Mizuno MP-S ball reviews

[splashtryagain]

Right then, here are some thoughts after 5 rounds of testing.
The ball has a lovely sticky feel out of the box, similar to an fg tour. The mizzie design is nasty and cheapens the ball, it looks like a 10 quid a dozen job from jjb.
In play the ball performs solidly with good shots being rewarded with a great flight and good stopping power on shorter irons. This, however, comes with a warning - bad shots go wider than any other ball I've used, not one for higher hcps.
Feel around the green is good with grip and a nice contact noise, maybe a little clicky.
Overall, a good ball but I have a comp today and will invariably pick out a pro v which I think says volumes - good but not there yet.

 

[GreiginFife]

So after yesterday that was 3 rounds with the Mizzy ball on fairways and greens that I would deem worthy of reviewing such a premium product

Ok, so here's my view.

The aesthetics of the packaging are superb, like so many aspects of Mizuno's equipment it's not shouting from the rooftops about how good it is or what it will do for your game. Some will say that this is bad marketing but for me it's smart as it's saying "look at me, I'm so good I don't need to tell you about 17 extra yards"!
The plain, classy package works for me and I couldn't wait to get them opened up.

First impression of the ball itself, soft and sticky (try rubbing two together, it's nigh impossible, the sign of a good ball I am assured by a Mizuno staffer) and with that same minimal branding that made the packaging appeal.
I love the fact that it's brand on the "side" and model on the "front" which makes a nice change.
I don't agree that it looks cheap as the graphics and text are bold and sharp just like the "Lethal" I am sure.
And that's another thing, no need for silly names or gimmicks that diverge from the core range that Mizuno have built reputation on... MP. To many golfers that branding means "quality".
Anyway, I digress, lets talk performance - what it's all about?
I found the ball to be very soft, as intended. And I expected that, but what I didn't expect was that it is softer than any ball I have played.
Off the Tee: - I played the MP-S against a Pro-V1 that was in my bag over 4 holes (all par 4) and used Driver on 2, 3w on one and 4i on the other. With the driver I found that the MP-S was just as long as the Pro-V, with the added benefit of straighter by around 4yrds (from centre of FW). I would say that the Pro-V maybe shaded both drives by 5-10 yards but were off to the right on both occasions. With the 3w and 4i the Pro-V I found went higher and cut left to right quite sharply (not my swing, honest guv), the MP-S was a much straighter flight and with all clubs off the tee I found had a much more penetrating flight.
Mid/short irons: - This was where I felt the ball really shone, 7,8 and 9 iron shots just felt much better than the Pro-V (which felt clicky and hard off the face). I also enjoyed something that I have not had much experience of on the golf course... Backspin! I actually got backspin with my 8 and 9 irons from 140 and 125 yards respectively. It was so unexpected that I spun it back off the green both times as I played below the hole . I didn't care though as I GOT BACKSPIN!!!!
Wedges: - I always consider my strongest asset around the course to be my wedge play. Anything 90yrds and in and I am confident. With the MP-S ball I found I actually had more confidence that with my normal e6 ball as, having watched it spin backwards on two occasions, I just knew that I could get it to stop on the green in quick-time.
I was right to have this feeling as on each of the approach shots I hit (with the exception one which was most definitely Problem With End User) made and stuck on the green. At most two bounces and that was yer lot.

Overall Now, I think most people on here know that I am a Mizzy fan boy and have owned a few bits of Mizzy kit here and there but I have also been critical of Mizuno (the MP57 and 58 were terrible irons IMO - just wrong) but on this occasion I don't think I can bring much criticism to the table. I found that the ball performed very well all round, as a premium ball should. I liked the penetrating flight, I liked the soft feel off the mid/short irons and the control off the wedges was the best I have seen for a long, long time. Whether it was actually the ball or psychosomatic of my using the ball, I don't care - whatever it was it worked.

Durability I found to be no worse than a Pro-V, after about 4 holes both balls were showing scuffs and dirt marks quite clearly. The wedges did their work on them but again that was not restricted to the MP-S and the Pro-V also scuffed badly.

I played two of the rounds against a buddy of mine that I have not beat in a long time. I held him to a halved match the first week and then took a 1-UP the following. Was it the ball? Who knows for sure but the only fact that I can put forward is this... I WAS USING THE MP-S BALL both times, that's as conclusive as I need.

It's not all wine and roses though. No, indeed there is a flaw. But for me it's not a show-stopper. The ball is prone to discolouration fairly quickly (the first one was a bit grubby after 7 holes) so, if you like your balls shiny the whole way round (ooh er) then the MP-S might not be for you.
I, personally, am not a pro so don't really care as long as a) I can still play it and b) I can still see it against the green stuff.

Would I recommend this ball? Yeah, I would on the proviso that you accept the point above about discolouration and don' then complain about it when it happens, I think you will find a very good ball that has been well engineered.

Would I buy them? Well they are a bit top heavy in the price range but if (IF) money was not in the equation then they would be top of my shopping list... for now any way.

Get some, find some, borrow some... I can just say - Try some and make up your own mind.

Afterall, it wouldn't be a Mizuno MP product through and through unless it divided opinion.

 

[patricks148]

As a Mizuno fan I was delighted to eventually see this ball on the market, I found the New Mizuno MP - S golf ball as good as any of the premium balls on today's market, from the Tee with driver and long irons I found the ball to have a slightly lower flight than my normal ball choice which worked perfectly in the windy conditions, with good roll out, I certainly never lost any distance

Short irons showed the true ball and I think it performed even better than the Pro V which I normally use, Ball sat down on the greens very quickly. Putting I had good results and the ball seemed to leave the club face with a positive momentum.

Always a negative and it has to be the price tag, with a RRP of almost £50 I would not buy it as 1 ball will only be good enough for 1 round, it maked up considerably, If it were to go on sale at £30 I would have no hesitation in adding it to my bag of Mizuno's

 

[scratch]

I think in fairness regarding the RRP, pretty much all premium balls have an RRP of somewhere around £50 but in reality you'll be able to get them for £30-35 like any other decent ball.

 

[DAVEYBOY]

Mizuno Ball Testing...

After a few rounds with the ball here are my views, this review isn't as long as some of the previous ones as they have covered most of the key points. This is more my personal opinion of the ball...

OUT OF THE BOX
The ball that currently occupies the front pocket of my bag is the Srixon AD333 and normally sets me back between £12-£14 a dozen. First thoughts on receiving the Mizuno ball was the packaging looks a little cheap but what does that matter? The ball itself looked nice with simple printing and felt very good to the touch almost a tacky sensation.

ON THE FIRST
(Belfry - PGA National) My first few holes went well with the ball with my arrow straight drives being the highlight and got me thinking does the Srixon not suit my needs?off the irons and putter I personally could not tell the difference between the Mizzy and the Srixon. On the back nine I hit a blind shot out of a fairway bunker and found the rough 15 yards right of the fairway and the PGA did what it does best and gobbled up my ball. I then decided to go back to the Srixon to see if there was any difference and unfortunatly for testing purposes there wasnt, the drives where still straight and it felt exactly the same in all other areas especially with the putter and that being the most important to me.

DURABILITY
The biggest concern with this ball for me would have to be durability and the ball starts the show signs of wear after just a few strikes and better players would be going through them quit fast I would imagine.

FINAL THOUGHTS
In all honesty this ball offers me nothing more than the Srixon AD333 and at a average £20 more per dozen it would be a complete waste of money to upgrade especially with the durability issues which will be sorted out in future models I would expect. If they where around the same price tag of the AD333 then I would maybe consider using them.

The big question is will they be taking over the ball pockets currently occupied by Pro V's and Z Stars? I doubt it...

 

[rickg]

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

Nice packaging, simple understated and classy, just what I would expect from a Mizuno MP product.
The ball had a nice soft sticky feel to it and inspired confidence. I like the logo.

IN PLAY:
My 1st 2 rounds with the ball were both 3 over gross, how much was down to the ball is obviously debatable, but I think it certainly helped. Driving was long and I was achieving my summer distance on cold and soft fairways. Iron play was crisp, with a nice feel. The ball stopped quickly and some nice back spin on the greens...the ball definitely does what it claims to in the advertising.
Putting was precise and I didn't notice the clicky feel some others have mentioned.

LONGEVITY:
2 rounds is about all you could usefully get out of one ball before consigning it to the practice bag. It would still be playable, but has lost a lot of its shine by then.

CONCLUSION:
A ball to rival the top makes with regards to performance. The Mizuno fan boys will love it as they have been begging Mizuno to release this ball in the UK for ages. Obviously priced at the top end, but if you buy PRO V1's then this won't concern you. It's a ball I would happily continue to play especially if I continue to see the results it's been producing so far.

Photo of ball after 1 round....

 

[ScienceBoy]

This, ill start the fair test this weekend.

May I ask what is a fair test?

 

[DAVEYBOY]

May I ask what is a fair test?

Firmer fairways, not blowing a gale, non sanded greens ect

 

[markyjee]

Thanks to gm and mizuno for the opportunity to try out these golf balls.

First impressions of the balls were good, as other have said they felt quite tacky, nice bright white colour although I thought the bold type used on the logo's cheapen the look.

Distance wise I didn't find any noticeable difference from the pro v1 I normally use, from off the tee and from the ground I was hitting the balls my normal distances.

The flight of the ball was lower than normal as a few others have said, a few of the rounds I played were in gusty conditions and the lower flight penetrated the wind better than my previous rounds in similar conditions.
The lower flight was also an advantage on the numerous occasions I had to hit it under trees back into play.

Approach shots did stop as expected on the greens even with the lower trajectory, pitching and chipping from around the green the balls played similar to the pro v I normally use.

On the putting green I found the balls to be pretty consistent, I putted pretty well in the rounds I used the balls.
I found the sound from strikes with all clubs to be similar to the pro v.

The wear and tear on the ball I found to be slightly worse than the titleists, some pics below showing 1 rounds use and 3 or 4 round with same ball.

1round
http://s235.photobucket.com/user/markyjee/media/image-7.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

http://s235.photobucket.com/user/markyjee/media/image-7.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

3or4rounds
http://s235.photobucket.com/user/markyjee/media/image-5.jpg.html?sort=3&o=3

http://s235.photobucket.com/user/markyjee/media/image-4.jpg.html?sort=3&o=4

http://s235.photobucket.com/user/markyjee/media/image-8.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

Overall I thought the ball performed pretty well, if selling in the same price range I would stick with the pro v1 although I think it would be a good addition to my bag for winter golf but at not much more than £20 a dozen.

Thanks again for the opportunity.

Mark

 

[markyjee]

How do you edit a post?

 

[markyjee]

Thanks to gm and mizuno for the opportunity to try out these golf balls.

First impressions of the balls were good, as other have said they felt quite tacky, nice bright white colour although I thought the bold type used on the logo's cheapen the look.

Distance wise I didn't find any noticeable difference from the pro v1 I normally use, from off the tee and from the ground I was hitting the balls my normal distances.

The flight of the ball was lower than normal as a few others have said, a few of the rounds I played were in gusty conditions and the lower flight penetrated the wind better than my previous rounds in similar conditions.
The lower flight was also an advantage on the numerous occasions I had to hit it under trees back into play.

Approach shots did stop as expected on the greens even with the lower trajectory, pitching and chipping from around the green the balls played similar to the pro v I normally use.

On the putting green I found the balls to be pretty consistent, I putted pretty well in the rounds I used the balls.
I found the sound from strikes with all clubs to be similar to the pro v.

The wear and tear on the ball I found to be slightly worse than the titleists, some pics below showing 1 rounds use and 3 or 4 round with same ball.

1round





3or4rounds





Overall I thought the ball performed pretty well, if selling in the same price range I would stick with the pro v1 although I think it would be a good addition to my bag for winter golf but at not much more than £20 a dozen.

Thanks again for the opportunity.

Mark

Hopefully sorted

 

[gdc]

Firstly many thanks to GM/Mizuno for the opportunity to test the new Mizuno MPs.
I have played 9 holes several times using 2 balls the MPs Vs ProV1x to try and guage the performance of the MPs against my current ball of choice.


Packaging and Appearance

Sleeve
The sleeve is a very minimalistic, white no frills affair. Some may consider it to be too basic for a top of the range ball, but as it goes straight in the bin it's irrelevant to me.

Ball
The initial feel of the ball is quite tacky (rather than smooth) to the touch, but this soon wears off once it has been spanked down the middle a few times.
Lookswise I would classify it as super-white in appearance.
The logo, as has been mentioned in other reviews, is less than ideal for golfers who like to use it as a putting aid.

Preferred ball - Neither


Driving
This was one of the areas I noticed a marked difference between the MPs and ProV1x.
With the Driver the MPs felt a little softer and had a noticeably lower trajectory than the Prov1x. There was also considerably less sideways movement from off centre hits - I loved this.
Distance wise I believe there was little difference between the MPs and the ProV1x, but the MPs just edged it (definitely not a game changer though).

Preferred Ball - MPs (but this may depend on your preferred trajectory)


Irons
Again the MPs did feel slightly softer than the ProV1x but I noticed no difference in distance or trajectory between the two. When considering approach shots the ProV1x had the edge with superior spin control although the MPs performance was perfectly acceptable.
As with the driver I did notice the MPs was slightly harder to shape than the ProV1x, as again it appeared to reduce the effects of any imparted side spin. I would not consider this a benefit for iron play.

Preferred Ball - ProV1x


Around the Green
Again ProV1x edges it here due to superior spin control.
Whilst the MPs feels soft and grips well on the first bounce it then releases more than the ProV1x.
I had to adapt my chipping style to compensate.

Preferred Ball - ProV1x


Putting
I preferred the MPs just because it's softer.

Preferred Ball - MPs


Durability
MPs wins this easily in my opinion. Considerably less scuffing from crisp pitches and bunker shots.

Preferred Ball - MPs


Overall
I really like the MPs and I even chose to play it in the Spring Meeting last weekend.
Would I pay the same price as the ProV1x? Yes I think I would.
Will I switch to the MPs full time? I still have a dozen ProV1x which should last me into the summer, but after that I may well buy some more.

 

[PaulOHagan]

Thanks for all of your reviews, there has been some excellent feedback and I will pick a winner of the six dozen balls early next week. The guys at Mizuno also want to hear some feedback from those who have bought the balls. If you have bought a pack and tried them out please post your reviews on here. I will then select another winner in about a month from those not involved in the original competition and will send out two dozen balls to the person selected.

EDIT
I've set up a new post for this so people don't miss it.

Thanks

 

[Fish]

I wasn't involved originally but have used a Mizuno MP-S ball. I found it a little soft for me and as such I didn't feel I was getting my usual distances off the tee. As has been said a few times, it was quite cut up and scuffed after the first round and I only used it for another round before retiring it. I also didn't feel it as much when chipping and I lagged a few putts with it until I realised I had to thump it and attack it a little more. I was used to a Callaway Hex Black Tour at that time which is a more solid/heavier ball I think so it wasn't really for me. Could I get used to it, not sure, two dozen balls might do the job

 

[PaulOHagan]

Thanks again for all of your reviews. I have been through them all and couldn't decide between the top two. As a result I have picked two winners, who will receive three dozen balls each. They are Gareth and Greiginfife. Well done chaps, I will get the balls sent out to you today.

 

[One Planer]

Thanks again for all of your reviews. I have been through them all and couldn't decide between the top two. As a result I have picked two winners, who will receive three dozen balls each. They are Gareth and Greiginfife. Well done chaps, I will get the balls sent out to you today.

Fantastic! Thanks very much Paul, GM and Mizuno.

Congratulations also to Greg on a great review.

 

[GreiginFife]

Best news of the day that
Good work Gareth and thanks Paul and GM/Mizzy for the opportunity.