2018 Official Forum Member Review - Mizuno ST180 Driver

[ole gray]

 

 

 

Awesome pics and great intro!

[ole gray]

 

Probably one of my best ever! So let's hope these results stick around, I'll try to keep my

swing together and make sure I bring you guys the best of what the ST-180 has to offer. I'll be hitting the range, trying to get on a launch monitor and really getting into the nitty gritty of what this driver can do. To put this guy in my bag full-time, I need to see an increase in accuracy and consistency. If I can keep the ball in good places, I can play well, if I'm in the woods, well we all know. Thanks everybody, and I can't wait to share it with you guys!

 

Attaboy Coach and looking forward to your stage 2 !  I can't get over how darn good looking this driver is. 

[Thin2win]

Got to say, the blue color on this ST180 suits my eye beautifully. Really nice finish.

 

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[Har in the Hat]

Great pic Ole Gray. thanks.

I am really loving the blue on the driver. Wow. I could look at that all day long. This could pose a problem if I had one. Might be tempted to tee it up on par 3's and swing reallllly slooooow.

[Rickp]

Great start guys. Looking forward to Stage 2's

 

 

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[newballcoach]

Guys I hit up a range session today and got a chance to hit both drivers. Wanted to record video to help myself, but also to compare the sound. So here's the copy of a few swings with each driver. If you feel like giving me some swing tips, feel free Thanks all!

 

[russtopherb]

Guys I hit up a range session today and got a chance to hit both drivers. Wanted to record video to help myself, but also to compare the sound. So here's the copy of a few swings with each driver. If you feel like giving me some swing tips, feel free Thanks all!

 

 

Definitely a more muted sound with the Mizuno, at least that's how it sounds to me on laptop speakers. 

[STUDque]

Guys I hit up a range session today and got a chance to hit both drivers. Wanted to record video to help myself, but also to compare the sound. So here's the copy of a few swings with each driver. If you feel like giving me some swing tips, feel free Thanks all!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRtHuCy9RNM&feature=youtu.be

Nice video. I'm actually really impressed at how well the mic picked up the sound difference between the two drivers. I could hear the noticeable difference and it drove home the distinction you guys have been trying to communicate.

 

I'm no swing guru so I'll leave that part alone but I have a fun fact: tipping the ball off the tee is actually NOT a stroke. I looked it up one day because I just had to know. It comes back to our favorite term of intent; however, it's only good for the tee box. Once the ball is in play, every time you cause the ball to move counts.

[Har in the Hat]

The G400 is going to be a tough head to head!!!

The G400 is going to be a tough head to head!!!

The pic goalieewakes posted of the mizuno side by side withe ping driver somehow makes me think of John Daley standing beside Davis Love III.

[PMookie]

Curious about “forgiveness” with the spin so low. Distance seems to be pretty good from the posts I've read so far.

 

 

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[Thin2win]

Curious about “forgiveness” with the spin so low. Distance seems to be pretty good from the posts I've read so far.

 

 

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Well, against the G400 Max I can say that the Max wins on forgiveness. By how much? Well, isn't that what a screen scrolling stage 2 is for?

 

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[Undershooter]

Curious about “forgiveness” with the spin so low. Distance seems to be pretty good from the posts I've read so far.

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Imo it's very forgiving. Possibly more so than my M2 and those are very forgiving.

 

If it tells you anything I let my dad use mine this weekend when we went and played. He plays once a year or so these days and still has a steel shafted/steel head driver bc he hates graphite (old school mindset kills him). He said it was the best large headed/graphite shafted driver that he's hit. Not to mention, he rarely hit it out of the middle of the face. I think he shot 109 on a decently tough Country Club the first day and 46 for 9 on an avg muni the second day. The fact that he liked it surprised me bc of the odd color.

And I'm sure an 86g x stiff shaft didn't exactly fit him either lol

 

I found it hilarious that he liked it. His miss is high on the face and heelside for those wondering. Or at least it was with the ST180

[PMookie]

Well, against the G400 Max I can say that the Max wins on forgiveness. By how much? Well, isn't that what a screen scrolling stage 2 is for?

 

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Hmm. Curious of how much spin/distance difference between those two... Looking forward to reading the answer in Stage 2.

 

 

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[MDGolfHacker]

Stage 1 is up, after some wait the ST180s have arrived and already have a few rounds in with it. Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

Unicorn urine 😁😂🤣😂

 

MDGolfHacker

[goaliewales14]

What is one thing that you guys are hoping to get out of the Mizuno that you're struggling with on your current driver?

[Berg Ryman]

What is one thing that you guys are hoping to get out of the Mizuno that you're struggling with on your current driver?

Well Wales, the big thing I'm hoping for is more distance. Coming from a driver that is quite old I'd expect to see some gains. I mean, nothing obscenely ridiculous, but maybe something that allows me one club less into greens.

 

Admittedly, so fair it's preforming solidly on that front, but time will tell!

[Thin2win]

What is one thing that you guys are hoping to get out of the Mizuno that you're struggling with on your current driver?

For me, having the G400 Max in the bag, I really wanted to see how it would compare across all fronts. Feel, forgiveness, on course performance and give everyone here a head to head on these two forged face offerings.

 

The difference between them is significantly larger than I thought it was going to be. I figured they would end up being pretty similar, not at all the case. I can easily see where each would perform better for a specific group of golfers.

 

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[PMookie]

For me, having the G400 Max in the bag, I really wanted to see how it would compare across all fronts. Feel, forgiveness, on course performance and give everyone here a head to head on these two forged face offerings.

 

The difference between them is significantly larger than I thought it was going to be. I figured they would end up being pretty similar, not at all the case. I can easily see where each would perform better for a specific group of golfers.

 

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Looking forward to seeing how you separate those groups.

 

 

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[bens197]

Again, a big thanks to Big Oak and their staff, nicest bunch of guys and they have everything there. I even got to hit a PXG iron because I asked nice and they knew I had a little bit of game. If you need a fitting in Central NY, they should be the first call!

I'm so glad to hear you enjoyed your fitting. Mike was one of my favorite people there when I worked there in college. It's nice to see you trusted your gut and didn't just jump onto the orange bandwagon.

 

Oh, and for you ‘Cuse fans, it's Western or Upstate, NY 🤣

 

 

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[Undershooter]

What is one thing that you guys are hoping to get out of the Mizuno that you're struggling with on your current driver?

More consistency I guess...

 

The driver is one of the more hit or miss clubs in my bag. Of course more yards are great but I'd love for it to turn into a strength of mine rather than something that can be a weakness.

[kingcscott]

Hello everyone. First and foremost, thank you to MGS, Mizuno and the MGS community. I used to live in Summit County Colorado, and the joke there was that “you come for the winters, but you stay for the summers”. Like many here, I joined on the allure of some give away but have found these forums and the community worth so much more. A great spot to talk golf, travel and some guy named Rob's quest to own and sell every set of clubs ever made. So thanks to the whole gang.

My name is Christopher and I reside up in the PacNW about 70 miles north of Seattle. We might have the best summer climate for golf in the country, our winter golf is more of a testament of your waterproofing abilities and lack of common sense.

 

Golfing has been with me since I was a wee lil tike. Begging my dad to get me one of those multi-color Ping Eye2 golf balls was probably my first golf gear obsession. Next it was one of the Taylormade Burner Bubble drivers, then a Ping Sedona putter, then a.... you can all probably fill in the next 20 years with your own gear and ball desires to get to today which has most recently landed and Evnroll ER2 into the bag. Over the years Taylormade(x3), Callway(x1), Ping(x2), Cleveland(x1), Cobra(x1) and Titleist(x2) drivers have all spent time in my golf bag, and from that Burner Bubble to a Hibore Monster XLS. I have loved them all.

I golfed in high school, I golfed in the Navy, I golfed in college and now I golf after work. I grew up playing muni's in central Washington. I played Colorado golf in college and in my ski bum years. I spent 6 months playing resort golf at Bandon Dunes and now I terrorize any course along the I-5 corridor north of Seattle.

 

*Side note* If you have never played Colorado golf, please go book a flight to Denver, drive the 80 miles west on I-70 to Dillon and go play the Ranch course at Keystone or any of the other mountain courses in that area. Sure Pebble is pretty, and Bandon is windy but adding 20% distance to every club is way more fun and a lot less expensive.

Currently I am either the best or worst 7 HDCP you have ever seen. I seem to like scores of 70-74, or 80-85. I don't like that middle ground, so basically whoever I play with thinks I am a liar one way or the other. I am 36 , bald and with a spectacular beard. Swing speed right around 100mph gets me drives of 230-260 yards depending on the day. I use an 8 iron from 150, a 56* wedge will get me 95 and my putting will eventually get me off the green.

 

I am 5'7”, with a very compact swing. I play a straight to mild draw and can't remember the last year that I successfully took a divot. As a result I really struggle out of the rough with my shallow angle of attack, but when it comes to driving, that swing pays off for me. I generate pretty low levels of backspin, and with my current driver I average about 17* of launch angle with 1700 RPM of backspin. This results in some high blasts and good drives that can reach 280y. My bad miss is a push off to the right from which there is no return. Many brave urethane covered friends have been lost while I plead with them to start drawing back to safety.

 

My current WITB:

The only change I am considering at this time is dropping my 3W for a 60* wedge. I love the F7 woods and Hybrid, I am sold on baffler. The Ping i200's replaced a set of Adams CB2's that I played for 7 years and I think they fit my game very well. Mac Daddy Forged wedges are as good as any other wedge out there and for me they feel great. Then there is the ER2, because I MGS.

You might have noticed the driver hiding in that bag, the best driver ever made. Forged with the finest of elven metals by the strongest of dwarves, quenched in purest of unicorn urine, polished by a Binford 5300 wielded by Tim Allen himself and then hand painted by Batman, the Ping G400 Max.

 

Why?! You might wonder, if I have the living approximation of a God Code cheat for golf would I even consider parting ways with it for the Mizuno ST180? Do I think that the blue roadrunner can channel its inner Clubber Lang and hoist the belt? Will a Wave Sole and a Forged SP700 Titanium Face best the G400's Turbulators, Dragonflies and tungsten weights? I don't know, but I intend to find out and let you all know about it along the way.

 

 

 

For this review, and the reason I applied, I want to give this club a test that it will wake up sweating about. A full comparison between what I consider the best driver I have ever used and the driver that wants to be king. I will be using K-Sigs, the launch monitor at the local golf store, the driving range and on course testing for this test. Stage 2 will be coming soon. Please let me know if there is something specific you want me to see if I can test.

becuase I MGS. Me too, but I wouldn't trade that ER2 for anything.

 

 

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[kingcscott]

Great job guys. Just read through the whole thread. Y'all may make me not wait for the Titleist. We'll see how the stage 2's shape up

 

 

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[Thin2win]

becuase I MGS. Me too, but I wouldn't trade that ER2 for anything.

 

 

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Oh, it had been my best putting year ever. I have gone from pure mediocrity/suck to some semblance of competance. One round last year I missed 9 of 9 putts between 6-10 feet, this year I am making about 50% off those. Probably as much to do with more practice putting since I have a new putter, but I have confidence over ever putt now. Can't say I have ever had that before.

 

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[newballcoach]

What is one thing that you guys are hoping to get out of the Mizuno that you're struggling with on your current driver?

I've been hoping to drop some spin, gain some distance (obviously) and keep the ball a little bit straighter.

 

Those are 3 things, I have trouble editing.

[Berg Ryman]

Range yesterday. Think I found what was wrong and surprise surprise, it was me! Getting out this week to get another round in, hopefully with less bottom strikes after the range!

[Berg Ryman]

Torrential Rain in CNY this week, seems unlikely I'll get to the course. Any q's anyone has about anything right now?

[Thin2win]

Went out too the driving range yesterday with my trusty VoiceCaddie and the combatants. Used the ShotTracer app on my phone and my wifes slightly less than steady hands to take some videos of the two. These were the two best ones, and the Crow laughing really adds to the sound track. 

 

G400 Max:

 

 

ST180:

 

[Thin2win]

Going to go play in some 105° temps this weekend, will let you know if there is a noticeable roll out difference between the two on scorched earth fairways(and rough).

[Nunfa0]

Brilliant stuff guys, love the videos. The sound of these suits my ear. Not a high metallic ting but a nice muted sound.

Have to say I'm more than a little jealous because Mizuno don't bring lefty drivers to NZ so I can't even try one of these 😭😭

[Thin2win]

Brilliant stuff guys, love the videos. The sound of these suits my ear. Not a high metallic ting but a nice muted sound.

Have to say I'm more than a little jealous because Mizuno don't bring lefty drivers to NZ so I can't even try one of these

You could always learn to golf the correct way.... Just saying it's an option

 

The sound is slightly higher and slightly more tingy than my GMax, really, I think it sounds closest to the ping G from 2 years ago but a little quieter.

 

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