Mizuno MP A302

We test ten of the latest putters. Five blades take on five mallets but who comes out on top?

Andy Roberts's picture
Andy Roberts and Charlie Lemay
Wed, 25 Sep 2013
Mizuno MP A302


Brand:
 Mizuno
Putter: MP A302
Design: Blade
RRP: £169 Best price: £139
Loft: 3.5-degree Lie: 71-degree Head Weight: 340g

Summary: The MP A-Series putters combine a lush black IP finish, with bevelled white top edge to make their classic shapes easier to align. The top edge marking, parallel to the face, creates a stronger alignment aid on compact head shapes, than can be achieved with a traditional ‘ball to target' marking.

Appearance: A classic blade with an appealing black finish in contrast to the white alignment aid, the MP A302 is a good-looking putter of similar size to the Nike Method Core. The black IP finish helped reduce glare in the beaming sun and this also contributed to a fantastic contrast between putter face, ball and green. The body looked a little too wide for us, however, and we thought it sat a little too open at address. We felt as though we had to move our hands to straighten up the blade. 8

Feel: Being head heavy, we didn’t get a huge response from the putter and found ourselves storming the hole with a few, finishing past the hole numerous times. We felt the face was a little dead and didn’t provide near enough feedback to judge distance. 6.5

Performance: The alignment aid worked well by employing two lines, one down the face and one perpendicular to this, which ensured we had good alignment. This blade has a nice evenly distributed weight but we really struggled distance-wise. With pace paramount in holing putts it meant we struggled to frighten the hole on many of the 10 and 20-footers. 7.5

Verdict: An attractive putter that is let down by the feel which was too harsh for our liking. While it may be easy to align, this becomes irrelevant when there is a breaking putt when pace is all-important. Price may also put people off. 22

Mizuno MP A302

3-feet (out of 5)

6-feet

10-feet

20-feet

Charlie

4

3

2

0

Andy

5

4

2

1

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