Equipment

Spotted: Mizuno MP-18 Fli-Hi driving iron

Published

9 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.

Reply Report comment
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

Interesting clubs at top of bag – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

8 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, users are talking about top of bag setups that are non-traditional or thought-provoking in some way. Original poster @SuperSpurs106 inquired about other members who might use unorthodox set-ups to help with gapping issues or weak spots.

They wrote:

“I currently have a PING G430 driver, TM Qi35 3W and a TM Qi4D 7W. Driver and 7W are fine but can’t get on with my 3W and have always struggling with this club over the years. Thinking of adding a 2H which I know would look odd. Just wondering if anyone else had a weird set up at the top of their bag?”

Our members in the forum have offered up their thoughts and personal experiences with non-traditional top of bag set-ups, and their reasoning for thinking outside of the box to begin with. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

BowMain42: “Don’t worry about what “looks” odd. If the club does what you need it to do, it’s the right club.”
scooterhd2: “I cant hit 3 woods either. Thats why I roll with a unicorn XL Hibore 2 wood. 400 cc head at 16 degrees of loft and its just a monster 3 wood off the tee. Off the deck, we are playing the f6 baffler. 5 wood at 41.75 inches and its easy to control.”
phizzy30: “I had driver, 3 metal, 2/4 hybrid once upon a time as a higher ss player. 4 hybrid is gone and in place is a driving iron nowadays. I don’t think what you’re proposing is weird in anyway, however the yardage gap might be glaringly huge between driver and 2 hybrid. What is it about your 3 metal that has got you all messed up? You could always go 4 metal with shorter shaft and see if that works.”

Entire Thread: “Interesting clubs at top of bag”

If you aren’t a member, join us in the GolfWRX forums today!

Equipment

Members of the Mini Driver Club – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

8 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user has gone searching for fellow users of a mini driver. In a post, @TightFade asked for other mini driver users to chime in with their weapon of choice, the reason for employing a mini, and what club follows it in the bag.

@TightFade asked:

“What mini are you playing? What spot in the bag did it take over? What’s the next club after it? For me: Elyte mini 13.5. Replacing 3w. Next up club looks like it’ll be 5w.”

Our members in the forum have been sharing their own bag setups featuring the mini driver, and the various reasons they purchased one in the first place. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

RCGA: “Ping G430 Max 12* ‘Thriver.’ Next club is a 4w and 2i (I play a weird course).”
JMB3: “R7 at 12.75 with Diamana BB 63s. 3w replacement. Next Club: Elyte Ti 5w at 17*.”
ColdOkieGolf: “R7 15.5 turned down to 13.5 It replaces the 3w. I found it surprisingly easy to hit off the deck, and it’s very rare that I need or want to hit something beyond 250 from the fairway, so next club is my 7w.”
ChaosTheory: “I’m sub-90 MPH with driver. But I’m able to hit DOD. I have been wanting something like the R7 15.5, so I just ordered one. I have a spot in the bag so nothing has to go. But I could see it replacing my trusty 4 wood, which I never use for approach shots. Just tee shots and lay ups. If I drop the 4 wood, I will turn my 7 wood down to ~20 degrees and will have good gaps. I recently tried a thriver build: 12 degree driver turned to 14, with a heavier 44 inch shaft and added head weight. I hit it great. Very accurate and not overly high, but the problem was that it sometimes went as far as a typical drive. And that’s not what I needed. So I will probably turn the 15.5 up to 16.5 or even 17.5. It’s all theoretical at this point. ?”

Entire Thread: “Members of the Mini Driver Club…Check In.”

If you aren’t a member, join us in the GolfWRX forums today!

Whats in the Bag

Chris Gotterup WITB 2026 (June)

Published

9 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Chris Gotterup had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.

Drivers: TaylorMade Qi4D (8 degrees), Ping G440 LST (9 degrees @8), Ping G440 LST (7.5 degrees)
Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Grey 6.5 TX 70 g, Project X HZRDUS T1100 Handcrafted 6.5 TX 70 g, Project X HZRDUS Smoke Grey 6.5 TX 70 g