Mizuno Pro S Golf Ball Review

Mizuno is having another crack at the premium ball market with the launch of the Pro range which is a double act that includes the impressive Pro X and the subject of this review, the Pro S. Feeding off the heritage of the popular Mizuno Pro irons, which includes models like the Pro 245 iron, the Pro S golf ball claims to ‘meet the demands of golfers at the highest level through advanced aerodynamics, enhanced speed, and exceptional control to complement any playing style.’ Is it one of the best golf balls money can buy? I was keen to find out.

The Mizuno Pro S is a three-layer ball comprised of a high-speed ionomer mantle which has been made six per cent thicker, a soft butadiene rubber core and an ultra-soft urethane cover that has been made 12 per cent thinner. Distinguished with its black play number versus the blue on the Mizuno Pro X golf ball, there’s also a 332 Axial Flow Dimple design said to reduce drag through the air regardless of weather conditions. Keen to see how it stacked up, I put the Mizuno Pro S ball through its paces on the Foresight Sports GCQuad launch monitor at the excellent Peterborough Milton Golf Club, as well as on the golf course.

My first impressions when testing this golf ball was that it feels noticeably softer than the Pro X. There wasn’t as much audible feedback when chipping and pitching, which won’t be to everyone’s taste - I personally prefer to hear a clicky sound on those sorts of shots. They did, however, react sharply on the second and third bounce - the urethane cover certainly helps generate a healthy amount of spin on the shortest greenside shot.

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Indoor testing on the launch monitor suggested that for my driver swing speed of 108 mph, the Pro S didn’t perform optimally compared to the Pro X. Soft generally means slow for most golfers and that was certainly the case for me with the Pro S clocking in nearly 3mph slower with the driver, resulting in carries that averaged six yards less - although 268 yards was six yards longer than the recently launched Srixon 2025 Z-Star ball off the tee, so it wasn’t short by any means.

Mizuno claims the Pro S offers lower long game spin and that was certainly the case for me - spinning over 300rpm less with a driver and flying six yards lower through the air than the Pro X. It also spun nearly 600 rpm less with a 7-iron - mid iron performance was very good and comparable with the Pro X - in fact both balls provided above-average distance and stopping power with this club in hand. On a 50-yard pitch shot, the Pro S again delivered around 600rpm less spin.

It’s great to see such a stark difference in spin profiles and trajectories between the two balls so golfers clearly fit into two camps. The Pro S offers significantly lower spin and a flatter trajectory on all shots but especially the driver, so if you find your drives ballooning and you need to knock some spin off or height, it’s arguably a simpler way to fix this problem than buying a new driver!

You might be giving up a little short game control but not enough to cause a problem when short sided. I think the Pro X is a phenomenal golf ball and will probably offer a slightly broader appeal, but the Pro S certainly has its place. I love the Mizuno Pro scripting with the Mizuno run bird logo and overall this ball certainly has a premium look that exceeds the modest £40 or $47.99 per dozen price tag, which represents excellent value among the best premium golf balls.