Mizuno ST-Z 230 Fairway Review

Mizuno ST-Z 230 Fairway Review

Mizuno has always held an excellent reputation for making some of the best golf irons money can buy, but it has often struggled to repeat this acclaim with its  metalwoods. The 2022 ST-Z fairway wood certainly made positive strides, but now with the release of the new ST-Z 230, Mizuno looks to be a serious contender in the fairway wood market and for an Editor's Choice award.

Watch: Sam De'Ath and Neil Tappin discuss the best fairway woods of 2023

The ST-Z 230 fairway really is a thing of beauty, a classic gloss black carbon crown frames the ball perfectly at address making this one of the best fairway woods released this year for looks. A compact, but not overly small head inspires confidence behind the ball, yet feels workable and will please the eye of all levels of golfers. One of the main selling points for us when it came to first impressions was the upgraded stock grip, with a Lamkin ST Hybrid 360 grip fitted as standard. 

We tested the new Mizuno ST-Z 230 fairway wood inside on a GCQuad Launch Monitor using Titleist Pro V1x Golf balls, as well as on the course at North Hants Golf Club in Hampshire, to see how it fared compared to some of the other best fairway woods we have hit recently. The ST-Z 230 is the only fairway model released by Mizuno compared to the two last year and so Mizuno have tried to make a club that performs well across the board. Thanks to the adjustable hosel the ST-Z 230 fairway can be tuned to create the ball flight any golfer wishes to promote.

The ST-Z 230 model is a high launching, straight bias, mid-to-low spinning fairway wood. Thanks to a new MAS1C steel face and boosted by Mizuno’s new Cortech Chamber, this was one of the fastest Mizuno fairways I have ever hit. I averaged 152mph ball speed and 235 yards of carry with the ST-Z 230 fairway - certainly not numbers to be sniffed at, although I can’t help but say I was expecting a little more for how fast this club feels off the face. The Cortech Chamber, highlighted in blue on the sole, holds a stainless steel weight which relieves stress from the face, creating an additional source of energy. Positioned further forward towards the face of the club, the Cortech chamber reduces spin rates, allowing for a more powerful flight and hitting sensation. 

The Mizuno ST-Z 230 fairway was fairly versatile and performed steadily both off the tee and the deck, as I hit shots into a par 5 green. The ball flight tended to climb a little which made flighting the ball in windy conditions not overly easy. Moreover the additional spin was useful when playing out the rough, helping get the carry out of tricky lies I didn’t always see in other fairways I have tested this year. Where I feel the ST-Z 230 particularly impressed was on off-centre strikes. The ball rarely fell off line despite my tendency to hit off the toe with a fairway wood. In fact, in my indoor testing session, only one ball finished more than ten yards from my desired target line, making the ST-Z 230 up there as one of the most forgiving fairways I have tested this year.

Despite improvements on speed, launch and spin over its predecessor the ST-Z 230 fairway struggled to keep up with some of the other big brands. However the ability to neutralize the ball flight on miss-hits certainly made this fairway one of the easier to hit. In summary, if you are looking for speed and distance I would perhaps turn your attention to the Callaway Paradym Triple Diamond or the Cobra Aerojet LS fairway, however the Mizuno ST-Z 230 will be hard to beat if you are looking for a reliable, forgiving fairway wood option.

The Mizuno ST-Z 230 drivers and fairways will be available from February 2023 with the fairways coming to retail at £299.

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