Mizuno ST190 drivers Review

Mizuno have revealed their ‘speed engineered’ ST190 drivers and fairway woods, said to feature their lowest spin rates on drivers to date

A couple of months after they were first spotted at the British Masters in October, Mizuno have officially launched the new ST190 Drivers and fairway woods, which will be available to the public in February. 

The new range consists of the ST190 and ST190G Drivers, and ST190 and ST190 Tour S Adjustable Fairway woods, which all feature a carbon composite crown and amplified Wave soleplate. 

See our Best 2019 Driver Test here

TESTED: Do I need a Low Spin driver?

Mizuno ST190 Drivers

Mizuno’s ST190 drivers offer their lowest spin rates to date and incorporate multiple technologies to enhance ball speed and driving distance including a lighter CORTECH structure in the forged SP700 Ti face. 

The aim of this improved technology is to deliver consistently higher ball speeds, with the addition of a large carbon composite crown plus the Amplified Wave soleplate, introduced in last year’s ST180 drivers to help to convert each additional mph into extra yards.

“The ST190 marks a total change in how Mizuno approaches wood design,” says lead designer Kei Tsjui.

Keith Mitchell wins Honda Classic with ST190 driver 

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ST190 and ST190G drivers: The Key differences

Mizuno ST190 Driver: RRP £449

The Mizuno ST190 driver is designed for mid to low spin with maximum stability, and features a single, factory-fixed 6g backweight that adds 300gcm2 MOI for added stability on off-centre strikes.

The ST190 driver is available in men’s 9.5˚ and 10.5˚ models, both adjustable by 2˚ either way, in left and right hand.

Mizuno ST190G Driver: RRP £399

The Mizuno ST190G driver is engineered for low spin and offers intuitive FAST TRACK adjustability thanks to twin 7g weights on external tracks that can reduce spin by an additional 200rpm, allowing players to achieve heavy fade or draw biases by placing the weights in one track

The ST190G driver will be available in men’s 9˚, adjustable by 2˚ either way, in right hand only.

• A range of shafts without upcharge will be available for each, with new options for 2019 including Atmos Blue 5S, Atmos Red 5R, Atmos Red 5R2, Atmos Red 6R and Atmos Black TS 6S.

How do the ST190s compare to other leading drivers?

We say:

Both ST drivers took us by surprise. The ST190G is not only the lowest spinning driver our test pro hit this year, it’s also his longest too (it was Simon’s longest as well). But the story is not complete there.

It’s no secret pushing weight towards the face increases ball speed and lowers spin – we see it all the time when testing drivers, low spin models are frequently faster than ‘forgiving’ models. The G’s fastest ball speeds came from having the two 7g weights close to the face, which meant a drop in forgiveness and a carry distance drop-off of 32 yards between our pro’s on and off centre hits, which is sizeable, particularly in the hands of a club golfer.

Why we use a Foresight GC Quad launch monitor

ST190G: TG Verdict

In the right hands the ST190G is a stunning driver, the best we’ve seen from Mizuno in years. It’s fast and long and if you keep the weights close to the face it’s really workable, thanks to the lower MOI.

The issue for regular golfers is that you’ll need to be at the top of your game drive, after drive, after drive to get the best out of it, which isn’t always the best feeling standing on the tee.

If we say the Mizuno was our test pro’s lowest spinning and longest driver of 2019, we’d only be telling half the story. Yes, the ST190G is fast and long, as Mizuno promised. But to get these numbers engineers have positioned some serious mass closer to the face, which our test pro felt led to a drop off  in forgiveness.

In the right hands (a reasonably consistent fast, hard hitter) it is a beast if you’re chasing low spin; just be aware there are more forgiving low-spin options out there.

WATCH: Should you be using a low spin driver?

How it compares to ST190:

The ST190 is the more forgiving of these two models. Undoubtedly the better of the two for golfers who hit down on the ball, it span on average 300rpm more for our pro, which he felt made it a little less punishing. A seriously powerful driver in the right hands.

The ST190s are very different beasts to Mizuno drivers of old. Mizuno admits it started with tour players in mind and worked back from there. The ST190 is the more forgiving of the two ST models, but we felt the 6g back weight lacked a bit of impact on forgiveness, especially as Ping and Callaway claim 16g and TaylorMade raise the bar with the M6 to 46g. It’s a seriously powerful driver that needs to find a home in the right player’s hands. Not the most forgiving model, but if you’re after fast ball speeds, it certainly delivers.