Mizuno is a manufacturer of golf clubs and accessories, their Grain Flow Forged irons are used by professional golfers. Tiger Woods used Mizuno golf clubs until he turned professional in 1996, including for his first Masters Tournament victory in 1997, having left Mizuno and moved to Titleist. Other players have played using Mizuno equipment during their careers.

Why the Mizuno irons Tiger Woods used to win the ’97 Masters were unique for the times

A lot has changed in the world of golf since Tiger Woods’ historic 12-shot victory at the 1997 Masters. It could be debated that no area has gone through a more dramatic transformation than the improvements in golf club technology that have occurred over the past two decades.

To put things into perspective, when Woods won his first Masters, he still played True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 steel shafts in all of his clubs, including the woods, and employed a King Cobra Deep Face driver made from a durable 17-4 stainless steel — a material that offered very little forgiveness, when compared to the 460cc head that’s today’s TOUR standard, and has since been replaced by titanium and lightweight carbon fiber. 

There was also something about Woods’ setup that made him somewhat of an equipment trailblazer at the time. Woods employed a split set of Mizuno irons at the Masters that consisted of MP-29 long irons (2-5) and MP-14 mid and short irons (5-PW).

These days, it’s fairly commonplace to stroll down the range and find a Tour player or two with a split set. The most popular split set blueprint consists of long irons with slightly more offset, forgiveness and a higher launch, and short irons that offer more workability in a compact package.

However, when Woods first started out on TOUR, he was one of the only players who played two different iron models. According to Jeff Cook, Mizuno’s PGA TOUR Manager who started back with the company in 1997, most of the players on staff played a full set of MP-14’s or MP-29’s.

MIZUNO IRONS

JUST 24 PLAYERS HAVE REACHED #1 IN THE OFFICIAL WORLD GOLF RANKINGS. THROUGH THEIR CAREERS, 13 OF THOSE 24 HAVE PLAYED MIZUNO IRONS.

MIZUNO ST-G 220 DRIVER

GRAVITY-ADJUSTABLE DESIGN

A player’s deeper profile with the ball speed of Mizuno’s Forged BETA Ti SAT2041 clubface – and unmatched levels of adjustability for precise fitting. The ST-G now has shorter lateral weight tracks – allowing a new centre/back weight port. The combination of three tracks and two moveable weights enable the ST-G to morph from ultra-low spinning bomber to a highly playable mid-spinning option – with fade or draw bias in both.

EXPANDED ADJUSTABILITY

The evolution of the ST-G’s weight locations offers a rare combination of both backspin and fade/draw adjustability. Traditionally adjustable drivers have been more effective at just one of those tasks. The Mizuno ST-G also impresses in how un-adjustable it feels once set up. In every setting the ST-G delivers impressive performance from off-centre strikes – with impressively consistent feedback across its varying weight positions.