Mizuno’s steady-as-you-go approach when developing their drivers and woods won’t ever capture the headlines like other brands.
Explosive distance and unparalleled performance aren’t in the Mizuno vocab. And neither are buzzwordy titles.
In Mizuno’s world, why would you bother coming up with a cool and catchy new name for your latest metalwood line when a series of letters and numbers do the job just fine?
But Mizuno know exactly what does cut-through the hype.
And that is straight-out performance, which is why the new Mizuno ST230 drivers, fairway woods and hybrids sell themselves.
THE MIZUNO ST STORY SO FAR
Conceived to elevate their drivers, fairway woods and hybrids to the same level as their peerless iron range, Mizuno’s ST (Speed Technology) driver and metalwood project has been a going concern for four years now.
Incremental improvement has been the name of the game for Mizuno, with a new addition added to the ST range each year to improve performance on a granular level.
In golf, speed sells so there was a strong focus initially on maximising velocity, leading to the creation of the Beta Ti face in the original ST190 that still appears today.
Versatility was the next priority, which saw the introduction of tailored performance in the ST-X and ST-Z drivers.
And in last year’s ST220, injecting stability to increase the performance of off-centre strikes was the objective.
It’s all led up to this point, with the new Mizuno ST230 range reaching the zenith of performance.
THE SEARCH
This may well infuriate the “get-a-life” crowd, but jigsaw puzzles are proven to be an excellent way to relax while expending some brain power.
However, there’s nothing quite as frustrating as getting to the end and realising the final piece of the puzzle is missing.
Am I sitting on it? Did it fall on the floor and get swept up in the bin? Was it missing in the first place?
It’s a scenario Mizuno’s design team can probably relate to.Their ST line-up was exceedingly brilliant but they had a gnawing feeling they were missing something.
And so begun the new ST230 project, which was, in effect, a search for the missing piece of the ST puzzle.
CORTECH CHAMBER
Understanding which piece of the puzzle they were looking for was one thing.
Being able to find it? Another thing entirely. After innumerable time spent in the R&D phase, it turns out the new CORTECH Chamber was the missing piece of the puzzle.
Replacing Mizuno’s Wave Sole which appeared on every previous ST iteration, the CORTECH Chamber is positioned on the sole of the ST230 driver, just behind the clubface.
It’s a stainless-steel weight concealed within an elastomer cover and serves two equally important purposes — increasing the energy transfer from the clubhead to the ball at impact while reducing spin.
And finding the missing piece of the puzzle has made the ST230 Mizuno’s longest, fastest and most forgiving range to date.
THE MIZUNO ST230 RANGE
MIZUNO ST-X 230 DRIVER
With more spin and a higher trajectory than the ST-Z driver, the ST-X will suit players with moderate swing speeds.
Featuring a carbon fibre crown and sole plate, the ST-X is also slightly draw-biased - a rear weight is positioned more towards the heel along the X axis (which runs from the heel to the toe) to help players fight the rights.
However, it would be remiss to dismiss the ST-X because of its draw-biased traits.
Mizuno revealed the ST-X was faster and more workable than the ST-Z during their tour staff testing, especially in the lowest loft of 9.5˚.
It sits taller and features a more rounded profile than the ST-Z and aligns square at address in the Quick Switch hosel’s neutral setting.
Available Lofts: 9.5˚, 10.5˚ and 12˚.
MIZUNO ST-Z 230 DRIVER
The ST-Z is the low-spinning, high-MOI driver in the ST230 line-up.
With a more traditional, pear-shaped head and carbon fibre crown and sole plate, the ST-Z 230 promotes an unrelentingly straight ball flight that should suit high-swing speed players who don’t shape the ball.
A rear weight positioned well back on the Z axis (the one that runs from the front to the back of the clubhead) provides stability, increasing off-centre strike performance and sits square to slightly open at address.
Available Lofts: 9.5˚ and 10.5˚.
MIZUNO ST-Z 230 FAIRWAY WOODS
The performance profile of Mizuno’s ST-X 230 fairway woods closely resembles the ST-X driver and they’ll certainly add a little versatility into the top end of the bag.
ST-Z 230 fairways offer low-to-mid spin and a high-launching, straight ball flight.
And they also feature the CORTECH Chamber, which, in conjunction with a variable thickness steel face, make them faster and longer than their predecessors.
But it’s their revised stability that is ultra-impressive, an 8g back weight powering rails-like performance.
Available Lofts: #3 (15˚) and #5 (18˚).
MIZUNO ST-Z 230 HYBRIDS
Offering similar straight-flying, high-launching performance, Mizuno ST-Z 230 hybrids are perfect stablemates to their driver and fairway wood counterparts.
The new hybrid is bigger and more workable than the CLK hybrid it is replacing and features Mizuno’s new CORTECH Chamber, which is responsible for a speed and distance boost.
A thin MAS1C steel face, lightweight ‘Waffle Crown’ and thick sole weight also appear, combining to provide a high degree of playability and versatility off any lie.
Available Lofts: 16˚, 19˚, 22˚ and 25˚.
MIZUNO ST230 SPECIFICATIONS
Driver
- Hand: Right/Left (9.5˚ ST-Z, ST-X only)
- ST-X 230 X Driver Lofts: 9.5˚, 10.5˚, 12˚
- ST-X 230 Z Driver Lofts: 9.5˚, 10.5˚
- Hosel: Adjustable through 4˚ range
Fairway & Hybrid
- Hand: Right/Left (19˚, 22˚ LH only)
- ST-Z 230 Fairway Lofts: 3W: 15˚, 5W: 18˚
- ST-Z 230 Hybrid Lofts: 3H: 16˚, 4H: 19˚, 5H: 22˚, 5H: 25˚
- Hosel: Adjustable through 4˚ range