Posted May 16, 20223 yr Most of last year I played the Tourstage GR with Project X LZ 5.5 shafts and then most recently went back to ID BLs with Modus 120 Stiff. At the start of '22, I started to look for a new set of irons. One that helps me regain a bit of distance and one that looks and feels good. I've looked at mostly the so called "player's distance" category like TM P770, Titleist T100S, Srixon ZX-5, Callaway Apex Pro etc... After a few test and fitting sessions, I ended up ordering a set of Mizuno Pro 225 with Modus 115 Stiffs. During the fitting sessions, I felt that this combo gave me the best balance of distance, feel and consistency. Fast forward 9 weeks of waiting ... yes ... 9 WEEKS!! I've had the chance to put my new irons in play for about 3 rounds now and bunch of range sessions, and I can confidently say that these iron/shaft combo are now my favorite!! I am still adjusting to the longer distances I get with each of the clubs... I mean, 30deg 7 iron is a full club stronger than what I am used to. But I am really enjoying the added forgiveness of the hollow forged chromoly heads. Feel is not exactly the same as a one piece forged but it is so much better than the competition in the Player's distance category. Offset is smaller and looks really good at address. BTW I only got a 7-GW set.. it covers 30 deg to 49 deg. Distance wise 160 yards to 110 yards. which is really all I need. I always thought Modus 120 Stiff felt one the best in forged heads, but it also felt a bit loose from a consistency perspective. 120 in X flex was a bit too much shaft for me. 105 and 125 was boardier and didn't feel as good as the 120 in Stiff. Enter the Tour 115.... Flight wise I think it mimics more the 105 and 125 family but the big surprise for me was the feel is actually really good. The loose and a bit wiggly feel that I felt with the 120 Stiff are pretty much gone with the 115 Stiff but they don't feel boardy either. I can still work the ball left and right but it seems to like straighter shot are easier compared to the 120. Overall very happy with the purchase. My bag doesn't look much of a JDM fan's bag anymore but it works well. 🙂 Nob's '22 WITB DR: Stealth Plus 9* / '13 Kurokage Proto TiNi 3W: Rogue St LS 15* / '13 Kurokage Proto TiNi 5W: Epic Speed 18* / '13 Kurokage Proto TiNi 4U: Mavrik Pro 23* / Diamond Speeder HB 5U: Apex Pro 26* / Lin-Q Hybrid 7i-GW: Mizuno Pro 225 / Modus Tour 115 Stiff SW: Taylormade Hi-Toe 56* / KBS PT: '16 JDM Stroke Lab #7
May 17, 20223 yr Author Not sure what it is about this shaft but it just works for me better than the rest. 60S in driver and 60X in the fairways.
May 17, 20223 yr Hey Nobs. 115 are good mate. How’s that Cally 3w…First time for ages I have looked at a US brand 3w and really liked how it sits/looks at address. I have a max q fairway shaft I was thinking of sticking in one and giving a go.
May 18, 20223 yr Author So I've been actually staying away from a true 3W until this one. I've used a 16.5 deg 4W most of last season and an adjustable 5W turned down to 17 deg before that. I thought I would like the head profile of the shallower Rogue ST Max more... but the Rogue ST LS sits so nicely and perfectly square at address and it is surprisingly very very forgiving. I did prefer the feel and sound at impact with the Epic Speed FW... Rogue ST is quieter and a bit mushy at impact... but performance wise very very capable. I'm hitting my driver 240 yards on average ... and just yesterday, I hit this 3W 240 yards!! ( not average ) 3W is still my nemesis of a club in my bag ... but I feel that there is potential for me to start getting more comfortable with this one.
May 21, 20223 yr Thanks Nobs. It does sound good. Look good. Feel good. Isn't the old saying.....If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...? Might have to pull the trigger.
May 21, 20223 yr If they could only do away with the graphics on the crown. Mental blocker for me. Maybe I’m the one who has to go to the shrink and get over it?
May 21, 20223 yr 13 minutes ago, bngolfer said: If they could only do away with the graphics on the crown. Mental blocker for me. Maybe I’m the one who has to go to the shrink and get over it? You mean the quacks. Just close your eyes mate and visualise.
June 24, 20223 yr Author After using the Mizuno Pro 225 irons for a couple of months, I was unable to come to terms with the occasional +10 to 15 yards with the 7 and 8 irons. The 7 iron distance varied from 150 to 170 yards on decent hits. 8 iron was 130 to 150 yards. A 20 yard variance in that distance range can be deadly and highly impactful on your score. For a moment, I thought getting extra yards with the irons could be beneficial... but it turns out consistency predictable distances totally outweighs the added distance. With that, I am saying farewell to the 225s ... and going back to my beat up IDBLs (my backups) until I get my next set re-shafted. I picked up a set of Yamaha 020 irons for cheap... but I need to get them re-shafted since there is no way I'll be able to play the stock DG S200s... 020s are not as clean looking as the IDBLs but it looks pretty good and looks playable. Will review on the 020 once I put them in play. Oh... shafts for the 020s are going to be Modus 120s this time, 115s were great ...but just a tad too much shaft for me.
June 25, 20223 yr 20 yds variance in 7 and 8 iron is ridiculous. How is that possible? Any thoughts Nobs?
July 1, 20223 yr Author I think it's in the construction. The 9-GW are essentially one piece 1025 HD grain forged with a stainless steel weight on the back. 8 and longer heads are hollow construction with a maraging steel face. They really did a great job making it feel very nice compared to other multi material "Forged" irons. Hardly any clickiness at impact. I praise Mizuno for accomplishing that. However, the forgiveness that they brought to the head is essentially working against me in that they focused too much on reducing the distance gap on off-center hits which is not a bad thing at all.... but it seems that they dismissed the fact that when you hit the middle of the sweet spot, it just goes longer than expected. This kind of tech works well in woods where distance consistency is probably not the priority, but with the scoring clubs, it just doesn't work. This effect that I experienced I feel is is generally true with most "game improvement" type irons that uses tech to help you with your misses. Anyway, My Yammy 020 irons are built now and I have had a few range sessions with them.... Thy play similar to IDBLs but with just a hair more offset. Feel is exceptional and there is no surprise bomber distances off of any of the clubs. I can simply focus on putting a good swing and not worry about the ball going too far. 🙂 Was not an easy decision to let go of the 225s since I did like most everything about it other than the occasional surprise distance.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.