While Mizuno has always had a knack of creating some beautiful compact irons, it has certainly upped its game of producing some of the best drivers, fairway woods and hybrids in recent years. While the ST-Z 230 hybrid was a thing of beauty, it appears Mizuno has refined that model in order to keep the same stunning aesthetics but improve performance with the new ST-Max 230 hybrid. Coming to retail at $250 (£279) Mizuno is bringing a product to the market that competes with the best golf hybrid clubs from a price point of view... but what about the performance?
Still compact and with a classic shape at address, Mizuno has set about to produce a hybrid that offers the best performance in a number of key areas. It is a larger head than the previous model, but is certainly not one of the largest on the market and will maintain its appeal to the more confident ball striker. The MAS1C steel face has been expanded by a larger Cortech Chamber on the sole than previous models to improve ball speed consistency, especially on mishits. But it is the change to the leading edge that I felt really enhanced my enjoyment and performance with the ST-Max 230 hybrid.
A Speed Bevel has been applied to the leading edge, making it far less aggressive than on the likes of the ST-Z 230 hybrid, and made striking the ball cleanly from tight lies on the fairway far easier. Striking long irons and hybrids purely from the fairway is a challenge to even the best players and so having additional help to be able to attack pins from range will be sure to inspire confidence to all levels of golfer and made the ST-Max 230 one of the easiest and most forgiving hybrids to hit alongside the likes of the Ping G430 and Callaway Paradym Ai-Smoke. While I can’t categorically say this technology helped me from the first cut of rough, I did hit one of the cleanest fairway bunker shots I have ever hit with the ST-Max 230 thanks to that leading edge not digging into the sand, picking the ball off the top nicely.
The deeply positioned CG (Center of Gravity), made possible from the weight saving on the carbon crown, meant the ST-Max 230 hybrid produced an extremely high ball flight, perfect for hitting into long par fours or having a crack at a par-five green in two. This high spinning ball flight did see me lose a little yardage compared to some the market leaders in this category especially into the wind, but only by three to four yards on average. The 19° model I tested still saw carry distances reach 236 yards, which is more than healthy, while offering excellent forgiveness. It should be said that the stock UST Mamiya Linq shaft was probably a little soft for my particular swing speed, which would have exaggerated the height of the trajectory.
All in all the Mizuno ST-Max 230 is certainly a hybrid golfers looking to upgrade the top end of their bag should check out and consider. If you struggle with launch and spin, there weren't many better models I tested this year that will help you than the ST-Max 230. The adjustable hosel did mean you could knock some loft and spin off, so for those golfers who swing it slightly faster or want a touch more distance, this option undoubtedly enhances the overall versatility on offer from this club.
