Mizuno’s its next generation ST Series of metal woods will be available at retail in February.
Mizuno’s new ST Series drivers are the culmination of the company’s three-year, rapid-fire driver development project.
Preceded by the ST190 and ST200, the new ST-Z and ST-X use Mizuno’s new SAT2041 Beta Ti face and complex carbon construction to deliver increased ball speeds and provide a satisfying sensation at impact.
“Most of our ST200 tour feedback was on the sensory side, a desire for a sound our players generally described as solid or dense,” said Mizuno’s Chris Voshall. “We spent the next year working on improving feedback, hand in hand with releasing the additional ball speed we knew was left in our SAT2041 Beta Ti face.”
SAT2041 stands for Super/Alloy/Titanium/20 per cent Vanadium/4 per cemt Aluminium/one per cent tin and, according to Mizuno, offers 17 per cent more tensile strength and eight per cent more flexibility than traditional 6-4Ti.
A Nippon steel product that was developed over five years as a lightweight, high strength material for the automotive industry and used for complex cycle parts requiring intricate design and an ability to withstand strong forces, SAT2041 has a fine grain structure that is resistant to fatigue. As a high strength Beta Ti, SAT2041 maintains its characteristics and resists micro fractures for longer than the commonly used 6-4, Alpha Beta Ti.
The ST Series offers a choice of two different head designs in the driver, with characteristics to suit different playing requirements and deliver different ball flights.
ST-Z Driver
The ST-Z driver has been designed to be stable and to offer low spin. It has a balanced toe/heel carbon composite construction with deep central back weight for a spin efficient, straight-line ball flight. It features the second generation of Mizuno’s Forged SAT2041 Beta Ti face for increased ball speeds and consistent performance.
“The ST-Z’s predecessor, the ST200, had a reputation for being a straight-line bomber favoured by our longer hitting tour players, and the ST-Z profile is no different,” said Chris Voshall. “But with a year’s extra experience of engineering Forged Beta SAT2041 Ti. we were able to release a little extra ball speed and a much more satisfying experience off the clubface.”
A balanced use of carbon composite on the sole and a deep central sole weight offer a straight-line flight and low spin efficiency. The ST-Z driver has a wide, low footprint, with a neutral visual lie angle and comes with four degrees of quick switch adjustability to fine-tune look and trajectory.
ST-X Driver
The ST-X driver features a draw-biased carbon composite construction aided by a heel side sole weight. Like the ST-Z, it’s built upon the secondnd generation of Mizuno’s Forged SAT2041 Beta Ti face to produce increased ball speeds and consistent performance.
“In testing, a lot of our tour players preferred the ST-X over the ST-Z for its deeper shape and slightly smaller profile,” said Voshall. “I’d recommend starting with an open mind and dropping the ST-X alongside the ST-Z in the address position. For a draw bias driver, it’s not going to be what most players expect.”
An expanded toe located in a carbon composite window, with a heel located sole weight combine to for draw bias. The ST-X driver offers a more compact profile, a slightly deeper back portion and more upright visual lie angle and also comes with four degrees of quick switch adjustability.
As with the ST-Z, the ST-X offers more dense feedback through impact and a more muted, tone.
Those with mid-lower swing speeds will benefit from the J-Spec, Japan Specification, incorporating an incredibly lightweight 39g MFUSION graphite shaft.
ST-Z Fairway Woods
Built for stability and low spin efficiency, the ST-Z fairway woods offer a throwback profile,
With Mizuno’s thirrd generation MAS1C face, the ST-Z fairway woods provide a balanced package of low spin, performance and stability. Both three and five woods have an adjustable, quick switch, hosel, offering four degrees of loft and face angle adjustability.
The ultra-lightweight carbon crown lowers the centre of gravity for better spin vs. MOI performance, while re-engineered WAVE Technology, offers a compact wave design that lowers the mass
“The fairway wood might be the least regularly changed club in any bag, so we spent a lot of time looking at older models that our tour players had hung onto over the years,” said Voshall. “It ended with a lot of really subtle touches on the ST-Z, like leading edge and transition into the hosel. There’s a lot to like at address.”
