This past Saturday I had a second fitting with Mizuno Golf, this time with long time friend and National Accounts Manager Doug Bybee. It was a stroke of luck, pun intended. Doug is based in Atlanta, but happened to be in Salt Lake for the weekend. Lucky me.
We did the fitting in a bay at the popular Salt Lake City golf store Uinta Golf. We were able to take advantage of their Foresight golf launch monitor, which really helped us determine the best components and setup for the fit. Thanks to the staff at Uinta for all that.
Shaft Optimizer
Mizuno’s Performance Fitting System utilizes sensors in the fitting club which gives valuable information to the fitter and software. Those numbers include clubhead speed, tempo, toe down, shaft kick angle, and release factor. See below:
My Mizuno Fit
Once a few swings are recorded, the software produces a set of three recommended shafts based on the data. The club fitter then puts those shafts on the chosen club head(s) where more swings are captured. This is where the Foresight data came in very handy, but doing the same fitting on a live range would produce great visual results as well.
I compared the three recommended shafts with each other, also switching between the Mizuno MP15 head and JPX 850 Forged head. For reference I also compared my current gamer, the old Hogan Apex Edge Pro.
The results were stunning. When using the Nippon NS PRO 1150 stiff shaft, I gained a solid 10 yards (6-iron). That’s great but not the most amazing part. Unbelievably, my dispersion area was tiny. I was hitting 6-irons 200 yards and landing them on a dime. See below:
Circles represent several shots with different shafts, smallest circle is best
Launch lines below:
I hit most of the test shots with most shafts pretty straight…
Though I loved the feel of the Mizuno MP15 head, my accuracy and distance with the JPX 850 Forged was obviously better. That’s the club I’m going with. The club is slightly more forgiving than the MP15, which means mis-hits will be a little less errant. As an amateur player, that’s a big deal.
Conclusion
I’m now waiting for these beauties to arrive. I understand Mizuno is very fast once the custom order is placed. I will put the clubs right into play and begin reviewing as soon as possible. Unfortunately the weather has turned here though. The high today will still be below freezing. I’ll have to head south to warmer weather.
It is quite stunning how big a difference the SHAFT makes and Mizuno’s fitting system with shaft optimizer helps the golfer find the perfect match in dozens of shafts available. I’d be willing to say the shaft is as important as the head. One shaft felt so-so, was 10 yards shorter, and had a variance of almost 10 yards right or left of center and 20 yards total dispersion. Simply changing shafts added 10 yards and tightened up that dispersion to a few feet.
As soon as the new irons arrive my Nikon will see the first action and I’ll post some photos. Then being the reviewing process.
Stay tuned. I’m big time stoked.
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