Equipment

Spotted: Mizuno MP-18 Fli-Hi driving iron

Published

7 years ago

Jul 26, 2017

Mizuno’s new line of MP-18 irons — the company says they’re coming out in September, according to a recent Facebook post — have been popping up all over the place in the last few months. We’ve seen Jhonattan Vegas bring the MP-18 muscle-back models to several tournaments (including the Masters), we’ve seen an “SC,” or split-cavity MP-18 model pop up on the USGA conforming list, and we’ve seen the Mizuno itself tease the irons.

On Wednesday, we spotted a Mizuno MP-18 “MMC Fli Hi” 2-iron in the bag of Shawn Stefani at the 2017 RBC Canadian Open.

RBCCanadianOpen-1021x580

Could this year be the return of Mizuno’s Fli-Hi driving irons to the market, or is this simply a one-off or Tour prototype made for players such as Stefani? With the “MP-18” stamping on the club, it’s more likely to be the former, but we’ll find out soon enough.

Based on the photos from the RBC Canadian Open, it appears that Mizuno has put some sort of plug (tungsten?) in the toe. We’ve seen this design in driving irons from other companies, and it’s typically used to help properly position center of gravity in the club to optimize spin rate and forgiveness.

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12 Comments

waterfallmagazine.com

Oct 29, 2020 at 5:52 am

https://waterfallmagazine.com
I do accept as true with all the ideas you’ve presented for your post.
They are really convincing and will certainly work. Nonetheless, the posts are too quick for starters.
May just you please lengthen them a bit from subsequent time?
Thanks for the post.

Reply Report comment
eric

Aug 1, 2017 at 10:27 pm

I was going to get a set of the sc18’s, but after seeing the mp fli hi is only available in RH I have to continue the mizuno boycott. I wish they would just stop making left handed clubs altogether, mizuno should be dead to all lefties.

Reply Report comment
Joe Perez

Jul 28, 2017 at 9:53 am

I still have my 2, 3 & 4 from the previous iteration of this club. I wish Mizuno would go down as far as a 5 iron replacement with them.

Reply Report comment
Tom

Jul 28, 2017 at 9:31 am

Not necessarily. If the center of mass favors the heel side of the face, then a tungsten plug would be a way to bring that more toward physical center while also increasing the MOI of the toe side. You may see faster ball speeds across the face as a result. A plug in that spot may have the added benefit of “offsetting the offset” so to speak. This may help remedy a draw bias while increasing forgiveness. Its placement also makes me wonder if they were trying to bring the center of gravity up from the bottom. The MP-25 is designed differently because it sports completely different playing characteristics, i.e. less bottom-side mass, a taller face, a different blade length, etc. I imagine too much weight in the toe on something with less mass would introduce the kind of consistency issues of which you speak. I think what you’re getting at is the issue of OEM’s talking about “advances” in the placement of the center of gravity when it’s merely a byproduct of what kind of output a certain shape or design calls for. Ball flight too low? Move weight low and back. Too much draw bias? Move weight to the toe. The point is that different designs call for different weighting to different portions of the clubbed.

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Chopper

Jul 27, 2017 at 3:28 pm

I bet you are a lot of fun at parties.

Reply Report comment
- JGOLF
  
  Jul 28, 2017 at 6:05 pm
  
  I love it! Great response!
  
  Reply Report comment
Ben Rudy

Jul 27, 2017 at 10:08 am

Please let this be released, I’ve been looking for an updated version of my old Fli Hi

Reply Report comment
- Beefhouse
  
  Jul 27, 2017 at 11:52 am
  
  On sale here – https://www.tourspecgolf.com/mizuno-pro-fli-hi-driving-iron.html
  
  Reply Report comment
Barry

Jul 26, 2017 at 7:17 pm

Nicely written article

Reply Report comment
mr b

Jul 26, 2017 at 4:57 pm

is that a hot melt port? looks awesome.

Reply Report comment
- Hmmm
  
  Jul 26, 2017 at 7:03 pm
  
  My 712U’s have the same plug. You certainly can’t remove the plug and put hot melt glue inside. That is the opening to the space between the face and the backside of the club and it’s injected with some sort of engineering polymer to get the feel/performance where they wanted it. Fairly common with driving irons these days as you can add forgiveness without making it super bulky (think of the original Fli-Hi’s)
  
  Reply Report comment
  - Ryan Barath
    
    Jul 27, 2017 at 9:05 pm
    
    The plug IS access to the inside of the head that does allow for hot-melt to be added. It can be done at the factory level or through later customization and then easily plugged again. Most if not all driving irons (PXG exception) are hollow and not filled with a polymer… How do I know this? I’ve work on and added hot-melt to dozen of driving irons.
    Ryan
    
    Reply Report comment

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

10 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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