WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Mizuno’s M.Craft lineup of forged carbon steel putters, which debuted earlier this year, adds three new models for 2021, including two new mallets and a wide-body blade.
Price: $300 (new models available Feb. 4).
THE DEEP DIVE: Mizuno got back into the putter business earlier this year by concentrating on putters that take after the company’s main skill set: precision forgings in classic shapes. The M.Craft line debuted with three models, and now the company is scheduled to double the collection in 2021.
The M.Craft putters are forged from 1025 mild carbon steel and then CNC milled to precise shapes and a deep milling pattern on the face for a softer feel. The putters utilize two switchable sole weight ports with three different pairs of weight screws included in every purchase. The standard offering is with two eight-gram weights in the heel and toe, but the kit comes with a three-gram pair and a 13-gram pair.
The new models for 2021 include the M.Craft IV, which features a slant neck connected to square-back blade shape; the M.Craft V, which also utilizes a slant neck in a deep mallet shape; and the M.Craft VI, a winged mallet in a face-balanced configuration.
The M.Craft putters are built at a slightly heavier stock weight of 355 grams except for the VI, which checks in at an even more robust 371 grams. The heavier mass is designed to promote a more stable head both during the stroke and at impact.
Including last year’s models, the lineup with the standard weight configurations includes two face-balanced models and four with varying degrees of toe hang to fit a range of arcing strokes, as well as straight back and straight through motions. Using different weights in each of the heel and toe ports allows even more stroke and head mass variety, as well.
Each head style is available in three finishes: white satin, blue ion and black ion.