Golf and Lefties

Left-handed people usually get the short end of the stick. Considering only 10% of the world’s population is left-handed, it’s no mystery why more products cater to the right-handed majority. From scissors to cameras, lefties face a daily struggle, but there is a growing consideration for this untapped niche market.

The world of golf is also evolving to provide better-suited solutions to provide golf-enthusiasts with a more enjoyable experience. Golf is a sport suitable for all ages, and it allows you to develop patience, focus, and concentration skills. This sport provides players with hours of fun, but it is important to have the right equipment to have a successful game.

Your local golf shops should provide a large selection of golf equipment to create your kits; however, you might not have many options if you are a left-handed player. Left-handed golfers make up an even smaller percentage than 10% as they usually end up playing right-handed, mostly because they learned the game with the more accessible right-handed clubs.

With the emergence of left-handed golfers in mainstream media such as Phil “Lefty” Mickelson and Bubba Watson, there are more options for lefties. Major golf club manufacturers usually make the same models in both left and right-handed versions even if the quantity produced greatly varies. If you’re looking for the best driver for lefties, we will take you through the specifications focusing on a Mizuno ST200 review which has the potential to become your go-to driver.

Table of Contents

Where to start?

Now that you know there are options for left-handed players, where should you start? The first piece in your golf arsenal should be a driver. The driver is also known as the #1 wood, and it is the most recognizable club with the longest shaft, biggest head, and least loft. It is designed to hit the ball long distances from the tee and is a great way to give yourself an early lead at the start.

What to look for in a driver?

The perfect driver looks different for every golfer considering the different head sizes, center-of-gravity locations, and options available in the market. When buying a driver, it helps to know what the standard looks like so you have a starting point.

Head Size

The standard driver typically features a head size of 380-460cc. Drivers closer to 380cc are designed for players who prefer faster swings allowing them to shape the ball more in the air,while 460cc heads generally provide more forgiveness.

Material

Driver heads can be made from different materials, such as titanium, graphite, stainless steel, r a mix of materials. The materials are selected to provide speed and weight for your swings.For the shafts, graphite composites are a popular choice because of their weightlessness.

Shaft

You would think that a longer shaft would help cover a greater shot distance. Golf regulations state the shaft length can be up to 48 inches;however, according to Golf Monthly, the average length of a driver used in competitions is about 44.5 inches.The standard driver typically features a shaft of 43-47 inches.

Weight

The weight needs to be balanced to produce your optimum swing. If the driver weighs too much or too little, your shot might not be able to achieve a balance between speed and control. Drivers on tour typically weigh around 330 grams,while the average driver weighs 310-315.

Loft

The loft is the angle between the clubface and the ground, and it has a direct impact on the distance and height covered by the ball. Drivers have smaller lofts than other clubs, which are usually between 7-12°. The lower the loft, the more distance the ball will cover, while higher lofts will allow the ball to go higher but not very far.

Adjustability

It always helps to have some adjustability in your drivers so you can ensure you get the right angles for your shots. Certain drivers even allow you to perform more advanced options such as sliding the weight to move the centerof gravity and have more control. Most drivers in the market today are adjustable.

The driver is primarily used to cover long distances; while amateurs can hit the ball more than 250 yards, professionals typically drive the ball more than 300 yards. Because ofthe size and dimensions of the driver, it is the most difficult club to use for accuracy. Nevertheless, it should be the foundation of your golf kit.

Once you have decided to buy your left-handed driver, you can follow our guide below to discover the best driver for lefties to satisfy your golf needs.

Mizuno: A Pioneer of Golf Clubs

Mizuno has been manufacturing golf clubs since the 1930s, and it has established a reputation for being one of the finest sports equipment manufacturers in the world. The company invested in research and vigorous testing to develop its patented Grain Flow Forging process, which produces clubs with extreme precision.

Irons are the bread and butter of Mizuno as they are the most played brand by professional golfers in the US PGA and European Tours. As a company known for its iron, Mizuno’s wood sales are only a fraction of giants like TaylorMade and Callaway. Even though Mizuno’s wood quality is on par with its irons, the brand initially could not match the sound, look, feel, speed, and spin of its competitors’ products. This changed with their ST190 drivers, which also featured an excellent left-handed version.

The fully reworked Mizuno ST190 drivers sounded powerful and featured a sleek and glossy design. The speed and spin were also greatly improved in the new model. The upgrade set the company on the path to perfect their drivers with the Mizuno ST200 series.

The Mizuno ST200 Drivers

The ST200 series was launched to be “tour ready, world-ready,” and they have been created after extensive research and testing in both America and Japan to create an ultimate model that creates a new standard for all golfers.

Their drivers feature the compacted Wave sole, which compresses and expands on every hit. This moves the weight (forward and lower) to increase launch speeds with a decrease spin without compromising on forgiveness.

Additionally, the drivers also have a2nd generation sat2041 beta titanium face which took three years to develop and is 17% stronger than the previous models. This maintains responsiveness while ensuring the driver’s durability and performance levels.

The shape has been carefully designed by Yoro craftsmen, whose expertise in club making led to the sleek design, flatter crown, and lower lie angle to appeal to golf players. The carbon composite crown is super lightweight and allows the weight to be moved lower in the club, allowing for faster swings

The CORTECH Design was integrated to optimize face thickness distribution while maximizing the coefficient of restitution (COR) area to prevent loss of energy while hitting.

The harmonic impact technology consists of internal ribs that are fine-tuned to create a more powerfulfeel and solid sound at impact.

Mizuno has created variations to better suit the needs of every golfer looking for a driver in their kit. Chances are you can find your ideal driver from the ST200 series, which has three models– the standard, the G, and the X.

The Mizuno ST200 Driver

SPECIFICATIONS
Model	Loft Range°	Lie Range	CC	Length (inch)
ST200	9.5°, 10.5°	56.5-59.5	460	45

It is the most forgiving out of the series due to its low moment of inertia (MOI). It is ideal for players who have slower swing speeds and face issues with inconsistent hits that are not centered. The model will allow you to achieve great distances while launching straighter strikes. This model does not have adjustability but has fixed rear weights of 11.6 grams which allow for a lower centerof gravity and offers mid to low spin than the other models.

Compared to the previous ST190 model, the Mizuno ST200 driver had an increase in carrying distance by 8 yards while the total distance increased by 14 yards. The newer model allowed the ball speed to increase by 2 mph while still maintaining a 100 mph swing speed. The ST200 driver also surpassed the previous model in terms of reducing the spin from 3,000 rpm to 2,700 rpm. This also created a more acute landing angle, which allowed the ball to cover more distance after landing by rolling. Mizuno expects the 2020 ST200 model to be the best fit for most golfers, considering the ease of use and standard features. 

The Mizuno ST200G Driver

SPECIFICATIONS
Model	Loft Range°	Lie Range	CC	Length (inch)
ST200G	7.0-11.0	56.5-59.5	460	45

It has the lowest spin with higher speeds than the standard model. This model is better suited for fast swingers and is fully adjustable compared to others in the ST200 series. There are two adjustable weights on the sole, which can help alter the spin rates from mid to ultra-low while increasing reliability for more accurate miss-hits.

Typically, low-spin resulted in low forgiveness, but this is bottleneck engineers have minimized, which makes it the ideal equipment for golfers. The weights can even be adjusted to create extreme heel or toe bias by placing both weights in a single track which can allow golfers to experiment with their swings. The exceptionally tunable nature of the design also required an external sound rib to be placed in between the WAVE channel and weight track.

The extra sound rib prevented a decrease in sound quality, especially when the weights are in the forward position, which shows the level of attention to detail Mizuno has paid to perfect their model. Ultimately, Mizuno has experimented and created a well-rounded driver that focuses on enhancing both performance and experience.

The Mizuno ST200X Driver

SPECIFICATIONS
Model	Loft Range°	Lie Range	CC	Length (inch)
ST200X	10.5°	59°-62°	460	45.75″

The model was developed for high launches and draw bias. It is perfect for slicers and those who struggle to get enough height on their drives. The ST200X is the lightest model in the series, and itfeatures heel bias weighting,which allows the golfer to rotate the club head during the spin. A lighter shaft and grip also help in increasing theclubhead speed.

The ST200X features a proprietary Mizuno MFUSION 39 gram shaft and is built to a stock length of 45.75 inches while being extremely light at 272 grams. The unique head shape, upright lie angles, draw-biased weighting are crucial for increasing the distance covered with a high draw flight. A clear winner in its niche.

The standard Mizuno ST200 driver is available for left-handed golfers, so let’s break it down to see why this product is a hole-in-one for you.

The Ultimate Left-Handed Model

Left-handed golfers need to learn how to adjust the game to their specific style in order to get the best results. Creativity and imagination is a major factor for lefties, and the Mizuno ST200 is available to facilitate. The model comes with a 9.5º head and the same features as its right-handed counterpart.

The solid black finish with a clear, sharp sound on every hit provides an exciting experience. With superior performance, a low spin, and considerable forgiveness, lefties have a reliable option that focuses on increasing the distance covered.

It’s not easy to find the best driver for lefties but the Mizuno ST200 offers left-handed golfers a truly unrivaled experience and the same level of satisfaction available previously to only right-handed golfers. This Mizuno ST200 review has provided you with an in-depth understanding of the features and strengths of the product, and the only thing left for you to do now is to add this driver to your kits. Happy golfing!