Mizuno Golf makes some of the best irons in the sport of golf, particularly with their Grain Flow Forging process. We’ve seen Senior Club Engineer Chris Voshall and former World Number 1 Luke Donald tour the Mizuno forging factory in Hiroshima, Japan, and really give us a close look at how these irons are made.
Last year, we saw the introduction of the MP-5 and MP-25 irons, meant for “better players.” This year, they’re launching three new irons under the JPX900 line – each with a different look at feel and aimed at particular players. Find out all about the JPX900 Hot Metal, JPX900 Forged and the beautiful JPX900 Tour.
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Mizuno is constantly seeking to push performance boundaries, with industry-challenging breakthroughs such as Boron-infusion, and now Chromoly 4140M, a new material found in the ultra-thin face of the latest JPX900 Hot Metal iron.
Mizuno’s newest material Chomoly 4140M – is introduced in the JPX900 Hot Metal, which combines offensive ball speeds with the adjustability of a forged iron. The secret to this groundbreaking new material is its versatility, which not only paves the way to Mizuno’s thinnest ever cup face for phenomenal distance, but also remains soft and bendable in the hosel for precise lie angle adjustments. The Hot Metal wedges also have their own material – a softer X30 steel that offers all the feel and precision around the greens that even distance-seeking golfers demand.
“It’s great for a designer when a new material like Chromoly comes into play,” says Voshall, “as it opens up a world of new avenues for us. We’ve been looking for a material that gives a little more pop from the face, but without the hardness that stops us bending the neck for custom- fitting. Chromoly opened that door.”
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The JPX900 Forged is the 2nd generation of Mizuno’s Forged irons to use Boron-infused steel, which allows a soft-feeling forged iron to produce higher ball speeds. Whereas Mizuno’s 1st generation of Boron steel irons used a uniform, thinner face to generate more distance, the JPX900 Forged pushes the technology forward with a multi-thickness face. The JPX900 Forged also boasts a milled pocket, which enhances energy transfer over a wider impact area without compromising on Mizuno’s renowned feel. The extended pocket cavity allows 21.5g of weight to be redistributed to the extreme corners of the PowerFrame for added stability and reduced distance loss on mishits. Yet the confidence-inspiring midsize profile will still appeal to professional and elite players, with the shorter irons from 8-GW more compact for extra precision and control at the scoring end of the bag.
“If we could only make one iron for the world’s golfers to play, it would probably be the JPX900 Forged,” Voshall enthuses. “It’s beautifully shaped and compact enough for a tour player to throw in the bag, but also incredibly quick off the face and loses very little from mishits. There’s almost no compromise to make in any direction.”
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The JPX900 Tour, Grain Flow Forged from a single billet of 1025E Pure Select mild carbon steel, is “the purest, most solid-feeling iron in Mizuno history,” combining authentic Mizuno feedback with advanced stability and surprising off-centre performance courtesy of more weight being pushed to the extremities of the head’s PowerFrame. This classic Mizuno player’s iron boasts a satin finish, straighter lines and a toe profile that combines with a compact face and narrow tapered sole to promote crisp ball-striking, excellent workability and enhanced trajectory control.
“The JPX900 Tour is a really surprising iron,” says Chris Voshall, Senior Club Engineer at Mizuno. “Feel wise, it’s a genuine throwback Mizuno – incredibly pure at impact. But the straighter lines and reinforced framework are very current, giving the 900 Tour a really playable look and the ability to perform on off-centre strikes.”
With all new clubs custom built and dispatched in five days, Mizuno has strived to “create the best products for consumers” for 110 years, and the new JPX900 Series irons adhere firmly to founder Rihachi Mizuno’s spirit and desire, while offering the best performance benefits that modern technology can bring. All three new Mizuno JPX900 iron models will be available at retail from September 2016. Further product information including custom shaft options will be available on 5th September.
Source: Mizuno Golf
