Mizuno Presents New MP-20 Series Irons

Legendary manufacturer, Mizuno has continued its legacy of renowned and beautifully presented forged irons with the release of its three new MP-20 Series models, which boast copper-plating within the heads to deliver additional layers of feel at impact.

The new MP-20 irons have evolved from the DNA of Mizuno irons that shaped the modern game, launched Major-winning careers and inspired generations of ‘tour edition’ musclebacks. Exclusively Grain Flow Forged in Hiroshima, Japan, where Mizuno has refined the art of feel for more than 50 years, the heads of all three MP-20 iron models feature copper plating, just as in the brand’s legendary TN87 model, for an impact sensation recognised as Mizuno’s purest ever.

The new family comprises MP-20 MB, MP-20 MMC and MP-20 HMB models, each with its own unique appeal, each designed to either stand alone or blend into custom combo sets and each featuring soft copper plating beneath a protective nickel chrome to deliver that legendary Mizuno feedback and feel.

MP-20 MB is a pure muscleback, heavily influenced by the most revered blades of Mizuno’s past and Grain Flow Forged HD from a single billet of 1025E Pure Select mild carbon steel. MP-20 MMC is hailed as an ‘Elite Players’ Cavity’ and represents the second-generation of Mizuno’s multi-material concept. It is also forged from 1025E Pure Select mild carbon steel but with a thinner topline and refined scoring irons. It shares the chassis, set flow and proportions of the MP-20 MB, but offers enhanced playability courtesy of a titanium muscle plate and tungsten sole weight. MP-20 HMB is then a new breed of hollow-headed ‘Hybrid Muscle Back’ in a tour-ready profile that features Mizuno’s forged Chromoly material in the face and neck. It is inspired by the proliferation of long iron replacements on tour but extends the concept right down to the wedges.

"Most modern musclebacks and limited 'tour edition' irons can be traced back to the great Mizuno blades,” says Mizuno’s Chris Voshall, “though what makes a Mizuno iron truly exceptional is everything you can't see. If you could peel back the chrome plating, you would find a sandwich of nickel and soft copper before the Grain Flow Forged HD chassis. Under a microscope, you can see a perfect flow of grain within the steel from the hosel to toe, compacted tighter in the hitting area. Designers can mimic our lines, but not what's inside.”

MP-20 HMB

The MP-20 HMB offers a full set of performance hybrid irons in a sharp ‘tour-ready’ profile, built on the ball speed of Mizuno’s Chromoly material in the face and neck, supported by a precision stainless steel body and tungsten weighting. It offers the proportions, topline and offset transition of a classic Mizuno players’ muscleback with a generous sole width that’s hidden at address, and is designed to help consistent players pursuing added ball speed without sacrificing their shot-making options.

The heads feature a brush satin durable plated finish and a complex, loft-specific construction. From 2- to 8-iron, Mizuno’s multi-thickness Grain Flow Forged Chromoly face and neck is dialled in to be consistently hot across the clubface. From 2- to 7-iron, twin 12g tungsten weights deliver stability and an easy launch, while use of a softer 1025E Pure Select mild carbon steel from 9-iron to PW makes the short irons soft and responsive. MP-20 HMB is designed to be played as a full set or mixed with any MP-20 set, with recommended break points between the 4- and 5-iron or 7- and 8-iron for blended sets.

“A few years back it was a surprise to see truly elite tour players with more than one long iron replacement,” says Mizuno’s Chris Voshall, “but now that we’ve found their acceptance point on offset, size and proportions, there’s a new set who are open-minded to the 5-iron and beyond. We’re excited to see what happens when they experiment with the HMB.”

Availability:  RH #2-PW; LH #3 - #4 iron (as a split set with 5-PW MP-20 MB)

MP-20 MB

This pure muscleback’s ‘tour-ready’ profile has been honed by studying elements of Mizuno’s most played/retained tour iron models by both contracted and non-contracted tour players, with usage among the tour’s new breed of ‘free agents’ adding a new perspective. A discreetly tapered topline and cambered sole allow a fuller spread of weight to enhance vertical stability and forgiveness on strikes from high or low in the face, while retaining a traditional muscleback appearance. 

The topline has been refined in response to tour player preferences and is Mizuno’s thinnest among recent generations of MP irons, while the blend of satin and mirror chrome finishing has been engineered to eliminate areas of high glare in the playing position.

“We kept asking ourselves why players still talked about the feel of older Mizuno blades – TN87, MP14, MP29, TP9,” says Voshall. “Despite our Grain Flow Forging process tightening up and an evolving CAD process that predicts vibration patterns, we were still missing something. The one element left from the old classics was a layer of copper. After blind testing our players at the Valspar it was more than nostalgia - our test pool universally preferred the prototype with copper plating.”

Availability: RH #3-PW; LH #5-PW (as a split set with #3-4 HMB)

MP-20 MMC

The second generation of Mizuno’s multi-material concept is engineered to be more playable than the MP-20 MB courtesy of its titanium muscle plate and tungsten sole weight. It promises stability in a tour-preferred profile, with a titanium muscle spreading weight for forgiveness on off-centre strikes while maintaining centre-portion thickness for the feel and feedback associated with a muscleback iron.

The multi-material construction comprises a Grain Flow Forged 1025E mild carbon steel chassis and Ti muscle pad throughout the set, with a 12g tungsten toe weight from the 4- to 7-irons that adds ease of launch in a compact playing profile. A second Ti muscle pad improves set flow by allowing for a narrower sole from 8-iron to pitching wedge. The topline is dramatically thinner than on the MP-18 MMC (0.3mm thinner in the 4-iron and 0.4mm in the pitching wedge) while remaining only 1mm thicker at address than on the MP-20 MB. The chrome finishing is again a mix of satin and mirror.

“The new MMC is the smaller, sharper version of the original,” says Voshall. “For a player with a traditional eye looking for a little stability on off-centre strikes, but comfortable with their distances and ball speed, this is the iron.”

Availability:  RH 4-PW

MP-20 SEL (Left Handed)

Based on the most popular right handed, blended set Mizuno has created the perfect mixed set for left handers – the MP-20 SEL. Precise, shotmakers MP-20 muscle back mid to short irons #5-PW, and stable, easy launching MP-20 HMB long irons #3 and #4, with lofts adjusted for perfect distance gaps throughout.

Availability: LH #3 - #4 HMB; #5-PW MP-20 MB

Mizuno has strived to “create the best products for consumers” for 113 years, and all three models in the new MP-20 iron family adhere firmly to that original spirit and desire, while offering the best performance benefits that modern technology can bring. #ReachBeyond

For further information on the new MP-20 Series plus Mizuno’s full range of golf equipment, apparel and accessories visit: golf.mizunoeurope.com.

RRPs

MP-20 MB £150 / €195 per iron

MP-20 MMC £165 / €215 per iron

MP-20 HMB £180 / €235 per iron

MP-20 SEL #3-PW £1,240 / €1,640

Additionally, Mizuno has relaunched its T-Series wedges with the classic teardrop profile T20, Grain Flow Forged from 1025E mild carbon steel for enhanced greenside feel.

For 2019, Mizuno will be making its T-Series wedges available to the golfing public once more in the form of the new T20, a classic teardrop-shaped wedge forged from 1025E mild carbon steel, which offers the benefits of Grain Flow Forged HD precision at the point on every golf hole where you most need it – in the scoring zone. 

Perfected for over 50 years at one factory in Hiroshima, Japan, Mizuno’s forging expertise is revered for its consistency of manufacture, distance control and incredible feedback. This reputation may be most commonly associated with Mizuno irons but the precision and feel of Mizuno’s Grain Flow Forged HD process offers scope for even more payback in the wedges where touch and feel are most critical.

T20 wedges feature New HYDROFLOW MICRO GROOVES, which are vertically etched to help release moisture and maintain spin even in damp conditions. Each T20 wedge is spin-weighted, with weight discreetly placed high within a tapered blade for increased spin and vertical stability on off-centre strikes.

To ensure consistency and predictability in the scoring zone, each head features precise CNC-milled grooves and is mechanically milled to the highest possible tolerances after Grain Flow Forging to ensure a perfectly flat striking face and consistent levels of spin. An element of Boron-infusion in the 1025E mild carbon steel billets makes them more durable for longer-lasting groove performance and reliable spin.

In the higher lofts, T20 wedges feature a wider, shallower groove to better facilitate those partial shots around the green. In the lower lofts, the grooves are narrower and deeper to better suit full shots.

The heads feature a classic teardrop profile, but this too varies from loft to loft. The lower-lofted 46? pitching wedge retains a defined teardrop profile, but this flows through to a more rounded profile in the 60? degree lob wedge as the need for versatility increases around the green.

T20 wedges will be available in three different finishes - two plated models (Satin Chrome and Blue ION) plus a RAW and ready-to-rust option. Grind options are loft-specific and range from STD BEVEL to Subtle M and Aggressive C grinds.

“Although our T-Series wedges haven't been available to the public for over a year, they've become even more popular on tour over that time,” says Kyle Hammond, Mizuno’s PGA Tour Technician. “The teardrop shape, forged feel and addition of a ‘tour only’ RAW finish brought the wedge to iconic status.  The updated T20 has been a long time in coming but with a few extra design tweaks we learned over the last year it will finally bring all that wedge goodness back to the public.”

Mizuno has strived to “create the best products for consumers” for 113 years, and the new T20 wedge adheres firmly to that original spirit and desire, while offering the best performance benefits that modern technology can bring. #ReachBeyond