Equipment
Here’s why the MP-20 iron is “classic Mizuno”
When it comes to Mizuno irons, we have spent a lot of time covering the classics (The Greatest Mizuno blades of all time), but it’s not often that we take a larger scale look at modern equipment beyond its initial launch.
With that in mind, inspired by Masters first-round leader Justin Rose gaming a set, it feels like a great time to break down why the MP-20 blade is another classic Mizuno iron.
The timeline
Before the MP-20 iron series came to be, there was a successful run by the previous MP-18’s.
Although they never truly went away, the MP-18’s represented a “relaunch” of the Mizuno MP blade iron and a change of philosophy by going back to a traditional flat muscle design, the likes of which hadn’t been seen since the 2004 MP-37. Before that, the last true blade iron was the MP-4, which was launched in 2014 and then was complemented with the larger blade-style MP-5 in 2016.
Beyond the aesthetics of the muscle, a key feature of the MP-18 blade was a progressively shorter blade length into the higher-lofted irons to help frame the ball and offer maximum workability along with improved turf interaction. All of these characteristics and more carried through to the next evolution with the MP-20’s.
MP20 – Going back to the roots
Much like how the MP-18 gave new life to Mizuno’s blade line of irons, the MP-20’s moved forward by first taking another step back in time by reintroducing a copper underlay beneath the final chrome layer. The copper plating is a more cost and time-intensive process but one that Mizuno felt was time to re-introduce.
The last time Mizuno offered irons with a copper underlay that were available in a worldwide launch was in 1988 with the TN-87s, and it brought another layer of feel thanks to the softer metal helping further reduce unwanted and unpleasant harmonics at impact. *Note: There were some models that were released in Japan at a higher price point compared to their North American counterparts that had a copper underlay*
This brings us full circle to the MP-20, which is a combination of the new shaping principles of the MP-18 and merging them with the traditional design cues of the more rounded and organic looking models of the past, including the MP-33 and the aforementioned TN87s and their cutout toe muscle.
“With a blade, the key feature is really the lack of features, and how clean and simple the design is”
– Chris Voshall
Bringing it all together
Now that we have covered looks and manufacturing, it’s time to talk about the most important part of any iron, and that is performance and how sits behind the ball.
Like many blade irons, the MP20 has a thin topline, but what many people don’t realize is that thin piece contains a lot of what makes these irons great when it comes to their performance and feel. By cleverly hiding the mass and thickness hidden towards the top of the iron engineers can offer precise center of gravity positioning and an extremely pleasing impact.
Let me break it down like this: The thicker the area, the more solid the feel. When you hit a thick piece of metal on something, it doesn’t reverberate much, and when it does, it’s at a frequency that makes it sound heavy and “thuddy,” AKA, solid.
Now if that same piece of metal was stretched out like a gong for example, the reverberation from an impact would result in a wobbly, loud, and generally unpleasant acoustic. When an unsupported part of a club gets too thin, it acts as an amplifier of bad sound, creating a terrible feel—this is not the case with the MP-20’s
So, by blending the classic looks of yesteryear with proven manufacturing techniques, the MP-20 can rightly take its place alongside other classic Mizuno blade irons.
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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Mick
Apr 13, 2021 at 6:04 pm
The feel is NOT as good anymore as the older irons like , MP 68 and Mp 69. They changed their process.