Expert Mizuno historian needed

[SoulmanZ]

Hi there, got a tricky question that i hope someone can help with. Mizuno USA and JP couldnt! (well mizuno jp didnt reply)

 

I have picked up a set of old mizunos from (i assume) prior to mizuno launching in USA in the 80s. My guestimate is 70s.

 

They are marked as "Mizuno Pro Staff" in cursive script, with the silver cup emblem on the toe and stamped next to this is the name T. Shimozu

 

My assumption is T Shimozu must have been a pro staff player, and these were custom made clubs. I cannot find information on the clubs or the player anywhere though, and would love to know more about the clubs I am playing

 

they are amazing to hit by the way

 

Cheers for any help

Luke

[SoulmanZ]

pics below

[Duffy19]

pics didn't work for me.

[MizzyMan]

wow. squarest toe I've seen in a long time.

[SoulmanZ]

for duffy, pics attached

 

anyone help me out?

 

mizzy, i love the square toes. beautiful clubs. mostly original grips too, which are amazing. they are still tacky

[shuttle1]

All I can say is you got game playing those babies!!

[SoulmanZ]

haha. nah shuttle, not at all. i just grew up playing blades so oversize heads feel clunky and imprecise. i only feel confident lining up to the ball with a club like this

 

and they feel sweet

 

im sure someone around here knows something about mizuno history pre-1980. even if y'all had an idea about where i could look for info it'd be great

 

cheers

[astamm8]

beautiful clubs mate. i wish i could help, but all i can say is that they look like ms-1 and ms-2s (except the stamping is different), but i'm sure you knew that.

 

could you post a face pic? i'd love to see that square toe from the front.

 

another iron with that reverse muscle back, wow. any bounce on those?

[SoulmanZ]

yeah the toes angles really talk to me, i love em

 

the reverse muscle ... seems a strange concept but kinda just proves that all the technology in the world doesnt do much. these go like the clappers. as for the bounce, i think they would be low bounce, although if you look at the pitching wedge in the first photos the leading edge has been ground down, so the bounce would be up. another chapter in the history of these clubs i guess, pity i cant find out about it!

 

the real problem i am facing is that in the 60s and 70s mizuno did a lot of custom 1 off jobs (at least according to the info i have) so chances are these are the only clubs like this. that is why i was trying to find out about the player rather than the clubs, i assume mizuno wouldnt stamp 'pro staff' on their clubs for just anyone

 

here is some photos of the faces

[CenterOfPercussion]

I checked the mizuno retired club page but notice they must have recently changed it as many of the older clubs are no longer there.

 

As OP said they look like MS-1, likely from the early 80s.

 

I sent mizuno an email asking for them to publish the information that they used to, I would ask other Mizuno fans to do the same.

[kyo-nax]

Here's the link I found.

http://www.nikkei.co.jp/g-style/even/gear/...18/index02.html

 

Sorry but it's in Japanese.

Looks like the first picture is the one you have. 1972 model.

As of "T. Shimozu", I couldn't find any info on quick search.

May be tonight.

 

First half of the article.

http://www.nikkei.co.jp/g-style/even/gear/...0318/index.html

 

EDIT: OK kept doing more searches and that model is the FIRST pro model made in JAPAN!!!

[SoulmanZ]

thanks so much for the help, some beautiful clubs in the old domestic line-up

 

i agree, the 72 MPs are the closest match i have seen, likely just a custom stamp job on the writing

 

i think t.shimozu is lost to the ages

 

cheers again

[kyo-nax]

I might get some answers in about a week.

I've exhausted my brain power. Asking teaching pros in Japan.

[SoulmanZ]

wow kyo-nax, again i cant thank you enough for the effort

 

maybe at the end of the day t. shimozu was just a businessman who could afford personalised clubs, and there wont be any info, but it would be great if something turned up

 

ive added a maxfli dp30 2 iron in at the top of the set and broke 40 over 9 holes for the first time about a week ago with just irons. they feel made for my hands!

 

cheers again

[kyo-nax]

wow kyo-nax, again i cant thank you enough for the effort

 

maybe at the end of the day t. shimozu was just a businessman who could afford personalised clubs, and there wont be any info, but it would be great if something turned up

 

ive added a maxfli dp30 2 iron in at the top of the set and broke 40 over 9 holes for the first time about a week ago with just irons. they feel made for my hands!

 

cheers again

 

Very nice!!

Well, there is no Shimozu in Japanese pro listing so, no, he was not a pro.

Very nice find tho. He said you can find a lot of MS-1's but not the model you have.

He said the stamping of the name was popular and these clubs were custom made so please take care of them.

If I go back to Japan anytime soon, I will make sure that I goto Mizuno Museum.