Back in May of this year, The Hackers Paradise got the opportunity to review the MX-200 iron set from Mizuno and came away extremely impressed. We felt as though the MX-200 irons were the perfect blend of game improvement and game enhancement all wrapped up together in a club set with amazing feel. A couple of our lower handicap players felt as though these irons had just a tad too much offset for their eye and their game and were really stuck in between sets. They loved the feel and added forgiveness that the MX-200 set offered, but felt it was just a bit more game improvement than game enhancement. Mizuno has fixed that problem for them with the new MX-300 iron that will compliment the MX-200 set perfectly.
Click on each picture for Large Hi-Res Image
From the Company
The new Grain Flow Forged MX-300 irons with Y-TUNE PRO technology are the perfect players spec iron with enhanced game improvement technologies. The head specifications of the new MX-300 irons provide a more traditional look with a minimal progressive offset, a compact head size and modest sole width to deliver the look for an aggressive player profile. The full cavity utilized in the MX-300 irons contains the reconfigured Y-TUNE PRO technology for enhanced feel and ball flight control, with added forgiveness. The milled pocket cavity (3-7) redistributes 12 grams of discretionary weight low and deep to provide a high penetrating launch, while the scoring irons (8-GW) utilize a solid power bar design for maximum solid feel and pin attacking control. The MX-300 irons are the perfect weapons for the player looking for the combination of feel, forgiveness and ball control.
Tech Specs
*Innovative Y-Tune Pro Technology provides enlarged sweet area for enhanced forgiveness along with a more traditional head profile in the playing position.
*Milled pocket cavity (3-7) for a low deep COG to deliver a high penetrating ball flight
*Solid Power bar design (8-GW) for maximum solid feel and accuracy in the scoring irons
*Patented Grain Flow Forged, 1025E “Pure Select” mild carbon steel provides the ultimate soft, solid, and consistent feel
*Impact sound and feel are optimized through extensive use of Modal Analysis which separates Mizuno irons from the competition
*Durable double nickel chrome plated finish
*Modified U-grooves; which conform to the Condition of competition 2010, produce the ideal spin rate for maximum playability in all conditions
*Aggressive, dual cambered sole design for consistent playability from all types of lies
*Shaft Availability: Dynalite Gold XP (R300 S300)
*Grip Availability: Golf Pride M-21 58 Round
Looks
When it came to looks, a few of our testers did not care for the blue filled cavity back of the MX-200. Some called it “sticker looking” and while I very much liked the look, it was one of our only minor complaints about that iron set at all. The MX-300 features a completely different cavity and one that every single tester involved liked quite a bit. The only color featured other than that of the nickel chrome finish is a textured black and it is only used in two very small areas. The cavity overall has a simple, classic, and elegant design to it that definitely looks more game improvement to game enhancement. The thin topline serves to quickly remind you that these are more of a blend between game improvement and game enhancement. The overall head size is extremely compact with a thin sole and very little offset to be found that gives you the extreme confidence that working the ball will not be an issue at all with these clubs. The entire look of the clubs is what quite a few of our testers referred to as “classy”.
Range Testing
As pictured above, THP tested the Mizuno MX-300 irons for the inaugural issue of THP: The Magazine and were able to gather 16 golfers to try them out. What we were able to find is that the MX-300 line could in fact be the perfect compliment to the Mizuno line and the MX-200s. The MX-300s are like the dream blend set of workability and forgiveness to coincide with amazing feel. Well struck balls felt perfect and soft and when you missed, you got the immediate feedback letting you know exactly what you had done. The beauty of the MX-300s really did shine on the misses where the club still offered enough forgiveness when the ball was hit off the toe or the heel. While distance was shortened, the ball flight was still penetrating to high, and straight. Our testing has shown that the MX-300 irons from Mizuno are slightly more on the game enhancement side than the game improvement side and few of the higher handicappers struggled a little with control. In fairness, that is what we liked about them the most. Mizuno has strengthened their iron lineup now and really do have an iron set for every golfer out there. While some will view this as too many sets to choose from, those paying close attention will see that the brand has fine tuned their lineup to better fit the masses.
Course Testing
The Mizuno MX-300 irons have been tested on the course for 16 rounds of golf and countless range sessions. During the course of the testing, two characteristics shine through with these clubs more than any other. The feel that they give off is perhaps the best we have felt in any “blend” set we have covered. Soft and buttery at impact with solid feedback for those looking to work on their game. The 2nd part of it is that these could be the most versatile cavity back irons we have played and their game enhancement side of them shines through like few others. Play it high, low, draw, or fade with no issues at all. The shotmaking ability and performance of the Mizuno MX-300s is one of the best we have come across, even more so than that of the MX-200s that we reviewed previously. Using less offset in these irons is apparent right at your first address of the ball and if you dread the “straight ball” and like to move the ball flight around, this set offers that with no issues whatsoever. The game improvement side shows its head when you miss them on both the toe and the heel. While playing we hit a few off of the toe and the ball still has a tendency to fly straight, however you will still get that feedback letting you know exactly what happened in your ball striking. After myself and others have tested these irons for a couple of months, one thing is a constant. The performance is absolutely spectacular!
A few more notes about this testing is that it is quickly apparent that the clubs have great weighting around the sweet spot and it produces a wonderful medium ball flight that is very penetrating and not too high at all. The only issue a few golfers had was that while this set is a blend of game improvement and game enhancement, the lofts are more on the game improvement side of things. An example of this would be the PW being at 45*. While it did not bother me at all, some of the more traditional golfers felt it caused some gap issues in their game that they would have to address with different wedges. Keep in mind that the set does come with a GW that is at 50* so that could fix that issue for most. You can see the entire set specs here. One more thing to note about this set is that not a single tester that spent time with them on the course was not extremely positive and ready to put these in their bag full time. It is a rare case when every single tester enjoys a product this much, but when it does happen, we know the company has put out something pretty special.
Overall
We are definitely sold on the new Mizuno line of irons and our testers agree completely. THP loved the MX-200s and MX-300s fill in the next slot almost perfectly. Keeping the simple and gorgeous design and adding a little more game enhancement is exactly the only thing missing and now Mizuno has it in their lineup. We are seeing so many more great blend sets coming out and while these are still considered by many to be game improvement irons, we think they are actually more suited to those looking for game enhancement or players irons. When you take an iron that offers superior feel, cutting edge performance and has forgiveness thrown into the mix, what you end up with is a special “blend” and that is what we believe Mizuno has on their hands with the MX-300 irons. The set comes 4-GW and has a street price of $799. At that price we believe that it is in fact quite a bargain compared to many other sets that are out right now. For more information on these or any other products that Mizuno is offering, check out their website at www.mizunousa.com.
Till Next Time
Josh B.
