MIZUNO ST190 & ST190G
Mizuno has always been known for the smooth impact, great feeling, and the clean look of their MP series iron and awesome forgiveness and thin top line of the JPX lineup. They have not always been known for their drivers and metal woods, even though they have always produced a high quality product for the market. Just like every other major manufacture Mizuno has gone through an evolution of metal wood technology.
In the 90’s Mizuno gained traction with their T-Zoid line of steel headed drivers and fairway metals being played by the likes of players like Nick Faldo (#1 player in the world at the time). The 90’s were a time a lot of players tour and amateur alike were transitioning from persimmon woods to metals. All manufactures were then on the search for better distance and accuracy, and the evolution of a major shift in technology has begun. The next step in the evolving world of metals is the introduction of composite driver and fairway heads. This step began shortly after we made the turn into the new millennium. Mizuno came out with the MP-001driver and the F-50 fairways in 2004/2005 which incorporated carbon fiber and titanium(driver)/Steel (FWY) together giving more speed and control to the mass majority of golfers coming from stainless steel drivers and fairways. Fast forward a few years later to 2007 and Mizuno released the MP-600; its first adjustable CG driver. The MP-600 had a sliding weight in the rear to adjust for misses right and left. Weight adjustability changed the way clubs were fit and purchased from prior generations. Mizuno improved on this technology in 2012 with their MP-630 where there was greater movement of center of gravity heel to toe and more forward for lower spin and more movement side to side. In 2014 and 2015 Mizuno joined the rest of the golf industry in the most modern way with loft and cg adjustable drivers (JPX-EZ and JPX 850).
Every year club manufacturers claim greater distance, more ball speed, greater accuracy etc. With all these claims year in year out we should be hitting the ball 400 yards by now. Well we can see that’s not the case, but club are improving with higher ball speeds, and less spin on off center hits. This is achieved by making the club heads more stable, thinning out the faces in necessary areas and placing weight in the correct spots to improve launch conditions (i.e. Spin rate, launch angle, & Ball speed).
So, what did Mizuno do to compete you may ask? New for 2019, Mizuno is Introducing the ST190 & ST190G drivers, and fairways. The Mizuno ST190 driver comes in 9.5* and HL(12*) of static loft and the ST190g comes in 9.5* of static loft. Both of the NEW drivers have an adjustable loft of plus or minus 2* degrees (up to 11.5* of down to 7.5* of effective loft). What separates the drivers from each other is the ability to adjust center of gravity side to side, and front to back in the ST190g and a fixed back weight in the ST190. With the weight fixed in the back of the head, the ST190 has the higher MOI (resistant to twisting around an objects axis) than the ST190g. This gives it greater stability on off center hits allowing it to be extremely accurate and it can compete with the most stable heads on the market. The ST190g has sliding weights front to back on the heel and toe. The adjustability allows the fitter to change ball flight based on a player’s particular miss and for extreme fine tuning in launch conditions. The NEW fairways are the ST190 TS & ST190. The only differing points between the two clubs is that the ST190TS has loft adjustability and is only available in a 3 wood or 15* static loft with plus or minus 2*. The St 190 fairway is fixed at 15* and 18* (3w & 5w), and is also slightly larger for higher MOI than the ST190TS.
Perfect Recipe of MOI and low spin according to Mizuno for ST190/190G:
- SP700 forged CORTECH face: (Hot titanium) Higher Initial Ball speeds
- Composite Crown design: Higher Launch and Lower Spin
- Aggressive Wave sole: Expanded CORAREA(more face flexion) and improved ball speed retention for off center impacts
- HIT Impacts sound tuning: Impact sound is critical, ST190/G both has solid, yet hot impact sound
- MOI Boosting Stainless Steel Weight: Increased MOI for better off center performance, while keeping CG(center of gravity) low for less spin
*Drivers tech only; Fairway woods tech not released yet.
Now that we have discussed the all the tech that’s in the new clubs, let’s take a look at test results. The following screen shots are averages of shots hit with the new drivers. There is one shocking result!
MIZUNO ST190G WITH WEIGHTS NEUTRAL AND BACK AT 9.5*
MIZUNO ST190G WITH WEIGHTS NEUTRAL AND FWD AT 9.5*
ST190 AT 9.5*
In the pictures above I would like every one reading to focus on the ST190 and how accurate it was with great launch conditions. The distance is not the focus here for the fact that all three tests were assumed to be a neutral setting and all three are capable of putting up great distance, but all would be for not if we can’t hit the fairway. *Results may vary depending on player.
MIZUNO ST190 TS 15* (ADJUSTABLE)
MIZUNO ST190 (GLUED)
Screenshots above are of the the NEW Mizuno ST190TS & ST190 fairways. Just like the drivers the difference is all about consistency and not distance, for both are extremely capable of putting up great ball speed and adequate spin rates (note that the ST190TS was not adjusted and may perform better once optimized). If distance is what you are looking for then these fairways will also not disappoint. The ball speeds are fantastic and very efficient based on club head speed (i.e. SMASH FACTOR). The glue ST190 was definitely a head turner and I would not be surprised to see this fairway in many of player’s bags.
In conclusion I would like to end with a quote from Mizuno’s director of Golf:
“The golf industry is changing at speed. We know Mizuno’s success will be dictated by our relationship with the trade – the club fitters and PGA pros who talk to golfers every day. So feels the right time for Mizuno to show our face at the biggest collection of golf pros in the world. Part to celebrate the resurgence of our incredibly resilient brand – even more, to demonstrate how we’re going to evolve Mizuno into a more complete golf equipment brand.” Jeremy Galbreth, Director of Golf, Mizuno USA.
Below is the full TRACKMAN report if you would like to see the entirety of the ST190 test conducted by fitters: Nate Lammers & Connor Dillon