nobmontana Posted March 29, 2019 Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 (edited) After trying some of the recent model drivers at the local golf shop, I decided to give the Mizuno ST190G a try. Had my first range session this afternoon. The club came with an ATMOS Tourspec Black 7S . But since the club weighed a hefty 334g, I decided to go ahead and reshaft it with the same ATMOS in 5TX that I was planning to use. The head and adapter together weighed about 207g. Pretty heavy. So even with a 45” length, I was able to achieve a D4 swing weight. At the range, first thing I noticed was a rather loud sound at impact. Same SP700 face as my Grandista but what a difference!! This sound and feel is actually similar to the Srixon Z785 that I had for a couple of months late last year. The look at address resembles that of a Callaway Rogue. Nice shape but slightly elongated from face to back. Don’t mind the shape at all. The exposed carbon weaving looks nice! Performance wise, I was getting around 270 yards regularly which is really good for me. Played around with the weight position and stuff but standard loft with forward weight seemed to work best. Forgiveness wise, I think it is as forgiving as my Ping G20. Overall, aside from the sound and feel (using range balls) I think I can totally game this driver. Will use it this weekend. I have a couple of other drivers coming soon , a Mizuno GX and an Epon 155iZ . Will put the ST190G against these two using similar shafts when they arrive. They are both supposed to be low spinning heads so it should be a really good comparison. Edited March 29, 2019 by nobmontana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dickyfowler Posted March 29, 2019 Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 what about the new drivers unveiled at the Golf Fair ? Any of those interest you ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobmontana Posted March 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 You mean the Mizuno Pros? I think they look stunning. For the moment, Mizuno Pros can only be purchased through Mizuno fitters in Japan. Hopefully that will change! Right now I am wanting to know what kind of distances I can achieve with lower spinning heads and I am putting feel and sound on the side for the tine being. Even with that, I want to stick to a Japanese brand. Thus Mizuno. The GX and AF-155IZ, I am really not sure what to expect ... but CG dimensions suggest a lower spin performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
604_skyline Posted March 29, 2019 Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 Nob, Do not want to clutter your thread, but I see in the post you made selling the drivers in the b/s/t you mentioned wanting to try some new heads, care to share what those are? and what is on your radar in terms of drivers you have in mind of wanting to try? new Jbeam J3 tour perhaps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobmontana Posted March 29, 2019 Author Report Share Posted March 29, 2019 Mizuno GX and Epon 155IZ will be ones I will be testing after this ST190. Jbeam heads, sure I'll try anything .. but in the past I so much wanted to love the BM435 (like 5 times) , but it never loved me back!! ? The newer PRGR offerings like the RS-E, RS-RED and Tune 05 look very interesting. The only thing missing from the RS and RSF were just a tiny bit more friendliness so added forgiveness should be welcomed by most. Honma TW747 460 is no doubt a monster of a driver and so is the 455 if you are a better player/striker. Previous Honma TW owners should take notice of the 747 as they are a huge improvement in multiple vectors of the product. What I am really hoping for from Grandista would be a 460cc version of the RS-D. Current version at 445cc is forgiving already but with a 460cc head I think it would boost even more confidence at address. I think the fundamental design approach is spot on so they just need to figure out how to make the head bigger without making it look clunky. Easily said than done, I understand!! ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
604_skyline Posted March 31, 2019 Report Share Posted March 31, 2019 nob if you want 460, why not the new baldo which is named after the one from a couple years ago, talk about confusing....but the new competizione 568 strong luck, seems to be right near the top in all the blogs....i know its dat55g as opposed to the SP face that you prefer but still.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobmontana Posted April 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 My Mizuno GX driver arrived today and I just came back from a quick range session. The stock MFUSION S flex shaft is too light and flexy for me. But when I slowed down my swing, the ball just wanted to go straight. For a 9.5 it does go higher with this shaft combo. Shape at address looks pretty classy but it is shallow and flat. Reminds me of the 2016 Titleist VG3 driver which was a good driver too. Gobs of forgiveness as far as I can tell. Sweet spot is huge. Sound and feel were very pleasing. Way better than the ST190G. But perhaps not as muted as the MP Driver Type 2. It had a nice pop without any high pitched tinny sound. BTW this head also uses SP700 face. For the moment, I have to say that the head has very good potential. A low launch / low spin shaft could turn this driver into a monster. The ball flight did not look spinny even with this stock shaft and I was consistently hitting high draws that did not ballon on me. Just a nice boring trajectory. Next I will try the Epon AF-155iZ and decide to keep that or the GX. ST190G has earned a place in the bag at this point I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobmontana Posted April 2, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2019 On 3/31/2019 at 4:51 PM, 604_skyline said: nob if you want 460, why not the new baldo which is named after the one from a couple years ago, talk about confusing....but the new competizione 568 strong luck, seems to be right near the top in all the blogs....i know its dat55g as opposed to the SP face that you prefer but still.... I've tried the previous 460 Strong Luck. It was pretty good. New one looks nicer with that Batmobile like fin. Baldo know how to produce good drivers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobmontana Posted April 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2019 Second range session of the day. Got on Top Tracer to hit both the ST190G / ATMOS TS Blk 5TX and GX / MFUSION D-49 S So I was right about the GX. I still could not go all out with this shaft but still reached 270 to 275 yards a fairly easy swing. Seriously thinking about trying a low launch shaft to see what the numbers will look like. The other highlight of this range session came from my other driver. ST190G makes quite the pingy sound especially with range balls. Aside from the sound I am starting to like it a lot. Most of all the distance I am getting. Boy... this thing is a monster! I don't even know if these Top Tracer thingy are even accurate but even if it's not, it made me pretty happy tonight. Normal shots were reaching 275 to 280 and then around the 10th shot.... 302 yards..... wow!! first 300+ on the top tracer. A few shots more... 308 yards ..... a few more shots... then it came ... 312 yards!! Holy smokes!! starting to look like numbers from a Rick Shiels video!! ? and these are from pretty badly worn range rocks too... Dang, bring me some real ProV1X balls!! Sorry to brag... but pretty darn good for a 51 yr old guy! I'm gonna sleep well tonight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian-500 Posted April 3, 2019 Report Share Posted April 3, 2019 Nob, great numbers. You must have been swinging well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bngolfer Posted April 3, 2019 Report Share Posted April 3, 2019 Beast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobmontana Posted April 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2019 I received the Epon 155IZ today and re-shafted it with a Speeder TR . The matte black crown looks really nice together with the matte black paint of the Speeder TR shaft! We'll see how she performs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobmontana Posted April 3, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2019 Just got back from the range. Oh boy this Epon is a tough one. It's forgiving as the AF-153 but I think its super low spin! Have not seen balls drop like this since the original Epon Zero.... Speeder TR is too low spin for this head. Will need to think of a different combo. Was not expecting this at all!! ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobmontana Posted April 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2019 Tried the Speeder TR in the ST190G head and it is a match made in heaven!! Initially thought the Speeder TR was a bit boardy when I had it in a 200g head ... but in the 207g ST190G head, I can totally feel the head and loading. Interestingly it now feels quite similar to the Diamond Speeder. Never thought I'd be a Fujikura guy but they are working for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobmontana Posted April 9, 2019 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 Well the match made in heaven did not last long!! I think 50g shafts are a bit too light for this head. Going back to a 60g Stiff. I think TP6 S would be a good match. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bngolfer Posted April 9, 2019 Report Share Posted April 9, 2019 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobmontana Posted May 5, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2019 I had a Tour AD TP-6 in the ST190G for a few weeks and while the good shots are monstrous, occasionally, I suffered blockshot like misses to the right. I picked up a normal ST190 ( no slide weights ) to try. In the mean time, I shafted the Mizuno GX head that was sitting in my office with a Kurokage XT 60 S ... built it to 44.75" D2.. To my pleasant surprise, this thing turned out to be a really nice fairway finder. While it's not super long like the ST190G, it was plenty long and I managed to hit straight to mini draw drives today at the course. I could play this as my gamer. Maybe I will if the ST190 does not work out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parputt Posted May 5, 2019 Report Share Posted May 5, 2019 Just started playing the ST190g with the TPT 16 LKP/MT/Sw fhaft and its awesome.Ball flies forever and hits and rolls.Consistent accuracy which is the big difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobmontana Posted May 6, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 6, 2019 Yeah, ST190G is a great driver ... but I constantly worry about the ball leaking to the right. One other thing that could be improved is the sound at impact. Pretty tingy ... Ping just announced a G410 LST coming out end of May. Another driver that I need to try. If the G410 LST sounds anything like the G400 LST, it might be hard to beat!! I'd coordinate the shaft with either a Speeder TR or a Tour AD IZ both in matte black just like the color of the head for the Ping G410. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobmontana Posted May 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 GX / Kurokage XT is amazing. Got on Top Tracer today with the driver and max distance is around 270 yards no matter what I did. With an easy swing, 250 yards was what I was getting not long but long enough for most courses. More importantly I was able to hit small or big draws, high and low as well as high and low fades pretty much completely on demand!!! This may be the best control driver I've had in years!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parputt Posted May 7, 2019 Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 Don't discount the TPT shaft if you can a decent used one that fits your swing they are amazing. I have tried the Accara TZ^,Rombax Type X, Elements Chrome ,Fuji Evo V and Fuji Bangvoo and now the TPT which works the best for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobmontana Posted May 7, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2019 (edited) Just went to their website. Sounds a lot like Seven Dreamers from the perspective that they started as carbon fiber material specialist in Switzerland. Looking at their torque numbers, they seem really high for a shaft using high modulus carbon fiber. Their 15 MKP series targeted for faster swing speeds, the lowest torque they have is 3.9 deg ... Diamana X 2017 60X is down to a 2.3 deg torque now and so are other high end Japanese shafts. Perhaps a totally different approach to shaft design all together? Edited May 7, 2019 by nobmontana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franz123 Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 On 4/3/2019 at 5:39 AM, nobmontana said: I've tried the previous 460 Strong Luck. It was pretty good. New one looks nicer with that Batmobile like fin. Baldo know how to produce good drivers. I agree with you. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian-500 Posted May 22, 2019 Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 On 5/7/2019 at 8:08 PM, nobmontana said: Just went to their website. Sounds a lot like Seven Dreamers from the perspective that they started as carbon fiber material specialist in Switzerland. Looking at their torque numbers, they seem really high for a shaft using high modulus carbon fiber. Their 15 MKP series targeted for faster swing speeds, the lowest torque they have is 3.9 deg ... Diamana X 2017 60X is down to a 2.3 deg torque now and so are other high end Japanese shafts. Perhaps a totally different approach to shaft design all together? VA composite Raijin and Raijin black are also high torque. Should feel good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobmontana Posted May 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2019 I now have the standard ST190 (non "G" ) in 9.5deg which for me is working better. Much less likelihood of block shots to the right. Just as long. But best of all, the sound is much better with the standard. Built to 44.5" with Tour AD TP 6 S. In the mean time, I am waiting on a Jbeam G-801 head as well as KuroKage XD 60S. Haven't had too much luck with past Jbeam heads but I want to give it another go. I'm really hoping that the Jbeam built to similar spec as the ST190 is as long and forgiving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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