Mizuno Pro Forged Irons

EmperorPenguin · October 28, 2016

I just bought these clubs on impulse so they are on the way over. I have never seen these irons before, and I am wondering if anyone here knows firsthand about these clubs. The stamp on the muscle reads Mizuno Pro, but there is no MP model on the toe (e.g., MP-14, -29, etc.). They appear to be reverse musclebacks. Does anyone know anything about these irons?

NRJyzr · October 28, 2016

The Mizuno Pro irons are from 1983, the same as the MS-1 that show up in 1984, but without the MS-1 stamp.

Early Mizuno irons were all essentially copies of MacGregor irons, up through the MP-14/29, and possibly beyond.

HoganApexBlades · October 28, 2016

The Mizuno Pro irons are from 1983, the same as the MS-1 that show up in 1984, but without the MS-1 stamp.

Early Mizuno irons were all essentially copies of MacGregor irons, up through the MP-14/29, and possibly beyond.

Until they copied the BH Precision irons with their TN-87.

NRJyzr · October 28, 2016

The Mizuno Pro irons are from 1983, the same as the MS-1 that show up in 1984, but without the MS-1 stamp.

Early Mizuno irons were all essentially copies of MacGregor irons, up through the MP-14/29, and possibly beyond.

Until they copied the BH Precision irons with their TN-87.

They were still copying MacGregors, there's a set of VIP or MT in the 70s with that shape.

It just so happens that MacGregor copied the Hogan's first. :)

HoganApexBlades · October 28, 2016

The Mizuno Pro irons are from 1983, the same as the MS-1 that show up in 1984, but without the MS-1 stamp.

Early Mizuno irons were all essentially copies of MacGregor irons, up through the MP-14/29, and possibly beyond.

Until they copied the BH Precision irons with their TN-87.

They were still copying MacGregors, there's a set of VIP or MT in the 70s with that shape.

It just so happens that MacGregor copied the Hogan's first. :)

Early 70's VIP limited irons.

scruffynick · October 28, 2016

I had a set early 90s before I traded them for tp 9s....were very popular in the UK and a stunning set of irons! Enjoy

'53 Precision · October 28, 2016

Actually the early Chieftan's may have been the impetus for the Precision's but, in my opinion, the MP14/29 are virtual replicas of the Precisions, not the much later Macs...

Christen_The_Sloop · November 2, 2016

Great clubs. I just had a few sets of the early models - MS1, MS3 and the TN87s - all great clubs. Love the square toes on the MS models. The wedges could get pretty big, but the MS1 has a really pretty SW, to be honest. Easily the nicest of the bunch.

EmperorPenguin · November 2, 2016

They still haven't arrived yet, but I must ask for those who once owned this particular model: how do they hit? Also, for those of you who may know: which model MacGregor irons are these irons a copy of? I heard that the Cobra Greg Norman signature irons are copies of 1962 MacGregor VIP, and maybe these Mizuno Pro irons are also copies of the same?

mocokid · November 3, 2016

reverse muscle = 985's, I posted a set I have on a here before. Harder to hit than muscle backs.

rex235 · November 3, 2016

They still haven't arrived yet, but I must ask for those who once owned this particular model: how do they hit? Also, for those of you who may know: which model MacGregor irons are these irons a copy of? I heard that the Cobra Greg Norman signature irons are copies of 1962 MacGregor VIP, and maybe these Mizuno Pro irons are also copies of the same?

Penguin-

Don White ground the Greg Norman signature Cobra irons {christened "Mac-Cobras"} which Norman used at the 1996 Masters in the lost to Nick Faldo. These were based on the MacGregor 915/985 Design.

Don White also ground the MacGregor "Diamond Back" irons Norman used at the 2008 British Open Championship. (They were going to be the 2009 VIP line, but Norman sold out his stake in MacGregor, and they folded.

These irons were based on the MacGregor TA Diamond Back SS1 design used by Jack Nicklaus in the 1962 US Open Championship over Arnold Palmer (RIP)

Yes, the Mizuno Pro lines were based on the '50s MacGregor 915/985 (MP-1), and Hogan Precision (MP-14, MP-29, TN-87) designs.

Mizuno made very few LH Pro Model irons, but they were available in Japan(TN-87), and some found their way to the US.

Have already posted photos of Don White, and some of the LH models Mizuno made.

freddiec · November 3, 2016

I caddied in Ayako Okamoto group in 1984 at the Boston Five Classic and she was playing those irons. She pured them all day long, it was a quite the show. She was a strong girl, with the best tempo I have ever seen. Great looking set.

EmperorPenguin · November 3, 2016

I just got the irons today. I am slightly disappointed because the shaft progressions are slightly incorrect (i.e., the 7 iron is about 1/16" longer than the 8 when it should be 1/2"), but I can easily fix that. The reverse-muscleback design is certainly sexy, but only when looking at the back of the clubheads. The irons all have a slightly lower profile, and these are long blades (i.e., head-to-toe length longer than standard). The toes are rounded and at address they do not set up so well. The 7 iron looks horrible, and the short irons and wedges appear very massive compared to others. I will excuse all these liabilities if they hit the ball well with good feel and good trajectory. I will take them to the range after I do some slight modifications.

My Wilson Staff T589's and Golden Ram sets blow these Mizuno Pro irons away in terms of how they set up at address. Maybe over time these clubs will grow on me, but for now I felt like I adopted a red-headed stepchild.

golfluvzme · November 3, 2016

I enjoyed this thread. I have the same set of irons in my garage, purchased on a whim and saved for lack of other options, LOL.

The first thing I did was adjust the loft and lies to match specs on the MP33's and haul them into the simulator. Craving was satisfied in a very short time, the irons were put in a vintage bag and may never fall into my hands again.

Sometimes you have to try things just based on reputation and learn from the trial.

LaMont in AZ

EmperorPenguin · November 4, 2016

To better illustrate, here is a picture of the MIzuno Pro 7 iron at address juxtaposed to my Wilson Staff T589 7 iron. There is no doubt which one looks better at address. Again, as stated above the most important thing is how the ball flies, so this could be irrelevant.

SteveNZ · November 4, 2016

These look so awesome, who cares how they play!

EmperorPenguin · November 7, 2016

These look so awesome, who cares how they play!

I agree they look awesome. I just trimmed them all to the desired lengths, and boy what a task that was, since the clubs' shaft progressions were not at all at 1/2" increments. There were gold lines painted between the muscles on the back, but I think the clubs would look better without them, so I stripped them off. Now that all the fine-tuning work is done, when I get the free time I will take them out to the course and see how they play. I will let you guys know. I admit that these blades certainly look very sexy, but I hope they will hit as well as they look.