Mizuno M.Craft OMOI 04 Putter Review

The Mizuno M.Craft OMOI range was initially released in 2022, with three smaller models to choose from that included the M.Craft OMOI 1 and OMOI 3 shapes. Now, a year later, the M.CRAFT OMOI range has been expanded with another trio made up of two mallets and a square-back design to ensure there is something to suit everyone's eye. These three new models feature up to 28g more head weight than the original M.CRAFT putters, without increasing the head size, creating a much different feel and face rotation pattern.

The M.Craft OMOI 04 is probably my favorite of the latest releases, thanks to its stunning looks at address. The square-back design of this putter is similar to the Scotty Cameron Super Select Newport 2.5 Plus and exceptionally well balanced. With 40 degrees of toe hang and a plumber's neck hosel, it forms a confidence-inspiring shape which flows beautifully when in motion.

As someone who currently uses a plumber's neck hosel in a normal blade putter, I naturally enjoyed how the M.Craft OMOI 04 putter flowed. The elongated sight-line was something that helped me line up to my intended target very easily and I noticed I hit the hole a lot more frequently when putting inside of 10 foot, compared to my gamer, which has a simple sight dot on the top for reference.

All the M.Craft OMOI putters are forged from 1025 carbon steel and boast CNC milling, which makes for a beautiful soft feel rivalling some of the best putters on the market. The word ‘OMOI’ is actually a Japanese word for heavy and so the M.Craft putter range is aptly named due to its heavy putter heads that increase stability. While I can’t say I noticed the M.Craft OMOI 04 putter to be significantly heavier than other putters I have recently tested, It definitely did remain stable and I felt very little torque or twisting in the head, even when slightly miss-striking putts from the heel and toe. The performance of this putter was very comparable to some of the best mallet putters released this year while still offering the feel of some of the best blade putters.

The other explanation for the head not feeling overly heavy, is the oversize yet lightweight grip at the other end of the club which counterbalances the putter, making it feel slightly less head-heavy. The grip is a large Lamkin OMOI Sink Fit pistol-style grip that fitted very well in my hands and excelled in dampening the vibrations created through impact, while also providing adequate feel, making it easy to gauge distances when I was putting from distance. The high MOI of this putter made lag putting feel particularly easy and so I would recommend this as a putter perfect for higher handicappers as well as it being one of the most forgiving putters in general.  

If you are someone who prefers the head to feel slightly heavier or lighter, each M.Craft OMOI putters comes equipped with an additional weight kit. While the putters are loaded with two, 8g interchangeable weights as standard, the weight kit has two 3g weights or 13g options. While I am someone who prefers a heavier feeling head, I found the 13g weights to be a little too heavy and I struggled to then close the face quick enough, causing some missed putts to the right.

Overall I really enjoyed the experience with this putter on the course. The premium aesthetics and clever engineering will inspire the confidence needed for beginner golfers as well as pleasing the eye of some of the Mizuno Tour players. Coming in at $350, there's decent value for money here.