“Fairway partner to the ST-Max 230 driver: oversized, high-MOI, and built to fly straight rather than be worked. Rung-1 - the default fairway for most bags, with 15/18/21 degree heads and 4 degrees of hosel adjustability to fill exact gaps. Left-hand availability is limited by loft.”
The ST-Max 230, added to Mizuno's ST family for 2024, is the forgiveness-first fairway wood: an oversized, high-MOI head aimed at the widest range of golfers rather than the better-player ST-G. It keeps the CORTECH Chamber (a steel weight in a TPU pocket behind a high-strength MAS1C steel face) but enlarges the footprint for what Mizuno called the biggest sweet area / highest MOI in ST woods history, and adds a new 'Speed Bevel' leading-edge/sole shaping to keep speed on shots caught fat or off the deck. A composite-wrap crown at the toe trims upper mass to lower CG, and a Quick Switch hosel gives 4 degrees of loft adjustability. In testing it launched high and performed especially well from the fairway and first cut.
A capable, honestly commodity game-improvement fairway: no tour legend, no scarcity, no forum reverence. It is a well-built max-forgiveness club that did its job for mid-to-high handicappers, sold on Mizuno's annual metalwoods refresh cadence, and was superseded by the 2026 JPX ONE line. Its value is functional, not collectible.
Aimed squarely at mid-to-high handicaps and moderate swing speeds who want easy launch, a straight/slightly draw-biased flight and forgiveness from the fairway. Great as a get-it-airborne 5- or 7-wood. Better players wanting a lower, more workable, lower-spin flight should look at the ST-Z 230 or the tour ST-G instead.
A 2024 release competing with the TaylorMade Qi10 Max, Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max, Ping G430 Max and Cobra Darkspeed Max fairways in the max-forgiveness fairway slot. It sat above the neutral ST-Z 230 and better-player ST-G 230 in Mizuno's own range and was replaced in 2026 by the JPX ONE fairway.
Legitimately at the forgiving end of fairway woods. The oversized footprint, deep/low CG, composite-toe crown and enlarged CORTECH Chamber add up to what Mizuno pitched as the highest MOI in ST woods history, and testers got a high, stable, easy-launching flight that held up on mishits and from the first cut of rough. The trade-off is that the high flight can balloon in wind (the adjustable hosel can flatten it) and it gives up a touch of workability versus the ST-Z/ST-G. An 8 places it clearly above the neutral ST-Z (7) but shy of a dedicated slot-heavy max-GI outlier.
Calibrated across the whole catalog — a tour blade scores low here on purpose; it means control, not ease.
Realistic 2026 private-party pricing is roughly $150-230 for a clean example depending on loft and shaft (retail was about $300-370; reconditioned-retail store listings run higher and warrantied). As a recent, high-volume game-improvement club with a common adjustable platform, it depreciates steadily and does not appreciate.
Reading is one thing — hitting is another. Book a bay and see the numbers for yourself before you buy anywhere.
