By Jeremiah Richie
Maple Hill Golf, Grandville – a Golf Digest 100 Best Club Fitter
Michigan golf courses were open for play, closed for play, opened for play but without carts, and then (mostly) back to normal. We’ve putted into PVC, pool noodles, and upside-down cups. The PGA Championship was in August, the U.S. Open in September, and the 2020 Masters will be held two weeks before Thanksgiving. It has been an odd, disorienting, and irregular year.
So perhaps we can take a little solace in the normalcy that fall brings to the golf equipment industry with the release of new product – which can be found at Maple Hill Golf. Callaway has released its new B21 line and we’ve caught glimpses of the new Titleist TSi series driver. But perhaps the most anticipated fall equipment release has come from Mizuno’s new iron line, the JPX921.
It’s easy to get frustrated with the way manufacturer’s churn out new equipment, but Mizuno’s iron strategy should keep their die-hard fans from getting too upset. Mizuno runs a two-year life cycle on their iron lines, staggering the release of new models each year between the JPX and MP series. While the JPX919 was one of their best-selling irons ever (following the quality JPX900 and JPX850 models), it was simply time to refresh the JPX. But this is not just a money grab from Mizuno. The two-year cycle allows them time to develop a quality new offering that is more than just a shiny new paint job; it’s something worthy of putting in your bag right now.
Mizuno has stuck with their winning formula in the JPX921 series with three distinct model offerings; the JPX921 Tour, JPX921 Forged, and JPX921 Hot Metal.
Mizuno bills the JPX921 Tour as “The Chosen One.” Consistently Mizuno’s most chosen model on the Tour among non-contracted professionals (meaning no one paid them to play the clubs), the JPX900 Tour and JPX919 Tour were both played to win major championships. Thank you, Brooks Koepka. The stunning new JPX921 Tour maintains its predecessor’s surprising fusion of precision with stability from off-center strikes. It’s now even thicker behind impact for an enhanced, softer feel, with tour refined short irons for smoother turf interaction, and features Mizuno’s Grain Flow Forging from 1025E Pure Select carbon steel in Hiroshima, Japan.
If Mizuno was going to make only one iron model, the JPX921 Forged would be it. Previous models contained boron to allow for a thinner face and faster ball speeds, but the 921 now integrates the power of Chromoly (used in the Hot Metal and Hot Metal Pro models) into a full-body Forged iron for the very first time. The result is the fastest ball speeds Mizuno has ever produced from a fully Forged iron, a treat for both the senses and the scorecard.
Despite the sleeker look and slightly more compact head compared to the 900 model, the 921 Forged offers a wider back milled slot and additional perimeter weighting for increased stability in the smaller clubhead. If you are a player who prefers the look of a blade iron but know you need some extra forgiveness, the 921 Forged is the solution.
Finally, there is the 921 Hot Metal and Hot Metal Pro. These irons fall into the game improvement category with the Pro version offering a more compact profile and reduced offset. This is Mizuno’s third generation of designing and manufacturing irons using Chromoly, leading to a re-engineered Cortech face so that it’s now 0.2mm thinner across the center point. It doesn’t sound like much but combine it with a new variable thickness sole design and extreme perimeter weighting and you get a beautiful pairing of Mizuno’s fastest ever ball speeds with straight ball flight and controllable landing angles.
Combine these options with the plethora of no upcharge shafts and grips available from Mizuno, and the JPX921 series has something to offer every golfer.
Check out more golf equipment information at www.maplehillgolf.com.
