By Rob Miller

GolfWRX Staff

In golf, the name Mizuno is synonymous with great irons.  Chances are we all know a player – and probably a good one – that gamed ‘Mizzys’ growing up and hasn’t switched iron brands since.  Great feel combined with classic good looks is hard to beat.  Over the years, Mizuno expanded their lineup to include models for golfers of all skill levels while still staying true to its roots of function, clean looks and mostly ‘grain flow’ forgings.  Through the years, Mizuno irons have been consistent Gold and Silver winners on Golf Digest’s annual Hot List.

Of course, when you have many different iron models to chose from, you need to properly fit golfer to club and shaft — not necessarily an easy task.  Mizuno created their Performance Fitting System to help us out. GolfWRX is working with Mizuno to fit some of our equipment reviewers into the proper iron/shaft combo.  I recently was invited to see what it was all about.

I have been through a few fittings before, but never the Mizuno Performance Fitting System.   The claim is “In just a few swings, Mizuno’s Shaft Optimizer ends the guesswork by measuring five critical aspects of your swing to determine your unique Swing DNA. “  Having tried it out, I have to say it works great.

Your information is entered into Mizuno’s patented Shaft Optimizer software, which then recommends a shaft with performance characteristics perfectly matched to your individual swing.

I took about a dozen swings, but honestly as little as three is all it really took. My numbers came up and created my own swing signature which measured:

• Club Head Speed: How fast the club head and shaft are moving during your swing.
• Tempo: How quickly you transition from your backswing to your downswing.
• Shaft Toe Down: Measures how far the shaft bends in a downward direction during your downswing.
• Shaft Kick Angle: Measures how far the shaft bends forward during your downswing.
• Release Factor: How and when the club head and shaft are released during the downswing

The kicker is the Shaft Optimizer is it does not care about the quality of your strike of the ball.  Good contact or bad, you have a swing signature and its job is to find it.

Once the data was input by my fitter, the system gave me a few shaft suggestions, including Dynalite Gold XP and Project X 5.0.

With the Shaft Optimizer portion done, it was time to decide on clubhead / shaft combo by hitting balls at the range.  I alternated between MP-59 and JPX-800 Pro heads with Project X and Dynalite. Ultimately, deciding on JPX-800 Pros with Dynalite XP S300.  This choice is up to you.   Next half-dozen hits off a lie board confirmed 2 degrees upright.

The length of the process varies depending on how many balls you want to hit.  Being a range rat, I took my time, but you could be done easily in under an hour.

So here’s the best part.  Your Mizuno fitter inputs your order directly into the system.  Would you rather bag an MP-R12 50* rather than your set’s Gap Wedge?  You can swap out wedges on the order screen.  Rather play a Fli-Hi than your 4 iron?  Done.  Want a mixed set of 800 Pros and MP-59s?  Mizuno can do that too (I was tempted). It’s all customizable.

Finally, Mizuno has perhaps the best turnaround in the industry.  Orders are submitted by the rep on the spot and you’ll be bagging your new Mizunos within  7-10 days.  In my case, it was seven on the nose.  Mizuno touts this as ‘the best turnaround in the industry’.

So, how are the irons, you ask? (After all, the proof is in the pudding). Happy to say I entered new territory with my Mizunos.  I shot my best score ever, 2-over par for an 18 hole round, just the third time I put them in play.

In the market for new irons?  With iron models made for every type of golfer, you can perhaps find your perfect set of Mizunos–  and go from custom fitting to the course in about seven days.

Look for Mizuno Iron reviews from GolfWRX very soon.