Review: Mizuno JPX-825 Pro Irons
Mizunos for More Golfers
Mizuno make some of the best irons you can buy. Their MP line is beautiful. It is played by one of the best irons players on the PGA tour-Luke Donald. Their feel and aesthetics are second to none. But those clubs also best suited for a scratch golfer. Sure some low handicappers might be able to put them in the bag and find success with them, for most golfers they are simply too much club.
The JPX line of clubs is aim at all those other golfers that would love to play Mizuno irons, but need more forgiveness from their irons. The newest irons from Mizuno are the JPX-825 and JPX-825 Pro. Just by their name you can guess that the regular 825s are the most forgiving while the 825 Pros are in between. So whether you are a regular golfer or even a low handicapper, the Mizuno JPX-825 Pros will be great choice since they offer forgiveness, feel, looks and playability.
Let's start with the obvious, the Mizuno feel. Their "grain flow" forged process is second to none. Hitting a forged Mizuno is about the best feeling in golf. While these irons have more cavity back qualities and even an undercut cavity, they still feel pure Mizuno. There is only the slightest difference between my Mizuno MP-59s and the JPX-825 Pros. There is more mass behind the ball in the MP line so they feel just a touch more solid on pure shots, but the JPX-825 Pros feel a little better on slightly of center shots.
Mizuno make some of the best irons you can buy. Their MP line is beautiful. It is played by one of the best irons players on the PGA tour-Luke Donald. Their feel and aesthetics are second to none. But those clubs also best suited for a scratch golfer. Sure some low handicappers might be able to put them in the bag and find success with them, for most golfers they are simply too much club.
The JPX line of clubs is aim at all those other golfers that would love to play Mizuno irons, but need more forgiveness from their irons. The newest irons from Mizuno are the JPX-825 and JPX-825 Pro. Just by their name you can guess that the regular 825s are the most forgiving while the 825 Pros are in between. So whether you are a regular golfer or even a low handicapper, the Mizuno JPX-825 Pros will be great choice since they offer forgiveness, feel, looks and playability.
Let's start with the obvious, the Mizuno feel. Their "grain flow" forged process is second to none. Hitting a forged Mizuno is about the best feeling in golf. While these irons have more cavity back qualities and even an undercut cavity, they still feel pure Mizuno. There is only the slightest difference between my Mizuno MP-59s and the JPX-825 Pros. There is more mass behind the ball in the MP line so they feel just a touch more solid on pure shots, but the JPX-825 Pros feel a little better on slightly of center shots.
There are a couple of significant feature of these irons that make them very forgiving and playable for a wider range of golfers. I appreciated the sole grind of the JPX-825 Pros. The MP line can be prone to digging on me. They are thin, sharp and cut into the turf like knives. When my game it on they are great, but when it is off, chunk city. The beveled leading and trailing edges offer much more consistent turf interaction, even when my swing didn't bottom out perfectly. It seemed that no matter the lie, these irons got down on the ball picking it cleanly off the turf and finding that sweet spot just a few grooves up on the face. I didn't fear digging nearly as much with these, even in a fairway bunker I could swing freely and the sole seemed to resist burying in the beach. Out of the fairways it still cut in a little but only taking small divots. For my game this one of the biggest advantages of the JPX-825 pros over the MP clubs.
The undercut cavity back design of these irons offer ample forgiveness on off center shots. They are more forgiving than the MP line, but they are not super game improvement of anything extreme, they still require a decent swing to get decent results, but I'd say the big forgiveness is found in distance control. Even if slightly off center, you still get rewarded with almost the exact same distance as a center hit. The cavity cut out is designed with a slightly larger weighted area near the toe, which really help square up the club through impact.
I've had the JPX-825 Pro irons in my bag for many rounds this fall. I've been shooting some of my best scores of the year. I even played one of the toughest courses in the Twin Cities, MN and these irons were green hunters. My driver swing faltered a little at the start of the round, but the long irons kept hitting the greens. Once my driver started behaving I was hitting more short and mid irons into the green and had multiple opportunities for birdie. The long irons were probably the biggest benefit for my game. I was very consistent with the 4-7 irons. The short irons don't need the same forgiveness, and I can't say I hit the 8-GW any better than the MP line. But I still felt the consistency throughout the whole set helped my overall comfort level on the course with these irons.
I've had the JPX-825 Pro irons in my bag for many rounds this fall. I've been shooting some of my best scores of the year. I even played one of the toughest courses in the Twin Cities, MN and these irons were green hunters. My driver swing faltered a little at the start of the round, but the long irons kept hitting the greens. Once my driver started behaving I was hitting more short and mid irons into the green and had multiple opportunities for birdie. The long irons were probably the biggest benefit for my game. I was very consistent with the 4-7 irons. The short irons don't need the same forgiveness, and I can't say I hit the 8-GW any better than the MP line. But I still felt the consistency throughout the whole set helped my overall comfort level on the course with these irons.
These irons look great in the bag. There is a black and silver medallion in the cavity but it is simple and stylish. The JPX-825 pros don't quite have the minimalistic good looks of the MP line, they are still very nice compared to many wild cavity backs on the market. What I appreciated about the overall look is how they appear at address. The thin line is on the thin side and the off-set is very minimal. It really is that nice balance between forgiveness and appearance. I think Mizuno nailed it with these irons. I ordered mine with KBS shafts and Mizuno Tour Velvet grips. They looked great top to bottom and even with a custom order, I had them in hand in just under 2 weeks.
I liked how this set is designed with a 4-GW as the standard make up. I really have little use for a 3-iron and the GW is nice to fill in that slot in my wedge game since I've moved to a 2 wedge set-up. I was reading that these are Mizunos longest irons. While they are slightly longer than the MP-59s, they are not crazy long where I needed to totally adjust my game. They were probably a half club longer, but in the colder fall weather, they kept me right in the same range. I did get a couple of days with some warmer temperatures and I was longer than normal, but not flying the green with wild distance, just hit the shorter iron whenever possible.
I liked how this set is designed with a 4-GW as the standard make up. I really have little use for a 3-iron and the GW is nice to fill in that slot in my wedge game since I've moved to a 2 wedge set-up. I was reading that these are Mizunos longest irons. While they are slightly longer than the MP-59s, they are not crazy long where I needed to totally adjust my game. They were probably a half club longer, but in the colder fall weather, they kept me right in the same range. I did get a couple of days with some warmer temperatures and I was longer than normal, but not flying the green with wild distance, just hit the shorter iron whenever possible.
If you want to play Mizunos but never felt like you had the game to put them in the bag, check out the JPX-825 Pro irons. They look great, feel amazing and offer just enough forgiveness the regular golfer can hit them, enjoy them and be reward by their results. They are Mizunos for more golfers.
For more information: www.mizunousa.com/golf
Quick Hits
+Mizuno forged feel
+Increased forgiveness on off-center hits
+Compact look with a thin top line and minimal offset
+Excellent sole grind with beveled leading and trailing edge
+Fits a wider spectrum of golfers
-Not quite as pure and simple as the MP line
For more information: www.mizunousa.com/golf
Quick Hits
+Mizuno forged feel
+Increased forgiveness on off-center hits
+Compact look with a thin top line and minimal offset
+Excellent sole grind with beveled leading and trailing edge
+Fits a wider spectrum of golfers
-Not quite as pure and simple as the MP line
