I was the winner of the Mizuno MP-69 irons in the oobgolf addict giveaway. I realize my update on the clubs is way past due.
The clubs are awesome! When they first arrived I was nervous just taking them out of the box because they looked so cool. I would pull one out at a time, look it over, and swing it slowly being careful not to scrape it on the ground. I would then wipe off any smudges and finger prints and put it back in the foam protector in the box. They really looked more like works of art than golf clubs and I didn’t want to put any marks on them.
I had never played blades before and to be honest the +6 to 7 handicap recommendation made me doubt I would be able to hit them. I also guessed they would be a little short and flat for my swing and would need adjusting for me to play them. However, I decided that because they were essentially a gift from oobgolf and Mizuno I was not going to sell them or trade them in on other clubs. After all, it is no fun to say “look at these clubs I got when I traded in the really awesome clubs I won from oob.” I have not won a lot of cool stuff so I want to hold on to them as a reminder and to be able to show them off to my friends.
After I convinced myself the I was going to keep them I decided it was time to take them out of the box and get them dirty. The first few hits were just with a 7i and 9i on the range. There was a really strong wind into me and across from left to right so it was hard to tell how well I was hitting them. I found out real quick what others say about how the ones you hit well feel so good and how you get immediate feedback on the ones you miss. Since then I have played about 5 rounds with them. It took some time getting used to going from my old Ping ISI irons with the big head and a big offset to the smaller blades. They were fun to play with and I did much better with them than I had expected.
I had been considering getting new clubs for a long time but just could not make a decision. When the giveaway was announced I told my wife I would not have to decide because I would just win the Mizuno irons (she laughed at me). When they arrived I realized I had even more decisions to make. After three or four rounds I decided I may need something just a little more forgiving. I set up some time with the Pro at my course to talk about my options and to get a fitting. I was expecting to end up with the MP-59s. We tried the MP-59s, the JPX-800 Pros and the Ping i20s. He had the Mizuno cart and the Ping cart so we were able to try several different head and shaft combinations. In the end the Pings performed much better for me so I am now waiting for my new Pings to be delivered.
I am still very excited about my Mizuno MP-69 irons. I have them all cleaned up and arranged nicely in a cart bag sitting in the corner of my office at home. They really do look like works of art.
