno irons. Seve Ballesteros captured the 1981 Masters title utilising a set of Mizuno irons. Tiger Woods captured his three US Amateur titles using Mizuno irons and continued using them when he first turned professional. Today, PGA Tour player Keith Mitchell is the highest-profile staff player using Mizuno irons, Mizuno wedges and a Mizuno driver.

Current Mizuno Lineup

The 2023 lineup from Mizuno sees fabulous forged irons and a strong lineup of drivers, fairway woods, wedges and putters.

Drivers

Mizuno's driver offerings are gaining a solid reputation for combining lots of technology with classic looks. The ST 230 series features two models, the Mizuno ST-Z 230 and the Mizuno ST-X 230. The Z model offers a more neutral ball flight than the X, which features more weight in the heel to aid more of a draw shot for golfers.

The ST-G 440 model is a more compact 440cc head designed for maximum adjustability, featuring two weight tracks positioned in the toe and heel of the club running towards the face. The key technology in Mizuno's drivers is the CoreTech chamber positioned just behind the face and stretching out to the heel and toe area.

The CoreTech chamber is constructed from a material Mizuno calls TPU. A 3-gram stainless steel weight is positioned within the chamber in the section just behind the face. Combining the weight with the TPU material helps to add a stronger trampoline effect, providing faster ball speeds. Mizuno also employs carbon in the sole and the crown to reduce weight and help increase clubhead speed. Ball flight and spin rates can be tailored via adjustable hosels, giving four degrees of change.

Fairway Woods

Complimenting the ST-G 440 driver is the STG-G 440 fairway wood. Designed with a compact, pear-shaped head and CoreTech Chamber technology, this fairway wood also features an 8-gram screw close to the face to reduce spin.

Mizuno also has the ST-Z 230 fairway wood. Boasting CoreTech Chamber technology, this fairway wood also features a carbon crown to lower the centre of gravity, offering optimum spin and a powerful trajectory. Both fairway woods feature the same adjustable hosel to dial in the loft, spin, and launch rates perfectly.

Hybrids/Driving Irons

Mizuno has two options available for golfers in this category. The ST-Z Hybrid packs the same punch in terms of technology as the drivers and fairway woods of the same family. Still, if hybrids don't suit your game, you can opt for Mizuno Pro Fli-Hi driving iron. To get an optimised launch, there is a 21-gram weight positioned low in the head. Further stability and help come in the form of a slightly wider sole and slightly more offset than the Pro 225 iron the Fli-Hi closely resembles.

Irons

Mizuno's blade offering is the Pro 221, which is forged and shaped in the traditional Mizuno fashion. The JPX 923 range comes in two options - the classic grain flow forged heads or the Hot Metal head featuring Mizuno's new hot metal - chromoly. Chromoly is designed to provide faster ball speeds without reducing feel. The JPX 923 Grain Flow Forged and Hot Metal irons feature a V-Chassis design and low centre of gravity to give maximum stopping power on the greens.

Wedges

Mizuno has two wedge options - the T24 and S23 wedges. The T24 wedge is forged like all Mizuno's irons, featuring a classic teardrop design. Technology comes in the form of QuadCut+ grooves - altering the camber of the grooves allows them to be placed closer together to optimise spin.

The S23 wedges are designed for maximum spin with a shorter hosel and small cavity positioned towards the heel, moving mass towards the toe and centring the sweet spot for better ball striking. The T24 and S23 wedges feature several grind and finish options to suit your game.

Putters

The M-Craft OMOI putters are constructed from the same 1025 carbon steel used in Mizuno's irons and CNC milled to improve roll and feel off the putter face. MOI is enhanced by making the heads heavier and the shaft and grip lighter to further stabilise the putter head. Weight ports are embedded in the sole of each putter, with a range of interchangeable weights offered to customise the putter further.

Different head styles and finishes add a further layer of customisation to the OMOI putter range. Mizuno are masters of their game regarding irons and have been for many years. While that still is the case in the current generation of irons, it's also worth looking at the full range of clubs in the current Mizuno lineup.

Mizuno Golf Clubs at Golf Tech UK

Mizuno engineers their clubs to be optimised through custom-fitting. That's where Golf Tech UK comes to the fore, as not only do we stock the 2023 range of Mizuno products, but can build you the perfect set in a custom fitting session.

To thoroughly test the claim that "Nothing feels like a Mizuno", book a session with us. Alternatively, our website has a full range of Mizuno products that can be fully customised to your requirements.