New materials headline Mizuno ST200 drivers

It’s not a secret that Mizuno earns its biggest market share in golf with irons. While the Japanese manufacturer’s excellent development of irons has been a staple in golf for decades, Mizuno has been gaining significant momentum in recent years with drivers.

In 2019, Mizuno made a splash with the ST190 series that was immediately put into the bag by a number of tour professionals, both on and off Mizuno’s staff. The ST190 drivers had the look, feel, and performance demanded by the best players in the world, with the forgiveness to perform well for golfers of every skill.

Mizuno has carried the momentum of the ST190 series into 2020 with the release of the ST200 drivers. Mizuno Golf Club Engineer Chris Voshall says Mizuno is thrilled about ST200 thus far.

“The ST200 product is so good for us right off the bat. We’ve already seen some early tour success and we’re really excited about it,” Voshall said.

Headlining the ST200 drivers is a brand new material that will be used for the clubface to generate faster ball speeds. Each of the ST200 driver models features a forged SAT 2041 Beta titanium clubface, which is 17 percent stronger than the traditional titanium used on previous models and used throughout the golf industry.

Mizuno engineers also ensured that the new Beta forged titanium face reaches current tournament regulations so that ball speed is maximized.

“We used what was called an SP700 face which was Beta Rich, meaning it had more Beta titanium for fast ball speeds on the ST180 and ST190,” Voshall said. “On the ST200, this is almost a fully Beta titanium face. It’s going to give you explosive distance, great speed off the face, and a ton of power.”

Ball speed is the name of the game nowadays, especially when it comes to drivers, and Mizuno is continuing to implement new materials that maximize potential ball speed.

Of course, big distance isn’t the only measurement for driver performance, nor is the clubface the only place where performance can be enhanced. 

Mizuno has included its Wave Sole technology in its past few driver models, which consists of a large slot stretching from heel to toe that includes several smaller waves. This design generates tremendous rebound effect throughout the entire clubface to promote more distance not just in the center of the face, but across the whole impact zone.

With the ST200 drivers, the Wave Sole has been updated to create weight savings without sacrificing any of its benefits.

“We’ve had our Wave Sole for a while, but we really fine-tuned it this year and made it a little more compact so we were able to get some weight savings out of that,” Voshall said. “You still get tons of contributions for ball speed all across the face, but by doing it with less weight, we had more to play around with.”

The ST200 drivers also feature a new, thinner carbon composite crown that produces even more weight savings for Mizuno to redistribute elsewhere.

The differences in the three different ST200 drivers, according to Voshall, are determined by where all of that saved weight was positioned.

The standard ST200 model features a stainless steel weight at 11.6 grams placed low and deep in the clubhead, visible near the back of the sole. This weight stabilizes the clubhead at impact and provides high MOI and easy launch, providing forgiveness and playability that will fit the widest range of golfers.

In the low-spin ST200G model, that weight has been redistributed through a set of weight tracks on the sole. Two weight tracks that each feature an 8-gram weight allow golfers to adjust the center of gravity to match their optimal launch and spin conditions. The ST200G is best suited for players with high swing speeds or players who need to lower their spin rates off the tee.

Lastly, the ST200X includes weight concentrated both deep and low, in the same spot as the weight in the standard ST200, with some added weight placed in the heel of the clubhead. The ST200X is built primarily for golfers with moderate swing speeds or golfers looking for more draw-bias.

Also improved from past models is the functionality and look of the moveable weights on the sole of the ST200G model. The saved weight from the new Wave Sole and the new carbon composite crown allowed Mizuno engineers to install the weight tracks smoothly and cleanly.

“We’re always known for good-looking, beautiful at address clubs, beautiful from every angle,” Voshall. “And some of our drivers were maybe a little aggressive, especially the adjustable ones with all sorts of things moving all over the place. We wanted to make a very clean and very sophisticated weight track on this with two weights that have a ton of function all in a very Mizuno package.” 

Mizuno continues to make significant strides with drivers, and the ST200 series of drivers is proof. Whether it’s new materials or new methods of saving and redistributing weight, Mizuno is constantly finding ways to improve performance off the tee.

The Mizuno ST200 drivers are now available in 2nd Swing stores or available to order online at 2ndswing.com. 

Additionally, if you’re unsure which model best suits you, visit the 2nd Swing fitting website to schedule an in-store fitting or call (612) 216-4152 to speak with our online Fitting and Support team.