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GolfWRX Launch Report: Mizuno ST-Z 230, ST-X 230 drivers, fairway wood, hybrid

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What you need to know: The product of Mizuno’s Speed Technology (ST) Metalwood Project — four years of rapid-fire metalwoods development — 2023 Mizuno ST-Z 230, ST-X 230, and ST-PLTNM feature the centerpiece Cortech Chamber, within which a steel weight is positioned for increased ball speed and spin reduction. The technology extends to the ST-Z 230 fairway wood and hybrid as well.

Mizuno ST-Z 230, ST-X 230: What’s new, key technology

Cortech Chamber: Through slot provides additional COR area by providing sole flex filled with elastomeric TPU material for additional flexure and face stress reduction. Inside the TPU is a stainless steel weight, which is positioned close to the clubface for increased speed and spin reduction. Also contributes to a solid feeling at impact.

SAT 2041 Forged Beta Titanium Face: More flexible and stronger than 6-4 titanium.

Additional model details

ST-Z 230

  • Billed as a “straight, stable, and low spinning” driver. Designed for stability on off-center hits.
  • Engineers focused on positioning CG location being as close as possible to the Z-axis or neutral axis for lower spin, straight performance, and higher MOI.
  • Forged SAT 2041 Beta Ti face, aided by the Cortech Chamber, enhances ball speed and reduces spin
  • 14-gram back weight
  • Shallower CG for a more penetrating ball flight

ST-X 230

  • Billed as a “more workable, mild draw-biased” driver
  • Higher spinning, higher launching than ST-Z 230
  • Deeper CG and shorter CG distance for a balance of workability in both directions
  • 14-gram heel weight
  • Toe side composite for shorter CG to shaft axis distance
  • More rounded, deeper profile

ST-X PLTNM 230

  • An ultra lightweight driver for slower swing speeds
  • High launching
  • Draw biased
  • The ST-X PLTNM is 30g lighter overall than any possible custom option of the ST-X 230
  • High spec Helium Platinum Shaft and lightweight grip

What Mizuno says

“Our player testing over the years shows that placing extra weight close to the face results in faster ball speeds and low spin rates,” says David Llewellyn, Director of R&D for Mizuno. “We’ve been steadily working towards the CORTECH Chamber, which is incredibly effective at that job. Encasing the steel weight within the TPU Chamber means that we’re moving weight close to the face at the same time as creating an additional source of energy. Steel is twice the density of Titanium but won’t weld directly, which is where the TPU has a second role.”

More photos

ST-Z 230

ST-X 230

ST-Z 230 Fairway Wood

  • A mid-low spinning, high launching, adjustable fairway wood
  • Mid-sized and playable for all levels
  • High energy MAS1C steel face boosted by Mizuno’s Cortech Chamber
  • The carbon composite crown for a low center of gravity
  • Quick Switch hosel offers 4 degrees of adjustability

ST-Z 230 Hybrid

  • A mid-low spinning, high launching, adjustable hybrid
  • High energy MAS1C steel face boosted by Mizuno’s Cortech Chamber
  • Waffle crown, thick sole weight create a deep center of gravity for high launch
  • With respect to the CLK, the ST-Z 230 is slightly larger

Price, specs, availability

Drivers

ST-Z

Availability: Right Hand – 9.5 and 10.5 degrees
Left hand – 9.5 degrees only

ST-X

Availability: Right Hand – 9.5, 10.5, and 12 degrees
Left hand – 9.5 degrees only

Fairway wood

Right Hand – 3 wood (15) and 5 wood (18)
Left hand – 3 wood (15)

Hybrid

Availability: Right Hand – 2H (16), 3H (19), 4H (22) and 5H (25)
Left Hand – 3H (19) and 4H (22)

Pricing

ST-Z 230 Driver / ST-X 230 Driver: $499.95
ST-Z 230 PLTNM Driver: $549.95
ST-Z 230 Fairway Woods: $299.95

At retail: February

Ben Alberstadt is the Editor-in-Chief at GolfWRX, where he’s led editorial direction and gear coverage since 2018. He first joined the site as a freelance writer in 2012 after years spent working in pro shops and bag rooms at both public and private golf courses, experiences that laid the foundation for his deep knowledge of equipment and all facets of this maddening game. Based in Philadelphia, Ben’s byline has also appeared on PGATour.com, Bleacher Report...and across numerous PGA DFS and fantasy golf platforms. Off the course, Ben is a committed cat rescuer and, of course, a passionate Philadelphia sports fan. Follow him on Instagram @benalberstadt.

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. Pingback: Mizuno ST-Max 230 driver: High-MOI addition to the ST 230 lineup - Fly Pin High

  2. Pingback: Mizuno ST-Max 230 driver: High-MOI addition to the ST 230 lineup – GolfWRX

  3. Pingback: GolfWRX Spotted: Costco Kirkland Signature irons on USGA ... - GolfWRX - MidHandicap

  4. Pingback: TOUR REPORT: Rickie's new Odyssey putter (and its fascinating story) - Fly Pin High

  5. Scott

    Jan 20, 2023 at 9:53 am

    Fairways & hybrids are looking good. Shaft options are super limited – I guess that’s a payoff for a less than premium price point. Heads up to anybody that plans on building a separate shaft – Mizuno’s adapter has an off-center bore. If you find an adapter, it will look defective – that’s the design.

  6. Justin

    Jan 19, 2023 at 8:02 pm

    Maybe the best looking hybrid I’ve ever seen

  7. Tom K

    Jan 19, 2023 at 1:43 pm

    Drivers from the different manufacturers all have similar designs.

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Whats in the Bag

Christiaan Maas WITB 2026 (June)

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Driver: TaylorMade Qi4D LS (8 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (3), TaylorMade P7CB (4), TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 X, True Temper Dynamic Gold X100

Wedges: TaylorMade Prototype (50-SB09), TaylorMade MG5 (56-HB12, 60-LV07)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold S400

Putter: TaylorMade TP Juno

Ball: Titleist Pro V1x

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Check out more in-hand photos of Christiaan Maas’ clubs here.

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Equipment

TaylorMade MySpider Tour and Tour X: More customizable build options now available

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TaylorMade Golf’s MySpider program underwent a substantial overhaul over the last month. Firstly, the company launched the option to customize the Spider ZT model, and now the program has returned with the MySpider Tour and MySpider Tour X.

The revamped page now gives golfers complete control over every visual and functional detail of their putter on the popular Tour and Tour X head, with every cosmetic idea thought of. In MySpider Tour, golfers can choose from four head finishes, 16 paint fill colors, nine Surlyn face insert colors, three aluminum insert options, six sightline configurations, and four hosel options — L-neck, small slant, double bend, center shaft. Six sightline options are available in MySpider Tour, including the optically engineered True Path alignment system. MySpider Tour X gives builders the option of four head finishes, four hosel configurations, and five sightline options, also including True Path alignment.

One of the more interesting features of the new MySpider program is the availability of three distinct face insert options. Along with the usual Surlyn Pure Roll insert trusted by Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy, which can be customized from nine colors, golfers can now also select firmer options. Two are offered with the black aluminum Pure Roll insert, slightly firmer than the traditional insert, or for the firmest feel, golfers can choose from two colors of milled aluminum inserts.

Another fun addition to the MySpider Tour is the ability to use the “Tommy Sightline.” The custom alignment aid design, which was first drawn onto Tommy Fleetwood’s putter by PGA Tour Rep James Holley, is based on the milled sightline on his Spider ZT head. There are five shorter lines on the left and right of a longer central line serving as the traditional short line alignment aid.

See below for the full specifications sheet for MySpider Tour and Tour X:

MySpider Tour

MySpider Tour X

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Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

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In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.

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