Mizuno M.CRAFT X Z Putter Review

The Mizuno M.CRAFT X Z Putter is a zero torque putter you can still adjust after you buy it. Most zero torque putters are sealed at the factory, with stickers telling you not to touch the weights. The Z lets you change weights and body styles and keeps its zero torque balance, and on the greens it gave me excellent distance control.

It’s a forged, blade-like putter with the weight forward, and the feel is soft yet solid. I had my speed dialed in from the first putt, and that held through every round I played with it.

Zero torque you can adjust

Zero torque putters resist twisting through the stroke, so you don’t have to fight the face. The catch has been that the balance is set at the factory. Change the weights and you lose it, which leaves you little room to adjust feel, weight or alignment.

The Z fixes that with its Z-Hosel, a reverse plumber’s neck that keeps the head balanced. The weights should stay matching, but you can go heavier or lighter and still keep zero torque. The shaft, grip and head also look square at address, with no shaft lean from grip to head.

Forged blade feel and distance control

The Z belongs to Mizuno’s M.CRAFT X line, which starts with a forged blade-like body and changes the hosel. There are B, P and S versions, and now the Z. The blade design keeps all the weight forward, and the forged steel face and weight sit right behind the ball. That’s my preference for distance control.

It worked for me. I could push the weight through the ball at impact, and my speed control was on from the first putt I hit to the most recent one in a round.

Setup and alignment

There was no learning curve. The putter looks normal behind the ball, and with no shaft lean it’s easy to set down behind the putt. I aligned it easily on my very first putt.

That matters because the Z-Hosel is a big change in how a putter works, but not in how it looks. I especially liked the blade-like look of the Two body.

Interchangeable bodies and weights

The Z adds two bodies to the M.CRAFT X line, both zero torque. The Two is a triple wide blade and the Three is a domed mallet. You can also use the Four, Five or Six body on this putter, and each frames the ball differently for alignment.

The feel comes mostly from the forged face and the weights, so I couldn’t tell the bodies apart in a blind test. The choice comes down to the look you like and the weights you prefer. If you already own an M.CRAFT X putter, you can use its parts to test the Z.

That’s the point of the line: personal preference for hosel style, body style and weight. You can try combinations at a fitting or in a store, but real rounds tell you more about which alignment, body and weights you actually want.

Should you buy it?

The Mizuno M.CRAFT X Z Putter is the one to look at if you’ve been on the fence about zero torque putters but wanted to tune your putter to your eye. If you like to tinker with body styles and weights, it lets you do that without losing zero torque performance or the forged blade feel.

If you want a putter you set once and never change, you won’t use most of what makes the Z different. Left-handed golfers should check Mizuno’s listings first, because Mizuno shows the Z models as right-handed only. More on mizunogolf.com.