PLAYING WITH … MIZUNO MP20 IRONS

Cost: $269 per iron (MB); $289 per iron (MMC & HMB). Tested by: Jimmy Emanuel, Golf Australia Writer (GA Handicap 9.4)

These irons are pure to look at from every angle, says our equipment guru.

MODEL PLAYED: MP-20 muscle back, MP-20 MMC and MP-20 HMB. FIRST IMPRESSIONS: As one would expect of a new Mizuno MP line, all three MP-20 models are pure to look at from every angle.

The muscle back is sleek and has a classic blade appearance, the MMC model is marginally bigger at address and the HMB has a noticeably thicker topline, but is not too big when looking down at the ball and hides its wider sole well.

Again, off the clubface the new irons delivered exactly what I was preparing myself for. The blade iron was soft and produced a penetrating and workable flight, the MMC launched slightly higher with very little difference in sound compared to MB, while the HMB was certainly slightly higher pitched, however, the feel was in no way clicky and would easily blend in a combo set with the other models. HOW IT PERFORMED: I have long been a fan of Mizuno irons and played a number of sets of the company’s blade irons over the years, and all three models, particularly the MP-20 blade, fit perfectly into the history of the brand in my opinion.

The re-introduction of copper plating in all three models helps to deliver an even softer feel than the ‘Grain Flow Forged’ technique the company has employed for countless years, and while the MP-20 muscle back is certainly the softest feeling blade iron I can remember hitting in recent times, I felt the more forgiving models benefit most from this return to an older technology.

I have often noticed a significant difference in feel when testing irons like the MB and MMC, which incorporates titanium in the construction, however, it was extremely difficult to pick up any discernible changes when hitting the two side-by-side. As mentioned earlier, the HMB does have a clearly different sound and feel, but the copper appears to have lessened that from previous models, and when considering the hollow body construction and ‘Chromoly’ face this is a significant achievement.

Hitting the same numbered irons of each model alongside one another proved an interesting exercise and validates Mizuno’s explanation of each model’s individual characteristics.

The muscle back’s flight and forgiveness are exactly what you would expect from this style of iron. The ball comes off reasonably low and is easily manipulated in height, as well as both left and right. Working shots with the muscle back proved to be great fun and although still a blade, there was a little more forgiveness on off-centre strikes than I thought there would be going into my testing. Mis-hits stayed in the air longer than some older model blades and curved less through the air.

Moving on to the MMC, my ball flight rose a small amount that also saw the ball carry slightly further for me. The forgiveness also went up a notch, with my typical miss in the toe being noticeable due to the feel feedback but staying on a similar flight and losing very little distance compared to a flushed strike. Workability remained fine with the MMC, which proved to be the model that surprised me most overall.

The HMB’s flight was higher again, even with the stronger lofts of the most forgiving model that while offered in a full set of irons has already proven popular on Tour as a long-iron replacement.

The flight of the hollow body model wasn’t way up in the sky by any means and was fairly easily knocked down into the wind. Moving the ball both ways certainly wasn’t as simple as with the blade iron, however, the added forgiveness makes this a model for players looking to hit more straight shots than anything and a perfect iron at the top end of the bag for finding fairways from the tee or attacking long par-3s and par-5s.

Replacing the popular MP-18 line, the MP-20

irons have improved upon one area I struggled with their predecessor. Whereas I was prone to feeling the sole dig a little for me with the MP-18s, the new models’ soles seemed to interact better with the turf for me even with a slightly steep attack angle.

The short irons and wedges of Mizuno irons used to be visually a little awkward to me, but as was the case with the MP-18 this has again improved dramatically in the MP-20 irons.

I couldn’t fault any part of the performance of the new MP-20 range.

The blade does exactly what a muscle back iron should do in terms of performance and the feel was absolutely pure off the face. The MMC is the best iteration of a multi-material iron Mizuno has produced thus far, combining feel and forgiveness in a pleasing appearance that I could easily put in my bag tomorrow. And while I found the HMB outstanding as a utility iron option, the shorter irons of the set performed very well and surprised me with the quality of the feel and the level of forgiveness, making Mizuno’s MP irons a more attainable option for players not necessarily possessing a single figure handicap.

For mine, combining two, or even three, models from the MP-20 range is ideal to align each golfer’s needs and preferences to their set. And having tested the company’s new ‘Swing Optimiser’ during my testing as well, the technology takes any guess work out of getting the right length and lie, and picking the best shaft from the extensive range of options.