Golf Monthly
  • 11 months ago
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Transcript
00:00 And when it comes to choosing a new set of irons,
00:02 there are often quite a lot of boxes
00:03 that need to be ticked, whether it's looks,
00:05 feel, forgiveness, performance, all those sorts of things.
00:08 And often, irons will typically excel
00:10 in some of those areas and maybe fall down in one or two.
00:12 But I think I've found an iron here
00:14 that ticks an awful lot of boxes.
00:16 Pretty much all the boxes a golfer looks for
00:18 when it comes to a new set of irons.
00:20 It's a really exciting new iron for this year.
00:22 So without further ado, let's find out exactly what it is
00:25 and why I think it could well be the perfect iron.
00:28 Okay, so I won't hold you in suspense any longer.
00:30 The iron I think could be as close to perfect
00:32 as you're likely to find this year
00:34 is the Mizuno JPX9234s.
00:37 Now this is one of five models in the range.
00:40 This is one of the later releases within it.
00:42 And I think it combines a lot of attributes
00:44 that golfers look for from a set of irons.
00:46 Good looks, good feel, good forgiveness,
00:48 and good distance as well.
00:49 This 7-iron is lofted down at 30 degrees.
00:52 So it's a bit stronger than a lot of irons
00:54 that have a similar size to this.
00:55 And it's gonna give you really good feel as well.
00:57 But I think the first box golfers are looking to tick off
01:00 when it comes to choosing a new set of irons
01:02 is how it looks.
01:03 And I think this iron looks absolutely fantastic.
01:05 Loads of shelf appeal.
01:06 It's relatively subtle in the back,
01:07 but there's a lot to like about how it looks.
01:09 In the bag, on the shelf, and also down at address
01:12 because the dimensions of this club
01:14 are absolutely perfect for me.
01:16 You know, it's not too compact.
01:17 There's a bit of thickness to that top line,
01:19 but there's not much offset.
01:20 That's something I look for from an iron.
01:21 Don't want it to be too offset.
01:23 There's a hint of it, but not too much at all.
01:25 The finish is absolutely fantastic.
01:27 Really premium down behind the ball.
01:29 It's compact, but it's not intimidating.
01:31 There's enough size there to inspire some confidence
01:33 at address.
01:34 So I think it looks great.
01:35 And the other thing I really like about it
01:37 is the feel of this club off the face.
01:39 I think this iron feels so nice.
01:45 It's really soft.
01:46 It's got a really nice, short, dense sensation impact.
01:49 It feels like a blade, to be honest with you,
01:51 but it has maybe a little bit more spring to it.
01:53 So you're getting a bit more kind of energy off the face
01:56 versus a muscle back, which can come off a little bit dead.
01:59 You get a little bit more liveliness here off the face.
02:01 So I think feel-wise, it definitely ticks the boxes for feel.
02:04 And I tested this iron indoors on a GC quad launch monitor
02:07 with premium golf balls, looking at the performance
02:09 in real great detail, 'cause I was interested to see,
02:12 you know, were there any trade-offs
02:13 in how this iron performed?
02:15 And you know, when I'm looking at performance,
02:16 I'm really looking at consistency of ball speed
02:19 and the consistency of the carry distances.
02:20 And that's where this iron really stood out
02:22 versus anything else I've tested this year.
02:24 I hit 10 shots with this iron indoors,
02:27 and the carry distances ranged from 167 yards
02:30 to 169 yards, which is incredible, really.
02:33 You could have thrown a pretty small blanket
02:34 over where these shots finished.
02:36 And it's blown away about how consistent it was.
02:38 And that is gonna give you really good repeatability
02:40 out on the golf course.
02:41 If you're looking to hit a very specific distance,
02:43 this iron is gonna deliver that.
02:44 And even slightly off-center as well,
02:46 I felt like there was enough stability in the head
02:48 to save a poor strike.
02:49 It's not the most forgiving iron in the Mizuno range,
02:52 but I think if you're a mid-to-low handicapper,
02:54 there's enough help built in with this club
02:56 to help you get away with making a poor swing.
02:58 So, yeah, I've been absolutely blown away
03:01 by how well this iron performed.
03:03 And even though it's quite a strong lofted,
03:04 there's enough trajectory there
03:06 to get the ball stopping on the green.
03:08 And hopefully you can see that.
03:09 If I hit another shot for you.
03:10 That kind of mid-ball flight is gonna give you
03:16 a combination of distance and stopping power.
03:19 Those windows are exactly where I want an iron
03:21 to be flying through.
03:22 And even though it's quite a strong lofted,
03:24 it doesn't actually go too far.
03:25 The spin was relatively high with the Mizuno irons.
03:28 We've seen that with other Mizuno irons down the past.
03:30 They don't like to get the spin down to like 4,
03:33 4,500 RPM.
03:34 This was over 5,000 RPM.
03:36 So that's gonna give you a nice ball flight
03:38 that kind of climbs low, climbs a little bit,
03:40 and stops quickly on the green.
03:42 So for me, this Mizuno JPX 923 Forged Iron,
03:46 it ticks the boxes for looks.
03:47 It definitely ticks the boxes for feel.
03:49 It was plenty forgiving enough for myself
03:52 or maybe even a mid-handicap golfer,
03:53 and it was consistent.
03:55 Possibly the only box this iron doesn't quite tick
03:57 is for value for money,
03:58 because it does come in at a slightly premium price
04:01 versus other irons within its category.
04:03 185 pounds per club means it kind of equates
04:06 to around about 1,300 pounds for a seven-piece set.
04:08 But based on everything I've talked about in this video,
04:11 I think you kind of get what you pay for with this club,
04:13 because really, it doesn't have a weakness.
04:15 It looks great, feels sensational,
04:17 and gives you really good stopping power
04:19 and consistent distances.
04:20 And that's what I would be really looking for from an iron.
04:23 I think the only thing that would stop me
04:24 from putting it in the bag right now
04:25 would be the fact it probably sends the ball
04:27 a little bit too far, given those stronger lofts.
04:30 So that's something you can maybe work on in a fitting,
04:32 maybe combo with some other models,
04:34 or just work on that loft configuration
04:35 so the gapping issues aren't too great.
04:37 But hopefully you've enjoyed this video
04:39 in terms of summarizing what this JPX 923 Forged Iron
04:42 has to offer.
04:43 For me personally, I think it's one of the leading contenders
04:46 as the best golf irons in 2023.
04:48 That's all from me from the beautiful
04:50 Black Bear Golf Club here in Florida.
04:52 I'll see you next time.
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