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Utility Irons (Opinions) - Srixon U65, Srixon U85, Mizuno MP-18 MMC

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AUWU11

AUWU11

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Hello,

I'm considering the following utility irons Probably a 3 or 4 iron. I used to have a 21 degree 4 iron from a game improvement set, and was money off the tee with it. Wanting to add something that fits that bill again. Need some opinions and/or insight.

Srixon Z U65
Srixon Z U85
Mizuno MP-18 MMC

Few points I'm getting tripped up on:

1) Never had a graphic shaft on an iron (Srixon's are graphite, Mizuno is steel). Thoughts?

2) What's the real difference between the U65 and U85? Is one more of a players iron than the other? Not sure which would be better for a mid-handicapper like me.

3) Never hit any Mizuno club, so no real familiarity with the brand as a whole other than reputation.

4) Ideally I'd like something around 21 degree loft. The Srixon's offer the 3 iron at 20 degrees, and Mizuno offers the 4 iron at 22 degrees.

If I had to pick pick a top priority, it'd be forgiveness. I dont typically have drastic mishits or anything, but dont want to be punished if I hit one off-center every now and then. Figured both are about equal in terms of distance.

Anybody ever tried any of these? Any opinions?

Thanks in advance!
 
I had a U65 for a bit, and for the money that's probably your best bet. For the Mizunos, check out the MMC Fli-Hi. They're super forgiving, long and they feel great. I particularly enjoyed mine when I had MP-18s! Most of the utility irons seem to come with graphite shafts, but you can always get steel if that's what you prefer. That will ultimately come down to what you're comfortable with and what you're looking for in terms of ball flight.
 
I'm a high cap, and I could hit the u65 just fine in the 20*. The Srixon utility irons are a little longer than the standard iron they replace, if that matters. If you went the u65 route, I'd also consider shafting up a flex. I have the 565s in the stock regular flex shafts, but I went with a stiff u65 to match their "flex codes."

And on the "forgiveness" front, I found the 20* u65 (3 iron replacement) much more forgiving than the set 4i.
 
mr.hicksta said:
I had a U65 for a bit, and for the money that's probably your best bet. For the Mizunos, check out the MMC Fli-Hi. They're super forgiving, long and they feel great. I particularly enjoyed mine when I had MP-18s! Most of the utility irons seem to come with graphite shafts, but you can always get steel if that's what you prefer. That will ultimately come down to what you're comfortable with and what you're looking for in terms of ball flight.
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Yeah the Mizuno I'm considering is the Hi Fli. Seems like a great club. I feel like I have a good grasp on that club. I'm still tripped up on the difference between the U65 and U85. Once I know that, I'll have a better idea of whether to go Srixon or Mizuno. What did you think of the U65 when you had it? Like the U65 or the MMC Hi Fli better?
 
AUWU11 said:
Yeah the Mizuno I'm considering is the Hi Fli. Seems like a great club. I feel like I have a good grasp on that club. I'm still tripped up on the difference between the U65 and U85. Once I know that, I'll have a better idea of whether to go Srixon or Mizuno. What did you think of the U65 when you had it? Like the U65 or the MMC Hi Fli better?
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I don't think there's too much of a difference between the U65 and U85, but I'm sure there are others that would know for sure. I thought the U65 was decent, but I had better success with the MMC Fli-Hi.
 
I would also consider other utility irons; there are a lot of good ones in the market. Callaway Apex UT was awesome for me, Titleist Utilities are good, Taylormade GAPR, Cobra has the only adjustable loft utility iron in the market (to my knowledge), etc.
I didn't see a difference between U65/U85 vs my 565 3 iron (which is adjusted to 19 degrees). I put a hybrid shaft in it and has been great.
 
Wonton said:
I would also consider other utility irons; there are a lot of good ones in the market. Callaway Apex UT was awesome for me, Titleist Utilities are good, Taylormade GAPR, Cobra has the only adjustable loft utility iron in the market (to my knowledge), etc.
I didn't see a difference between U65/U85 vs my 565 3 iron (which is adjusted to 19 degrees). I put a hybrid shaft in it and has been great.
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I play PING i25's, which aren't overly large, more on the player side. The 4 iron in that set isn't doing much for me, so that's why I'm looking to add. And its 24 degrees. That said, the Srixon or Mizuno would definitely be an upgrade at the top of my bag. I was interested in the Callaway you mentioned but didn't do much research on it - I'll have to check it out. The Titleists are unfortunately out of my price range.
 
AUWU11 said:
I play PING i25's, which aren't overly large, more on the player side. The 4 iron in that set isn't doing much for me, so that's why I'm looking to add. And its 24 degrees. That said, the Srixon or Mizuno would definitely be an upgrade at the top of my bag. I was interested in the Callaway you mentioned, but I think it's out of my price range, especially when compared to these other two options.
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Agreed, Callaway's price is higher than the Mizuno and the Srixon. All good clubs though. Like mr.hicksta said, there aren't noticeable difference between the U65/U85. I'd save a few bucks and go with a U65. But that's just me. I would also consider one with more shaft options. I thought I could play an utility iron with a standard X100 or S300 but the hybrid shaft made a huge difference for me.
 
Wonton said:
Agreed, Callaway's price is higher than the Mizuno and the Srixon. All good clubs though. Like mr.hicksta said, there aren't noticeable difference between the U65/U85. I'd save a few bucks and go with a U65. But that's just me. I would also consider one with more shaft options. I thought I could play an utility iron with a standard X100 or S300 but the hybrid shaft made a huge difference for me.
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Good point. That's another point I'm struggling with (which shaft to go with). I hit stiff flex on all of my clubs (driver to pw). Reading through posts, not sure if I should go with S or XS when it comes to a utility iron. My first thought was S, but not sure now.
 
If you like a hybrid at your 3iron spot you may go with one of the newer options like a Taylor Made GAPR LO or somewthing like that. I'm thinking some of the options you named may be about the same forgiveness as your i25.
 
AUWU11 said:
Good point. That's another point I'm struggling with (which shaft to go with). I hit stiff flex on all of my clubs (driver to pw). Reading through posts, not sure if I should go with S or XS when it comes to a utility iron. My first thought was S, but not sure now.
Click to expand...

If you can, you should definitely go to a local fitter or even a store to get professional opinion. I've always went with a store clerk's recommendation after looking at my swing speed but my actual Pro fitter gave me information on shafts that I didn't know about. What he said was very interesting; "Because manufacturers have limitations, every brand will make equivalent clubs to one another. Shaft fitting is almost more crucial to the game than the head itself." Now, I don't know if I agree 100% but it kinda made sense to me at the time.
The Shaft weight info was one that blew my mind. Also, my Callaway Apex UT's flex was measured at XX even though the label said Stiff.

I know, easier said than done; some areas don't have the accessibility but I think being looked at by a Pro does make a great difference.
sorry for the extra info you didn't ask for.
 
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