Mizuno's latest line of Pro irons: What you need to know

What you need to know: Mizuno updates its Mizuno Pro iron lineup with three new models—Mizuno Pro 241, Mizuno Pro 243, Mizuno Pro 245—plus a Mizuno Pro Fli-Hi utility iron. The clubs are designed to not only showcase Mizuno’s strength in forging irons, but to do so in a manner that expands the audience for its clubs through the ability to seamlessly blend sets from multiple models.

"Everything about the new Mizuno Pro 241/243/245 and Fli-Hi is pushed to the extreme—from technology to more streamlined playing profiles,” said Chris Voshall, product director at Mizuno. “Each model has become better at its specific job, more distinct, yet able to be blended when required."

Price: $200 per iron for the 241, 243 and 245 models and $250 for the Fli-Hi.

3 Cool Things

1. Players only. “With musclebacks you’re always talking incremental improvements because the MB player wants so little,” said David Llewellyn, director of R&D at Mizuno. “For the Pro 241 we made the mid and short irons noticeably smaller and thinner with an aggressive bevel on topline. We also put more mass behind the impact area to promote a solid feel but with a more muted sound. We also added some spin as well. Irons today are too low spin.”

Of course, the irons are grain flow forged with a soft copper underlay for that syrupy feel the company is known for while mass has been added behind the sweet spot for enhanced feedback. The full satin brush finish is the company’s first satin blade in recent memory.

2. Big change. Grain flow forged from 4120 Chromoly steel, the Mizuno Pro 243 irons feature a flow microslot in the 4- through 7-irons with the slot wider and deeper in the 4- and 5-iron and less so in the 6- and 7-iron. The face is thinner at 2.3 millimeters and as thin as 2.1 mm on long irons for a distance boost. A wrap-around sole grind improves turf interaction with the sole grind on the pitching wedge inspired by the company’s wedge line. Strengthened lofts on PW, AW and GW provide consistent loft gapping

“The 243 is the most dramatic change from the 22 family with a significant shift smaller in head size while adding speed,” said Llewellyn. “The advancements are mainly due to evolution on the manufacturing side. It’s one thing for the R&D team to design a thinner face iron with stronger materials in the CAD world but something else to have it grain flow forged to those specifications and strength requirements."

3. Looks can be deceiving. The traditional blade appearance of the Mizuno Pro 245 says, “Be afraid … be very afraid” but the performance says otherwise. This hollow body iron is grain flow forged from 4135 Chromoly steel for the face and neck up to the 8-iron. Internal tungsten weighting in the irons up to the 7-iron weigh 46.4 grams tungsten as opposed to 30 grams in its predecessor. A new method of laser welding in the tungsten is employed to where it’s almost suspended in the head and not touching the sole so the sole can flex and contribute to ball speed.

Said Voshall, "There are some impressive ball speed gains in the Mizuno Pro 245, considering we’ve slimmed it down—especially in the longer irons. The biggest challenge for people now is telling this iron apart from the one-piece Mizuno Pro 241 muscleback.”

For those not comfortable hitting long irons, the company’s new Mzuno Pro Fli-Hi offers a viable alternative. Designed to get the ball in the air easier, the Fli-Hi launches higher than the previous version due to a wider sole, deeper CG and thinner face.