- 5 minutes ago
In this video, Joel Tadman tests the three new Mizuno JPX923 Hot Metal irons on the launch monitor and the course at Longcliffe Golf Club to see how they perform. Interestingly, Mizuno has added a new High Launch model this time around and so Joel does a little experiment to see if golfers with slower swing speeds will actually get more distance from an iron with weaker lofts. Watch to the end to find out if this is the case.
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00:00Now, it's always an exciting time when Mizuno launches new irons, especially within that JPX
00:05franchise where they have models to suit every type of player. But for 2023, there's a brand
00:10new model that Mizuno say will help golfers with slower swing speeds hit it further. It sounds
00:16counterintuitive, but it's really addressing the need for game-improved irons to provide a more
00:22playable and optimum ball fight. The trend I've seen with lofts getting stronger, even at my swing
00:28speed, I struggle to really flight the ball in these game-improvement clubs, and Mizuno say they've
00:33combated that with the launch of this new JPX range, specifically the JPX 923 Hot Metal High Launch.
00:41As you can see, I've got three hot metal irons here in front of me. It's a split launch this
00:45time,
00:45so you're going to have to wait until February next year for the Tour and the Forge, which are
00:49the two models that admittedly would probably be more suited to my swing speed and my handicap.
00:53But I want to put these irons through their paces, the Hot Metal, the Hot Metal Pro and the Hot
00:58Metal
00:58High Launch in this JPX 923 range to see exactly what they're all about. But even more specifically,
01:04if I swing them slower, can I get even more distance out of that Hot Metal High Launch
01:09than I can the other two models? That's what we're here at Longcliffe Golf Club to find out.
01:14Now, if you want to find out about the technology in each of these specific heads, go to the Golf
01:18Monthly
01:18website. There's a story there. You can read all about that. We're not going to cover that
01:21in this video, but what we are going to talk about is the concept behind the changes that
01:26Mizuno have made with these irons versus the previous 921 range in that JPX franchise.
01:31So, Mizuno, as we know, they have that shaft optimiser technology where, in three swings,
01:36they can identify what shaft a golfer needs for their irons. And from all those different swings,
01:41they've captured over 350,000 swings. There were a couple of trends that really stood out,
01:46and that has really helped shape and influence the design of these new irons. The first is the fact,
01:51actually, the golfer's swing speeds are quite slow. The average was about 82 miles an hour
01:55of the 7-iron, and that has led to the introduction of this high launch model, which we've covered
01:59already. But the second trend was that golfers tended to present quite a lot of shaft lean at impact,
02:05and that's resulted in a change in the bounce and the camber to these clubs. So, you'll notice
02:08there's a lot more bounce and camber to these clubs to give you a little bit more forgiveness through
02:12the turf if you do tend to de-loft the club into impact and get that leading edge quite sharp
02:18into the
02:18ball. So, it gives you a little bit more margin for error, Mizuno, say, on your strike. So,
02:22those are the two key trends that Mizuno have incorporated into this range. I'm going to hit
02:26some shots here into this beautiful par four down here, the 10th hole at Longcliff's Golf Club.
02:31Got the launch monitor, the full swing kit launch monitor. We're going to capture some data.
02:35We're going to assess the ball flight, assess the feel, the sound, everything about these clubs,
02:38and then we'll feed back afterwards. So, without further ado, let's hit some shots,
02:41see what they're all about. Oh, it's much higher.
03:07So, I've really enjoyed my testing session on the full swing kit launch monitor with
03:11the three new JPX 923 hot metal irons. And I've also thrown in the JPX 921 hot metal iron as
03:18a
03:18comparison, which we're going to touch on now. So, I'll flash up the data on the screen. You can
03:22click pause and peruse it at your leisure. But there were some trends that I noticed during the testing
03:28from the data that we got. The first being that I love how the spin is pretty high for what
03:32is a game
03:33improvement iron range, where we see lofts been stronger, spin coming down. The fact that these clubs
03:39are spinning close to 6,000 RPM, we saw with the prior generation and that's been continuing to
03:43this one. So, that's going to help players keep the ball in the air for longer and get more stopping
03:48power into greens. So, that's the first thing that I really observed across all three of the new irons.
03:52So, coming on to numbers, worth pointing out that the hot metal and the hot metal pro in this 923
03:56range
03:57is half a degree stronger than where we were in the 921. But looking at the numbers, actually,
04:01it wasn't necessarily getting anything more out of this new version. Both were carrying similar in the hot
04:07metal, starting with the hot metal iron. Both were carrying around about that 170 range. But what
04:12I did notice was the ball flight was a little bit higher. So, even though it's stronger in loft,
04:15actually, the ball was launching a little bit higher and it was flying a little bit higher too.
04:19Notice that testing here on this hole at Longcliffe Golf Club. It was like one or two yards higher
04:24through the air, which is a change that I like to see given those stronger lofts. Then we move on
04:29to
04:29that, the hot metal pro. Actually, this is the club I got the most out of, despite it being a
04:33slimmed down
04:33version of the hot metal, actually hit a little bit further than the hot metal. Definitely prefer
04:38the look of it. It's got a more compact look down at a dress, whereas the hot metal iron in
04:43the 921 and
04:44923, very similar, really comforting sparring. A little bit of offset there, thicker top line.
04:49Hot metal pro, a little bit more slimmed down. So, it definitely suits my eye as a lower handicap a
04:53little bit more. And then we move on to the hot metal high large. Now, you might think, well,
04:58this club is weaker in loft. It's two to three degrees weaker through the set than the hot metal.
05:04In the 7-iron, it's 31 degrees, so it's significantly weaker. And as a result, the testing I did on
05:09launch
05:09monitor and my speed would suggest that it's not going to give me the distance compared to the other
05:15two models. So, it's around about seven or eight yards shorter on average than the hot metal and the
05:19hot metal pro. But we know this club is not designed for a golfer like me. It's designed for slower
05:25swing speeds. And so, now we're going to do a little experiment where I'm going to test
05:29this hot metal high launch up against the hot metal, slow my swing speed down to 75 miles an hour,
05:36and see actually, by doing that and switching into this new iron, do you get more distance? Because
05:42I think if you do, that's going to suit an awful lot of players looking for a club like this.
05:47Okay, so I'm going to start with the JPX 923 hot metal. I'm going to hit three shots with each
05:52of
05:52that slower swing speed and see which one gives us the most distance.
06:06Okay, it's a good hit. Swing speed 79. They only carried 115 yards.
06:24It was slightly slower that one. 66. That's a good shot. 70.5. One, two, one. Okay,
06:41let's move on to the hot metal. So, we're looking like we're averaging around about 120 yards
06:48with the hot metal. Now, we're going to try the high launch.
06:54Well, it might have been a little heavy.
06:58Swing speed's bang on. 75.
07:01112 carry. I think I hit that a little bit chunky.
07:07That's a much cleaner strike. Higher flight. Much noticeably higher flight on that one.
07:14So, that's really interesting. Swing speed of 71 or 70.6 carry of 125. So, that's the longest shot I've
07:21hit in this experiment so far and not the fastest swing speed by any means.
07:30Again, noticeably higher flight. A good four or five yards higher. 71 swing speed carry of 129 yards.
07:39So, this little experiment has proved to me definitely that I think slower swing speed golfers,
07:46mid-high handicap golfers who struggle to get the ball in the air are really going to enjoy
07:50what this hot metal high launch has to offer. And they're actually going to get
07:53a bit more distance out of this because your ball flight is optimized for your swing speed.
08:00So, while these three JPX 923 hot metal lines are probably not aimed at me,
08:05I've really enjoyed my time testing these. And there's three really key takeaways that I would
08:10offer to you in terms of how these irons perform and the user experience that you will expect. The
08:16first being these irons look absolutely fantastic. I don't think they move it on a great deal in terms
08:21of looks or performance versus where we were with the JPX 921. In fact, I think like for like models,
08:28you're not going to see huge gains. You might see a little bit more distance from that stronger loft and
08:33a
08:33slightly maybe higher ball flight as well from the technology they've packed into this club. But
08:36you're not going to see huge gains, I don't think, versus generation to generation. But
08:41the other thing that really stood out for me was the turf interaction. So, it's hard to pinpoint
08:45exactly how it felt differently, but it definitely felt different. I think a little bit more give
08:50through the turf. So, maybe you're not getting... I felt like my divots were a little bit shallower,
08:55a little bit smaller. And I think your margin for error is a little bit greater if you just catch
09:01the
09:01ground slightly heavy. So, that's the other thing I would kind of observe from generation to generation.
09:06I think the feel is absolutely fantastic. These clubs feel hot, but they don't feel harsh or clicky.
09:13They actually feel relatively soft, but explosive at the same time. It's an interesting combination,
09:17but through the set, it's a very pleasing feel. And I think across all three of these hot metal clubs,
09:22if you're a mid to high handicapper, there's definitely going to be something for you. Even if you're
09:26maybe a single-figure, high single-figure golfer, I think you'll really enjoy what this hot metal
09:30pro has to offer in terms of that visual package. Nice and compact down behind the ball, but gives
09:35really good speed, good launch and good distance as well. So, lots to like about this new JPX 923 range.
09:41Hopefully, you've enjoyed this video. If you do, click the like button down below and do comment on
09:46this video. We'd love to hear from you. Which iron are you most excited to try within this new hot
09:50metal
09:50franchise. If you're after those better player lines, you've got to wait until February. But I
09:54think this hot metal lines, from what we've seen so far, there's a lot to be excited about with this
09:59new JPX 923 range. But that's all for me from Longcliffe Golf Club. I'll see you next time.
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