Mizuno Pro 225 iron £200
Per club
The trio of new Mizuno Pro irons certainly got the juices flowing earlier this year and, in our opinion, the 225 is the best of the bunch. It is the distance iron within the line-up, but it certainly doesn’t look like it’s built predominantly for speed. In fact, it’s more compact than the outgoing MP20 equivalent with a touch less offset and looks like a classic blade in the bag.
Sneaky long
While it looks like a blade, it is in fact a Grain Flow Forged hollow head (in the 2- to 7-irons) with a copper underlay for feel, featuring chromoly within the metal for strength and a Cortech multithickness face for speed. There’s also 28.5g of tungsten inside to assist with forgiveness and launch.
Clearly, it’s an iron packed full of innovation, which is why we loved everything about the hitting experience. With the 7-iron lofted at 30°, it provided more speed and carry than the Pro 221 and 223 irons, but still achieved the highest ball flight of the three models. It was also the longest, helped by a very lively and solid feel in the long- and mid-irons.
Well-struck shots are rewarded with a powerful, dense sensation that leaves no energy behind, and this also helps enhance the consistency of the carry distances. You’ll find more greens than you may expect to.
Playable package
While it looks compact behind the ball, this iron is surprisingly playable – you can get away with poor strikes more than you might think. It’s versatile, too – it comes in a 2-iron, so you can add it in as a utility iron as part of your set. It also goes all the way up to gap wedge to help with those scoring approach shots. The short-irons are one-piece heads, so you get the feel and precision where you need it most.
The Pro 225 is ideal for the low-handicapper seeking extra strike assistance or anyone who wants to play a beautiful Mizuno iron that performs in all areas. It was a no brainer for our 2022 Editor’s Choice list.