As always, let’s start with a little background information about the clubs, then we will get on to the meat of the review.

Background

The technology of the G15 Iron provides the high-launching, maximum forgiveness attributes that bring consistency to your iron play.. The stainless steel iron’s cavity design features a new Custom Tuning Port (CTP) which expands the perimeter weighting and increases the moment of inertia.

Weight savings from a thinner face is re-positioned to the toe for added forgiveness on mis-hits and its wider sole produces a higher launch angle. Stronger lofts combine with a center of gravity located low and farther from the face to produce longer shots without sacrificing the higher trajectory required in a maximum forgiveness iron.

Look and Feel

G15 Pitching Wedge

There is no mistaking the G15 for blades, that is for sure. However, even with the wide sole and thicker top-line of a super game improvement iron, the G15 irons are very reassuring at address. As expected, the club face is slightly larger than that of the i15, especially noticeable in the heel to toe dimension at address. Personally, I like this in the longer irons, however, feel a little less confident when it comes to the shorter irons.

Flip the club over and you’ll notice the wider sole. Part of the theory behind this design decision is to get the center of gravity lower and further back on the club. This helps launch the ball higher. So, if you are one who has a hard time getting some height out of your irons, you should be able to hit a high ball with these sticks!

There is a nice finish to all PING clubs, the G15 irons are no exception. The almost rough finish to these cast irons is very cool in my book. The graphics on the back of the club face are interesting enough, but not overly distracting. Very similar to the i15 graphics, and even the G10 line to some degree. You will not be seeing them while swinging the club, so the design of the backside of the club rarely influences my decision on a club purchase.

Feel is where I have always found the PING G and I series lacking. The PING i15s, in my opinion, have made a nice step forward in the feel department over the i10 irons. The same can be said for the G15 irons. That being said, a well struck 8 iron is not going to feel as buttery smooth as a Mizuno blade. The flip side on that is when you thin a 5 iron in the early spring, you are not going to feel like you just smacked a cold cinder block.

All that being said, in the super game improvement class of clubs, I think the G15 irons do an admirable job of preserving some level of feel. While you may not feel exactly where you may have mis-hit a shot, you will at least know you did. I cannot say this for all super game improvement clubs out in the market.

Performance

Like any club out there, if you try hard enough, you can make these things slice and hook. Now, a gentle draw or fade? That will probably depend on your swing. I have a slight draw tendency, couple that with the offset and draw bias in these clubs, and I was generally hitting these with a few yards of right to left in them. Are they any more or less workable than the G10 irons? Not sure I can say there is a huge difference there.

As I mentioned earlier, these clubs have pretty wide soles. Personally, I always seem to struggle with wide soles, especially when it comes to tight lies. I feel like it is a little more difficult to play these out of a wider variety of lies because of that sole. However, given that these things are so darn forgiving, I found myself in fewer situations that required a club with a little more ‘workability’. If you have trouble getting the ball elevated, the wider sole in this set of irons does help get the ball up quickly.

When it comes to forgiveness, you will be hard pressed to find an iron that is this easy on your poor swings. Thin shots carried distance well, as did shots out on the toe and to some degree the heel as well. Sure, come in there with the face wide open, and this club won’t help you…but none of them will.

Conclusion

I really loved hitting the long irons, especially when the ball was sitting up on a tee. Standing on the tee box of a long par 3 or a tight par 4, the 3 or 4 iron from this set are superb. As I generally find with most sets of irons, a well struck 3 iron is a pretty amazing feeling. With the G15 irons, I found it relatively easy to find the sweet spot off a tee and could get used to launching my golf ball way up into the sky, hurdling down the middle of the fairway.

That being said, I felt like I gave up a little something in the control and accuracy department with the shorter irons. Now, this is just me, and I am looking for shorter irons I can work and flight. If you are just looking for maximum forgiveness, to hit the ball straight, and make the game of golf a heck of a lot easier…these may make more sense for you! Wait a minute, why do I want to be able to work the ball?

But back to those long irons. Today, the longest iron I am playing in my bag is a 5 iron. Anything above that, I am using a hybrid. It is difficult to beat the versatility of a hybrid and the forgiveness. But, a few sweet swings with the G15 3 and 4 irons on the range, and it is hard for me not to want to put them in play. So, we will see, they may make another appearance in my bag soon.

Should you be looking at the G15 irons? If you are currently playing something like the TaylorMade RAC OS2 irons and are looking for a little more feel and distance, this would be a nice step up. If you are coming from a set of blades, looking to make your Sundays more enjoyable, I would suggest stepping into something a little more intermediate, like the i15 irons.

The great news is, PING irons generally seem to retain their value well. So, picking up a set of either of these irons for a month or two would not cost you an arm and a leg if you consider the resale value.

The PING G10 and i10 irons and were well received for the most part. The G10 irons continued to improve the game improvement line, while the i10s seemed to take a step closer to the S57/S58 player line of clubs. Some players of the i5 were put off by that, some seemed to embrace it.

Now, in 2009, PING has released the 15 line of clubs, including new i15 and G15 irons. It seems PING has listened to the feedback from their loyal customers and made some welcomed changes to the i15 line. Today we will have a closer look at the i15 irons. Over the next few weeks we will also be having a look at some of the other clubs in this new 15 line. Throughout the review you will see some pictures of the PING i15 irons alongside pictures of Mizuno MP-57 irons, which are targeted at a similar level of player.

As always, we will start with a little information from PING then on to the detailed review.

Background

In the design of the i15 iron, PING engineers focused on the better player who prefers an iron set that offers the control to play a variety of shots. Created as a progressive set, the longer irons are larger for more forgiveness. The mid- and short-irons are smaller to ensure workability and control on approach shots.

The stainless steel iron features a tungsten toe insert to add forgiveness to the mid-size design. A stabilizing bar and new Custom Tuning Port (CTP) provides the feel and sound attributes preferred by better players.

Specifications

The following table details the club specifications of the PING i15 irons.

Look and Feel

The PING i15 irons feature a relatively compact face size. As you can see in some of the pictures in this review, they are pretty similar to that of the Mizuno MP-57 or Adams Idea Pro Gold irons. They are, however, slightly larger than the previous generation i10 irons. While the backside may look a little busy to the golf purist, at address the irons setup real clean. The top line is relatively thin for an iron with this much forgiveness and the offset in the shorter irons is pretty minimal. When you get up to the 3/4/5 iron, the offset is a little more prominent and the top line is a little more noticeable, but nothing overly distracting. They have designed the clubs this way, where the offset and club head size gets progressively larger as you get up to those long irons.

Feel wise, I would not put these in the same class as a forged iron like the Mizuno MP line or even the Adams Idea Pro Gold irons. However, as with most things, there are always trade-offs. We are giving up a little in that feel department to gain a little in the forgiveness realm. All that being said, by no means are these dead shovels. I always knew where on the face I had hit the ball and I find that level of feedback to be critical to my game, especially while practicing. It was just on the sweet spot shots that I felt like I lost a little of that buttery smooth forged iron feel. Nonetheless, hitting an i15 3 iron on the center of the face, and watching it rocket down the center of the fairway is pretty awesome. They are also actually quite nice feeling on chip shots. I spent a good amount of time hitting 8/9/PW bump and run shots and really liked the feel there.

Performance

The long irons in this set are rock solid. Featuring that slightly thicker top line, slightly bigger offset and slightly larger club face, really add a lot of forgiveness and confidence to your long iron game. In the past a lot of players using a set of irons like the PING i15 series may have been inclined to replace the 3/4/5 irons with hybrids or the G series equivalent. This shift to make the long irons more forgiving, easier to hit, and higher launching make the decision to replace those clubs with an alternative a little difficult. You will certainly want to spend some time at the range comparing your 3 hybrid or 3 iron from the G series verse the performance of the 3 iron from the i15 series. I would probably stick with the 3 hybrid simply because I am just so in love with mine, but the 4 iron is a toss up at this point, and the 5 iron will definitely remain in the bag.

These clubs really get the ball up in the air with the stock AWT shafts. Everything from the 3 iron through the PW, full swing for me results in a very high launch and soft landing shots. That certainly could be a combination of the lower center of gravity of these irons and the flight characteristics of the AWT shaft. I would suspect one could flatten out the trajectory some with a custom fit shaft. I have been playing Project-X shafts in most of my irons recent, so I am accustomed to that flatter trajectory. That being said, it is certainly possible to hit knockdown shots with these clubs and lower the overall flight. I hit a few nice knockdown 7 irons out from under trees that flew just as I expected hoped?

Distance and off center performance, while still being very playable is where these irons really shine. I found these irons to be a good club longer than either the Mizuno MP-57 or Adams Idea Pro Gold irons. Not only were they a club longer, but they were extremely consistent when it came to distance control. Often times when you move up to a more forgiving, game improvement iron, you lose some of that consistency (one shot goes 150, one goes 155, etc). These are most certainly targeted at the consistency needs of a lower handicap player.

While the i15s may not be in the same class as the G15 irons in terms of pure forgiveness, they are several steps ahead of the irons I mentioned earlier. When I first received the i15s, I headed right to my home course, walked out on the first tee without even hitting them on the range. After adjusting to the added distance, I settled into a decent ball striking day. The 18th hole on my home course is a 180 yard par 3, over a lake to a small green. I put a pretty sloppy swing on the ball, and caught the ball a little thin and out toward the toe (speaks to the feel of these clubs). My first thought was water, because if I hit a shot like that with the Idea Pro Golds I had been playing, it would have been in the water. But, much to my surprise, the ball managed to carry the water and end up only about 10-15 yards short of where a well struck ball would have landed. Color me impressed, real impressed. If that wasn’t enough, after a few more rounds with these clubs and some driving range sessions, I played in a Member-Guest and decided to use the i15s. I ended up winning the closest to the hole with a well struck 9 iron. Sweet!

The last thing I will mention about the i15s is something I have seen a number of people complain about. The grooves. The i15s conform to the new 2010 groove rules so they are USGA competition ready for events on the PGA Tour. What does that mean for the average golfer? Honestly, probably nothing. Most people do not generate enough club head speed, or make the contact necessary to take advantage of those deep cut grooves in most irons. I had no problem getting 8 or 9 irons to stick from the fairway, even sucked back a few pitching wedge shots. Now, out of the rough? Yeah, the ball is going to lose some of that back spin, but to be honest, I never generated much, if any spin out of the rough even with the pre-rule change groves. Anyway, I do not think it is a big deal, but some might, so keep that in mind.

Conclusion

The only thing that prevents me from completely loving the i15 irons is the cast vs forged feel. That, however, is a personal preference, some people actually prefer the feel of a cast club. Performance wise, these clubs are rock solid and I could certainly see myself playing them They are quite forgiving, are very accurate when it comes to distance control, and I found them to have a very nice feel on chip shots. I had no problem hitting nice high draws or hitting knockdowns under the early fall winds here in the North East. Overall I would say if you are a mid to low handicapper, and are in the market for new clubs, these must be on your list of clubs to demo.

The PING i15 irons retail for $799 fit with the AWT shafts. Purchasing them through an authorized PING retailer is generally your best option, especially if you can do it through a PING club fitter. PING has always done a wonderful job of making sure that players of their irons are fit to the proper equipment, whether that means finding the right shaft, lie angles, down to even the grip size. If you are comfortable with your specifications and do not mind taking a bit of a risk, you could save a few bucks on a used set on eBay, but at this point the prices are still quite high, so it may not be worth it.

Keep your eye open for reviews of the G15 Hybrid and G15 Driver coming soon!

As with most of our reviews here, Ping has provided the i15 Irons used in this review free of charge. As we receive equipment from all of the major golf equipment manufacturers, we try to remain unbiased and provide an honest look at every piece of equipment we review at The Deep Rough, this is nothing new. We would have a much harder time putting together all of these reviews if the manufacturers if we had to go out and purchase all of this equipment at retail prices. And for full disclosure, just about every piece of equipment we receive for a review we end up giving away to charity or as prizes in contests. Though, I suspect I will be keeping these i15s in my bag for a little while!

Super Game Improvement

Are you a high handicapper? Struggle to break 100? Or are you shooting in the 90s, looking for a way to add a lot of forgiveness to your iron game? The Super-Game Imprvoement line of irons may be right for you. One thing to keep in mind with irons in this class, you are generally looking at clubs with very wide soles that sacrifice a lot in the feel department. If you are not worried about working the ball or playability in a variety of lies…and just want to hit the ball high and straight, these most definitely will work for you. Here are a couple sets of irons to help get your game on track.

Nike Sumo – Complete Review – Ebay: $150-$300

With a wide sole and a chunky back side, the Sumo won’t be turning the heads of any club pros. Nonetheless, put one of these sticks in your hands and unless your swing is all over the place, it will be hard to not hit the ball straight and very long. While we were not huge fans of the feel off the face, the performance is hard to dispute. Given that these clubs can be found on ebay for $150, if you are playing an old set of unforgiving cavity backs or blades…looking to instantly add some forgiveness to your game, the Sumo is not a bad option.

TaylorMade R7 CGB Max – Complete Review – Ebay: $250-$500, TaylorMade Golf Preowned: $550

The CGB Max irons offer a slightly more narrow sole than some of the other Super-Game Improvement irons we have listed here, but they still offer a ton of forgiveness. So, if you are looking for something a little more playable, while hitting the ball high and straight, have a look at the 2008 R7 CGB Max irons from TaylorMade.

Callaway Fusion Wide Sole – Ebay: $$-$$, CallawayPreowned: $400-$650

These clubs topped the Maltby Playability Factor list the year it was introduced, which speaks volumes about the forgiveness and playability of this particular set of clubs. It is widely (no pun intended) known to be a super easy to hit iron that hits the ball real long and very straight.

Cleveland Hibore Irons – Ebay: $160-$350

Now if the Fusion Wide Soles are still too much for you, maybe you just have trouble hitting traditional irons? Do you love your hybrids? Check out these Cleveland Hibore Irons, they are stupid simple to hit and Cleveland has managed to integrate hybrid type technology all the way down to a pitching wedge! They can be had for under $200 now, so they could be worth a shot!

Game Improvement

Are you a mid handicapper, shooting in the 80s and 90s? Want some help on those thin, fat…toe shots? Game Improvement is the way to go. In this class of club, you’re looking at a mix between getting a good amount of forgiveness, while retaining some playability and feel. This is also a great option for a low handicapper who just doesn’t have time to work on the game as much anymore.

Callaway X-20 – Complete Review – Ebay: $250-$500, CallawayPreOwned: $289-$600

The Callaway X-20s continued to improve the amazing X line of irons Callaway puts out. We really loved playing the X-20s, as they are very forgiving but retain a lot of playability. I did not notice a huge difference between the X-20s and X-22s. So if you have been considering the X-22s, why not a used set of X-20s?

TaylorMade RAC OS2 – Ebay: $150-$250, TaylorMadeGolfPreowned: $250-$300

The RAC OS2 is a classic in the game improvement category and probably one of the most popular iron sets out there. What does that mean for you? There are a lot of used sets to be found out there, which means, they are super cheap! I played this set for a year when they first came out, and they really like to fly high, long and straight.

Mizuno MX-23 – Ebay: $200-$400

Here we are getting a little closer to the Player Iron class, but the MX-23 is a very forgiving, easy to play iron that also offers some of that legendary Mizuno feel. I played these irons for about two years and broke 80 for the first time with a set of these clubs. I ended up selling them on ebay and replacing them with a set of Mizuno MP-33 blades. I played the MP-33 blades for a while, but these days I leave them mostly for practice (and let me tell you, if you want to work on your swing at the range, MP-33…great club to use while trying to groove the swing).

Players Irons

Mizuno MP-57 – Complete Review – Ebay: $300-$550

If you have been a long time reader of The Deep Rough you know our love affair with Mizuno irons. The Mizuno MP-57 irons are a great set of irons for a low teens to single digit handicapper or someone looking to improve their swing. We fell in love with the buttery soft feel of a well struck Mizuno iron. If you have not experienced it, picking up a set off ebay is a great option.

Adams Idea Pro – Ebay: $250-$500

Similar to the Adams Idea Pro Gold Irons we reviewed not long ago, the original forged Adams Idea Pro irons are still being used by a few players on the Champions Tour and the LPGA. A solid forged feel and some sweet hitting hybrids make for a huge upgrade for someone stuck with some beat up cavity backs from the 80s.

Callaway X-Tour Irons – Ebay: $250-$350, CallawayPreOwned: $300-$450

A lot of PGA Tour staffers swore by the Callaway X-Tour irons for years. They were Callaway’s first real entry into a forged iron market. No, they do not have the same kind of feel as the Mizuno or Adams irons listed above, but where you sacrifice a little feel, you gain a little more performance. The X-Tour irons have a compact head size (for Callaway) and a very playable sole. The top line may prove to be a little on the thick side for some golfers, but overall we really like the X-Tours. Given that these clubs once sold for over $1000, given that some sets are under $200 on ebay right now…you’re looking at quite a steal.

Conclusion

One great thing to keep in mind is that with a used set of clubs like this, especially off ebay, if you take the clubs to the range or out on the course and find out that you really do not care for them, you can always go and resell them again. The price will most likely not change much at this point, they have already been ‘driven off the lot’. Just don’t go smashing the 5 iron into a huge rock!

Side note here, if you are interested in the evolution of Adams Golf and the A-Tour irons, there is a great interview on GolfWRX with some of the R&D guys. You may have to register for their forum if you wish to read the interview.

So, now that you have had a little lecture on the evolution of Adams irons, we will be having a look at the Idea Pro Gold Irons. The Idea Pro Golds are sold as a 5-PW set along with a #4 and #3 Idea Pro Gold Hybrid. We have decided to break this into two reviews. So today we will have a look at just the irons. Here we go!

Background

Designed for better players, the Idea Pro Gold Hybrid Iron set features two Pro Gold hybrids that deliver a penetrating ball flight and extra forgiveness along with six forged, tour-quality irons that deliver exceptional feel and workability.

The 5–PW forged irons appeal to better players with a thin top line and sole. An 8620 carbon steel head is finished with a mirror-chrome plating that adds a premium look to the set. The constant offset through the irons offer better control for players wanting to work their ball flight and the 14% volume increase in the face grooves result in better accuracy and feel.

• Forged cavity–back irons with a premium look and feel for the better player.
• Tour-inspired design–thin top line and sole.
• An 8620 carbon steel head and milled face grooves with 14% more volume deliver better control, accuracy and feel.
• Constant offset for better control and workability.
• Mirror chrome plating—a perfect choice for golfers looking for a traditional look.

Look and Feel

The Adams Idea Pro Gold irons look extremely clean from address. The thin top-line and blade like head size will really appeal to the lower handicap player looking to control the ball. Minimal offset in the irons is another plus for those who do not struggle with the right side of the course. When I went to my most recent lesson, my instructor (a Callaway staffer) picked up the 7 iron and was really impressed with the look and setup. I agree, at address you could not really ask for much more. Compared to the Idea Pro Forged irons, the club face is a little smaller, and there seems to be slightly less offset. Top lines are pretty similar.

From behind the ball, you get a little more into the technology and marketing of the club. While the Idea Pro Forged iron had a pretty clean cavity back, the Pro Gold has added some additional lines and steps to the weighting in the cavity. As I have said numerous times in iron reviews, I am generally not looking at the back of the club, so it really does not bother me.

A significant area where the Idea Pro Gold has moved from the Idea Pro Forged is in the chrome plating. Where as the predecessor sported a dull, satin finish, the Pro Gold rocks out a chrome plating that is pretty sharp. Some players may prefer the satin in their irons that will prevent reflections in bright sun, but I really have not noticed much of a problem with the chrome. My older set of Idea Pro Forged irons certainly showed wear quicker than these chromed Idea Pro Golds seem to.

The stock Golf Pride DD2 grips in a Yellow/Black color combination are one of the nicer offerings in an off the shelf set of irons. They happen to match the Rocket Tour head covers that come standard with the Idea Pro Gold hybrids as well, not to mention my TaylorMade Spider putter! The grips are nice and tacky and the color scheme is certainly something different.

The Idea Pro Golds are sold with the Project-X steel shaft standard. The previous model, Idea Pro Forged were fitted with the (hot at the time) Black Gold shaft. Project-X seems to have taken over the rifle/premium shaft market at the moment, as numerous PGA Tour players have them fit in their irons. For me, I found them to be a great match with the Pro Gold irons. As with other clubs I have played these shafts in, the ball flight is very penetrating and well controlled. If you have normally played Dynamic Gold shafts, you should give a set of Project-X shafts a try at some point. The trajectory is pretty neat to watch, a well struck shot will seem to just hang in the air forever.

Now, about the feel. I am a big stickler for feel in my irons, and let me say, wow, these clubs were a real shocker. The Idea Pro Forged irons were pretty solid in the feel department, but I think Adams has found a way to up the ante a little with the Pro Golds. I would have to say they have a pretty similar buttery soft feel to the Mizuno MP-57s. Compress the golf ball on the sweet spot, and you will be rewarded with a great ball flight and that super soft feel. As with most clubs in this class, hit the ball a little off the center, and you will know it immediately. In my book, this is a good thing. Playing with Super Game Improvement irons, where a hit on the toe feels no different than one on the screws may be better for your score card that day, but it certainly does not improve your game.

Performance

I really have to think these clubs would be a great option for anything from a professional player through a mid handicapper looking to improve their game. Performance wise these clubs have been spot on. Distance control has been really dialed in and misses have been predictable. I can pretty much count on a consistent amount of yards loss and a lower ball flight when I catch an iron hit a little thin. Given that so much of this game is about managing your misses, knowing that I can almost trust

The Idea Pro Forged irons featured a slightly more boxy club face and a flatter sole. The Idea Pro Gold seems to have a little more rounding at the toe and a more machined sole. I find that the Pro Gold is more playable out of a wider variety of lies. The leading edge is not too sharp, so for someone who comes into the ball a little steep at times, it works out pretty well for me.

Knockdown shots, cuts, draws, high, low, throw anything you want at these tools and as long as you have the skill to pull off the shot the irons will be willing to deliver the results. I have had a lot of success with the mid irons and knockdown shots as of late. My driver game has been a little wild at times, so when I find myself in the trees, one really needs to have an iron you can be a little creative with. I played this morning and got stuck under some trees with low hanging branches on the left side of the fairway. About 115 out, with a left tucked pin and a bunker guarding the short-left of the green, I had to hit a low running hook to get a ball up on the green. Take out the 7 iron, a little back in the stance, dead hands, setup for a hook, deliver the club. Ended up on the front of the green and saved the par. Those kind of shots I always find difficult with a clunky game improvement iron.

As I mentioned earlier, distance control is spot on. The pitching wedge in this set is real solid, so solid in fact, I am considering picking up the Idea Pro Gold Gap Wedge to go along with the rest of the set. While a penetrating high draw with a 5 iron from 200 yards out is pretty to watch, a compressed pitching wedge that fades onto the flag is just as glorious. Not a problem with either.

Conclusion

If you are a mid to low handicapper looking for a new set of irons that you can shape, control and absolutely love the feel of…the Idea Pro Golds may be the ticket. As I have said in the past, if you are a mid handicapper (10-20) do not be overly intimidated by a set of clubs like this. Sure they are not going to save you when you hit it on the toe with a wide open club face…but honestly, no club will. Clubs like this will force you to become a better ball striker. Pair the irons up with the Pro Gold hybrids (review coming soon, but I absolutely fell in love with these as well) and you have a great set of clubs that can help you lower your handicap.

The Idea Pro Gold Irons can be found in 5-PW sets or sold in retail stores with a 3 and 4 hybrid. The retail price of the 3-PW set is set at $899 fit with Project-X steel shafts in the irons. While you can generally find used sets on eBay from $500-$700.

Mizuno MP-52 Irons

Today, we are going to have a look at the next in the line of Mizuno MP irons, the MP-52. The MP-52 offers up even more forgiveness, in a players style iron. There are a lot of pictures in this review. If you would like to see a larger version of the image, just click on the picture. You can also see most of the MP-52 Pictures I took on my flickr site. As always, we will start with some information from Mizuno, and then onto our detailed thoughts.

Background

The new MP-52 irons with Dual Muscle Technology are the most playable MP irons ever! The performance of the MP-52 iron set is based upon two innovative technologies. Making up Dual Muscle technology, is an outer muscle pad allows for a precisely placed, lower and deeper center of gravity, offering enhanced playability and an ideal launch angle, and an inner muscle pad that provides the unparalleled feel and the feedback that better players demand. The second innovation that sets the MP-52 irons apart and advances MP iron playability to a whole new level is a patented CNC milled pocket cavity. Two deep crescents milled into the club head allow for the redeployment of 14 grams of mass for a lower and much deeper COG. The performance advantage of this feature is increased playability on mishits and a superior launch. These advanced features are combined with a classic head profile to deliver tour level looks, feel and playability.

Mizuno MP-52 (left) vs MP-57 Irons (right)

Features

• Innovative Dual Muscle design combines solid feel and increased playability
• A unique CNC milled pocket cavity provides a lower and much deeper COG while maintaining thickness behind the impact area for amazing solid feel
• Exclusive Grain Flow Forged™, 1025E “Pure Select” mild carbon steel provides the ultimate soft, solid, and consistent feel
• Durable double nickel chrome plated finish
• Modified U-grooves produce the ideal spin rate for maximum playability in all conditions
• Rolled leading edge, cambered mid-sole, and aggressively beveled trailing edge deliver consistent striking ability from all types of lies

Specifications

The clubs we are reviewing are fitted with Dynamic Gold S300 shafts. Here are the standard specifications for the clubs. Since these clubs are forged, they are quite easy to have adjusted by your local clubfitter.

MP-52 vs MP-57 at Address

Looks

As always, Mizuno has nailed it in the looks department. With the MP line of irons, they have always put together a classic looking club that really suits the eye. While the MP-52 has integrated a deeper cavity back, at address the iron still looks like a solid piece of equipment that you can use to execute a shot with surgical precision. Have a look at this picture on the right and tell me if you can tell the difference between the MP-52 and MP-57?

If you would like to see how it compares to an MX-23, MP-67 or MP-33 at address, have a look at our MP-57 review. Since the MP-52 and MP-57 are so similar at address, there is little need to take additional images here.

Really, the only major difference you will notice is the slightly more ‘busy’ cavity back. But, as I have said here in the past, who ever looks at the back side of the club? If you are looking for a little game improvement in your irons, but want to retain that classic player look at address, it is tough to go wrong with this line.

Feel

Butter. Sure, it is not quite the same as a pured MP-33, however, if you have only ever hit super game improvement irons from the major club manufacturers, you owe it to yourself to feel a well struck shot on a Mizuno club face. For me, the only thing that has come close, is a Miura forged blade…but Mizuno will leave a lot more cash in your wallet!

Unfortunately, the MP-52s I have reviewed here were fitted with some Dynamic Gold shafts vs. Project X shafts in the MP-57s, so right there the clubs will have a slightly different feel to them. However, off the club face you can instantly tell where you have missed a shot, a little to the toe, a little thin…you will know it. Sure, you can get away with a slightly off center hit, however you will not be rewarded with a nice feel. This is one thing that has always bugged me about other game improvement irons…your subconscious brain is rewarded with a decent feel even when you do not hit it in the center of the face. That is not game improvement. So as long as you are willing to deal with some pain when you hit a thin shot in the cold, these MP-52s should also help you start hitting the ball on the center of the club face more often.

Mizuno MP-57 (left) vs MP-52 5 Irons (right)

Performance

Again, with the shaft difference, it is difficult to directly compare performance between the MP-57 and MP-52. Here, I will go with what Mizuno says, and say that the MP-57 has a slightly smaller sweet spot than the MP-52. Given that there is a little more meat toward the sole of the club, I would also suspect that these clubs launch the ball a little higher, with a little more spin than the MP-57s as well.

Along with the MP-52s, I have been playing an older set of Callaway Fusion irons, with identical shafts/setup. The Fusion irons are clunkers to look at from behind, but setup nicely and are extremely forgiving. They also cannot hold a candle to the MP-52s in terms of accuracy/consistency. With a good swing, I find the MP-52s are extremely consistent distance wise. If you have not done this yourself, take a shag bag, 20 or so balls, and an iron of your choice. Put a stake or something in the ground as a target, and pace back the distance you believe you hit that iron. Hit 10-20 balls at that target, and see how consistent you are distance wise. It is very easy to spray the ball a little left or right. But the distance the ball travels should be pretty close. With the MP-52s, it is extremely close. With the Fusions, I find I catch one here or there that just launches an extra half club.

While the MP-52s are slightly more forgiving than the MP-57s, do not mistake these for a set of Ping G-10 irons. They will not simply go high and straight with whatever you throw at it. They are workable, have a very playable sole and are great performers assuming you have a somewhat repeatable swing. Again, I say this, but I do not think that should scare away the 20 handicappers out there. People might say you have no business playing a club like this, but honestly, if you are on the right track with your swing (you have had some lessons, things aren’t too fundamentally awful), a club like this can only HELP your game. If nothing else, they are great to practice with at the range until you feel confident enough to take them on the course.

Conclusion

This review probably sounds an awful lot like the MP-57 review. And honestly, they are quite similar clubs. Ultimately, if you are trying to make a decision between the MP-57 and the MP-52 it is going to come down to personal preference. I would suggest heading to the range and hitting both of them side by side. If you can find a range with a launch monitor, that would be even better. See which of the two clubs fits your swing best. If you are looking for something with a little more forgiveness, but still some of that Mizuno buttery soft feel, check out the MX-25 or even a used set of MX-23s.

Just remember, no set of irons is going to ‘fix’ a bad swing!

You can find the Mizuno MP-52 Irons at most major golf retailers for $899 with standard steel shafts, $999 with Project-X shafts or for around $450-700 for a used set on eBay (just be sure to pay attention to the seller rating and watch for fakes!).

Nike Slingshot 4D Irons

Spring has finally arrived for me! After a long winter without any golf, I finally got in 27 holes this weekend. The motivation for this early and cold round was a set of beautiful new Nike Slingshot 4D irons that have been staring at me for about 3 weeks. These impressive new clubs arrived one day and I’ve been itching to play with them since I eyed their shiny new faces with fancy yellow coloring. I initially started swinging them in the house waiting for the day when I could finally try them out and see for myself if they were as fantastic as they looked.

Waking up early on Saturday morning, I walked the dog as the sun rose tempting me to think about a round of golf. Although there was a chill in the air, I figured since the sun was out and shining brightly it might be warm enough to golf. I asked my husband if he wanted to play and he was packing our clubs in the car before I could finish my sentence. He, unlike me, will play in temperatures usually reserved for ice skates not golf shoes!

I dressed as if I was about to head into a blizzard wearing long underwear, pants, a turtleneck, a sweatshirt, a wind jacket, and a winter hat. I figured I was definitely prepared for the chilly temperatures and excited to start the 2008 golf season. On the first tee, I decided to use my 3 wood even though it had been a long winter with little to no golf for me. It showed on the first shot as I duffed the ball which only traveled about 20 yards. Chalking it up to new season nerves, I remembered what had brought me out on this cold day and grabbed the shiny new Nike 5 iron from my bag for my second shot. The feeling that I got when I hit that ball was something that I had felt too infrequently in my golf career. I stepped back and said, “wow” as I watched the ball travel about 150 yards down the middle of the fairway landing just short of the green. No longer worried about being rusty after my winter laziness, I was just excited to hit these new Nike irons and hope that every shot felt like that! I was not to be disappointed.

We only played nine holes because, even with my extra layers, the wind got the best of me. That being said, I was actually playing pretty well. I was amazed at how quickly I had adjusted to this new set of Nike irons. I had only swung them a few times in my living room and I was hitting the ball better than I had in my life. The Nike irons are very light and I just felt immediately comfortable using them. Even when I didn’t hit the ball well, it still wasn’t a horrible shot. It was amazing how confident I felt hitting each new iron in my bag. I didn’t hem and haw about which club to use and just went up and hit them. The five iron was traveling 150 yards which is a very good distance for me. The ball rose beautifully from the club head when I made contact and it felt great. It made me realize how much I truly missed golf and I wondered why I didn’t start playing with this amazing set of irons three weeks sooner. To me they were the miracle clubs…they were making me into a decent golfer!

My husband and I ventured out again today and played 18 holes. It was a beautiful day and the course was nearly empty…it felt like our own private country club. The Nike irons helped my game again although my driving and putting were very inconsistent as I went from parring one hole to getting a double bogey on the next. My husband had his gps system and would ask me if I wanted yardage marks and I declined just getting a feeling that I was choosing the right Nike iron. It sounds weird, I know, but I honestly felt incredibly confident with every Nike iron that I put in my hands except for the sand wedge, but that’s my own battle with the bunker. With these new irons in my bag, I hope to practice bunker shots and become more comfortable with the sand wedge. I also hope that as the summer progresses and I use the clubs more frequently I’ll gain some distance as well as consistency. I’ve set some ambitious goals for myself this summer and using these Nike irons I have confidence that I’ll not only achieve these goals, but surpass them. Golf is such a mental game that I feel that I’m already ahead of the game having such confidence in my clubs. Now I need to get the same confidence with my hybrids and woods and I’ll be all set to really start shooting some low scores on the course.

Specifications

• Slingback – Positioned strategically on each club head to achieve desired ball flight needed
• Variable Sole Width – Progressive Center of Gravity for higher, softer landing golf shots
• Progressive Offset - Greater offset in long irons for high, straight shots. Decreased offset in short irons for precision
• Head Shape Change – Extremely forgiving, while enhancing control and accuracy when you need it most

Conclusion

The Nike Slingshot 4D irons are a set of game improvement irons for the player not looking for a super high MOI set of clubs. If you are a very high handicapper, looking for the most forgiving set of irons, have a look at our review of the Nike Sumo iron set. If you are looking for something a little more ‘workable’, but still extremely forgiving, the Slingshot 4D irons could be a great option for you. It doesn’t hurt that these irons look great in the bag as well! These irons can be had for $599 with steel shafts or $699 with graphite shafts, really quite a bargain for a new retail set of game improvement irons. If you’re do not mind a used set, you can also find them on ebay in the $400 range.

The Mizuno MX-950 Iron Set

Background

MIZUNO’s goal in the creation of the new MX-950 was to deliver the most friendly game improvement iron set with no limit on cutting edge Technology. The new MX-950 irons are a breakthrough HYBRID DESIGNED set, with the unique ability to be custom built to your individual specifications. The MX-950’s are ideal for the mid to high handicap player who is looking for ease of launch, unparalleled forgiveness and maximum game improvement playability.

Multiple technologies and three distinct head designs deliver seamless game improvement performance.

• Lie and Loft adjustable #3 and #4 hybrids feature internal high density tungsten weights to create massive MOI values that deliver high, straight and ultra forgiving shots.
• Exclusive Grain Flow Forged® 4135 high strength steel #5 through #7 Hollow Technology hybrid irons also feature internal high density tungsten weights that are located at the lowest and deepest area of the cavity to deliver solid, forgiving and consistent shots.
• Exclusive Grain Flow Forged® 1025E Pure Select mild carbon steel #8 through LW for pin seeking accuracy with soft, solid and consistent feel in your one-piece scoring irons.
• Seamless custom fitting integration so that your set flows perfectly from #3 to LW to deliver maximum playability.
• H.E.M.I. COG™ design philosophy in each iron for maximum energy transfer from club head to ball.
• Durable Double Nickel Chrome plating or with mirror satin finish, on the #5 through LW, provides durability and eliminates glare.
• Modified U-grooves produce the ideal spin rate, for maximum playability in all conditions.
• Extreme wide sole design for forgiveness and consistent playability from all types of lies.

Look and Feel

MX-950 (left) vs MP-57 (right) 7 Iron at Address

Let’s jump right in and get to what is probably the first question any Mizuno lover would have….how do they feel? Made of 1025E mild Steel in the shorter irons, the MX-950 irons are remarkably soft for a super game improvement iron with such a thick top line and deep cavity. The longer irons are forged from a different type of steel and made with a hollow back, that while still offering a little feel to them, are more along the lines of the dead feel you would expect from most super game improvement irons. So while you may not have that super buttery soft feel of the MP line of irons, the 8-PW in the MX-950 is pretty decent. I could tell where I missed the sweet spot on those irons. I had a good idea of flush contact when I got the ball on the sweet spot. So, all in all, not bad. The 5-7, like I said, more like any other super game improvement. They felt a little like the Callaway X-20s in that range.

Look wise, the MX-950s feature a deep channel cavity on the back side and quite a thick topline. The little X effect in the back of the club with the blue inlays is eye pleasing. I also liked the satin finish of the clubs, it is very soft and luxurious looking. I think Mizuno has done the rest of their line justice with this set. The MP line is so simple and elegant. Typically you see a lot of FLASH with super game improvement irons, and Mizuno put a few touches of that in these clubs, but did not go overboard.

The hybrids included in the set (#3/#4) have an interesting look and feel to them. They have a little bit of a swoop back, which reminds me, in some way, of the Cleveland HiBORE XL series. I actually like that. It reminds me of an iron, and I find it aids in lining up shots, and reminds me that I am swinging a hybrid not a fairway wood. Strange how the mind works, I know. The hybrids had a nice solid thud feel to them and look pretty sharp in the bag. Even the head covers are sleek looking, I love the blue/white Mizuno color scheme, so that was nice to see on the head covers.

Performance

One thing I always love about super game improvement irons is the feeling you get when you first pick one up. You really feel as if you could close your eyes and take a complete hack at the ball and get it going straight. Obviously, that isn’t always the case, but these clubs are pretty easy to hit straight. Put a reasonable swing on the ball, and like most clubs in this category, it is going to fly high and straight, perhaps with a little draw. My first hit with one of these clubs was actually on the course, I took the 6 iron out on a 188 yard par 3. Took a couple warm up swings, then teed the ball up and took a crack at the ball. The ball launched high and floated up in the air in a nice little 5 yard draw. I knew the hit was pretty solid, but, feedback was a little muted, as I mentioned earlier about the longer irons. So, well struck ball…things are good. How about on the poor shots?

MP-57 (left) vs MX-950(right) PW

MX-950 #4 Hybrid

Hits off the heel and toe are, as expected, extremely forgiving with these clubs. Heel hits getting about as much distance as one off the center of the face. Toe shots, leaking a little for me, with a club or so of lost distance. Very thin shots were still quite low for me, though amazingly enough seemed to get quite a lot of roll. The wide sole helps if you have a tendency to hit fat shots, though I was still able to hit some super chunky shots off the soggy early spring ground here in the North East.

In the end, if you are coming in square to the ball, and just happen to hit it out on the toe or heel or happen to hit it a little fat or thin, these clubs will keep that ball headed toward your target. If you have a huge over the top move, and come to the ball with a wide open club face, the ball is still going to slice a mile. However, the club does seem to have some extra weighting in the heel, and has a fair amount of offset in the longer irons. This should help square up the club face for those of you who find yourself in the right rough often.

Conclusion

For someone looking for a lot of forgiveness in their game, the MX-950 irons from Mizuno should be a part of your club search. If you regularly shoot over the mid 90s, and are just looking with help to hit the ball higher and straighter…these clubs could very well help you out. As with all of these Super Game Improvement irons, no they will not fix your 30 yard slice, nor will they prevent you from topping the ball…however, if you have a somewhat decent, repeatable swing, but just have trouble consistently hitting the sweet spot…these clubs could save you some strokes.

As with all the irons I review, I would strongly suggest going to your local pro shop or golf retailer and try out these irons, preferably on the course, or at least on a grass range. You’ll want to know how they feel in your hands. I can say this much, they are as forgiving as any of the other Super Game Improvement irons I have reviewed over the past 6 months, and quite possibly the nicest feeling of the bunch.

If you are looking to work on your swing, and improve your ball striking, I still say the real ‘game improvement’ irons are a set of blades where you can instantly feel the misses…and are rewarded with a buttery soft feel on solid contact. Consider picking yourself up an old Mizuno MP-33 7 iron to practice with, or heck, a mixed set of MP-57 scoring irons and more forgiving MX-950s in your longer irons would not be a bad option.

Find the MX-950 on eBay – $500-$899
Mizuno MX-950 with Steel Shafts – $899

Miura Black Wedge

Background

Miura’s forging techniques rearrange the molecular structure of the mild steel in a pattern that is uniform throughout the hitting area of the club in a manner that is unique to his clubs. This tightness in the grain structure of the metal is what gives Miura made clubs the controlled, soft feel that other manufacturers cannot achieve.

Miura also uses a proprietary “spin welding” process to produce the industries’ most consistent hosel. This unique procedure ensures that the bore depths and hosel heights are identical on every Miura made head and the shaft of every club will be perfectly centered.

Look and Feel

Miura Black Wedge at Address

At first glance…from a distance…the Miura black wedge looks similar to the Cleveland CG12 or perhaps even the Callaway X-Tour wedges. Hold this fine instrument in your hand and you are struck by its simplistic beauty. Soft lines and a silky smooth black finish almost cry out to you. The simple white paint-fill adjacent to the gold filled Miura logo finishes the classy look.

Flip the wedge over and you are greeted with a round toe wedge design with a traditional wedge face, completely shrouded in this smooth black finish. The leading edge of the wedge is slightly rounded, with just a hint of sharpness. The sole, slightly rounded, perfectly ground. The end result, a finely crafted tool that feels and looks solid in your hand.

Feel…wow. Generally, when I first receive clubs I take them out to take some pictures. I want to make sure I get some nice shots of the new, clean club before I get some dirt in the grooves. However, with this club…I was so anxious to get a chance to feel a Miura wedge…well…it took a lot of will power to keep from running out to the back yard with it! I managed to get a few quick shots in for the review, then ran out to the back field with some ProV1s.

Let me preface this by saying that most of the wedges I have played with recently have been cast. The Eidolon wedges I play with regularly are cast soft steel. They perform beautifully for me, but I never have the same sort of feel on pitch/chip shots I had with my old Mizuno MP-33 PW. I have searched, and searched for that kind of feel in a wedge, and finally, I have found it. The feel on a short chip or 40 yard pitch is absolutely sublime. It is difficult to explain, but swing your shoulders back and forth, catch the ball crisply, and you’ll be in heaven.

Performance

The Miura wedge did not disappoint in the performance department either. I played 18 this past weekend for the first time in a while, and took the Miura wedge out without any real practice…other than a few balls hit in the back yard. I had a chance to hit just about every shot I would play in a regular round, sand, chips around the green out of various lies, some 20-30 yard pitches, and a fair number of 3/4 swing 100 yard shots.

Pitches and chips, as I mentioned earlier, felt absolutely amazing. The shot results were also very acceptable. The first thing I noticed was the great spin built into these wedges. It was similar to that of the Eidolon or Callaway X-Tour MD Wedge spin. Perhaps not quite as ball shredding as the X-Tour, but, playing with a TaylorMade TP Red ball, I had no problem hitting little chips and pitches that quickly came to a stop.

Sand shots…I was very reluctant to hit the Miura out of the sand, not wanting to scuff up the black finish or dull up the grooves with some sand. But, I pressed on…committed to my shot, a 20 yard bunker shot out of a green side bunker to a pin on the opposite side of the green…lots of green to work with. I planned on landing the ball about half way, having it roll out to the flag. I clipped the ball, went up nice on a trajectory where I expected a nice roll out…much to my surprise the ball stuck almost immediately. Little too much spin in this case! The club face and sole still looked pretty good after those shots. Though, when I got home later that day, I did wash off the face, and found that some of the finish toward the bottom of the face and on the sole started to look a little more ‘nickel’ and a little less black. This is to be expected, the same sort of thing happened with any black finish wedge I have owned in the past (TM RAC, CG11, X-Tour).

I had several shots from the 100 yard post throughout my round. Each time, I was very excited to pull the 58* black Miura. At first, I was a little concerned that I would spin balls off the green, so I set the ball back in my stance a little and took 3/4 swings at the ball. The result was a nice lower trajectory shot that generally one hopped and stopped. The shots felt buttery soft and were deadly accurate. Some shots were pulled a little or pushed, but distance wise, I was always just about dead on. I quickly could tell that this club would be a very consistent performer.

Miura Irons

As if the wedge isn’t enough, I wanted to share some information about the Miura line of irons as well. If you are familiar with their clubs, feel free to scroll down to the Conclusion. Otherwise, have a read through here and dream about owning your own set of buttery soft Miura irons.

Miura MC-102 Iron

MC-102

Material: Mild Steel
Process: Precision Forging
Finish: Nickel

Features

Most of Mr. Miura’s creations have lower handicapped golfers in mind. The MC-102 opens the door to golfers who need a bit more help.

This model is a marriage of tour issue performance and game improvement features. It has a generous offset in the long irons and progressively less offset through the mid and short irons. A great deal of thought was also given to shaping the sole in a way that makes it less demanding to play. The sole of each irons is personally ground by Mr. Miura or one of the Miura family to ensure consistency through out the set.. Now everyone can experience the feel and performance enjoyed by the best golfers in the world.

• Expanded sweet spot and increased forgiveness of a cavity back.
• Blade-like appearance w/sleek top-line, minimal offset, middle head size.
• Middle-high, stable trajectory.
• Feel, feedback and workability of a forged iron.
• Precision & advantage of adjustability of the lie and loft.

Miura’s forging techniques rearrange the molecular structure of the mild steel in a pattern that is uniform throughout the hitting area of the club in a manner that is unique to his clubs.

This tightness in the grain structure of the metal is what gives Miura made clubs the controlled, soft feel that other manufacturers cannot achieve. Miura also uses a proprietary “spin welding” process to produce the industries’ most consistent hosel. This unique procedure ensures that the bore depths and hosel heights are identical on every Miura made head and the shaft of every club will be perfectly centered.

The unique precision of Miura’s forging process provides a weight error of ±0.5g after polishing, a standard for quality that cannot be matched by any other golf club manufacturer. In addition to the playing characteristics of the forged mild steel golf club, it also has the added advantage of adjustability allowing a golfer to be able to have the lie and loft of his Miura clubs adjusted to fit his or her swing perfectly.

Miura CB-202 Iron

CB-202

Material: Mild Steel
Process: Precision Forging
Finish: Nickel or Chrome
Neck type: Straight Neck

Features

The evolution of the CB-202 began with the legendary CB-1005, our Japanese model with an international following.

This model evolved into the CB-201, which added a modified toe and a sole grind designed for North America. The CB-202 is the next generation and is a perfectly executed act of subtle refinement.

CB-202 has a thinner topline with a slightly rounder toe to give it a sleeker look. Also new are some minor adjustments to the sole and leading edge to improve playability. The result: A beautiful cavity-back with a blade like ball flight and better playability. Who says you can’t improve on perfection.

Miura’s forging techniques rearrange the molecular structure of the mild steel in a pattern that is uniform throughout the club head. This eliminates void spots in the club face. This process assures that every Miura club in your bag has the distance control, ball flight, spin, and feel that any golfer should demand.

This tightness in the grain structure of the metal is what gives Miura made clubs the controlled, soft feel that other manufacturers cannot achieve. Miura also uses a proprietary “spin welding” process to produce the industries’ most consistent hosel. This unique procedure ensures that the bore depths and hosel heights are identical on every Miura made head and the shaft of every club will be perfectly centered.

Conclusion

There are only a couple negatives I can see with this club. One is the limited options in terms of bounce angles. The 58* wedge I reviewed is available in 8* of bounce. This works great out of harder packed sand (like the bunkers are here at the moment) and tighter lies, but for someone playing with fluffy bunkers or thick rough around the greens you may be looking for more bounce. So that may be a problem for you.

The other negative I can see is the price of the club. Starting at around $170, this is not an inexpensive club. Given that some people seem to advocate replacing wedges every season, if not every 6 months…this can be an expensive proposition. Is it worth $170? No question. Does everyone have pockets deep enough to afford it? Probably not.

Those negatives aside, I cannot see ever wanting to let this club out of my hands. I have been searching for a soft feeling wedge to use on chips/short pitches and am thrilled to have finally found it again. My Eidolon wedge will continue to hold down the fort at the 56* slot, to be used in fluffy bunker lies and in other situations where I need some versatility in terms of bounce, but I have a feeling the Miura may become the workhorse in the chipping area.

If $170 is too rich for your blood, keep an eye out on eBay, perhaps you’ll be able to find one of these wedges…though I cannot imagine too many people will want to part with such a beautiful instrument. Otherwise talk to your local club fitter or pro shop to have them order Miura Black Wedge for you.

Background

Engineering and styling come together with the Alpha C1 Pro Forged irons. The extra big head and perimeter weighting made from soft 1020 Carbon Steel provide playability with forgiveness. And the deep double-forged cavity softens the impact for a remarkable feel for players of all skill levels.

• Precision forged from 1020 carbon steel for excellent feel and playability
• Large, more forgiving head size, and slightly thinner topline for perimeter weighting enhancements and double forged cavity forgiveness
• Wider sole for higher launch angles
• Modest offset hosel design for playability and broad appeal
• Nickel-chrome plating for an attractive look, and easy setup and alignment

Look and Feel

The C1 Pro irons look like a traditional cavity back forged iron.  Nice clean lines, very simple, understated cavity back.  The irons themselves are polished chrome, with a satin finish on the clubface itself.  Pretty typical.  Size and shape wise, they remind me of the old TaylorMade RAC CB irons.  Given that they are forged irons, and pretty soft, you’ll have to make sure you take care of them.  This is true of any forged iron.  Clean out the grooves regularly, make sure you do not slam your iron back into your bag after a shot and take care when hitting in rocky areas.  They ding up pretty easily, but this is the price you pay for having the sweet feel of a forged iron.

So, onto the feel.  If you are coming from the world of cast irons, be prepared to feel the sweet embrace of a well struck forged iron.  While these irons are no Miuras or Mizunos, they are quite buttery soft at the sweet spot.  Thin shots sting, hits off the heel or toe feel a little harsh, all things you come to expect from a forged players iron.  Do not…I repeat DO NOT hit a thin shot with these irons when it is 30 degrees out!  I did today, and wow that smarts!

Again, while not quite as sweet as the feel of a pured Mizuno iron, these irons do feel very nice.  I would put them in the same kind of class as the Adams Idea Pro forged irons.

The irons do feel a little hefty.  The listed swing weights are pretty common, if not a little light, but for some reason the club head felt a little heavy to me.  It may be due to the shaft the irons I received were fitted with (FST Pro Red).  I have not read much about those shafts, but they do feel pretty light.  I have a set of Adams Idea Pro irons fitted with GS-75 shafts (which are extremely light), and you get a similar feel.  It is not really a bad thing, you can really feel the club head in your swing.

In the picture above you can see (from left to right) the Alpha Golf C1 Pro, Mizuno MP-57 and the Adams Idea Pro pitching wedges.  The C1 Pro sets up nice and looks very blade like at address.  Offset is pretty minimal in the pitching wedge (as it is with most players clubs) and increases gradually throughout the set (you can see this in the earlier specifications table).

The clubface is very similar in shape to the MP-57, though the topline appears to be a little thinner at address.  I felt very comfortable with the club in my hand, nothing out of the ordinary here.

Performance

Having played with the MP-57 irons a lot recently, I felt very comfortable with these clubs very quickly.  The two irons perform similarly.  The C1 Pros seemed to be relatively forgiving on thin shots, still getting a decent amount of distance and getting the ball up in the air a fair amount.  Off the toe and heel generally resulted in a loss of distance and resulted in some big twisting of the clubhead.  But, again, this is pretty typical of a cavity back geared toward players.

The leading edge of the C1 Pro irons is pretty rolled similar to the MP-57.  It seemed to resist digging pretty well.  Playing on soft, soggy greens here in the North East, this is something one generally likes to see in a club.

Sole wise, the C1 Pro irons are a little wider than that of the MP-57 irons.  They are close in width to the Adams Idea Pro irons (as you can see below) perhaps a little more narrow at the heel.  This provides a little extra forgiveness when it comes to hitting fat shots.  But at the same time offers a little less versatility.

I had no real problem playing just about any shot I am able to play.  Low, high, hook, slice, they were all pretty easy to pull off with the C1 Pros.  In the shorter irons there certainly is not much, if any, bias built into the club.  The longer irons have a little extra offset, helping you turn the club over, and have a little extra meat at the sole to help get the ball airborne quickly.  Again, pretty typical cavity back design, all things people are looking for in this type club.

Conclusion

All in all, these are a real nice offering from Alpha Golf.  If you are in the market for a player’s cavity back, they are worth checking out.  With clubs like this, it often comes down to your own personal preference.  How the club looks to your eye, how it feels to you.  Performance wise, I think you can expect this club to do just about anything you would want a cavity back to do. 

I  like the fact that the pitching wedge actually plays at 48 degrees.  I think far too many iron sets are moving toward 47, 46 or even 45 degrees to sell added distance.  Coming from a company that has built their name in the long drive world, this is nice to see.

I certainly enjoyed playing with the clubs, they felt nice, look nice, are quite playable and even have some forgiveness to them.  Starting at $70 per club, they are certainly not bargain basement, but they will save you about $15-$20 a club over most offerings from the major club makers. You can also have a look on eBay see if there are any used sets floating around.

I had tried the MP-60 and MP-32 irons in the past, and did not find them to be as soft feeling or any more forgiving than the MP-33 irons. In comes the MP-57.

Mizuno MP-57 Irons

When Mizuno released information about the MP-57s, my jaw dropped. Limited off-set, Increased forgiveness, but at the same time a playable sole and the potential for that same buttery soft Mizuno feel. They haven’t disappointed.

There are a lot of pictures in this review. As always, if you want to see a larger version of the image, just click on it. You can also see most of the MP-57 Pictures I took on my flickr site.

Background

The New MP-57 irons are a crowning achievement in the evolution of MIZUNO’s award-winning Grain Flow Forging® and Cut Muscle technologies. The Product Development team undertook the task of making the MP-57′s the first MP iron with a Full Cavity, resulting in a significantly larger sweet area than any other iron in the history of the MP line. Along with increased forgiveness, the MP-57′s produce a slightly higher ball flight in the long irons, and a mid trajectory in the scoring irons. They also deliver the solid feel and shot making ability that the MP iron player craves. Most importantly, the MP-57′s achieve all these playing aspects, yet in a classic head profile that appeals to better players.

From Left to Right: MP-67, MP-33, MP-57

The ideal combination of solid feel and workability, with unbelievable forgiveness, make the MP-57s the most playable MP irons ever.

Features

• First ever Full Cavity MP iron for increased forgiveness with a reinforcing muscle pad for enhanced feel.
• Innovative Cut Muscle design provides ideal COG location, perfect trajectory, enhanced solid feel, and complete ball control.
• Exclusive Grain Flow Forged®, 1025E Pure Select mild carbon steel provides the ultimate soft, solid, consistent feel.
• Durable Double nickel chrome plated finish.
• Modified U-grooves produce the ideal spin rate, for maximum playability in all conditions.
• Rolled leading edge, cambered mid-sole, and rolled trailing edge deliver consistent striking ability from all types of lies.

Specifications

The clubs I am reviewing are fitted with ProjectX shafts. Here are the standard specifications for the clubs. Since these clubs are forged, they are quite easy to have adjusted by your local clubfitter.

Looks

MP-57 at Address

As with all of the clubs in the Mizuno MP line, the MP-57 is a clean, elegant looking instrument. Even with the large cavity, there is nothing there to distract you. The club is all about business, and helping you get the job done.

The MP-57 is actually pretty similar in size to the MP-33 and MP-67 irons. I did not have an MP-60 on hand to take side by side pictures, however, it is also similar in size and obviously appearance to the MP-60.

Even the top line and sole of the MP-57 (MP-57 Top Line Picture – Right) is quite similar to that of the MP-33 and MP-67 irons (Picture – Below). For a forgiving, almost game improvement class iron, there are a lot of playability qualities inherent in this design. The MP-33′s top line is slightly less noticeable than either the MP-67 or MP-57. But holding the MP-57 next to the MP-67 at address, it is difficult to distinguish between them. This is a good thing in my book, and I would guess in the minds of anyone who likes the look of a classic blade at address, but wants the forgiveness of modern, technologically ‘advanced’ irons.

From Left to Right: MP-57, MP-33, MP-67 – PW

As you can see above, the MP-57 (left) has a slightly beefier heel area than the MP-67 (right). In the Pitching Wedge it is difficult to see, but as you go up in club, the MP-57 is slightly more offset than the MP-67. The MP-67 sticks to 0.110″ for most of the irons, where as the MP-57 gets up to 0.160″ for the 3 iron. The irons pictured above are all Pitching Wedges.

You will have to drop down to the MX series to see a noticeable difference in club head size.

From Left to Right: MP-57, MP-33, MX-23 – 6 Irons

As you can see above, the MX-23 (which is very similar to the new MX-25) is a tad bit larger than the MP-57 and MP-33 from toe to heel. It also adds more weight to the heel, presumably to help promote a draw. There is also considerably more weight on the perimeter and down low to help get the ball up. A little later in the review you’ll see a shot of the sole of the MX-23 vs the MP-57 as well, which shows another area of difference.

Feel

I usually combine Look and Feel…but come on now, this is Mizuno. People say feel is subjective. To me, there is no better feeling than a Mizuno forged iron. Well struck, they are soft as butter, smooth as silk. The MP-33 irons are, bar none, the best feeling irons I have ever struck. The MP-57s are similar to the MP-33, though not quite the same. Given the amount of ‘meat’ behind the ball with the MP-33s, this is not surprising. Now, compared to the MP-32 and MP-60 irons, I really cannot tell a huge difference in terms of feel. The are very, very similar, to me.

MP-57 Cavity

When I was playing with the MP-33 irons full time, I was absolutely in love with the pitching wedge, it felt so amazingly soft. I couldn’t wait to get 135 yards in so I could hit that club. Well, unfortunately I hit a rock with it at some point and…well you can read about that saga here. End result was I replaced it with an MP-67 pitching wedge. The MP-67 felt nice on full swings, though never had the same buttery soft feel on 30-40 yard pitches. The MP-57 is in the same boat. I love it on the full swings, though it’s not quite as soft as the MP-33. Again, given the design, that’s to be expected. I’ll say this much, I’ll definitely be playing the MP-57s more often than the MP-33s…and we’ll get into why now…

Performance

These clubs really live up to the hype. I was trying to hit the ball all over the face, and while not as forgiving as say the Taylor Made R7 CGB Max irons, anywhere near the center of the club face and you’ll get nice distance out of these clubs. The nice thing is, hit them a little off the center, and you know you’re off the sweet spot. That was something that always bothered me with the Super Game Improvement irons, I could never tell if I hit the sweet spot, or a little left…little right..how do I ‘improve’ my game with that kind of feedback?

MP-57 Leading Edge

Again we can see similarities between the MP-57 and MP-67 irons. The leading edge of the MP-57 (seen above) is very similar to that of the MP-57 and even MP-33 irons. I never had a problem with the club digging, and was able to play with the club face open or a little closed quite easily.

The sole is also an absolutely perfect width. Knockdown shots are a breeze. The club face is very easy to align. It really is a precision instrument in your hands. If you look back at some of my reviews of super game improvement irons, like the Nike Sumo irons, you’ll notice just how huge the soles of these clubs can be. This is great for high handicap players who need some help, but, takes a lot of options out of the bag. I always had a hard time hitting low, high spin shots with clubs with wide soles. You can argue whether anyone but PGA Tour players should be trying such things, but I find it fun!

From Left to Right: MP-57, MP-33, MX-23

I was playing these clubs in a Project X 5.5 shaft. So perhaps a little weaker than the Rifle 6.0s in my MP-33s. Distance was pretty similar, not much different. Sure, they’re a little shorter than the TM Burner Irons, but they’re also at least a degree weaker, with the PW being 47*. In any event, when it comes to irons, distance should not be your primary concern. You can always club up or down, play with the lofts or swap shafts. What I am concerned about with irons is getting the ball close to the hole, with consistent distance. The MP-57s delivered consistency when it came to distance. I never found myself unexpectedly airmailing a ball 15 yards over the green.

These really are remarkable clubs. If you have been considering the MP-60s, MP-32s or MP-67s, I would suggest you at least hit the MP-57s. You’ll be doing yourself a huge favor on those days where your swing is just a little off.

Conclusion

About a year ago, Terry Koehler (The Wedge Guy) wrote up a great post about Blades vs Cavity Backs. He discusses how people may be doing themselves a disservice by playing so called game improvement irons. Having played the MP-33s for quite some time as well as various game improvement irons, I really do believe these MP-57 irons provide some of the best of both worlds. The iron is very playable, provides instant quality feedback, is very accurate, while at the same time is very forgiving.

MP-57 vs MP-67 (left) and MP-33 (right)

Now, I am certainly in no place to be telling anyone what they should or shouldn’t play, but if you’ve been considering playing blades, or are struggling to score playing blades now, do yourself a favor and check out the MP-57s. I certainly cannot see these clubs leaving my bag anytime soon.

Find a full set of Mizuno MP-57 irons on eBay between $600 and $700. Just remember, if the price looks too good to be true, it probably is. Do your research and buy from reputable sellers. Just keep in mind you can also buy the MP-57s from Paragon Sports online for $849. If you are not ready to shell out $600-$900 for a new set of irons, but still want to see what this whole Mizuno feel thing is all about, try and find a set of used MP-33 irons on eBay, a decent set should run you about $200. If nothing else, they’re a great set of irons to practice with, you’ll get instant, definitive feedback on your shots.