During the week of The Open Championship, Mizuno released teaser photos of their new irons, the MP-4 and MP-54. We’re only starting to get more information on these “modern classic” irons recently. The MP-4 irons is definitely a work of art, many golfers will look twice when they see these clubs. With a classic shape and subtle graphics, the MP-4’s may be the softest irons Mizuno has ever produced (as Charles Howell III said). The club heads look small at address and for the most part, they are. In most iron sets, the blade lengths of the irons get longer as the clubs get shorter due to the weight progression of the heads – short irons (with shorter shafts) have to be heavier than longer irons (with longer shafts) for the clubs to have similar balance points, or swing weights. Mizuno’s previous muscle back iron, the MP-69, had a blade length that grew 1.5 millimeters from the 3 iron (74.5 mm) to pitching wedge (76 mm). With the MP-4, instead of increasing the blade length, engineers added weight by increasing the size of the muscle pad behind the sweetspot of the irons, which is the reason for the irons’ bulge, or “Pure Muscle,” towards the back of the club. That is also what creates the distinct feel for the MP-4.
The MP-54 expands Mizuno’s forgiving players iron line. These irons have longer blade lengths, a “thicker” top line, more offset and a thicker sole than the MP-4 irons. The most important characteristic that sets the MP-54 apart from the MP-4 and it’s predecessors though is the 16 grams of weight that Mizuno has removed from the cavities of the 3 to 7 irons. That discretionary weight was repositioned in areas that give the irons a higher peak trajectory and more forgiveness while keeping the distinct Mizuno feel. The 8 to Pitching Wedge do not have the weight removed from the cavity though, giving the clubs a flatter, more penetrating trajectory that better golfers seem to prefer with their short irons. Both sets of irons have similar lofts (6 iron, 30 degrees; PW, 46 degrees) to allow golfers to mix and match Mizuno iron models for a combo set – the MP-4 and MP-54 will be available early September for $1000.
Source: GolfWRX, Golf Digest, Mizuno Golf
