When it comes to golf equipment, few companies have a following like Mizuno has. Mizuno irons are held in such high regards that for many years their drivers have been overlooked. When you incorporate such great looks and performance in a forged iron, sometimes that will have a lot of trouble translating to the art of creating a driver. As many of the readers know, I was not the biggest fan of their MX-560 Driver, but eagerly awaited the arrival of the MX-700 after seeing it at the PGA Merchandise Show.
The MX-700 range is Mizuno’s attempt at not just the game improvement market but in fact all handicaps. They feel as though this driver will be suited for just about any golfer. We were definitely eager to try this one out. After speaking with Mizuno they were kind enough to send over a couple to put through a vigorous testing. Within just a few days a package arrived and in it were the drivers we were waiting for. Our first impression was that we were a little surprised that they went away from the classic blue and white that has grown to basically mean Mizuno in the golf world. Our feeling is that this was a great marketing strategy to pull away from the previous lines in which people were not crazy about the drivers.
The MX-700 driver is the absolute longest and most forgiving driver in Mizuno’s history! A revolutionary “Hot Metal†Ti-9 titanium face, plasma welded to a 6-4 titanium body, possesses a unique aligned grain structure which expands the COR area and increases ball speed for distance you won’t believe, even on off-center strikes. A geometrically driven head shape provides an extremely low and deep COG and a centrally located sweet spot for enhanced vertical stability, resulting in low spin and a high, penetrating ball flight to keep your drives long and straight.
Hot Metal Ti-9 titanium face:
Possesses a unique , vertically aligned grain structure, expanding the high COR area across the face for unbelievable distance.
Enhanced vertical stability:
Head geometry provides an extreme low and deep COG for a high, low spinning, penetrating ball flight.
“Power Hull†Body Construction:
Internal reinforcements for powerful feel and sound.
Crown Decal:
Strategically designed crown decal for easy alignment and comfort at address.
Our first day of testing out the Mizuno MX-700 was delayed due to rain, but once ready, we lined up myself and 5 other players to really put it to the test. This day was filled with all low handicappers and we were really looking forward to giving this one a shot. One by one we all warmed up and then took turns alternating with our normal driver and the Mizuno driver. We each ended up hitting about 20 balls with it and the feedback was pretty good. Myself and the other three golfers that are lower handicaps really loved the club. Hot face with a high ball flight gave us the extra distance that we have craved. The two teaching professionals that play to a scratch or better really struggled with this driver. Both loved the club head and face but felt as though the launch was just too high and that they were losing distance. This driver is built for low spin and high launch and both of those players like a driver with a little lower launch off the tee. After day one on the range I was eager for more.
The next day involved us taking this driver out to the course and having each person in our foursome play the Mizuno MX-700. We had myself, one high handicapper, a teaching professional, and a low to mid handicapper. The results we had on the range held true on the course. Three out of the four of us really loved the driver and the teaching pro struggled with distance. After the round we got together and exchanged feedback from the course. The consensus was that the driver is one of the few that combines a hot face and is still very forgiving. Two of the golfers out with us today struggle with a hook, and knowing that they can find a club that has forgiveness and is not set up offset was a blessing for them. The 9.5* we were testing is completely neutral. As the loft goes up on this driver, Mizuno has added some offset. 10.5* driver has .5* of offset and the 12* driver has 1*.
The following day we decided to complete our review by taking it to the range and letting the public try it out. We were able to get 11 more golfers to demo the club and the feedback was what we expected. 8 out of the 11 really enjoyed the club. We let the golfers have the option of hitting either the 9.5* model or the 10.5* degree model. Most of the players that tried out both clubs preferred the 10.5* version because they, like many golfers, fight a slice. The 3 golfers that did not care for the club had the same reason, the size of the head. The head size is slightly longer from front to back at address than many models and this was something that a few could not get past. We actually felt as though the graphics on the club head kind of hide the overall size and it was never an issue for us.
Overall, THP feels as though this is the club that will get Mizuno where it wants to be in the driver category. We would have loved to see an interchangeable shaft option on this one, but without that, it still gets very high marks. Not too many drivers can be put into play by so many different golf swings but this one sure can. With a retail price of $299.99 it seems like a great combination of price and performance. For more information on this driver check out Mizuno MX-700.
Got to hit this at a demo last week and the reviewer is dead on. good info and review. It is definitely in my top 5 as I get closer to picking out my new club.
Very cool site. Just found it this morning searching for another driver and figured I would check this out as well. Great writing thanks. I am in the market for a new stick and this is now on my list. Thanks.
I never considered a Mizuno before and think this is great news. As someone that plays their irons, their drivers seemed hollow to me. Maybe this is a new trend in their R&D.
I play the 560 and really have been debating upgrading. I am going to have to go and check this one out, thanks for the great read.
Great review. I have been skeptical about Mizzie woods for a while, but this could be what I have been looking for.
Good review. looking forward to trying this one out.
Very interesting article. I have been skeptical for a while about Mizuno woods but this leads me to believe that times they are a changing. That is why I always come here to an impartial reviewer. Thank you.
So many great drivers out there. I just got to demo this one and agree with everything the reviewer said. Nice high launch and really forgiving.
I want one of these. But I still wish they were blue and white.
Great review. So glad that they are making a good driver. I too wish they would have stayed blue and white.
Love the review. I too wish they stayed with the blue and white, but the club has good looks to it.
I played the previous line for about a month and did not care for it. I seem to fit perfectly for this one. Might have to give it a shot again.
thank you for this review. it was because of this review that i went out and got myself a new Mizuno MX-700 to replace my Callaway FT-i, and i could not be happier. I LOVE THIS DRIVER!!!! Thank you for the awesome review!
Just traded in my MX 560 for this new driver.
I was very pleased with the extra distance that I achieved with the 560 (having used a vector launch system to arrive at a final choice when the 560 first came out) but over this period of time the noise from the 560 started to niggle a little. I’m not striking the ball any further but the solid feel and forgiveness of the 700 as well as the ‘quieter’ strike were the reasons for the upgrade. I play with MP67 and CLK utilities, really pleased to have added the MX700 to the bag. Anyone out there thinking of a driver change consider the MX 700; Mizuno have come a long, long way in their driver technology…
Wow – length was great. Shot dispersion on the monitor was tight. Had tried the previous “blue Exsar” shaft in an MP-600 and found it too light. This one is more for a real golfer. Five minutes with the MX-700 and I ordered one. Interested to see if Luke Donald swaps to this driver.
I have the MX 560.. The only problem I have with the 560 is the annoying noise on good and bad shots.. so I will give this one a try and probably upgrade… It will interesting what my wife has to say.. another driver… .. I will also probably wait for the price to go down.. since it is in the 250-300 US..
Ok .. first confession… I am a Driver addict.. tried them all, Taylormade, Ping, Macgregor, Wilson, Nike(even that square barbecue gridle Sumo thing), blah, blah, blah. Got the Tee-shirt.
I swear to god they all must be a fake.. cause you hit as bad a shot as that with a standard head and shaft stock .. time for some OEM questions.. right?
I accept, a bit of talent and technology can get you tumbling toward single digit, but the technology has to be decent and legal?.
Thing is, everyone has told me, Japanese techno you cannot go wrong… even Tigger has got on board (don’t believe all that Nike marketing dribble… if it don’t have a tick, it must be sick… yeah right’.
Tigger don’t do China stock shafts an all that, he seeks out the OEM.. and the they are kin for life.
So I am stocking Srixon Irons (u have to believe me when I say they are superb and once used .. never abused).
So to the big stick… Like I say tried em all… but hold on its Srixon v Mizuno at the demo day in Glasgow and .. well addict got to be there. Kill Bill and all that.
Srixon… just say a tad too targetted at our sigle, digit, shot-shaping boys.. but looky, looky.. Mizuno have a beast to unleash. Yellow and blue .. and you know they spent ages getting it looking like it does.
To the test then …… Srixon… Grafalloy Prolaunch shaft.. regular.. why??.
A bit like a Porche 911 with ‘Shaz ‘n Sharon’ on the windshield.. get the idea. As Woody (Toy Story) so profoundly exposed, ‘ the injuns have posioned the waterhole’.
So to the Miz… Yes.. I know its yellow and blue… but the addict doesn’t care as it has a look about it.
Tried the 9.5 reg stiff & regular… well straight…straight and well straight. Is that my best swing.. well what if… swing is not so good… gimme 10.5 for the safe option.
Staight…… Straight …. High and LONG.
The pro tells me … try a medium tee .. cause the launch angle will stop that loose power slice (a thing of beauty on a dogleg right, but catastrophic anywhere else).
Tried it …Straight & Long
Ok try a very low tee.
(apparently Sergio does this to compress the ball and forces the follow through release, although he does that hand twitch thing, its almost pointless)
Tried it …. Straight & Long
But heres the nugget.. no tee.. on the deck … yeah right, addict is thinkin’
Tried it …. very Straight & very Long
So the addict has been wackin this stick for a 4 weeks now. Gets me on the shortstuff … at will. Has a classy sound to it (not like that Cobra Duck Gun thing, that has the neighbours filling petitions, for abusing the wild life )
Get this, you just know if you have an off centre… it aint the shaft or head you have just launched up the fairway… nope its unquestioned… its a poor swing and time for a lesson.
MX700… the addict just got cured.
Try it … you will buy it ……
Skill level: Beginner. Now that we have that out of the way…
I bought the MX-700 with a 10.5 degree face and a regular flex shaft.
I had been using an Adams Speedline with 9.5 degree face and stiff shaft, but I was never truly able to get comfortable with it. Parts of it were probably due to the specs, my inexperience, and its grip. I include grip because I have a set of Mizuno MX-200 irons and I love holding them in my hands. Couldn’t come to love the factory grip on the Speedline. When I decided to change out the club I also decided that I might as well get the brand of club that I already liked in hopes that the MX-700 would “match” my MX-200’s in feel and in performance. I think I may have succeeded in doing so.
Starting out, most of my shots had this very high launch angle. Direction was definitely not in control, but probably due to operator error.
Changed my address by lifting up the clubhead and floating it in front of the ball (with a high tee) so that the ball was centered on the bottom half of the clubface. Bingo! Launch angle was just right and the ball would fly nice and straight right off the tee.
Technical note: I have a very vertical (for a driver) swing plane courtesy of the Peak Performance Swing Golf method. Your mileage may vary.
Have been looking to change my Titliest DComp from stiff to regular shaft. Loved the driver and was planning to replace with same in regular. After reading your excellent review, decided to give the Muzuno a try. Very impressed so purchaed one. Went with the same loft 9.5, but regular shaft. I like the shaft as it is not too soft as some regular shafts. The driver has a very similar look and feel to the DComp so the changeover was not too drastic. The main benefit is that it launches slightly higher than the DComp and off centre hits come off the face well. This combined with the regular shaft has given me a bit of extra distance. Very happy with my purchase and saved a few $$$$.
Ive just been for a driver fitting with money no option on any club. I swung a number of drivers till i found the top 3 which felt good. These were the ping g15, the cobra f9-1 pro and the mizuno mx700. I was a little dubious of the mx700 as it was the cheapest of the lot but wow whatcan i say I stand corrected. I play off 6 and have a swing speed of 116 – 118 mph so i can hit some rockets. I discounted the cobra as ive smashed loads of them in the past and just dont rate their build quality ( dreaded cobra rattle ) which left the g15 and the mx700. The g15 was very good 9.5 degrees however the mx 700 left me and the fitter speechless after I rocketed 2 range balls straight over the back fence of the driving range. I had a little bit of a draw though and after some tinkering it was decided that the xtra stiff voodo shaft would be ideal for me. Its just a really nice feeling club however mizuno want an extra £80 for a different shaft which is a bit steep I think.
Overall well what can i say, ive smashed 2 balls all year over that back fence then straight away 2 in a row with another 3 banging the fence near the top. computer had the range ball at 250 yards before roll god knows what ill hit with a pro v1 and roll. What a club What a club what a club….. love it
Incidentally the ping i15 was the worst club ive ever swung far too head heavy.
Ill keep you all posted on its performance in competition
By the way did anyone realise that YES this is a Mizuno custom club contrary to the very good review, you just have to ask Mizuno to do it. Its absolutely no extra to ask for blue and black golf pride decade multi compound grips but as I said its £80 for a Voodoo shaft and its a very very good shaft. Hoping to bring price down by ways and means but at moment costing £230 all in .
Andy,
Thanks for your comments and thorough report. Glad that it is working for you. The issue with the color is a minor one, but we were not speaking about the grip as much as we were the headcover and color scheme overall.
Does this still allow my airway to get air while I sleep?
Im a little slow to the punch & I realize this driver has been on the market for a while. Being a high handicapper, I am hesitant about spending loads of cash on gear. But this was a good purchace for me (I also bought the 3 & the 5 Woods, allready owned the 23 & 26 hybrids).
I took the MX700 driver (10.5 – reg flex) to the course yesterday & I love it!
I hit this club in the simulator & I was afraid that I was going to lose some distance from my Callaway and/or my r7 — but in real conditions — that wasnt the case at all. I was getting some 250 – 265 distance (which is really good for me — a guy with about an 85-95 swing speed). Im used to 240 on a good day (I know — thats bad — but love this stupid game)!
My only knock on this club is the fact that I will need some time to get used to actually hitting my 2nd shot from the fairway!
After a couple of months to get the “new” worn off of this club I had to revisit this site for an update on this review.
Nothing but good things as far as Im concerned! I havent really gained any more distance from my first outing back in June, but I have figured out how to work the ball in different directions. I had to tee down a bit which took a round or two to get used to because it just looked funny at address. I also moved the ball more to the inside which in turn (along with teeing down) has produced a nice low draw that seems to run out nicely — Im pretty ignorant about the technical aspects of what produces draws & fades but those two changes seem to be working out that way.
Now, if I can get the short game going I just might get out there & turn in some respectable scores.