CLK Fli-Hi
Stainless steel face and body, Cortech technology, Speed Plate sole design on the toe and heel to reduce turf drag. Available in right hand and left hand with True Temper CLK Hybrid Superlite shaft standard in steel and Mizuno Exsar HS2 shafts standard in graphite. Loft options of 17, 20, 23, and 26 degrees. Other shafts can be fitted as part of the Mizuno Custom Fitting program.
Mizuno’s MP series is aimed at the better player which is immediately evident when you slip off the headcover to reveal a utility wood with a small compact head that lends itself to shot shaping.
Another clue to the sort of player who’ll be drawn to this model lies in the alignment of clubface and hosel. There’s no hint of offset here, in fact quite the opposite, with the leading edge of the club sitting ahead of the shaft at address. This is another indication of a shotmakers club rather than the heavily offset models that give lesser players a little more time to square up the face at impact.
Mizuno has aimed this model at the top end, and that includes Tour players, so the advanced clubface position is engineered with a purpose. Many good ball strikers often find that the hybrid, when compared to the long iron it’s supposed to be replacing, is far too easy to hook. Tour players hate to see the flight dive from right to left, a shape encouraged by too much offset.
The head design is reminiscent of the early TaylorMade Rescue clubs with the thick metal top line and whitened grooves that allow you to see the loft on the club very clearly.
With a swingweight registering a ‘middle of the road’ D2, the club feels heavy enough overall, but the lightness of the head does affect the balance. It’s interesting to note that Mizuno has included quite a heavy shaft here (the white Fubuki) weighing in at 84 grams, while the same shaft in the 3-wood measures 74 gms with a lighter 64 gms in the MP630 drivers. With such a small head, the shaft weight gives the club greater overall stability, but I still found the lack of weight in the head slightly disconcerting.
Does the CLK pack a punch? Not really. You’re looking at long iron replacement, not a club that will see the ball fizz off the clubface. But that isn’t such a bad thing. Getting a high ball flight and a soft landing is easy enough and what I particularly liked about this club is that it makes you feel confident of extricating a ball from just about any bad lie.
Verdict
A precision club for the better player that places versatility and shotmaking above the need for distance and power.
