Introduction:

A little background on me is I am 31 years old and am from central Jersey. I work as a New Product Test Engineer for a company called Lixil where I test new toilets and other products.  I have an incredible wife who is very supportive of my love for the game. We have been together for 9 years and will have been married for 2 in December. She is so supportive in fact for my wedding gift that she planned us a weekend in Pinehurst where we played No 2, The Cradle, and got a tour of the USGA testing facilities through her USGA connections. We don’t have any kids but have 2 dogs together, a chihuahua mix named Tucker and a black lab mix named Hudson.

I play all of my golf at public tracks and am fortunate enough to live in one of the best counties for golf in the state. The courses aren’t long but they are consistently some of the best maintained courses for the level of play. My favorite course is Neshanic Valley golf course. It's a 27 hole championship golf course and I just found out it was designed by the same group who did Erin Hills. Currently I play off a 7 and am doing everything that I can to get down to a scratch golfer. I practice about 3-5 days a week in some capacity whether it is putting, chipping, or a range session.

WITB:

Currently I am gaming a set of Srixon ZX7’s 5-PW with the ZX Utility as my 4i replacement. The ZX7’s have DG 120 S400’s and the ZX Utility has a GD IZ 85 stiff flex. Length, loft, and lie are all pretty standard but the swingweight is heavy coming in at D4.5ish with midsize grips on them. These tools have served me well and still have a fair amount of life in them but it is time for me to move on. 

Baseline Numbers:

I did a full bag gapping session in March before I went on a golf trip so I have a good baseline of data and gapping from each iron in the bag. I know it's only about 5ish shots for each club but these weren't only perfect strikes and were more acceptable swings. Typically if I am happy with the swing I kept the result. Spin numbers are also accurate because I used a ProV1 RCT ball.

Overall these numbers are great and there really isn't anything to complain about. You could make an argument that the spin is very low for the 7i and 4i but this is with the ProV1 I find the newest model very low spin. My gamer ball is the Tour BX and I really don't see this low of a spin rate with that ball in play. Trajectory is super consistent across the board, dispersion is great despite the small sample size but  and gapping is damn near perfect. 

So why new irons?

Simply put I am noticing less spin due to the grooves starting to wear out coupled with the fact I am de-lofting the irons more as well due to swing changes that are for the better. I am catching more fliers far more frequently and the shafts themselves are playing a bit too soft for my liking since gaining speed. I went back and forth between swapping shafts for something more tip stiff or just fully replacing the irons themselves. I ended up going to a Mizuno demo day when the S-3’s were released and that pretty much sold me on a new set of irons. I almost purchased them right there but something told me to wait.

The Quest for New Steel

Rather than make an impulsive new decision on a new set of irons I naturally wanted to try as many options as I could to really solidify my decision. A new set was going to be expensive and I always enjoy the testing process for new clubs, especially the spot in the bag that is my favorite part. I went through 3 different fitting types before coming to my decision over the course of a year. I attended a Mizuno demo day, a fitting at golf galaxy, and a fitting at a private club nearby. I also quickly tried an iron combo at a Callaway demo day. The Mizuno demo day was great, the golf galaxy fitting was awful, and the private club fitting was decent.

The Different Fittings

The Mizuno Demo Day: April 2025

The demo day took place at Heron Glenn golf course in Ringoes NJ. This is one of the top public courses in New Jersey and about a half hour from where I live. The weather was a true April day in NJ with cloud cover, 50°ish weather, and some occasional drizzles of rain. When I got to the demo day the Mizuno rep was the only one out on the range because of the conditions. Bob (90% sure this was his name) was the Mizuno rep running things and had a few players show up before me. Due to the weather conditions Bob informed me that all of his tech was essentially dead because naturally indoor technology doesn’t work well with cold wet conditions. Bob was upfront with me about this and I get it especially because I was his last fit for the day. Here’s where I lucked out with Bob running things. Bob is retired and just doing fits to get out of the house and part of his resume is working on the Callaway tour truck in the early to mid 2000’s. So he tells me we will just do everything the old fashioned way through the sound of contact and ball flight. 

We start with the S-3’s because that’s what I was there for and we go through DG X100’s, Project X 6.5’s and a KBS C-Taper. I settle in really quickly to the C-Taper to my surprise and am seeing this lovely penetrating flight that just softly rises and falls right on target. Bob watches a few shots and offers me the same setup in the 241 which I quickly accept and then am immediately humbled. This just highlighted the forgiveness of those S-3’s. The 241’s weren’t much different to my eye from the S-3’s but the drop off in distance on mishits was staggering. After that we hit some 5irons of the S-3’s to try and figure out the top end of the bag and gave me the 243’s as well in the 7iron since he didn’t have it in the 5i. I was really surprised by the feel difference between the S-3 and 243’s as well. The 243’s felt super soft but powerful and not springy but they had some pop to them whereas the S-3’s just felt solid through and through. Bob ended up recommending we do just a straight set of S-3’s 4-PW with the C-Tapers and took down my final specs to be emailed. He also was just a wealth of information and shared a few stories from when he was with Callaway emphasized how insanely sensitive their level of feel in a build is for some of the players. 

Overall despite having zero tech to help with the fitting, Bob did a great job of getting me into something that could really work for me. I didn’t pull the trigger immediately because I wanted to see the numbers but his fit was the standard I had moving forward. The Mizuno demo days are legit and if you are considering Mizuno as your next iron set I would absolutely say go to one of their demo days to try their product.

Golf Galaxy Fitting: October 2025

As much as I wanted to pull the trigger on the S-3’s then and there I still needed to see the numbers and compare them to a few other irons on the market and figured I would wait until Titleist releases the new T100 lineup. I have heard mixed reviews about Golf Galaxy fittings and they seemed to largely be fitter dependent. The goal going in though was to not try a perfect fit but try a few different iron heads and verify the S-3 fit with some actual numbers. 

I went into the fit feeling optimistic and after a quick warmup we started with the S-3’s in my gamer shaft. We then went to the Cobra MB’s and hit a different shaft or two. When it was all said and done I tried only two different club heads and maybe three different shafts. I got the feeling that the fitter didn’t have any interest in helping me and once we tried the S-3 with C-Taper’s he figured it was good enough and we did a wedge fitting and ball fitting which I had no interest in. The only good takeaways were I got to confirm the S-3’s would be a good fit through data from the fitting. 

Combos Tried

Mizuno Pro S-3, DG120 and KBS C-Taper

Cobra MB,$Taper Stiff and $Taper X-Stiff

The Data

Again the Mizuno Pro S-3 shines through with the data. Launch, spin, peak height, and distance where all in a fantastic window. It really solidified itself as the iron to beat despite the strong showing from the Cobra MB.

Apparently Golf Galaxy didn’t have the C-Taper for the Cobra MB’s so that was the closest option and I liked the 120g shaft more than the 130g despite having high swing speed and being a softer flex.

Shackamaxon Fitting: May 2026

Feeling disappointed from my Golf Galaxy fitting I went to a local club that would fit me and I would hopefully try a few more options. I ended up trying the  ZXi7’s, Blueprint S, P7CB’s, Cobra Tour’s and Cobra CB’s. Trackman was down but we were able to get decent numbers with the Rapsodo MLM and being outside. They didn’t have any Mizuno heads for me  to try and when it was all said and done the Cobra CB’s came out on top. They felt wonderful and were super forgiving for being a cavity back. They were also crazy consistent ball speed and carry wise. The only reason I didn’t order them was because when I called up Cobra to ask if they could get my build up to D4-D5 they told me the highest it could be built to was D1 which wasn’t going to fly. Overall this was a great fitting because it accomplished what I wanted. I wanted to try a bunch of different iron heads as well as shaft combinations and find something that could rival the S-3’s. The cobra irons did just that and the only reason I didn’t go with them was because Mizuno was able to build to my desired swing weight and Cobra would come in way too light.

Final Iron Specs

Build Specs

M-13: 4i-5i                                            S-3: 6i-PW

Lie Angle: STD                                      Lie Angle: STD

Lofts: 4i: 23°, 5i: 27°                              Lofts: STD

Length: STD                                          Length: STD

Swing Weight: D4                                 Swing Weight: D4

KBS C-Taper - Stiff                                KBS C-Taper - Stiff

The Finer Things

Mizuno ICON Ferrules

Grip: SuperStroke REVL Element (Midsize)

Final Arccos Approach Stats

According to Arccos and with my goal to be to a scratch golfer my approach game could use some work. I need to hit at least 2 more GIR per round and when I do miss I need to be missing much closer to the hole. Will this set of irons help me achieve both of those things? Only time will tell but if these irons are everything that Mizuno bills the to be and more I think there is a good chance for that.

First Impressions:

Packaging

Everything was beautifully wrapped and there was no damage during shipping. Grips and heads all had plastic on the and were neatly laid out. Bubble wrap was also used in the center of the box to prevent damage to the shafts. Build spec sheets were included for all clubs.

Looks

These irons are perfect from every angle. The satin look of the S-3 just oozes class in such a subtle way and the shaping of the S-3 irons is so smooth where one iron blends into another. This trend continues with the transition from the S-3 to the M-13’s. Behind the ball the M-13’s only look a hair larger than the S-3’s but that’s exactly what I wanted with the transition at the 5 iron. The 4iron is where it starts to look a bit bigger where the top line looks thicker and you can start to see the back of the iron. But that’s only because it’s being compared to the S-3.

This is still an incredibly small iron that any good player would be happy to have in their bag. I was also pleasantly surprised by how subtle the change from brushed satin in the S-3’s to brushed Chrome in the M-13’s was behind the ball. The faces between the two clubs have the same finish so that very much helps. In the bag at a quick  glance you would think they are a part of the same iron set from the back of the bag. Looking closer I would love for the badge to sit more flush with the back of the club as from certain angles it looks like there is a bit of a gap. If they could have made the badge a titanium piece like with the MP-20MMC I think that would have really been cool but it’s not that simple. 

PW:

7i

4i

Turf Interaction

The tri cut sole is the star of the show here and Mizuno absolutely killed it with this design. The club gets through any lie no problem and handles being steep with ease. Rough has been no problem and if you get too steep you won’t even realize it based on turf interaction alone. The sole is also really great in the pitching wedge for chipping and pitching around the green. 

On Course Performance

So far the irons have seen a 9 hole course, 2 full 18’s, and an irons only back 9 of a par 72 course from 3,000 yards. They have been run through as much of a gambit as they could be in a short 2 week span since their arrival. I am very impressed with the consistency of this set. The forgiveness of these irons is a lot more than I expected on small misses. Big misses will still get rightfully punished but the slight misses heel side and toe side perform pretty close to center strikes. The feel is a bit harsher to let you know to hit the middle of the clubface but dispersion is still great. I am a huge fan of the KBS C-Taper shafts especially since I wasn’t a fan of them in the past but they are super stable despite only being a “Stiff” flex.

Technology:9/10

So let's get started, I'm not going to jump too deeply into the technology etc because mizuno's website says it best,  but i will bring up the contour ellipse face and the sole. What a welcomed change over the 923 forged. The face is HOT. But its not necessarily the speed at which the ball comes off that really set it apart for me as they do have the hot metal sets. Its the consistency at which it can maintain those speeds while retaining +/- 300spin rates and +/- 3yrds on distances which in reality is a difference in swing rather than the face.  They have managed to make a package that is fast and consistent rather than one or the other and doing so while maintaining that Mizuno feel is to be applauded. Moving onto the new sole, the turf interaction is as good if not maybe slightly better than the Srixon Zx5 mk2 that my buddy games and I got a few swings with side by side. I think they really hit the nail on the head with getting the club in and out of the turf for steep and shallow swings. I also really enjoy the 8-P being 1025 to maximize that feel and control that Mizuno exploits so well.
 

Forgiveness/workability:8/10

If I was rating between the forgiveness and workability I would split it right down the middle. If you want to be able to move the ball you can most definitely do so. I found that all shot shapes are on the table with these clubs but like many in the category it will probably be less pronounced. More of a tight draw or cut fade. I have not tried to really sling one either direction but based on how the club sits  at address I'd say you have a better chance of a slingy draw than a slingy fade. Off center strikes do quite well and give a lot of feedback on mishits without being numbing at all.

Looks:  8/10

I struggled with this one a bit because they are objectively a good looking iron and very clean both in the bag and at address. Too line is what I'd describe as skinny fat. Its wider than the pro series but thinner than the rest of the jpx series. Confidence inspirong enough but also makes you feel like you're hitting a players club. Blade length is slightly longer than pro series but not offensive at all as well. Coming from the 923 tour and pro 243s I find it a pretty easy adjustment on the eyes overall but i did go with the black edition just to hide the topline width just a touch because it suits my eye better even if I'm not quite "good enough for blades" I prefer the thinner look. In comparison to zx5 mk2 (and the zxi5 , i think it looks thinner and cleaner due to the more rounded topline vs the zx series more square edges. With the black edition i like the addition of the grey face as it really frames the ball nicely. The part that docks the look for me is the satin finish with the chrome line across the back. In the black edition it would be the matte black finish contrasted to a polished black bar. I think they nailed 97% of the looks, and I couldn't tell you why it bothers me but for whatever reason it does. That being said, it didn't bother me enough to not buy them because they are gorgeous and perform great.

Feel:

Mizuno's Chris Voshall mentions that they wanted it to feel softer than a 243 and they believe they achieved that. I would be hard pressed to disagree with the caveat that thin shots arguably feel a little better in the 243s. But, from everywhere else on the face I would have a hard time saying they did not achieve their goal. The center of the face feels like it sits between a 243 and a 241 with the speed (and maybe a little extra speed) than the 245. 
 

Launch and Spin: 9/10

I would say these irons have a mid launch with mid spin with the stock shaft offerings that you'd find in store (DG mid 115 s300 and Ctaper lite 110) *note that the black edition comes off the rack with DG mid 115 s400 tour issue shafts that are actually 130g and it makes a difference i.e. lower launch, lower spin and considerably heavier feeling (me and the guy I worked with missed this). Versus the ZXi5 with same DG115 S300, the launch is significantly lower on the Jpx 925 forged  with a decent amount more spin in the 7iron (100apex w/ 6000 spin vs 120apex w/5300 spin). Dispersion was better for me with the forged as well but that's the pilot not the plane. 
 

Overall, the looks, feel and performance of these clubs for me is second to none. Mizuno offers a whole host of zero upcharge shafts and the shaft optimizer that you're local fitter or big box store will likely have is a fantastic tool. For the low to mid handicap or halfway decent ballstrikers out there who want to work the ball occasionally but want a little extra help, I would highly recommend these irons. General specs for gapping is 21* 4i, 30* 7i, 43*PW, 48* GW. 
 

Thanks for reading, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask down below. 

A teaser picture of my new irons:

The iron performance was nearly perfect and I almost switched irons on the spot.

I hit the 7 iron around 180 with 6900 rpm spin.

When I say nearly perfect here is what I mean: shot shape was easy to control. Fade, draw, it didn't matter.  These clubs are true winners.

I will be looking and considering these very heavily in the future. 

I went through a fitting at Mizuno’s Australian head office in Melbourne. I’m reviewing the fitting process as it’s something that Mizuno does extremely well.The fittier was a youngish guy who was a pro. Nice guy who was helpful, knowledgeable and relaxed. After warming up with my then current irons (Mizuno MP18 MMC) I hit 3 balls using a club fitted with Mizuno’s Optimiser. Somewhat surprisingly, the shaft from my previous fitting was nowhere near being suggested for me.  I hit a few balls with each of the shafts picked by the optimiser, and it was quickly apparent that my best fit was Nippon Pro Modus 3 105gm in stiff. The clear winner of the current release Mizuno irons was the Pro 245. Distance, dispersion and consistency were all better for me than the other options.

As Mizuno don’t sell directly I was given my specs and a list of retailers. They threw in a glove and a sleeve of balls which was a nice surprise.

Now to the clubs.

They are beautiful looking clubs

The blade length is slightly shorter than the MP18 MMCs, which makes the face appear slightly deeper, which is pleasing to my eye.

Performance is definitely an improvement for me. About 1/2 a club longer, with a higher ball flight so they stop well. Shot shape is straighter, which took some adjusting to when I first put the in play. My strong fade has turned into a gentle one, Left side misses weren’t something I was used to.

Anyone who likes the look of a more compact head but could use a little help with ball speed should look closely at the Pro 245s. I had hoped to get some comparative data using my Shotscope, but an ongoing wrist issue has meant I have to wear a brace on my left wrist and can’t wear the Shotscope watch. I have seen a reduction in my handicap of 1.5 from when I got them, and my confidence is so much greater when I have a longer iron in my hands. 

With most shafts and grips available as no upcharge options, Mizuno should be one of the first brands that golfers look at, especially when it comes to choosing irons.

Mods, feel free to merge this with other Pro 245 review

First things first, I switched shafts in testing. For whatever reason, I was gaming NS Pro 105 Reg shafts with Golf Pride MCC +1 wrap. I blame this on the Big Box "fitting" process of 5 years ago. Maybe I'm stronger now. Maybe my technique has led to a quicker swing. I should not be in a Reg shaft with a 105mph cruising speed with a driver. So, I bumped up to play Dynamic Gold's Mid 115 shaft. I have a quicker transition that I want to slow down a bit with a heavier shaft. I'm a scrawny character, but I can move the club. And these mid-launch shafts are dialled in nicely to give me the right launch window. I paired these shafts with Golf Pride MCC Black/Black standard with 2 extra wraps, logo down. I like the simpler look from address with nothing to distract my eyes. The extra wrap has really helped me keep from turning over the club and ripping a big hook. I'm hitting a really straight ball at the moment, which has not been the case in recent years. (Biggest advice: get fit by the experts and also talk about/test out different grip and sizes).

Now for the clubs themselves, I'll put my one complaint here: egregiously off-centre strikes do not feel good. That's it. And why should they? Even so, the tungsten weighting really helps on those mis-hits. As an example, I was playing alone on a quiet track this week and came to a par 3 hole over water. Short right meant it was in the drink. The pin was 136 yds, a solid PW. Playing two balls, my first shot was excellent. I flew it 135 with a touch of spin to be about 6 feet short. My next shot was struck nearly on the divide between the grooves and the end of the iron. Not good and it didn't feel good. Immediately I thought it was in the drink. To my astonishment, it cleared the water by about 4 yds. So the difference between a great shot and a bad one was about 8 yards. I'd say the tungsten is doing its job!

If you've played Mizuno's in the past, the sound is often a bit muted and lovely. These MP245s are far different. It's more of a crack at impact. Still fabulous, but very different. The feel of a well-struck shot is different too. Where the JPX919s felt soft and effortless. When you square up with the 245s, you are immediately aware if it's great shot or not. Impact is firm and it feels like the ball explodes off the face. It's quite a contrast juxtaposed with the 919s. I'll talk about looks towards the end, but I should probably get into the performance, if you've made it this far. 

Straighter, longer. Yes, the stronger lofts definitely help this. But it's the properly positioned internal weight that really helps keep the ball on line. I haven't needed to really move the ball left or right (still early season, trees haven't been a big issue yet). Hitting the ball on line has been easier than with any other club I've used. I'm carrying these a half club longer than my 919s, which is absolutely lovely. Note: with the stronger lofts, spin has come down. I switched balls because of this to keep my spin numbers similar to my previous irons. I went from a ProV1 to the X to generate (what I think is) appropriate spin. Seems to have helped. Keep that in mind, if you're thinking of picking up a set of these. All told, the performance has been exceptional! I will definitely provide an update mid-season, as I'm sure I'll have more to talk about. 

Which brings me to looks. I can't imagine a sexier players distance iron. It looks like an MB blade! They're incredible! The simple elegance, the narrow topline, the gorgeous stamped logo in the "meat" of the iron... I'm in love. To date, I whole-heartedly recommend these irons to anyone looking to game a better iron, with a little distance and forgiveness help. I'm not the longest or straightest hitter, but these give me the confidence to execute the shots I need to take when the time comes. Mizuno has knocked it out of the park!