Mizuno's M.Craft franchise has experienced a steady progression since its inception in 2021, moving from the original M.Craft to the heavy-headed OMOI family and onto the M.Craft X, all of which performed admirably. However, the new Nagoya and the entire M.Craft City Series (which features four new models) represents a new era for Mizuno flat sticks in an effort to challenge the established leaders in the category.
Mizuno describes this release as a tie to its Japanese heritage - a thought designed to see the brand's putters firmly establish themselves among the best putters on the market, on a pedestal similar to that of Mizuno irons.
It certainly feels like a reset button has been pressed at Mizuno across the board, shifting focus towards a blend of classic craftsmanship and modern technology. I took the Nagoya model out on the golf course to see if the new look translates to performance.
The Nagoya model oozes premium and quality as soon as you take the headcover off. The detailing on the head is superb, with the deep face milling immediately catching the eye and giving the putter a high-end aesthetic that I think rivals anything else in the milled mallet putter market.
When you set it down behind the ball, the profile is fairly unique in the fact it almost looks a little squashed due to the camber on the Roll Up cavity. The sole sits perfectly flush on the green and reminds me a little of if someone had trodden on the Scotty Cameron GoLo during the moulding process. That’s not to say I think it looks bad, just different to anything on the market, and it turns out there’s a reason behind the look.
The Nagoya Roll-Up cavity is the standout tech story with this putter. By rolling up the cavity, Mizuno has minimised sole displacement, all while maintaining perimeter weighting for increased MOI. This helps with forgiveness on off-center strikes and was something I noticed particularly when hitting putts between the 20-40 foot range.
While the ‘squashed’ look took a few putts to get used to, the performance benefits of that rigid, weighted head were undeniable, and I actually loved how it got the ball rolling surprisingly quickly off the face and on my target line on more makeable putts - those inside 10ft.
I think the alignment features are excellent and certainly made holing those shorter putts seem easier. There is a new alignment aid placed on the top of the head - a thin, singular line, which I absolutely loved. It’s subtle but effective and suits my eye far better than a line on the flange, although some of you may disagree.
Furthermore, the smooth shoulders on the rear of the putter really frame the ball nicely, working in tandem with the top line to assist with alignment, all without cluttering the view.
I found the M.Craft Nagoya feels superb, largely thanks to the addition of a copper underlay beneath the chrome (or ion black finish), which creates what I would class as the softest feel I’ve experienced in any Mizuno M.Craft putter to date.
Combined with the deep face milling, the impact is muted yet responsive due to the minimal time the ball is in contact with the face and while providing immediate feedback on strike location.
Ultimately, the Mizuno M.Craft Nagoya looks, feels and performs like a premium putter for the player who values feel above all else, all for a more than respectable £299 RRP. It breaks from the recent heavyweight trend of the OMOI range to offer something that feels a little more traditional.
