I’ve started the first sentence of this review then deleted it several times, trying to find a witty way saying I have a new gamer 56 degree (sand) wedge. I don’t want to sound like every hack golf writer/blogger who has a new gamer every week. You know the ones: “this is the best (insert golf club here) I’ve ever hit!” Then next week they write a review about another one and say the same thing. My previous 56 degree wedge has been in my bag since 2006. Yes TWO THOUSAND AND SIX. That’s nine years for those of you counting at home. What’s even more remarkable is the number of wedges which have had the opportunity to dethrone it. I’ll be doing a WITG piece on those who didn’t make the cut soon: “what’s in the garage?”
So what is the new wedge which has been able to take a position in my bag that at least a dozen others have not been able to achieve? It is the new Mizuno MP-T5 5610. The 56 in 5610 is the number of degrees. The 10 in 5610 represents the degrees of bounce on the sole of the club.
Mizuno Golf MP-T5 5610 Wedge – click to zoom
Specs
The MP-T5 wedges are “grain flow forged.” Forging is the most popular process for higher end clubs, and clubs which have more feel to them. The other process is casting, which in my opinion produces clubs which have no feel, or basically feel the same on every shot. The metal used in the forging of this wedge is 1025 E pure select mild carbon steel. This is a soft steel, if there is such a thing. The softness gives the player control and feel.
The grooves in the MP-T5 are “quad cut,” milled out of the face with a CNC milling machine. This produces a lot of surface area on the face, giving the wedge more biting power and therefore more control via more spin.
Mizuno provides all sorts of options when they custom build the wedge for their players (at no extra charge I might add). There are 25 loft/bounce options for every possible swing style and condition.
Mizuno offers a True Temper Dynamic Gold “Wedge” flex shaft as its stock option and that’s the shaft in my test unit. There are roughly 15 other custom shaft options available.
Looks
This wedge combines a white satin finish with some great artwork and a very classy shape. The white satin to me is more of a matte-silver finish, which I really like. No distracting glare from the sun.
Mizuno MP-T5 Wedge
I don’t have the Black Ion Steel unit so I cant speak much about it, other than it looks fantastic.
Feel
I would never switch out a sand wedge which has been in my bag for NINE years to one which doesn’t have great feel. I adjusted to the wonderful feel of this wedge much quicker than I thought I would. I can tell exactly where I’ve made contact on the club face via the club’s “feedback” sound and feel.
On the Course
If you’re looking for computerized Iron Byron testing results with a TrackMan and exact spin rates, launch angles… check another site. My reviews are all hands-on, on the course. I can’t help wondering when that Iron Byron guy will finally find the right club for his perfect swing anyway. I don’t hit it perfect every time, and neither does anyone else, except Iron Byron.
Technical stuff and looks aside, the on-the-course performance is the most important factor. The first shot I hit, and no I didn’t bother hitting the range first, was a thrill. I was 96 yards from a front pin on the 10th hole at my home course Bonneville. The green is elevated (the right green for those of you who know the course) and anything short is in long rough. Oddly, this particular green has no fringe.
My shot hit right next to the pin, dead on line. It bounced a few feet past and spun back to about two feet. I made the ticklish birdie putt. I have hit many similar triumphant shots with the MP-T5 wedge. I find my accuracy around 100-110 is quite good.
Check out the milling on the face…
The real game changer for me (and “game changer” is a phrase that I really don’t like using) is in chipping. I’ve been using my 60 degree wedge for chipping around the greens, but thought I would try this 56 instead. The contact I’m getting is so much better. I think the added bounce is making a big difference as my 60 is very low bounce. The chipping has been much improved. Not great, but much improved. I’ll still use the lob for flops.
Finally, in the sand I’ve had some great results. My previous 56 was very good out of the sand and I wasn’t sure I’d ever find another wedge as good. The jury is still out as I haven’t hit enough green-side bunkers to really know, but so far so good.
Conclusion
The $129.99 retail Mizuno MP-T5 5610 is a fantastic sand wedge. Whether I’m hitting full shots from 100-110, sand shots, or chipping around the green, it performs as good or better than any other 56 I’ve tried. And I’ve tried more than a few. Just look in my garage.
Man do I have a lot of golf balls to review! I may do another “HOG Golf Ball Week” soon to cover them all. The latest in the large and growing golf ball review queue is the TaylorMade Project (a).
TaylorMade Project (a) Golf Ball
I’ve been hearing about these TaylorMade Project (a) golf balls. The (a) is for amateur, which is the target player for this ball. Just how they do that I have yet to discover, but my guesses would first be a lower compression and more spin around the greens.
I’ll be putting these into play soon and doing a full compliment of test rounds before my review. Stay tuned.
Regarding the photo above: I swear I almost have as much fun capturing cool images of golf equipment as I do playing it…
Jordan Spieth – 2015 Masters Champion
I say it every year. The Masters never disappoints. 2015 is no exception, though some were critical of the Sunday round. I agree that it was not a typical Masters Sunday, with many players “charging” and contending, swapping the lead. Because Jordan Spieth was so dominant the first three days and did not wilt in the final round, there were no Sunday charges to be had.
Spiethgasm
After Thursday’s 64 I predicted a golf media “premature Spiethgasm,” knowing the media was going to go all ga-ga over Spieth. With the downward direction in Tiger Woods’s game, it seems the media is trying to glom onto a new nipple. Now that Spieth finished the 2015 Masters off in a classy, multi-record-breaking fashion, the golf media now has my permission to enter their full-on Spiethgasm. Lock it on.
It was truly an impressive week. Spieth is the real deal, no doubt. I had the opportunity to cover Jordan when he was 16 years old and made the cut in a PGA Tour event, the Byron Nelson. Yes, 16 years old.
He’s not a bomber like Dustin Johnson, but long enough. He’s not a short game wizard like Phil Mickelson, but his short game is solid (up-and-down on 54th hole for example). I find it hard to pinpoint a signature part of Spieth’s game. I’m not sure what his strengths are. It would seem his game is so balanced, that his strength is a lack of weakness in any area. The only minor issues this past week which did cost him some strokes here and there, was the occasional blocked drive to the right.
Jordan’s world ranking is now #2, right behind Rory McIlory. I love how different the styles between these two is and look forward to a budding rivalry between them in the years to come.
Tiger Woods
It was slightly difficult to watch Tiger Woods this weekend. You could tell he was trying as hard as ever, and after two solid middle rounds we even saw a fist pump, like the old days. Also like the old days, we saw the whirly-bird driver flying out of his hands and heard on a national broadcast “oh my f***ing God,” when he duck-hooked a drive into the left trees on the par-5 13th.
Tiger looked pretty good to me. No back issues. Short game looked decent. The part of his game that looked bad was his driving, with the head dipping down drastically. When he does that bad things happen. Is Tiger “back?” I’m not sure he could ever be back to what he once was. Time will tell.
When Tiger hit that root in the final round and hurt his hand I was thinking to myself, “oh no, not another withdraw due to injury.” I’m glad he was able to “put the bone back in place,” or whatever it was he did.
Phil MIckelson
I actually dreamed Saturday night that Phil won his 4th green jacket. He put on a good show, and perhaps might have won if Spieth wasn’t in the field. It was a great showing by Phil, with many entertaining shots. I was surprised how often he used putter off the greens this time around.
Maybe that dream was a premonition for 2016 or beyond.
Rory McIlory
I had a “feeling” Rory McIlory would not be in contention. He started out slow but showed that he could play Augusta National very well. But in the end, he didn’t have enough this week. I feel the self imposed pressure he has on himself to complete the career Grand Slam by winning the Masters will make it much more had to win at Augusta than it should be. No doubt he has the game to win there, but his mind might get in his way.
Field
Charley Hoffman was a pleasant surprise this past week. He had the lead for a while and was right up there most of the weekend. Amazing what cutting off the mullet can do for one’s golf game.
Justin Rose was the closest threat to Spieth. The guy is a total stud. Fearless. I really like his game and his style. He’s gutsy.
Dustin Johnson set a Masters record with three eagles in one round. That’s impressive.
Jason Day and Adam Scott didn’t do close to as well as I thought they would.
Of course, it was nice to see the goodbye tour of Ben Crenshaw Friday.
Course
Naturally, Augusta National looked as great as ever. It played a little easier than I thought. Perhaps they’ve accepted that they’re not a U.S. Open and it is okay for players to make birdies. That style of golf is more exciting for most “patrons.”
2016 Masters
The second Jordan Spieth made the final, winning putt I couldn’t help but look forward to the 2016 Masters Tournament. Only 360 days to go!
My Bigger Drone for Aerial Golf Photos/Video
Over the last couple of years now I’ve gotten deep into aerial photos and videos via unmanned aerial vehicles, known by most as drones. I’ve build some aerial video/photo “ships” and am loving the angles and views I can capture of golf courses.
To me a drone is a large unmanned killing vehicle used in war. Unfortunately people who don’t know much call the little copters equate them with the bigger drones. Small copters like the ones I have have a bad wrap and there are some true boneheads doing dumb things with them. These “drones” can provide so many great functions otherwise not available. One such great one is the aerial flyovers of the holes at the Masters Tournament.
Augusta National – Masters Tournament 16th hole as seen by a drone
You may have not realized, but when the TV or online coverage does their hole tours, the flyover videos are shot by an aerial drone similar to what I use. Here’s a screen cap of a drone shot of the 16th hole above. The dramatic views and videos are absolutely awesome. Love them.
There’s an especially cool shot which starts in a bunker and rises up to show the hole. Another one the camera starts by some trees and rises straight up over them. Very cool.
The aerial coverage and how close the camera can get to the tree lines makes the great Masters broadcast even better.
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