Golfmagic Awards 2008: Magic Iron

When it comes to which irons a golfer favours, it can be very subjective. While some like the chunky top-line appeal of the confidence-building cavity back clubs, others prefer the low profile and pure striking of a blade or muscleback style of club.

In winning its category the Mizuno MP-60 iron had a clear appeal to those who appreciated its sleek lines and performance as well as those who aspired to reach a higher level of skill and felt this type of club was next on their list. However, the Callaway X-20 and TaylorMade CGB Max both performed with distinction in the voting and the next generation of innovative irons are certain to provide an even closer contest in 2009.

Commented Mizuno's David Matthews: "Sites like Golfmagic.com have evened the market out. Mizuno is a manufacturer with great technical attributes which were harder to communicate pre-internet. Now we're able to put much more detail into the market and allow communities like Golfmagic.com to decide which parts have merit and pass the story onto golfers who wouldn't normally have come to us.

"Suddenly irons like the MP-60, which would have been more of a marginal iron 10 years ago, are getting into the bags of a wider range of players. Unless golfers had a chance to find out from other players that these irons could work for them, this could never have happened."