Establishment of a golf development center that accelerates the “MEASURE” and “TRY” processes

With the aim of accelerating product development while providing customers with a new fitting experience, in 2023, Mizuno established the Mizuno Research and Performance Center (hereafter, “MRPC”), a golf development center based in Yomiuri Country Club, located in Nishinomiya City, Hyogo Prefecture. The center is equipped with a fitting facility, and a golf robot has been introduced.

Achieving further acceleration of product development and enhanced operational efficiency

The birth of MIZUNO ENGINE, an innovation center adjoining the Osaka Head Office, accelerated the product development processes of “MEASURE,” “PROTOTYPE,” and “TRY” for many of Mizuno’s products.
While the development of golfing products such as clubs and balls had also picked up speed, it was necessary for development staff to travel out to conduct each test because the test site, including for robot tests, was located in Yoro in Gifu Prefecture.
In view of that, we developed a test site in Nishinomiya City of Hyogo Prefecture, located about an hour away from MIZUNO ENGINE. This made it possible to accelerate the product development process more than ever before, and at the same time, brought about significant improvements to operational efficiency.

Achieving the expansion of robot testing conditions

Robot testing, an important element of the product development process, could only be carried out in a narrow space inside Mizuno Technics, based in Yoro of Gifu Prefecture, which also placed severe constraints on the contents of tests that could be carried out. This time, however, we have installed a robot inside the spacious training grounds of MRPC, making it possible to increase head speed more than before^*1 and to slice the ball, thereby expanding the range of tests.

*1 Previous head speed was below 43 m/s, which can be increased to 48 m/s at MRPC.

Enhanced fitting services

Club fitting is conventionally carried out mainly at indoor facilities or training grounds using low-compression balls. However, at MRPC, it is possible to carry out club fitting outdoors with the same environment, balls, and measuring devices as those used by professional golfers. This has created new value in the club fitting experience itself.
Since October 2023, we have already held six sessions of the “Kiwami Fitting Order Event” targeted primarily at Yomiuri Country Club members, and received orders from the participating customers. Going forward, we plan to hold “Kiwami Fitting Order Events” once a month, which will also be open to the public.

Multifaceted use that goes beyond the purposes of a development center

We are considering various ways of utilizing MRPC beyond the sole purpose of a development center. It is also being utilized for marketing and human resources development, such as inviting professional golfers to try out new clubs and balls and collect actual hitting data, and holding test hitting seminars for Mizuno School instructors.

Going forward, Mizuno Golf will continue to create new innovations and carry out product development by linking MRPC with MIZUNO ENGINE, the starting point of our development work, as well as enabling the high-speed implementation of the product development processes of “MEASURE,” “PROTOTYPE,” and “TRY.”