Mizuno MP-64 Better Player Irons Review

2013 Golf Irons Test

James recognised the classic Mizuno shape from the top straight away. A nice shade of grey on the face and feels soft yet powerful off it. Joel really enjoyed the classic look, isn’t a fan of the shiny finish away from the grooves, but likes the contrast of that and the face. The flight was penetrating and balls were easy to control. Mis-hits didn’t lose many yards and the ease of hit was high for a better player iron. Kit agreed it was one of the nicest irons to look at on test. The feel at impact was super, too, offering stability at impact, a hot ball off the face with plenty of control. All testers didn’t stray too far off line, even on shots from the heel and toe.

Oct 2012 – First Hit

In a break from the norm for modern better-player irons, Mizuno have stepped away from packing as much forgiveness into the head as possible and have zoned in on feel and feedback. That’s not to say they’ve shut the door on forgiveness – there is still a shallow cavity in the head to offer some perimeter weighting.

However, the real secret comes in the form of the sole grind. It features softer edges for consistent turf interaction, making the irons more playable. I’m not going to claim that I fall into the same category as Luke Donald, who has just put these in his bag, but I do place emphasis on feel and feedback from my irons and still play a traditional muscle-back blade. The MP-64s may very well be the club destined to push them out of my bag for good thanks to their traditional look and superb, soft feel out of the middle. The softer leading edge can let you get away with the odd slightly ‘fat’ shot while in wetter, lusher conditions I found them much easier to use.

Pros: You’ll struggle to find a softer-feeling iron on the market, certainly at the price.
Cons: This level of feedback may still beyond the level of play for most club golfers.

Iron kings Mizuno have launched three new sets designed to give golfers of all abilities the best chance of improving their game.

These include their stunning MP-64 irons, engineered with the help of Mizuno’s Tour players, including Luke Donald, and firmly aimed at accomplished golfers.

The MP-64 irons are designed to carry on the 'MP series' mantle played down the years by Seve, Faldo and Donald.

The MP-64's will certainly tick a lot of boxes for the better player. The clubs have a very shallow cavity so they do offer a touch of forgiveness – but the main point of these irons is to deliver exceptional feel and more feedback.

They are so good that Donald has already put them into play on tour.

Make sure your pick up our November issue (on sale October 4) to see how the irons performed in our First Hit section.

Website: www.mizuno.com