Equipment
Mizuno unveils new ST-Z 220 and ST-X 220 drivers
Mizuno Golf has today introduced its latest ST Series of drivers: the ST-Z 220 driver and ST-X 220 driver, which will both arrive at retail on February 3rd.
The ST-Z and ST-X drivers both feature a 40% expansion of the carbon-sole area and thinning out the Titanium portion, alongside a doubling of the stabilizing back weight in design to provide excellent stability and consistency from off-center strikes.
“Any twisting or deflecting at impact due to an off-center hit is an energy loss and varies launch conditions. By working with the prior ST driver platform and familiar materials, we were able to find several adaptations to impact the internal weighting. Creating far more stable tendencies in both the ST-Z and ST-X.” – Mizuno’s Director of R&D David Llewellyn
Mizuno ST-Z 220 driver
The Mizuno ST-Z 220 driver features a balanced toe/heel carbon construction and central back weight designed to encourage a low spinning, efficient, straight ball flight.
The 460cc head aims to offer players a confidence-inspiring profile at address for elite players, while a heavier, 20g back weight creates a deeper center of gravity in design for more efficient performance, more often.
The ST-Z driver features Mizuno’s Z-Axis design with weight evenly distributed across toe and heel in design to provide a low spinning stable straight flight, while a highly resilient forged SAT2041 Beta Ti face and multi-thickness CorTech design aims to produce increased ball speeds.
In addition, an optimized Wave Sole is included in a bid to further increase ball speeds, particularly from low on the clubface, while 4 degrees of loft adjustability allows for fine-tuning of launch and trajectory.
“The ST-Z is the most played of all our drivers. It’s a modern driver for players who have grown up hitting long straight bombs rather than shaping the ball. The addition of a 20g back weight also makes it an exceptionally forgiving option,” says Chris Voshall.
Specs & Pricing
- Lofts: Right hand – 9.5 and 10.5 degrees. Left hand – 9.5 degrees only.
- Price: $449.95
Mizuno ST-X 220 driver
The ST-X 220 driver is a draw-biased driver with heel focused weight location aimed at players with moderate swing speeds who need help producing a more extended ball flight.
The new driver features a 20-gram heel biased back weight that creates a deeper center of gravity in design for more efficient, longer drives. The ST-X is also available as a J-Spec option with an ultra-lightweight HeLIUM NanoCore shaft for seniors and those with slower swing speeds.
The ST-X aims to deliver exceptional stability from off-center strikes via an expansion of the carbon sole area by 40% and thinning out the Titanium portion, alongside a near doubling of the stabilizing heel/back weight.
Featuring Mizuno’s X-Axis design, weight is focused deep in the heel, encouraging a higher draw bias flight, while a rounded 460cc profile seeks to offer a higher launch and mid spin performance.
A highly resilient forged SAT2041 Beta Ti face and multi-thickness CorTech design are also designed to produce increased ball speeds and the driver also includes an optimized Wave Sole, while 4 degrees of loft adjustability allows for fine-tuning of launch and trajectory.
“For a lot of golfers, the modern low spinning driver design preferred by tour players is a serious distance killer. The ST-X’s extra spin, slight draw bias and a higher flight will add driving distance for a surprising number of players.” – Mizuno’s Director of Product Chris Voshall
Specs & Price
- Lofts: Right hand – 10.5 and 12 degrees.
- Price: $449.95
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Whats in the Bag
Kevin Streelman WITB 2024 (April)
- Kevin Streelman what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (10 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 6 X
3-wood: Titleist TSR3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Blue 8 X
5-wood: Ping G (17.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 10 X
Irons: Wilson Staff Model CB (4-9)
Shafts: Project X 6.5
Wedges: Wilson Staff Model (48-08, 54-08), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58-L @59)
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (48), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (54, 58)
Putter: Scotty Cameron TourType SSS TG6
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Check out more in-hand photos of Kevin Streelman’s clubs here.
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Equipment
Choose Your Driver: Which 2012 driver was your favorite?
The year was 2012. Gangnam Style ruled supreme, its infectious beats and ludicrous horse-riding dance moves hypnotizing us with their stupidity. Everyone was talking about the Mayan calendar, convinced that the end of days was near. Superheroes soared on the silver screen, with the Avengers assembling in epic fashion. Katniss Everdeen survived The Hunger Games. And the memes! The memes abounded. Grumpy Cat triumphed. We kept calm and carried on.
In much the same way that automotive enthusiasts love classic cars, we at GolfWRX love taking a backward glance at some of the iconic designs of years past. Heck, we love taking iconic designs to the tee box in the present!
In that spirit, GolfWRX has been running a series inspired by arguably the greatest fighting game franchise of all time: Mortal Kombat. It’s not “choose your fighter” but rather “choose your driver.”
Check out some of the standout combatants of 2012 below.
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Nike VRS
Often harshly critiqued during its years releasing golf equipment (right, Phil Mickelson?), Nike’s tenure in the club-and-ball business gets a gloss of nostalgic varnish, with many of its iron and putter designs continuing to attract admirers. Among the company’s driver offerings, the 2012 VRS — or VR_S, if you will — drew high marks for its shaping and toned-down appearance. The multi-thickness, NexCOR face was no joke either.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Callaway RAZR Fit
Callaway’s first foray into moveable weight technology (married with its OptiFit hosel) did not disappoint. With a carbon fiber crown, aerodynamic attention to detail, and variable and hyperbolic face technologies, this club foreshadowed the tech-loaded, “story in every surface” Callaway drivers of the present, AI-informed design age.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Cleveland Classic 310
Truly a design that came out of left field. Cleveland said, “Give me a persimmon driver, but make it titanium…in 460cc.” Our 2012 reviewer, JokerUsn wrote, “I don’t need to elaborate on all the aesthetics of this club. You’ve seen tons of pics. You’ve all probably seen a bunch in the store and held them up close and gotten drool on them. From a playing perspective, the color is not distracting. It’s dark enough to stay unobtrusive in bright sunlight…Even my playing partners, who aren’t into clubs at all…commented on it saying it looks cool.” Long live!
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Titleist 910
While there’s no disputing Titleist’s “Titleist Speed” era of drivers perform better than its 2010s offerings, sentimentality abounds, and there was something classically Titleist about these clubs, right down to the alignment aid, and the look is somewhere between 983 times and the present TS age. Representing a resurgence after a disappointing stretch of offerings (907, 909), The 910D2 was a fairly broadly appealing driver with its classic look at address and classic Titleist face shape.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
TaylorMade RocketBallz
The white crown. The name. You either loved ‘em or you hated ‘em. TaylorMade’s 2012 offering from its RocketBallz Period boasted speed-enhancing aerodynamics and an Inverted Cone Technology in the club’s titanium face. Technology aside, it’s impossible to overstate what a departure from the norm a white-headed driver was in the world of golf equipment.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
Ping i20
Long a quietly assertive player in the driver space, Ping’s i20 was more broadly appealing than the G20, despite being a lower-launch, lower-spin club. Ping drivers didn’t always have looks that golfer’s considered traditional or classic, but the i20 driver bucked that trend. Combining the classic look with Ping’s engineering created a driver that better players really gravitated toward. The i20 offered players lower launch and lower spin for more penetrating ball flight while the rear 20g tungsten weights kept the head stable. Sound and feel were great also, being one of the more muted driver sounds Ping had created up to that time.
Check out our coverage from 2012 here.
GolfWRXers, let us know in the comments who “your fighter” is and why!
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/29/24): Krank Formula Fire driver with AutoFlex SF505 shaft
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Krank Formula fire driver with AutoFlex SF505 shaft.
From the seller: (@well01): “Krank formula fire 10.5 degree with AUtoflex SF505. $560 shipped.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Krank Formula Fire driver with AutoFlex SF505 shaft
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Barry
Jan 16, 2022 at 7:51 pm
Are these heads blue or black? If they are black, these are terrible marketing photos that make them look like the ST 180 series.
Alex Harper
Jan 15, 2022 at 12:14 am
Very excited to try the Z model out, looks great!