Mizuno Pro Signature Series S-3 irons

Gear: Mizuno Pro Signature Series S-3 irons

Price: $200 per club with Project X 6.0 shafts and Golf Pride MCC grips

Specs: Grain flow forged 1025E mild carbon steel

Available: Feb. 6

Who it’s for: Elite golfers, club professionals, college players, and golfers with powerful, repeatable swings who want to maximize feel and control.

What you should know: The first offering in the new Mizuno Pro Signature Series is a shallow cavity-back designed for elite golfers who want to maximize feel and control.

The deep dive: For decades, Mizuno has offered simple, iconic, one-piece forged irons for the game’s best players. Single-digit handicappers in their 50s still fondly recall clubs like the MP-32, MP-67, and MP-4, but as times changed, Mizuno’s offerings evolved to meet new demands.

Last year, Mizuno released the Mizuno Pro 241, 243, and 245, and those clubs will still be available this year. However, with the release of the Mizuno Pro Signature Series, the Japanese brand is launching a new line of irons that will take the family back to its roots—irons unapologetically designed for elite golfers and the game’s best players.

The first offering is the Mizuno Pro Signature Series S-3. Why start with a “3” instead of a “1”? Mizuno plans to roll out four S Series irons over the next few years: two muscleback blades (the S-1 and S-2) and two cavity-back offerings (the S-3 and S-4). Mizuno is staggering the release of the Mizuno Pro S Series irons because they are not going away soon. Instead of a one- or two-year product cycle, the intention is to keep these clubs around for four, five, or even six years.

The target audience for the S-3 is small, but it’s the type of player who might buy new irons every three or four years, not because they want something new but because the grooves are wearing down and performance is slipping. Like pros on the PGA Tour, they may want a fresh set of clubs they already trust.

The Signature Series S-3 irons are grain flow forged from a single piece of 1025E mild carbon steel. The forging process stretches and elongates the steel strands under tremendous pressure, which enhances the feel and magnifies sensations on impact.

The shallow cavity-back design was inspired by the Mizuno JPX Tour irons that were used to win multiple major championships in the 2010s. The Signature Series S-3 irons have a short blade length, thin topline, and minimal offset. They allow accomplished players to hit draws and fades on command and to work the ball around the course. For those seeking more distance or forgiveness, Mizuno suggests trying the JPX 925 Hot Metal.

The club bottoms feature a Triple Cut Sole design with a beveled leading and trailing edge. This design adds a touch of bounce behind the leading edge and reduces the likelihood of digging when players aggressively strike down on the ball or make slight turf contact behind it.

As expected, the lofts are traditional—old-school, in fact—with the 5-iron at 27 degrees, the 9-iron at 42 degrees, and the set’s pitching wedge at 46 degrees.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Mizuno drops the Pro Signature Series S-3 irons for elite players.