Mizuno has a reputation as the iron player’s iron. These are
the irons that most professionals would play if you gave them a choice. The
soft feel, the consistency of the ball flight and the beautiful, flowing lines
make all Mizuno irons the dream irons of the cognoscenti.
It has been a decade since the debut of the JPX 800 that
launched the brand that supplanted its MX line so, it was time for something special.
The JPX line of irons has always been a bit more game
improvement than player performance. Having descended from the decidedly GI
oriented MX line, Mizuno has worked to give the JPX series its own identity,
which has grown from the material that has become the hallmark of the JPX irons
– chromoly.
Chromoly first used in the JPX 900 Hot Metal irons to
achieve improved cavity strength and face flexibility for more speed, while
still being soft enough to bend for custom lies and lofts – a real shortcoming
of other game improvement clubs.
Chomoly was also used to cast the JPX 919 Hot Metal and Hot
Metal Pro irons for higher ball speeds and increased MOI. The JPX 919 Hot Metal
irons have become one of the most popular irons Mizuno makes and helped the
company gain market share in the extremely competitive game improvement segment.
There are four iron sets in the JPX 921 series; JPX 921
Tour, JPX921 Forged, JPX921 Hot Metal and the JPX Hot Metal Pro. The biggest gains in this model year have been
with the JPX921 Forged irons, so let’s start there.
The big news is that the JPX 921 Forged are the first
one-piece Grain Flow Forged Chromoly iron in Mizuno’s history. The new
metallurgy has allowed Mizuno to design a smaller head that achieves the same power
and playability as its larger cast siblings. The center of gravity achieved
allowed mizuno to alter the geometry of the JPX 921 to launch the ball higher
before. It will feel like a Mizuno at impact, which is to say, buttery soft.
Forging chromoly necessitated a different work process from
Mizuno’s other irons. Where most of their irons are struck twice in the forging
process, chromoly requires a third strike. This adds complexity to the workflow
and needs more precision to pull off.
The stronger material means the side to side measurement of
the slot and cavity is more than six-percent wider than the previous model,
resulting in a what Mizuno is calling a 45 percent increase in total COR area
of the face.
These improvements add up to an iron that will appeal to a
broad swath of golfers; anyone from a professional looking for a higher flying
ball in his long irons to a mid-high handicap looking for a better looking iron
that doesn’t sacrifice distance and playability can benefit from the
characteristics of the JPX 921 Forged iron.
The JPX 921 Forged was about breaking new ground in the
model line, the JPX 921 Tour is more about subtle refinements to continue to
appeal to the best players in the game by delivering familiar performance with
improved looks and feel. This is still for the aggressive player that wants a
little more forgiveness than Mizuno’s forged MP irons.
Hey, Brooks likes it, so don’t fix what ain’t broke.
Making the Forged model smaller and bringing it closer to
the Tour iron allowed Mizuno to rationalize the JPX 921 Hot Metal and Hot Metal
Pro irons in the lineup.
The Hot Metal Pro is the strong lofted, slightly smaller,
cast iron with less offset. Again, this design appeals to the better player
looking for even more playability and distance. The sole is slimmer to
facilitate the club moving through the turf without compromising its ease of
use.
The Hot Metal Pro's shapes have been tweaked to further define its place in the line. The long irons have gotten slightly larger and have become more similar to the standard Hot Metal irons.
The Hot Metal is the outright game improvement club of the
lot, one that is suitable for the 20-something handicap without looking like a garden
implement. Mizuno has worked its magic with the two cast clubs in the line.
They feel softer than you’d expect from a cast iron at impact.
The JPX 921 Hot Metal head sizes have also been modified over the 919 iteration - the long and mid irons are slightly larger and the scoring irons are slightly smaller.
The improvements to the JPX 921 Series of irons underscore
Mizuno’s mastery of iron technology. It combines the traditional qualities of
their pro irons with characteristics that will help golfers that need it the
most.
Mizuno remains one of the most desirable irons in golf.
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