Back in 2018 Mizuno introduced the successful JPX 900 range, was even used by Brooks Koepka (who was not a Mizuno staff player). Look in many good players bags and you will spot a Mizuno iron or two.
Building on this success, we saw in late 2019 the launch of the updated JPX919 and more recently at the end of 2020 – we saw the JPX921 launched – they were so good we had to stock, Don’t forget we are an authorised Mizuno fitting centre too.
Mizuno have created a range that caters for every ability of golfer.
The new JPX921 Forged model Mizuno say will provide the most significant gains over the previous JPX919 model.The Forged, Hot Metal and Hot Metal Pro are all one degree stronger in the 4-8 irons while the Tour model remains unchanged at 34° in the 7-iron.
Before lockdown Chris had a chance to try out and these were his initial thoughts.
Looks:
Visually they are so similar to the previous models – hard to improve on what I did consider at the time to near perfection. The Tour model has a lighter finish than the old version and the Forged iron has been made more compact with a thinner topline than the JPX919 version, making it look more like the Tour than the Hot Metal Pro
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From l to r, the Mizuno JPX921 Tour, Forged, Hot Metal Pro and Hot Metal irons – more offset as you move through – helping ensure your hands stay ahead of the ball
In all honesty, from the address view I found it hard to tell which was the Hot Metal and the Hot Metal Pro.
Performance
The launch monitor threw up a few surprises. The first being that the Hot Metal Pro gave us the fastest ball speeds and highest flight while the new Forged model actually spun the least.
We saw a nice progression in performance moving from the JPX900 Hot Metal through the JPX919 and then a bigger jump into the JPX921 version, although the lofts are getting stronger by one degree each time.
To further validate what the launch monitor was telling us, Chris out to the 15th at Bungay and Waveney Valley GC took all four new 7 irons plus the old JPX900 forged iron to a par three and hit two shots with each from the deck to assess feel, sound, flight and distance in a more realistic environment with Titleist Pro V1x golf balls.
To a flag 164yards away (thanks Bushnell) and into a slight wind, the Tour model unsurprisingly came up slightly short but the distances were consistent and dispersion accurate. The JPX921 Forged seemed to fly on a stronger flight than the old version, resulting in longer carries by 3-4 yards.(pin high everyone)
Once again, the Hot Metal and Hot Metal Pro produced similar distances although it looked like the Hot Metal sent the ball a fraction higher than its more slimline namesake.
The Verdict
It’s interesting that just like the previous range, Mizuno hasn’t tried to achieve distance through low spin. The relatively high spin across all four models should help keep the ball in the air and stop it more quickly when it lands. Into the wind, the flight did look like it wanted to climb at times, but a switch in shaft via a fitting would go some way to negate this if it is something you experience.
Feel wise, there was a nice steady progression from buttery soft yet solid in the Tour model to more explosive in the Hot Metal with the Forged somewhere in between but closer to what the Tour offers.
The Hot Metal options produced excellent distance but more importantly were very easy to hit. Slight heel and toe strikes didn’t seem to effect the flight too much and there is more than enough launch assistance for slower swingers looking for extra carry.
The new design is clearly working in delivering tangible gains and benefits in carry and flight.
I loved the consistency that these new Mizuno 921’s gave.
Whats next….
We have them for you to try in the Pro shop and of course we offer the best prices around.
Book today a fitting to ensure you are looked after by Chris in person (his diary will get full post lockdown)
We also stock a “best in the area” range of Mizuno Accessories and Clothing
