Equipment
Mizuno ST190, ST190G Drivers put woods front and center for “iron” company
Mizuno Golf is about more than just irons; that’s the message the company is keen to drive home with its launch of the Mizuno ST190 driver and the Mizuno ST 190G driver.
In announcing its lowest spinning, most technology-packed driver in company history, with the 2019 Mizuno driver, the company seeks to position itself as one that has quietly innovated in the driver space for years, highlighting milestone technologies in the Ti100, T-Zoid, MP-001, and MP-600 in discussions around the launch of its latest drivers.
With respect to the specifics of the Japanese company’s most recent weaponry, the ST190 and 190G feature a forged Sp700Ti face (10 percent stronger than 6-4 titanium) with the company’s ultra-light Cortech structure, as well as a carbon composite crown. As with the ST180 series, Mizuno applies its Amplified Wave soleplate, which deforms on impact for better energy transfer between club and ball.
The weight of the carbon composite crown, 12 grams, allowed engineers to redistribute some seven grams of weight throughout the body of the club.
The Amplified Wave Sole effectively expands the ST190’s COR area for improved balls speeds across the clubface, according to the company, and better ball speed on off-center strikes in particular.
Mizuno fine-tuned the driver’s sound via Harmonic Impact Technology, adding internal rids for a more solid sound at impact.
Getting into the differences between the two models.
Mizuno ST190
- designed for mid to low spin with maximum stability
- features a single, factory-fixed 6g backweight that adds 300gcm2 MOI
Mizuno ST190G
- Designed for low spin
- Features Fast Track adjustability: twin seven gram weights on external tracks
- Weights can reduce spin by an additional 200rpm and allow for draw/fade biases
“The ST190 marks a total change in how Mizuno approaches wood design,” says lead Mizuno golf designer Kei Tsjui. “We now start the development process with our tour players. The tour-tested molds then become our production molds. In the case of the ST190, this produced a high-speed driver with extreme low spin for the tour, but with the capability of increasing spin for lower swing speed players.”
The first PGA Tour player to game the ST190 was big hitter Keith Mitchell.
Says Mitchell: “Driving was my best category last year – I walked into testing to do ‘Cookie’ (Mizuno, PGA Tour Manager Jeff Cook) a favor, give him some numbers and leave. It turned out to be the easiest change I’ve ever made – on the one club I never thought I would switch.”
Specs and availability
The Mizuno ST190: driver will be available in 9.5 and 10.5 degree models, both adjustable by two degrees either way. 9.5 degree option only for left-handers.
The Mizuno ST190G: driver will be available in a 9-degree model only, adjustable by two degrees either way. Right hand only.
Shafts: Mizuno offers 26 shafts without upcharge. New options for 2019 include Fujikura Atmos Blue 5S, Atmos Red 5R, Atmos Red 5R2, Atmos Red 6R and Atmos Black TS 6S.
MSRP: ST190: $400. ST190G: $500
ST190 drivers will be available nationwide and in Canada in February.
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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Peter Malnati WITB 2025 (August)
Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here. Driver: Titleist...
Cameron Young’s winning WITB: 2025 Wyndham Championship
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting) Buy here. Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX 3-wood: Titleist...
Camilo Villegas WITB 2025 (July)
Camilo Villegas WITB accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. Villegas was undecided on a 3-wood when we shot his bag. ...
WITB Time Machine: Brandt Snedeker’s winning WITB, 2018 Wyndham Championship
Brandt Snedeker fired a final-round 65 at the 2018 Wyndham Championship to outlast Webb Simpson and C.T. Pan. His 5-under...
howie
Jan 8, 2019 at 5:53 pm
If you play these black mizunos you won’t go back… and your golfing buddies won’t turn their backs to you.
simms
Jan 7, 2019 at 7:07 pm
Another driver for future EBAY sellers….unless your a single digit or better 3 or 4 yards for $500 is a big step…almost any driver from the last 6 years or so is going to work for you.
gunmetal
Jan 8, 2019 at 12:13 am
Yup.
Looks nice, though.
joe
Jan 7, 2019 at 4:49 pm
More RH only from Mizuno. Darn righties….
One Day At A Time
Jan 7, 2019 at 4:26 pm
Trying like Hell to be honest and transparent in 2019… so take this fwiw…
I handle a lot of donated clubs. Always trying to get clubs to kids, and often get 10 Adult clubs for every USKG/TourEdge/XYZ junior club. In 2016, one of the younger outside staff guys swung my 905r w/o asking and w/o knowing you don’t do that, it hit the pavement, so now I’m needing a new stick and a week later a Callaway fti 6 w/ a real fuji speeder walked in. Yeah, square headed, TINGY, and if my ST180 launched at 11 spun at 24, the cally launched at 14 spun at 31. But, in early 2017 I needed to knock out my pat, and from January 1 to April 4 I hit 90% (+/-2%) of my fwys over a 120 shot sample size. On April 4 2017 I’m plotting along and the wind kicks up to 20, gusts 27. On side by side holes I hit it 205 v 330. I was educated enough to be dangerous regarding spin OTT and about a month after the only time guys say “Now you never have to play golf again!” , the ST180 was showing up ahead of time for reasons unknown. I volunteer to be the guinea pig for a driver fitting in our Teach The Teacher program and in short time the youngest assistant pro I’ve worked with had made the most INCREDIBLE W.O.O.D. adjustment to my lead hand @ address and I see 160 ball 11.5 launch and 2224 spin. Deuces to the launch monitor , I want to watch it fly outside. It’s 253 to the net, and generally speaking your apex has to be high and if you carry the net you carry it 280. I’m swinging it at 107, so I don’t need to tell you how unlikely I was to do that, and how immediately I scribbled ST-180 tensei blue gp tv full cord on the DOG’s Christmas list. And in the entire year of 2018, I struggled off the tee so much that I would give it away to the first person that wanted it. I’m absolutely the guilty party, the Mizuno ST-180 is and was a truly best kept secret for for guys that can’t hit it left to save their lives, and admittedly I did hit the best drive of my post-arthrodesis life to date with it on the nastiest par 5 I know of in DFW, but I will NEVER ever EVER ditch a fairway finding four cylinder for a driving range heat seeking missile ever again.
Until someone asks me to hit the stick that Ping is dropping in March.
And unless the Titleist TS starts curving off the face of the Earth, I am looking forward to seeing it in my bag in 2028, just like the 905r was a welcome sight for an entire decade of golf.
Mower
Jan 7, 2019 at 8:38 pm
Can’t believe he didn’t even do the courtesy of a TLDR summation!? No internet etiquette.
BAR
Jan 7, 2019 at 9:41 pm
Honestly. I had to skip read and have no idea what he’s on about.
HeyJude
Jan 8, 2019 at 12:36 am
Didn’t know hieroglyphics was a thing again.
joro
Jan 7, 2019 at 3:03 pm
Looks a lot like the 180 kept it is Black. Love the 180, and even like the Blue.
jonas
Jan 7, 2019 at 2:25 pm
I hear they are working on an even better driver called the S&X69oo prototype model… it’s a beast !!!
smz
Jan 7, 2019 at 2:22 pm
I’m still shopping for 2018 drives at vastly reduced prices. If I can’t make last years models give me fantastic performance, then there is something rotten in the state of Denmark. 2017 models are okay too.
dat
Jan 7, 2019 at 12:10 pm
Look really good, finally ditched the blue! Excellent array of shaft options and adjustments for a reasonable price! Unheard of so far this year!
JP
Jan 7, 2019 at 11:37 am
Mizuno going with a cortech face is too similar to Wilson’s new Cortex driver.
Forged MB
Jan 7, 2019 at 12:08 pm
Except for the fact that Mizuno had the Cortech face well before the Wilson Cortex was even a thought and the Mizuno is actually getting your play. Don’t see any CORrelation at all.
See what I did there? 😉
JP
Jan 7, 2019 at 1:30 pm
Wilson the guilty party then. Copy that.
Scheiss
Jan 7, 2019 at 8:26 pm
It is a stupid name for a driver. Wilson really didn’t think it thru (see what I did there, about Cortex?)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cortex
Benjamin Kaiser
Jan 7, 2019 at 11:22 am
They look really nice!
Max
Jan 7, 2019 at 11:20 am
So, at first I thought Mizuno waiting to release this driver at the same time as Taylormade, Callaway and PING was a mistake and that it would be overshadowed by the big boy offerings. But, after seeing the lackluster new releases from Taylormade and Callawy, I think it might work out for Mizuno. These drivers look soooo good and the stock shaft offerings are far far superior to the other’s.