Gear: Mizuno JPX 921 Tour irons
Price: $1,299 (4-GW)/$175 per club with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 120 shafts and Golf Pride MCC +4 grips
Specs: Grain flow forged 1025E mild carbon steel
Available: Sept. 17
While not officially a member of Mizuno’s PGA Tour staff, Brooks Koepka has won four major championships playing Mizuno JPX Tour irons. Last season they were used to win nine professional events around the world, and none of those wins were by golfers who are paid to endorse Mizuno. The appeal of the JPX Tour irons is they provide accomplished players with loads of feel and control with just a touch of forgiveness.
With the release of the JPX 921 Tour, the Japanese company is hoping to make those clubs even more appealing to golfers who have a fast, repeatable swing.
Aesthetically, the JPX 921 Tour irons are designed to appeal to elite golfers. The topline is thin, there is minimal offset and the look is clean.
But while Tour players told Mizuno the JPX 919 Tour was stable on off-center hits for a compact iron, a few said it could be challenging to shape shots and curve them in desired directions. To fix that and add workability, engineers shifted some of the mass from the toe to the head’s perimeter.
The overall moment of inertia is about the same, so the irons retain their stability, but the center of gravity has shifted slightly to the heel side. Mizuno said that should help golfers hit controlled draws and fades more easily.
To make the long irons slightly more playable, Mizuno made the soles a little wider in the 4-iron through 7-iron, while the 9-iron and pitching wedge are somewhat smaller. The sweet spot is also fractionally higher in each iron.
To further enhance feel, Mizuno reinforced the pad designed to be low and behind the hitting area, as well as the perimeter of the toe. That helps create a more substantial, deeper sound at impact.