Mizuno S23 Golf Wedge Review

The S23 wedge is a tour-ready, toe weighted wedge from Mizuno that's comprehensively engineered for extreme backspin. Designed to combine the precision and playing profile of a bladed wedge with the aggressive performance of a toe-weighted design, S23 wedges feature a shorter hosel and partial heel cavity, centralising the sweet spot.

Features

The Mizuno S23 wedge is one of the best game-improvement wedges on the market. It offers incredible spin and control through a number of technologies and appeals to a wide variety of golfers.

A key feature of the S23 wedge is the back-cavity area that was designed to move the center of gravity more towards the geometric center of the face. This, according to Mizuno, creates a more pleasing sensation at impact as well as enhancing spin and mitigating ball speed loss on shots hit off the toe.

This is a major design change, as most conventional wedges are heel-biased, which contributes to face deflection at impact and can be detrimental to the ball's trajectory. The back-cavity area moves the CG to a more central location, allowing the player to more effectively square up their swing.

Additionally, the more centered sweet spot will be easier to hit consistently, especially in the higher lofts, which should lead to a squarer strike, longer contact and better spin. The S23 is also crafted from soft, solid 1025 boron that provides a consistent feel with added durability for groove longevity.

In addition, Mizuno uses Quad-Cut milled grooves that are optimized for different lofts. Depending on the loft, the S23 has narrower or deeper grooves to suit the specific shot type.

The grooves are then laser etched to release moisture at impact, which improves spin performance in wet conditions. This is a feature that Mizuno uses on many of its wedges, including the T22.

Aside from the aforementioned features, the S23 wedge is constructed using one-piece Grain Flow Forging HD at Mizuno’s iconic facility in Hiroshima Japan, where Mizuno irons have been produced since 1968. This one-piece process has been perfected over the years for the manufacture of wedges, resulting in a more consistent feel and distance control.

The S23 wedges are also available in two durable finishes - white satin brush chrome and copper cobalt. Both of these finishes are aesthetically appealing and transition seamlessly with most other Mizuno irons. They are also available in multiple grinds and bounces to cater to the needs of a range of players.

Design

Mizuno has long been a leader in the manufacture of world class forged golf clubs and the s23 wedge is no exception. The S23 is one-piece forged at Mizuno's iconic facility in Hiroshima, Japan where their irons have been forged since 1968.

The S23's tour ready design has weight pushed to the toe with a partial heel cavity and short hosel. This creates a centred sweet spot for easier strike in the higher lofts, more consistent contact and high spin numbers.

To help dewsweepers and those playing in damp conditions, Micro Grooves are laser etched to release moisture at impact - reducing spin drop off. The Quad-Cut grooves are CNC milled and varying according to loft, while Mizuno's HydroFlow Micro Grooves are laser etched in between the larger grooves to help release moisture at impact - improving performance in wet conditions.

Grain Flow Forged HD from 1025E pure select mild carbon steel at Mizuno's iconic facility. The process is renowned for its consistency, precision and incredible feel.

These one-piece forged wedges are engineered for extreme backspin and feature a perfect blend of tear drop and round address shapes, with the shape becoming more round at higher lofts. These wedges also have two durable finishes to purely suit your visual preference.

This combines with a tour-ready profile that flows from a defined teardrop 46 degree pitching wedge for full shots through to a more rounded 60 degree for versatility around the green. This combination of a versatile, precise look and aggressive performance delivers a true game-improvement wedge.

Its a surprise to see Mizuno break its own rules with this wedge - but it makes sense when you consider how many world-class players are using the S23 wedge. They say it enables them to have more control over their spin when hitting off the toe of the club – and that is something they will be able to use as part of a complete short game plan.

These wedges are a great example of how Japanese manufacturers like Mizuno can combine classic design with the latest in technical innovation. They are forged at the same factory in Hiroshima where Mizuno's irons are forged and the process has been refined to ensure more density is focused on the hitting area of the clubhead - this means the S23 will perform even better than they look.

Performance

A comprehensively engineered wedge that fuses the precision and playing profile of a bladed design with the aggressive performance of a toe-weighted design. Developed at the Japanese manufacturer's iconic facility in Hiroshima, Japan, Mizuno's one-piece Grain Flow Forged HD process from 1025E Pure Select mild carbon steel delivers consistent performance, distance control and incredible feedback in the S23 wedges.

The S23 wedges feature a shorter hosel and heel-orientated cavity, allowing greater mass to be pushed towards the toe to create a centred sweet spot. This helps to generate a consistent and repeatable strike, resulting in longer impact time, less head deflection and higher spin for shots of all distances.

In addition, the short hosel allows for a more streamlined appearance at address. This is a major benefit for tour players who want to achieve a preferred versatile look at their target - while the tour-ready design is available in a range of grinds to suit all types of player's game.

Another key feature of the S23 wedges is the re-designed back-cavity area that moves the center of gravity more toward the centre of the face. This enables the club to generate more spin on shots hit off the toe, which is essential for a high percentage of everyday golfers.

A more central CG location also reduces the amount of face deflection at impact, which can help to generate more spin on partial shots. It is a simple idea, but it's something that is rarely implemented in wedges and a big improvement over the standard CG location of most game-improvement irons.

To make the S23 wedges more durable, Mizuno forged them from a mild carbon steel that is infused with boron to improve strength by 30 percent. This also increases the effective lifespan of the wedges by a significant amount.

Forgings are an important part of a wedge's performance, and Mizuno's long standing expertise in this area is unrivalled. Its Grain Flow Forging HD process, which has been in place since 1998, delivers a tighter grain structure and improved feel compared to traditional forgings.

Value

Mizuno is known for producing world class forged golf clubs and the S23 wedge is no exception. These forged wedges have a buttery soft feel thanks to the one-piece Grain Flow Forging process.

This process enables long uniform grains to be captured from the face and then shaped into an attractive wedge. This results in a more consistent look and feel with less vibration for longer distance control and more feedback throughout the shot.

As such, the S23 is an ideal choice for players who want to improve their accuracy and consistency with more consistent strikes and reliable high-spin numbers. Its weight pushed to the toe, a partial heel cavity and a short hosel all combine to deliver a centralised sweet spot designed to increase the ball's dwell time at impact, which contributes to more spin on both full and partial shots.

The S23 also features a back-cavity area to move the center of gravity more toward the centre of the face, which creates a more pleasing feeling at impact and enhances spin from off-center hits. Mizuno also uses quad-cut milled grooves and loft specific HydroFlow Micro Grooves to maximize debris funneling and reduce spin drop-off in wet conditions, while laser etched microgrooves are positioned between the grooves for extra durability.

Finally, the S23 is available in a number of bounce/loft configurations and grinds to suit every player's needs. Stronger lofts feature a teardrop straight edge flowing gently into a more rounded lob wedge, while a more square shape is more suited to those hitting softer pitches or square faced pitch shots.

Using the same one-piece Grain Flow Forging technology that has earned Mizuno its reputation for performance, these Tour-ready wedges are made at their iconic facility in Hiroshima, Japan - where Mizuno irons have been manufactured since 1968. They also come with a tour-ready look at address and a partial heel cavity, delivering a more centered sweet spot that is designed to offer a more consistent strike, higher-spin numbers and a tour-proven playing profile.