Review: Mizuno JPX EZ Forged Irons

Appearance

The first thing you notice about these irons is the deep bronze finish, a rich metallic black-ish colour. I personally really like it and it also works to reduce glare on sunny days. Overall, they are modern looking and not something really seen before from Mizuno, a brand which typically produces quite traditional looking clubs.

As you place the club on the ground and address the ball the club head definitely looks bigger than a standard head. Although not overly huge, it does give you a feeling of confidence. How could you miss hit these? The top line is thick without feeling chunky and the sole lines up nicely without huge amounts of off-set.

The clubs have an undercut that lowers the center of gravity which will help you get the ball to launch. On the back of the club there is an insert which looks great. Mizuno call it H.I.T (Harmonic Impact Technology). It really does look good. This might not be to the taste of all golfers, in particular the traditionalists out there, but I like it a lot.

These clubs are stamped ‘grain flow forged’ and if you have ever hit Mizuno forged clubs before you will know what this means. Crisp, soft, awesome feel. They also have a Mizuno stamp on the back toe section with the club number on the sole. These are painted white and look great against the black finish.

I think the thing that stands out for me is that they look big at address. This does give you a feeling of confidence but might not be for everyone. All in all a modern looking club that has technology written all over it. You know they are going to help your game.

Performance

Two words: long and forgiving. And long! I’d say I hit them 15 meters further than my irons and longer than other iron I hit that day. This could be because the lofts are stronger than average irons with the 4 iron coming in at 22 degrees and the PW at 45 degrees. The other thing I noticed about these irons is that I got basically no distance loss with shots hit out of the toe and heal.

I have always liked the soft, responsive feel of Mizuno irons and these don’t let the forged feel down. When you hit one out of the middle it is as good feeling as a pure blade. Hit one out of the toe or heal and I knew it. However, I was not penalised (great!). I really liked the feel through the swing. That slightly bigger head didn’t feel so big during the swing and at impact it felt safe to be aggressive and easy to square up.

Impact = awesomeness! These clubs launch out hot and fast. I hit them reasonably high and produced quite a lot of spin. I was hitting the 7 iron 165 meters and stopping it dead. They really have that performance that inspires pin killing confidence.

There is no doubt that what you give up in traditional looks you gain in technological advantage.

Specifications

These clubs come in 2 degree strong on most irons. The 8 iron is 36 degrees,  9 iron is 40 degrees and the PW is 45 degrees. This might explain the extra length I was seeing. For all specs see the link below.

Recommendation

Yes! A huge yes for me. I’d play with these clubs for sure. They are probably not going to suit your scratch golfer or player who prefers the traditional looking club. I’d say that these clubs would suit players from 6 – 25+ handicap looking for a confidence inspiring, forgiving club to grow with your game.

Fantastic clubs again Mizuno. Well done!

For more information on these clubs visit Mizuno.

Luke @ Golf Blog Australia

All opinions expressed are my own. Information accurate at time of publication.