Mizuno MX-500 driver

While most of us love the feeling of confidence, the big-headed drivers give us, it’s not always possible to control the big dogs. The ball will tend to fly high and long but not always land where we want it.

A small price to pay, many of us believe, for the distance advantage it gives us over our mates.

Well I’m sorry, folks… I’m from the old school of ‘it’s not how far, it’s how many’ and I like the idea of a well-struck ball, going where you hope to direct it, especially after a pretty dismal season of good ball-striking without too much scoring reward.

I’ve always been a fan of the 2003 Mizuno MP001 driver, a forgiving club, which lacked the punch of other 400 models at the time but was a pioneer in face legality when others were churning clubs with a shelf life set to run out in December 2007. This is when the hot-face drivers most of us carry are scheduled to become illegal.

Five lofts available

Engineers discovered that a large head size means the club’s ‘centre of gravity is located further from the shaft axis, causing the toe to lag in swing.’ The result: pushed and sliced tee shots.

The combination of a graphite crown and graphite toe insert, says Mizuno, reduces the weight by 30 grams. This not only shifts the balance of weight closer to the shaft, helping to square the clubface but encourages a high launch angle and extra carry.

I specifically requested the maximum 12.5 degree model to review – a bit girly, I know – but in recent months I’d struggled to get the ball airborne enough to take full advantage of favourable conditions.

However, in the three rounds and practice sessions I’ve used the MX-500, it has boosted my confidence back into driving. As a fifty something, I might not be the longest in a Sunday morning fourball but I’m irritatingly straight.

And as my playing partners yesterday will confirm I can hit this club with unerring consistency off the deck, even from semi-rough with a high, soft fade. It rivals the Cobra SS430 and Callaway Big Bertha II in this department.

	The Golfmagic Verdict
Rating: 9/10 Summary: When I showed the club to my local pro he was impressed by the way the club inspired confidence at address and commented that the distinctive headcover ‘was worth £25 on its own.’ But there’s more to this club than looks and style; it has a reliability factor that you know will deliver ‘no frills’ accuracy if you treat it with respect and don’t try to knock the cover off every tee shot.

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