2018 Official Forum Member Review - Mizuno ST180 Driver

[Undershooter]

Played today... like crap, but really gave a test of driver forgiveness since I couldn't find middle if you paid me. Interesting results that were mostly positive.

I hit the ST180 much better than my M2 if my swing is off. It could be the extra loft, but it is definitely easier to hit for some reason. 

[Peejer]

Very cool video's!  Which ShotTracer app are you using?

-- P.J.

 

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:

 

[Peejer]

I'm watching this thread with renewed interest.  I did the MyGolfSpy 'TrueFit' app and it recommended the Mizuno ST180. 

Nice intro's and information - keep it up and thank you!

-- P.J.

[newballcoach]

I'm watching this thread with renewed interest.  I did the MyGolfSpy 'TrueFit' app and it recommended the Mizuno ST180. 

Nice intro's and information - keep it up and thank you!

-- P.J.

Hopefully we can give you something to think about, look for all the stage 2's within a few weeks. Sneak preview, club make ball go far.

[Thin2win]

I'm watching this thread with renewed interest. I did the MyGolfSpy 'TrueFit' app and it recommended the Mizuno ST180.

Nice intro's and information - keep it up and thank you!

-- P.J.

I'm using the "ShotTracer Camera" app.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[Berg Ryman]

Hey everyone, Stage 2's are coming from us soon. As a matter of fact, I'm going for my new updated final test this Sunday. I'm looking at playing the same 9 hole course twice, once with my Nike, once with ol' Mizzy. My girlfriend, aspring photograhper should be joining me for some action shots and maybe I might do a video wrap-up if I can find the time.

[Thin2win]

Hello all, STG 2 is up. Let me know if there is anything else I can give feedback on. 

[goaliewales14]

Hello all, STG 2 is up. Let me know if there is anything else I can give feedback on. 

 

Thin2Win - would you be up for sending it my way to put up against my G LST?  We have about the same swing characteristics except I do slice.  I would be willing to cover shipping and adding my review to this thread.

[Thin2win]

Thin2Win - would you be up for sending it my way to put up against my G LST? We have about the same swing characteristics except I do slice. I would be willing to cover shipping and adding my review to this thread.

I'll be starting a different thread soon for the purpose of finding this club a new home. So keep an eye out for that.

 

 

 

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[MattF]

Thanks for the stage 2 Thin...I think I have the same dilemma but with a different club, only time will tell.

[Reesedw]

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. 

 

Alright, the driving range in stage 2 was at Eaglemont, and your home course is Avalon.. am i right??? I'm sorry the club was not for you. it does look amazing.. Great stage posts.. 

[Thin2win]

Alright, the driving range in stage 2 was at Eaglemont, and your home course is Avalon.. am i right??? I'm sorry the club was not for you. it does look amazing.. Great stage posts..

You sir are an official spy.

 

I love my G400, so if was going to take that spot in the bag it was going to have to have some serious game. And it really does, just not my kind of game.

 

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[Berg Ryman]

Round today, photos getting an edit... Stage 2 soon

[newballcoach]

Hey guys! My Stage 2 is up now. Feel free to ask me any questions you have. I had a really love/hate relationship with this club this summer, but if you are looking for a club to help you go left, the Mizuno is it!

[Thin2win]

Hey guys! My Stage 2 is up now. Feel free to ask me any questions you have. I had a really love/hate relationship with this club this summer, but if you are looking for a club to help you go left, the Mizuno is it!

Wow, we had almost the same experience with this club. A monster when it worked, but a club that wanted the ball to go left, left and more left until you make a swing change and push it off to the right.

 

I believe the majority of golfers still slice the ball, and I think this club should be on every one of those players short list of clubs to try.

 

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[newballcoach]

Wow, we had almost the same experience with this club. A monster when it worked, but a club that wanted the ball to go left, left and more left until you make a swing change and push it off to the right.

 

I believe the majority of golfers still slice the ball, and I think this club should be on every one of those players short list of clubs to try.

 

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I read your review after posting mine (didn't want to read it before to colour my assessment) and I laughed a few times because of the similar experience. I feel a little bit better knowing it wasn't just me. I second the statement that it should be a must test for anybody in the driver market

[kingcscott]

Mizuno ST-180 – Official MGS Forum Review by newballcoach

Intro

Hi guys, it's been a fun summer for me (hopefully for you too as well) as I've been working my butt off testing this Mizuno ST-180. I have a lot to say about this driver and it's been a great experience testing. I have been playing rounds, practicing, and putting this bad boy through the paces. If you remember from stage 1, I discussed how driver is often the worst part of my game and that has changed as I have played some of the best golf of my life this summer. I hope to lead you through my experience with the ST1-80 and what's changed for me.

 

The big question is, can a driver that is not played by any professional on any major tour (I looked it up) compete with a driver that, although two years old, was played by tons of pros at all of the highest levels. Could the ST-180 stack up against the M1 from 2016? Well let's get it!

 

IMG_20180829_091337.jpg

 

Looks

I have had lots of compliments about the look of the driver and the colour. I definitely have been impressed with it and the blue I think looks great, especially contrasting the green of teeboxes. Most drivers are black, or some combo of dark colours, Mizuno hits a great spot in the market. However, it is different and not everybody is going to like that. The alignment aid at the front of the club does a great job of helping me line up to the ball and I like that it stands out as different. Does it look better than other drivers, I think that's a major question of personal preference.

(9 out of 10)

 

Sound & Feel

This is where I think opinions are going to start to differ. The sound is definitely louder and harsher than other drivers. When I make a mishit (specifically my low left pull miss) the driver is very loud, and is more than happy to let everybody know I didn't hit it perfect. The closest comparison I can make is to the clank of an aluminum bat when you really smoke one. I guess that makes sense considering Mizuno is also a bat company. When you strike it well, it sounds sweet, but I definitely notice a difference on off-centre hits. Check out the video I posted this summer if you're looking to hear it for yourself. Sound is not a huge deal for me, it doesn't bother me or mess with my mental game like it might for some people.

Feel is a bit of a different issue, although I think it is mostly shaft related (more on this later). I somehow feel like the head is lighter, and I have trouble feeling it throughout the swing. The ball feels great coming off the face and just seems to keep going out there. I am a big fan of how it feels. When you hit this driver square, you know it's good and my results have shown that.

(8 out of 10 points)

 

Range Performance

 

IMG_20180901_120828.jpg

On the range, I'm part Dustin Johnson, part John Daly, and 100% awesome. On the range with this bad boy, I can't go wrong. I can smash straight balls, I can pull off nice controlled draws. I look like a million bucks, smiling while hitting my driver that matches my shoes.

 

I had some great fun with this club on the range this summer, trying to hit different trajectory windows and working the ball both ways. I saw a bit of success doing that, but I think most of my failure is brought on by my inability to do those things, not the clubs.When I hit in the way I wanted, I could hit more of a stinger with a low ball-flight. I could get that high draw. I could not however, for the life of me, hit a fade. I watched the TXG youtube channel review on this driver (linked in my stage 1 if you're interested) and they had referred to it as an “extremely fade biased head.” Well, there has not been a driver manufactured that I couldn't hook, and true enough, the ST is able to turn over right to left. ALL the way left. I really had to work to get that fade to happen, and often times would result in a pop-up from the face being too open on the downswing. I tried, but fades were inconsistent. Again, probably more my failure than the club.

 

When comparing the M1 to the ST-180 on the launch monitor, I found some interesting findings. I will attach a chart here, but I felt that what I saw on the monitor is not the same as what I saw on the course. Now, honestly, some of that might have been “beating balls in a simulator for an hour” syndrome, where by the end my swing was a bit of a mess and didn't get the truest reading on the ST-180. Now, the one thing I don't think was wrong was that my swing speed was slower with the ST than with the M1. That's 100% the shaft, but it definitely changes the numbers and means that, in my opinion, I was getting more out of the ST head.

 

I had a little bit of trouble with the formatting of my graph in here, so until I sort that out, here is a link to the results: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NVWcSYURO7c2ih0SZ74sWtK-57tWAYOiZSP6rLbrhgw/edit#gid=0&range=A1:G4

 

 

I was happy with the accuracy the ST provided and really felt like the forgiveness was quite good on mishits. The adjustability I was not as happy with. You can only move the loft full degrees, not half. I found the 9.5 a bit high at times, but the 8.5 gave me poor peformance. I would have liked to see if in between (like I can get in my M1) would have been helpful. It was unfortunate that I couldn't 100% dial it in the way I wanted it.

Last comment is about forgiveness. I am not sure how much forgiveness this driver had. There is a big difference in distance between a great shot and a poor shot (which is a solid definition of forgiveness). I had a ton of trouble hitting the centre of the face. Now, as a caveat, I self-fitted myself for the Tensei Blue CK 60 stiff shaft, and looking back, I'm not sure that was the right choice. The shaft weight may have been too light, which was making it difficult for me to square the club face. So after looking at my impact tape, you might say I have had all forgiveness!

(18 out of 20 points)

 

On-Course Performance

I tracked my on-course performance using the 18 birdies app over the course of this test. While not perfect, it has a great price tag and gave me a good idea of where I was on the course and giving me some numbers on distance and tracking stats. While not all of these numbers are 100% accurate, they are useful to compare with the performance of my previous driver in order to compare them.

 

IMG_20180816_085742.jpg

I got a bit too much launch on this one..

 

The ST-180 for me was a Katy Perry song. It's hot and it's cold, it's yes and it's no. And all summer, at times it was in and it was out. When I could line it up, the results were fantastic. However, I found myself getting out of rhythm with the ST very often (this is likely due to the weight of the shaft and not necessarily an issue with the head). One hole I would smash it, the next hole (when trying to smash it) I would end up with a low pull hook.

 

I had 75 shots tracked with the ST-180 (and that is certainly not all of them). An average of 218 yards (low pull hooks guys) and a max of 312 (which is not at all correct but fun to say). I hit some absolute beauties, some great drives into some new and interesting areas I'd never seen before (namely the middle of the fairway). More than once I found myself hitting approach shots from places I hadn't been before,with new clubs, which is always fun. It also gave me the option to go for a lot of par 5's in two, which is one of my favourite things to do even if it isn't smart.

 

IMG_20180824_122506.jpg

 

But as I said, there were lots of poor drives, low hooks and some strange pop-ups I'd never hit with a driver before. It's hard for me to separate shaft performance from head performance, but I do have to admit I had a hard time making consistently great drives.I felt like the driver had hot spots which made distance prediction difficult.

 

When I compare it to my current gamer, I am not sure I can realistically say which one is better. The ST gives me those hot spot drives that are great, but I can't consistently rely on it. I loved the sound and the feel when I smoked a good one, and I loved being the last person to hit their 2nd shot. But when it went wrong, it was wrong. I did manage to play some of my best golf this summer with this driver (rotating in with my gamer) and it was fun to have that feeling of competency in golf for the first time. I was ONE damn putt away from breaking 80 and it's still haunting me a little bit.

 

I would say 100% that this driver has made me (and anybody I could convince) think that Mizuno is a player in the driver industry. I know that tour validation is a poor indicator of club performance, but it does impact some people. Mizuno does not have a single tour pro playing this driver, and after playing the ST-180 for a summer, it might help some. Now, I found a major hook dias in this driver, which is probably a reason no pros would touch it. I found it did a great job of reducing spin for me, and was able to stand toe-to-toe with the big bad M1 and at times, come out on top. I think anybody in the market for a driver should absolutely take a look at this head, however it might make sense to find a shaft that fits you well. The stock options will work for many, but I definitely feel I could have found some improvements with a shaft that better fit me. In the future I'd love to see a hosel with more options, and maybe even a moveable weight or two to help move the CG. Mizuno is kind of stuck with one driver that has 1000 options (the GT) and one with none (the ST), finding an option with more of a middle ground might help fit more golfers. As we all know, golfers love technology they can see and Mizuno might benefit from more in the ST and less in the GT, in my humble opinion.

 

Score on good swings 19/20

Score on poor swings 10/20

(29 out of 40 points)

 

IMG_20180908_110843.jpg

Play it or Trade it?

Honestly, this is not an easy call. I really enjoyed playing this driver and had a great summer testing it. Likely my plan over the off season is to try a few different shaft combos in this driver to see if I can maximize my performance a bit more. I think if I can fix some of my swing issues with this club, it can become a monster for me. I would imagine this club finds its way into my bag on a regular basis sooner rather than later.

 

This is a driver that can help any golfer, but particularly a high-spin player looking to add some pop and has trouble losing the ball to the right. I don't know too many people who couldn't use some extra ballspeed and yards off the tee, and they should definitely look into the ST-180 to help provide those.

(16 out of 20 points)

 

Conclusion

Can a Mizuno driver stand up nose-to-nose with a driver that had tons of play on the PGA tour as recently as two years ago? The answer is a resounding yes, it can do everything the M1 can and more. However, getting fit up with the right shaft would have made this a slam dunk for me. So should you test the ST-180? Is it worth the hype of a driver with the highest carry distance in this year's most wanted testing? Absolutely, you will not be disappointed.

Final Score: (80 out of 100 points)

i own this bad boy and am working out my misses. I have found that like my old driver if I step on it I leave the face open a block it right. But my best swings are from a more upright swing and stance and hit the most beautiful fades. Occasionally I have a pull hook but it is rare. I have definitely gained yardage from over my 10+ year old Mizzy and know when I get this dialed unit will be great for my game. I have found for me, so far, coming from a 10.5 degree driver that the 9.5 degree leave the face more neutral than 10.5 and a better higher flight. part of this is me working out my swing an game to the new club.

Looks are great. When I hit a perfect shot I don't even hear the baseball bat sound. I find it a bit of an odd sound but it doesn't bother me. I hate TM and wanted to wait for the Titleist and Callaway was an option. But my friend is a Mizzy fitter and I got fit for this free. Plus I found this driver for $169 shipped. Game over. It is in and staying

In my bag.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

[Berg Ryman]

Update, photos are being edited after a crop. My girlfriend remains the best... hopefully later this week for Stage 2, guys. But please read through the earlier Stage 2's, some very interesting and honest assessments given there, no doubt.

[newballcoach]

i own this bad boy and am working out my misses. I have found that like my old driver if I step on it I leave the face open a block it right. But my best swings are from a more upright swing and stance and hit the most beautiful fades. Occasionally I have a pull hook but it is rare. I have definitely gained yardage from over my 10+ year old Mizzy and know when I get this dialed unit will be great for my game. I have found for me, so far, coming from a 10.5 degree driver that the 9.5 degree leave the face more neutral than 10.5 and a better higher flight. part of this is me working out my swing an game to the new club.

Looks are great. When I hit a perfect shot I don't even hear the baseball bat sound. I find it a bit of an odd sound but it doesn't bother me. I hate TM and wanted to wait for the Titleist and Callaway was an option. But my friend is a Mizzy fitter and I got fit for this free. Plus I found this driver for $169 shipped. Game over. It is in and staying

In my bag.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using MyGolfSpy

 

I'm glad to hear it's working out for you! I honestly think in the right hands this driver would be great for a number of people. But as an already hook heavy player, I just can't put it in play consistently with any confidence.

[ROBOPTI@XPHLEXXX]

Been off forums for a while ... Time to get back in the "swing" 

 

THIS driver is good enough to make me login and post ... This is probably (I'm fighting saying 100% sure) ... the best driver head I ever owned. And I own them ALL .. Well except Titleist 

 

BEAST !!! .. Mizuno hit a HOMERUN with this one     

 

 

 

 

 

[Thin2win]

Been off forums for a while ... Time to get back in the "swing"

 

THIS driver is good enough to make me login and post ... This is probably (I'm fighting saying 100% sure) ... the best driver head I ever owned. And I own them ALL .. Well except Titleist

 

BEAST !!! .. Mizuno hit a HOMERUN with this one

 

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20180830_211943.jpg

Glad this gets the love from you. Out of curiosity, what is your standard ball flight?

 

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[Berg Ryman]

Hey Everyone, My Stage 2 is live right here and I'd be happy to answer any other questions you have.

[russtopherb]

Hey Everyone, My Stage 2 is live right here and I'd be happy to answer any other questions you have.

 

Great Stage 2! The pics & captions had me smiling, excellent job. It's tough to think about replacing a club you've had for 10 years that you're incredibly comfortable with, so that speaks volumes to the Mizzy. 

[MaxEntropy]

Hey Everyone, My Stage 2 is live right here and I'd be happy to answer any other questions you have.

 

Great job! It really is a beautiful club, IMO.

 

You referred to not being quite comfortable with it yet (don't recall your exact wording), especially since the Nike has been in your bag for 12 years. Do you recall how long that process was with the Nike? Was it love at first swing?

[Berg Ryman]

Great job! It really is a beautiful club, IMO.

 

You referred to not being quite comfortable with it yet (don't recall your exact wording), especially since the Nike has been in your bag for 12 years. Do you recall how long that process was with the Nike? Was it love at first swing?

 

Max,

 

There's no doubt it was closer to love at first swing, but that's because of where I was coming from. The driver before the Nike was Bang Golf's Mellow Yellow 420, an ebay self-fit purchase of $50. The shaft (a Harrison Striper Pro) was way too stiff and the 9* has not enough loft for me to deliver it in any meaningful way.  Plus, I got the Nike about a month before I started my senior year of high school golf. I played a lot more often back since my home course would yet me on for free later in the afternoon, and needed the thing to work. Now, without those options and trying to get my law career off the ground, there just wasn't the same amount of time to make that transition as seamless as Bang to Nike. 

 

I do feel plenty confident with Blue Eyes White Dragon in my hand, it's just that not having that total memory bank of great shots and feelings to rely upon makes me question it a bit more. 

 

Thanks for the question though, and a reason to bump this thread back to the top so people can read all of our fantastic Stage 2's!

[Thin2win]

Hey Everyone, My Stage 2 is live right here and I'd be happy to answer any other questions you have.

Great write up, glad this beauty has found 1 new home.

 

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[Nunfa0]

Great stage 2s guys, would really like to try this driver but Mizuno don't bring Lefty's to NZ 😭

[STUDque]

Hey Everyone, My Stage 2 is live right here and I'd be happy to answer any other questions you have.

 

Great job on the write-up dude!

 

You mentioned a few times that the closed face was bothersome and takes adjusting; have you tried lofting down? Most drivers will flatten the lie and open the face as you adjust the loft lower. Not sure if this will bring your flight down too low as well but it might be worth the range experiment.

[Berg Ryman]

Great job on the write-up dude!

 

You mentioned a few times that the closed face was bothersome and takes adjusting; have you tried lofting down? Most drivers will flatten the lie and open the face as you adjust the loft lower. Not sure if this will bring your flight down too low as well but it might be worth the range experiment.

I have thought about it Stud, but when I did the fitting the 10.5 was my sweet spot for proper launch and spin. That's no surprise really knowing my swing because 10.5-11 is always where it's been. I'll give it a go at the range soon because it's worth a shot, but I just think it'll flatten the flight and up the spin.

 

Plus, it's not super closed at address. When I say closed I'm talking a degree to maybe two degrees. It's not that different from most modern drivers. Just coming from something you've looked at for 12 years and seeing something slightly different, you do pick up on that slight variation

[Berg Ryman]

Slight push in case there is anyone else out there with any questions about this beast of a driver?