The New Range Of Irons - My Review...

[Deemac]

Well, I finally decided to go to a range and properly try the latest additions to the Mizuno family. I had hit all of them before, but never side by side in a "head to head" test.

I went to a local driving range in Hamilton. Strathclyde Park Driving Range. It's a very good driving range and has arguably the best shop in the vacinity. Anyway, they let me loose on the swing DNA cart and I chose my current gamer shaft (DG S300) and took out the MP63, the MP53 and the JPX 800pro heads and the head changing tool, along with my trusty MP67.

I purposely didn't take the MP68 out, as this was a test of the more "forgiving" clubs on offer. I don't go in for the whole forgiveness thing, but I thought I'd try them out side by side.

Here's how I got on...

JPX 800pro: A lovely looking club. I must admit, it took me back to my MX23 days, but for me the thick top line would rule this club out for me purely on aesthetics. Anyway - It played very well! Probably about 4 - 5 yards longer than my 67. It went very straight and as expected I had no trouble getting it airbourne. My only trouble was that I felt nothing back from it, and I couldn't hit even the most basic of shaped shots with it, it took me 4 attempts to get even a soft draw going and only when I was forcing the realease over with a very handsy swing. Good clubs for those who want to hit straight and long and are not looking for a huge amount of feedback - but not for me I'm afraid.

MP53's: This was the surprise package for me! Hit them the same distance as my 67's. No trouble getting them airbourne and no trouble keeping them low when required either. I was able to shape these to some extent and the feedback was good. I didn't expect to like these as much as I did. Again, for me, the head was a wee bit too big and the top line a bit on the thick side, but these would deffinitely make it all the way into my bag if required. I tried to hit a few off the toe, and a few a bit skinny to see if they were more forgiving than my 67's - but they weren't - which proved (at least to me) that a good shot is a good shot and a bad shot is a bad shot regardless of the clubs you use!! The sole is a bit wider than I usually like (Very MX 23ish), but came off the mat ok - although I'd like to try them all again on real turf!!

MP 63's: Another surprise package, I expected to fall instantly in love with these clubs (they are gorgeous!!!) - but didn't. I prefered the 53's. I found the feedback from the 53's better strangely enough. They played very similarly - but the 53's felt better to me. Again, I found the head size a wee bit too big and the top line a wee bit thick for my own preference.

All in all - I liked all of the new clubs! However not enough to wrestle my 67's out the bag (THAT's why I didn't try the 68's!!!). I have no fears whatsoever that when the time comes to replace the 67's - I wont be too worried, as Mizuno are maintaining their very high standards in producing the best irons out there!!

I now have to find a way to resist the urge to go back and try the 68's!!! I have a sneaky suspicion that they would be getting bagged INSTANTLY!!

BTW - A big thanks to Strathclyde Park Driving range for letting me loose out on the range with their equipment!!!

 

[ChuckD]

Good review Deemac. Im hoping to try them in a week or so, not that Im going to buy them, but happy to act like a kid in a candy store.

 

[Logie]

Good review, ever thought of doing it professionally?

Bit disappointed about the MP63s though. You've given me an excuse not to buy them now, I am heartbroken!

 

[Mizo]

Good review, ever thought of doing it professionally?

Could Deemac really be critical about a Mizuno product?

 

[danapu2000]

Hi deemac will be really interesting for me if you can compare also the mp58. Many thanks

 

[Deemac]

Good review, ever thought of doing it professionally?

Bit disappointed about the MP63s though. You've given me an excuse not to buy them now, I am heartbroken!

Just my opinion Logie!! I still LOVE the 63's but I couldn't help but be a bit surprised at the 53's feeling so good.

I have started a thread under the custom fit section asking whether the interchangeable head/hozzel arrangement that you get on the fitting cart could have any adverse affect on feedback. The heads fit onto the hozzel with a grubscrew - I was wondering if the connection perhaps "lost" a bit of the solidity that you would expect from a fully bonded shaft/hozzel connection.... This may account for the 63 not feeling as good as I had expected.

I await a response to this question from the fitting or R & D team.

But don't be put off the 63's... They are still gorgeous and great to hit - it was just a surprise to me that I prefered the 53's.

Let's also not forget - Luke is going to put a set of 63's in the bag for next season (he says so in his latest diary entry) - now who would you rather trust when it comes to recommending clubs??? Luke or Me??? (I feel an edit post coming on....) ;-) If they were in any way short on performance or feel - do you really think Luke would put a set into play???

Putting everything into industry context - ANY Mizuno is still better than ANY other OEM's offerings... IMHO!! ;-)

D.

 

[Deemac]

Good review, ever thought of doing it professionally?

Could Deemac really be critical about a Mizuno product?

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm???????????

Yes!!

Just give me a moment or two to think...................

 

[Enrico]

Hi Deemac, I have not been on the forum for ages but it has come to that time of year when you try and convince yourself that you need new irons. I have only had my Mp 62s since February and have been hitting them well after my custom fit session at World of Golf in Glasgow but wonder if there is a better option.
The reason you may be able to help is I am thinking of going to blades as I sometimes struggle to keep the ball down even with X100 shafts. I know you have the MP67s but have you tried the MP68s and will I get a lower ball flight than say the new 63s.
I will try and book another custom fit session in the next couple of weeks to test them but any thoughts would be appreciated.
I have also been reading other threads about Mizunos new range of bags. I am now getting the Rider cart bag for Christmas. It looks stunning. Cheers Enrico

 

[ChuckD]

I have demoed the 68's and they do keep the ball lower. I dont have the swing speed for them, so I got less carry and less distance. I found the 63's to be similar. The 53's would suit me better, but if your swing speed is up there, the 68's may suit you. However, I did not like the feel, sadly enough. Maybe it was the driving range mats, or the S300 shaft.

 

[Deemac]

Went back to Strathclyde Park Driving Range today and tried the MP68. I tried it with the DG S300 shaft (my current gamer shaft) and compared it side by side with my 67's.

It felt great, very similar to the 67's and there was not much to choose between them.

In terms of feel, it was almost the same as my 67 and not any more or less forgiving than my 67. If anything I reckon it went a little further (4 or 5 yards) but this may be down to the 1 deg stronger loft on the 68 to the 67 (31deg against 32deg)?

In terms of looking down at them during address, they were almost identical - face size, offset, etc - although I was surprised to see that the 68's have a thicker top line than my 67's.

Trying out the new range of irons has been a real eye opener for me, and the 53 was deffinitely the surprise package. My next set of irons is still gonna be a tough choice!!!

 

[WantBlades]

Deemac you are obviously very well respected, and I can see why, which is why I ask you this. Any good reason for not hitting the jpx800's?

Cheers

 

[Deemac]

I personally wouldn't use a set of cast clubs. It's that simple - sorry...

D.

 

[WantBlades]

Can you give a good reason for that?

Have you seen the vid of Luke Donald hitting them?

 

[BigPete]

To be fair - Luke Donald was hitting the jpx800s to show some fancy numbers up for the video on the Mizuno website - because he is paid to do that by Mizuno.

He might like them and be impressed by their distance but there's no way he's ever going to put these into play.

The main big thing about forged vs cast is feel - simple as that.

Generally speaking, given the same design, a forged club will just feel "better" than a cast at impact, on a well struck shot.

I hit the 800s next to the pros and the pros certainly felt closer to my mp52s than the 800s, which were definitely clickier off the face. There's nothing wrong with that feeling. In fact some people prefer it. Some prefer Titliest bladed clubs over Mizuno because they apparently have more of a click to them.

Once you get used to the forged feel that people go on about, it's very addictive and, in your mind, you become very reluctant to use or even consider anything cast.

If you watch the grain flow forged vid on the site - there's also considerations of tolerances and manufacturing precision etc but, in my opinion, these are secondary to the feel issue.

Cast clubs thses days will generally have some kind of insert or badging on the cavity to soften the sound / feel and these, as in the 800s, work pretty well.

In your head, they are still cast though. If we're being completely honest alot of it is down to a touch of snobbery

 

[WantBlades]

Thats more like it Pete.

Agreed Luke Donald hitting them is promotional but his comments seem pretty genuine (he's not an actor). But isn't the info on mizuno's website just marketing? Have a look around at some forged vs cast debates there are some metalurgists (experts in their field) stating that a forged club in the same shape as a cast club made of the same metal would feel no different.

And I like your honesty Pete. I too had talked myself into thinking I should buy the mp53's because they're forged and for the better player. But really I need nothing more than the 800's. How many shots more would a pro hit playing the 800's versus the pro's, 53's or even 68's?

And something that came to me was do we want a better forged iron because we think it's better or because it makes us think we're better?

Deemac I appreciate your stance on this but would like to know a little more if possible, and from others. The thing that needs considering is that as soon as someone says that forged are better, or x number of pro's or a certain pro uses forged thn you want them and nothitng else will do. You'll hit them until you hit them well and love them and feel nothing less will do.

 

[Deemac]

Give me 10 un-badged golf clubs - 5 cast and 5 forged - and let me hit them, and I would be willing to bet that I could identify all 5 cast clubs and all 5 forged clubs just through "feel" and sound.

Forged clubs just "feel" better, and to me, sound better!!

And to echo Big Pete's obsevation - Luke was hitting the Forged 800 pro's!!

I agree with pretty much everything Big Pete said in his post - except the snobbery bit at the end. If wanting better "feel" is snobbery then perhaps I do agree with evrything Big Pete says, but I do not think that liking the "feel" and sound of a forged club has anything to do with snobbery - just personal preference.

It's very much Horses for Courses when it comes to club selection. There are no rights and wrongs and one CANNOT state with any kind of authority or certainty that one set of irons is better than another.

I can only state what I think are better or best. Someone else will state something different, and they wouldn't be wrong either!

There are a number of debates out there where there are no deffinitive answers:

1) Foged vs Cast
2) Blades vs Cavities
3) Stack & Tilt vs Conventional
4) Crosshand Putting vs Traditional
5) Draw vs Fade

Etc, Etc...

Everyone has an opinion, and ALL those opinions are welcomed on this forum and continue to feed healthy debate.

D.

 

[BigPete]

OK maybe "snobbery" was a bit harsh but IF someone came out with a cast club that felt as good as a forged in a blind test, through the use of clever inserts or whatever, would you be tempted to play it?

At this point in time - I'm pretty committed to Mizuno and it just so happens that the kind of clubs I'm considering happen to be forged (all but one line) so I'm pretty sure, therefore, my next clubs will be forged...

That's my angle.

 

[BlkNGld]

I most definitely would, all things being equal. Cast clubs are more durable, and less likely to go out of spec.

In fact I think a lot of companies are getting closer to being able to produce whatever feel they like. Problem is that when they do it you tend to get the same feel across the entire face of the club.

It kind of reminds of when a car maker will put out an ad that says their model can outrun a BMW or a Porsche -- in a straight line. Go into the corners where you need some road feel to be able to tell when the car is at the limit and differences become more apparent.