Mizuno M.Craft City Series putters: What you need to know

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Mizuno M.Craft City Series putters comprise four traditional blade and mallet looks with each head forged from the same mild carbon steel (1025E Select) as the company’s famous irons, including the feel-enhancing copper underlay. Interchangeable sole weights provide swing weight options, as well.

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PRICE, OPTIONS & AVAILABILITY: $699. Models: Blades – Kyoto.P, Kyoto.S, Osaka.P, Osaka.S; Mallets – Nagoya.B, Nagoya.S, Tokyo.B, Tokyo.S. Head weights: Blades – 355-375 grams; Mallets – 370-390 grams. Lengths: 34, 35, 38 inches. Loft: 3 degrees. Offered in nickel or grey ion finishes. Available at retail across Australia from February 13.

3 Cool Things

1. Forged blades of a different sort. Mizuno’s M.Craft putters during the past few years have emphasised the benefits of the company’s forged iron expertise in creating the same sort of soft, sturdy feel in a flatstick. The new M.Craft City Series was also forged from 1025E select mild carbon steel at the company’s legendary partner, Chuo Forging in Hiroshima. That same steel is found in many of the company’s classic players single-piece forged irons, including the unique copper underlay in the final plating stages of making the irons. That copper layer, barely one-tenth the thickness of a human hair, was used in Mizuno irons first nearly 40 years ago and is designed to provide a softer feel.

For these new but traditional putters, there’s also a more refined look to the designs. Those subtle refinements include a wider, toe-side ballast on the blades that shifts the centre of gravity closer to the centre line for more solid-feeling centre strikes. Meanwhile on the mallet designs, Mizuno’s history of understanding sound vibration led to the shaping of the cavities, rear flanges and wings on these compact but forgiving shapes.

Also, thicker pads in the heel and toe enhance stability on off-centre strikes. In addition, there’s also a full-face deep milling pattern to provide consistent feel and roll on centre and off-centre strikes.

2. Weight for it. Like past M.Craft models, the four head styles in the M.Craft City Series (two blades, two mallets) will come with interchangeable heel and toe sole weights. The dual weights on the four head styles accommodate a 20-gram total weight range for each head. The blades range from 355-375 grams, while the mallets range from 370-390 grams. At the heavier end of the range, each can accommodate a 38-inch shaft length to achieve the ideal swing weight and balance point.

3. Model behaviour. The two classic blade shapes offer distinct differences. Both the Kyoto and Osaka come with plumber’s neck or slant neck hosel configurations. The Kyoto is the more common heel-toe weighted blade with a longer blade length and narrow front-to-back measurement than the Osaka. The Osaka is shorter, more square shape with a wider flange.

The mallets (Nagoya and Tokyo) both live in the compact mid-mallet space and both are available in either a double-bend or slant neck option. The Nagoya is a standard mallet shape with a recessed cavity in the deep back flange, while the Tokyo features the parallel wings and an open notch in the back centre designed to increase the head’s overall stability on off-centre strikes. Similar to the blades, both mallets also employ a thicker sole to control vibration and lend a more solid feel at impact.