Reader fitting opportunity - Mizuno irons

[Deleted member 17920]

Well what a day. Big thanks to GM and Mizuno and Bearwood lakes.

Turned up at the lovely Bearwood lakes this morning with the two other lucky winners steve and greg and we met the Mizuno guys and Jake in the clubhouse, had a look round then made our way to the driving range to loosen up, 1st up was Steve so myself and Greg went in and watched his fitting session. Steve hits a cracking ball and was just ultra consistent and you can see why he is off 3. In came PNWokingham to gate crash and watch the session as well. I will let Steve announce what he got. Next up was Greg so whilst he was getting his fitting I went and hit some balls. After Greg it was my turn so hit a few with my own club and hit some crackers so onto the main show, got the swing DNA and my results for those who know what they are talking about - average speed of 81mph with a 6 iron, tempo was 4, shaft toe down 3, shaft kick angle was 5 and finally release factor was 7 please don't ask me what they all mean as I have forgot already

Biggest surprise for me is that I always thought my swing speed was slowish so I would always have a regular shaft and when it suggested a stiff shaft I was very surprised

So recommendations that they selected was nothing like I had predicted so they asked me what I liked so I said MP59 so they tried the mp59 with 3 different shafts then I next tried the JPX pro and we looked at the results, then I got handed a club and was told try this, didn't even look what it was and started hitting, it was lovely and the ball flight just incredible and was just what I wanted, looked at the club and it was an MP54 and was really pleased, it sits behind the ball and just looks amazing. Did a loft and lie check and they suggested a lie angle of 2 flat,Then finally got to choose the grip and went for a grip with a spine as it just felt right.

During the session Kevin the photographer was taking several million pictures from all angles at one point he stood to the right of me and I said to myself, please don't shank it or you will kill him, I saved the shank for a couple of shots later

So we all headed up to the clubhouse for a spot of lunch (very nice by the way) no alcohol for me but PNWokingham was straight on the peroni and I imagine he is still there now We got asked if we wanted a game but it was 2.30 and Greg was driving me back and it was going to be a 4-5 hr journey back so we decided against it but the course looked in mint condition for the middle of March. I think Steve went out for a game.

So in the end I have ended up with a 3-PW MP54 with stiff shafts (never predicted that) ns pro 1150 shafts, standard length with 2 degrees flat, you could say I am one happy golfer

It really was a fantastic opportunity and again a massive thanks to the team at GM and Mizuno :thup: Also good to meet another few new forum faces and was nice to see Paul who wasn't involved but still came down to meet us, top bloke :thup:

 

[Qwerty]

Sounds like you've great day there Glyn. I totally forgot you was there this week otherwise I would of mentioned it at the weekend.
I love the look of the MP54s, they're a beautiful looking iron. I'll look forward to seeing them in action mate.

 

[Imurg]

I bet PN had his shorts on!!!!

Sounds a great day, if it was half as good as yesterday at Wentworth then it was worth it.
Enjoy those shinies!!

 

[Deleted member 17920]

Sounds like you've great day there Glyn. I totally forgot you was there this week otherwise I would of mentioned it at the weekend.
I love the look of the MP54s, they're a beautiful looking iron. I'll look forward to seeing them in action mate.

I didn't mention it at the weekend as I didn't want to sound smug, now I have some weapons to take you on in the handicap challenge :rofl:

 

[Deleted member 17920]

I bet PN had his shorts on!!!!

Sounds a great day, if it was half as good as yesterday at Wentworth then it was worth it.
Enjoy those shinies!!

No shorts as the wind was cold, and yes it was a cracking day, I knew it would be good but it way exceeded my expectations.

 

[richart]

Sounds like a great day Glyn, and you have got some sexy irons there. Shame you didn't get to play the course, it is a cracker.

 

[pbrown7582]

Another great write up enjoy those new shineys.

 

[srixon 1]

Just arrived home after a long but very very enjoyable day. I will keep the main write up until tomorrow but I am very happy with the iron and shaft combo that I was fitted for. MP 54's with KBS stiff shafts, 3 iron thru to pitching wedge. They really are the dogs wotsits.

A Great big thank you to Jake and Kevin from Golf Monthly for the opportunity and also to the Mizuno guys, Simon and Tony, they must have the best jobs in the country, especially Simon as his main job is working in the tour van fixing stuff up for the pro's. Would also like to say thanks to Paul for the game around his beautiful golf course. The course is just great and cannot be faulted and the greens were brilliant for the time of year. A must play if you ever get the opportunity.

 

[Siren]

Jealous of you all!!!!!!

Glad you had a great day.

 

[Crow]

Sounds like a brilliant day, glad you all enjoyed it, and welcome to the club Mizuno if you weren't already a member!

 

[bluewolf]

I didn't mention it at the weekend as I didn't want to sound smug, now I have some weapons to take you on in the handicap challenge :rofl:

I seem to recall you mentioning it to me on the tee at Silloth. It was all I could do to resist shoving my 3 Wood somewhere dark and dank...

Enjoy the irons mate.. Looking forward to seeing them in action at some point this year..:thup:

 

[G_Mulligan]

Far too tired to even think about posting yesterday but a good night sleep and can really process what happened.

First of all, it was a very warm welcome from GM, Mizuno, and the club chairman who came to welcome us with coffee and biscuits. The fitting experience was fascinating, I honestly had no idea just how in depth it was going to be. Simon the Mizuno fitter clearly knows his stuff and often can see things the numbers cannot. He can usually be found on the tour truck with Luke and the rest of their pro's. I hope he has seen a swing as bad as mine despite who he usually works with but I bet I pushed them close.

That unfortunately is my second point. I swung the club like an absolute melon. Every fault I have been trying so hard to remove over the winter all came back when it really mattered. If it had been one of the other guys I might have been able to quickly psychologise them but doing that to yourself is often a none starter unfortunately. Despite this Simon was able to somehow see that this was not my usual swing and although the computer suggested Graphite shafts and the JPX EZ with my own input taken on board as well I was able to at last get a few nice shots away with the Nipon lightweight regular shaft and the EZ forged head. What a combination!!! When I caught them wrong they still went a decent distance (though always to the left) but when I caught one right oh boy, the hot face technology in a forged iron is remarkable, nothing like anything I have ever tried before. Combined with a light shaft with a kick point suited to my early release they just flew off the face.

What I love most about them and why I pushed hard for them over their excellent cast options is that they are still very, very forgiving but the feedback is still there. I will be able to push to find my improvements again. Bad shots will still fly, I won't get tingling fingers, but I will still know I have hit a bad shot and get feedback on my swing and push to improve it.

Fantastic company all round, an amazing insight into the fitting process and a fantastic meal and drinks afterwards allowed me to stop any brooding feelings I may have had and could look forward to getting my hands on my new not so shiny shinys as they are in a cool gun metal anti glare finish which look like the clubs a James Bond bad guy would choose I got 5-pw with a 4 iron flihi replacement which according to Simon are so easy to hit are basically like cheating!

Thanks again to GM, Bearwood Lakes and to Mizuno for a wonderful experience I won't soon forget.

 

[chellie]

Sounds like a great day

 

[North Mimms]

I love reading these write ups.
Interesting how an experienced fitter can still assess someone when they are not hitting their best.

 

[Alex1975]

Yep, enjoyed reading these and have to say I am very jealous. I really love Bearwood and of course Mizuno. I bet this was a really special day and some lovely shinys coming to you guys.

Nice one!

 

[G_Mulligan]

I love reading these write ups.
Interesting how an experienced fitter can still assess someone when they are not hitting their best.

Yeah he did it with Glyn too (Lincoln Quaker) he noticed he was swinging slightly within himself with the DNA gizmo attached, he kept telling him to give it everything and suddenly his swing speed jumped from 80 to 84mph and he got the stiff shafts that suited his swing.

 

[PNWokingham]

Great fun to see the fitting and glad everyone enjoyed it. I have never set foot in the studio before but it is like a tardis - much bigger inside! Enjoy the new clubs and I look forward to hearing about the progress.

 

[matt71]

Far too tired to even think about posting yesterday but a good night sleep and can really process what happened.

First of all, it was a very warm welcome from GM, Mizuno, and the club chairman who came to welcome us with coffee and biscuits. The fitting experience was fascinating, I honestly had no idea just how in depth it was going to be. Simon the Mizuno fitter clearly knows his stuff and often can see things the numbers cannot. He can usually be found on the tour truck with Luke and the rest of their pro's. I hope he has seen a swing as bad as mine despite who he usually works with but I bet I pushed them close.

That unfortunately is my second point. I swung the club like an absolute melon. Every fault I have been trying so hard to remove over the winter all came back when it really mattered. If it had been one of the other guys I might have been able to quickly psychologise them but doing that to yourself is often a none starter unfortunately. Despite this Simon was able to somehow see that this was not my usual swing and although the computer suggested Graphite shafts and the JPX EZ with my own input taken on board as well I was able to at last get a few nice shots away with the Nipon lightweight regular shaft and the EZ forged head. What a combination!!! When I caught them wrong they still went a decent distance (though always to the left) but when I caught one right oh boy, the hot face technology in a forged iron is remarkable, nothing like anything I have ever tried before. Combined with a light shaft with a kick point suited to my early release they just flew off the face.

What I love most about them and why I pushed hard for them over their excellent cast options is that they are still very, very forgiving but the feedback is still there. I will be able to push to find my improvements again. Bad shots will still fly, I won't get tingling fingers, but I will still know I have hit a bad shot and get feedback on my swing and push to improve it.

Fantastic company all round, an amazing insight into the fitting process and a fantastic meal and drinks afterwards allowed me to stop any brooding feelings I may have had and could look forward to getting my hands on my new not so shiny shinys as they are in a cool gun metal anti glare finish which look like the clubs a James Bond bad guy would choose I got 5-pw with a 4 iron flihi replacement which according to Simon are so easy to hit are basically like cheating!

Thanks again to GM, Bearwood Lakes and to Mizuno for a wonderful experience I won't soon forget.

sounds a cracking day you jammy so and so

 

[Deleted member 17920]

They arrived 5 mins ago

Look fantastic, Was a bit concerned about the box when it arrived slightly bent

No guessing for where my lunch break will be today

Thanks Mizuno and GM.

Now if I could load pics I would

 

[Birchy]

They arrived 5 mins ago

Look fantastic, Was a bit concerned about the box when it arrived slightly bent

No guessing for where my lunch break will be today

Thanks Mizuno and GM.

Now if I could load pics I would

Straight in the bag for weekend pal?