With the Victory Cup happening this week on THP and the JPX 925's being the star of the show, I felt like it was an important time to re-introduce myself, my iron order and some details about my game and what I hope to see improve or change. I was originally supposed to be going to the Victory Cup, but due to injury I am not. Luckily, I still have the privelege of testing these irons and putting them through their paces. I should be able to start swinging and gathering data once we get towards December. For those unaware of the Victory Cup, follow the link to read about and learn more about Mizuno and THP coming together for an epic experience:
We will get into more as we keep going through this post, but I play a full tournament schedule every summer. Going into 2025 these irons will be put through a variety of different tests. Earlier in the thread I introduced my specs I chose. I will repost them here and we will get into more detail.
JPX 925 Hot Metal Pro
4i-GW
+1/4"
1 Degree Upright
Project X LZ 6.5
As I became a better player I typically leaned towards playing small cavity backs or blades. In 2022, before my son was born, I was gaming a set of Srixon ZX7's with Dynamic Gold X100's. Not a true blade but definitely towards the players cavity bucket of irons. My mindset with irons specifically changed when my son was born. I knew I would not have the same time to dedicate to my golf game, but knew I still wanted to play in competition golf and perform as well as I could. I "panic ordered" a set of Apex 21's with KBS TGI 100's. The thought process behind this was "let's find a easier iron to hit to add more forgiveness, and get a lighter shaft since I won't be swinging every day". I like the Apex, not sure if I've ever loved them, but like them for sure. This category of iron definitely helped me stay more consistent, even as my practice and playing schedule took a dip.
My practice and playing has improved in 2024 from 2023, but still I need the help of some forgiveness. What I love about the JPX 925 HMP is that it's a more attractive package to my eye compared to the Apex, particularly in offset, but I know the JPX line has been known for giving players forgiveness and ball speed. Both of which I will happily take. I tend to present a decent amount of dynamic loft at impact and my irons have historically flown high with less spin than other players. I'm intrigued by the added spin compared to JPX 923 that others have commented on seeing. I'm looking forward to testing the differences and seeing how it changes my game (if at all).
This is the first time in probably a decade that I've changed to a gap wedge that matches the iron set I'm playing. But I've always preached if you're not chipping with the gap wedge and you're only hitting full and knockdown shots, then you should match it. I never chip with my 50 degree, and with the gapping being a little different I felt like it was a perfect time to try out a set gap wedge and put my own theory to the test.
The top end of my set is pretty standard compared to what I've done for a while. I dumped the 3 iron a while ago and still feel comfortable with the 4 iron on full swings, especially in a more forgiving iron like the HMP. Honestly, it becomes a weapon for me on some tighter courses off the tee (at least my Apex has been for the past couple of seasons and I don't see that changing).
Shaft wise, lie angle wise, length wise - I went straight off the Mizuno optimizer results I got. I felt it was important to put their own technology to the test. Mizuno puts a lot behind not only the optimizer tech, but using it as a tool to get fit and build you custom set. The options they have for no upcharge are really good. The length matches what I've played for many years. The lie angle is a change up for me, but I think it's a good one. I track my competitive rounds and this year out of all missed green I missed 44% right of center compared to 23.1% left of center (the remaining % is mostly center short and a little center long). It makes sense for a little more upright to come into play. That shaft was the top recommendation from the optimizer, though I did test the top 3 to see which felt best and performed best. The LZ was head and shoulders above the other 2 (Nippon 115X and Dynamic Gold 120X).
CORTECH featuring contour ellipse face is exciting for me as well. I've never turned my nose up to more distance. This game gets easier the longer you are, and I get more confident the shorter iron that's in my hand. If that's an 8 over a 7 for me I'll happily take it. 30% thinner face than previous generation and more ball speed across the face is enticing. If my mis-hits perform close to a middle hit sign me up. I've never "over pured" a shot, but I've certainly hit a missed the center of the face. The further that kind of shot can travel the better chance I have to score well. Maybe it's the difference between chipping and having a putt still, or rough versus short in the sand, or making it over vs being in the water. Distance on non-centered strikes is always good, and this seems like another big jump for Mizuno. I saw how the 923 performed when being fit, and the 925 claims to be even better.
To round our another technology I'm excited about...acoustic sound ribs. We all know that a JPX iron might not feel and sound as good as a Mizuno Pro, but I'm curious how close it is. Mizuno seems to invest a lot into sound feedback as it plays into how someone will describe a strike feeling. Nothing will ever beat a pure Mizuno blade being pure'd. But I'm looking forward to seeing how close my HMP centered strike will be.
This is going to be a long, fun, knowledge filled journey. We'll go through a lot of off season data and indoor collection (while sneaking outside when weather allows) and then straight into a full tournament season in 2025 for me. I encourage all users to ask questions, tag me and let me know data you want to see collected, or a test comparison, or a random question on how something looks and feels. The more we go through this together the more we will learn!
Like I mentioned, I'm sidelined for a little bit, but when I'm back I look forward to continuing to add to the education and knowledge around the JPX 925 line.
We will get into more as we keep going through this post, but I play a full tournament schedule every summer. Going into 2025 these irons will be put through a variety of different tests. Earlier in the thread I introduced my specs I chose. I will repost them here and we will get into more detail.
JPX 925 Hot Metal Pro
4i-GW
+1/4"
1 Degree Upright
Project X LZ 6.5
Background
I did not start golfing until my mid teens. I had been a baseball player my entire life and then got into golf sort of randomly. I fell in love with the game and dedicated almost all of my time to getting better. My first summer I quickly went from shooting in the triple digits, to breaking 80 for the first time. I attended a D1 school and never saw the light of day for playing at that level. My game just wasn't there at that time. Following school, I pursued my Class A PGA card. I worked at a variety of clubs and a national fitting brand as well during my PGA days. But, life happens and it was time to pursue something outside of golf to "normalize" my schedule a little bit. I got my amateur status back, and have been playing in state and regional Amateur golf tournaments for the past 3 years. I have a 1.5 year old son at home which can limit my golf compared to before he came around! But as you'll read I still have the facilities and time to practice a bunch and play when I can.
Why JPX 925 Hot Metal Pros?
As I became a better player I typically leaned towards playing small cavity backs or blades. In 2022, before my son was born, I was gaming a set of Srixon ZX7's with Dynamic Gold X100's. Not a true blade but definitely towards the players cavity bucket of irons. My mindset with irons specifically changed when my son was born. I knew I would not have the same time to dedicate to my golf game, but knew I still wanted to play in competition golf and perform as well as I could. I "panic ordered" a set of Apex 21's with KBS TGI 100's. The thought process behind this was "let's find a easier iron to hit to add more forgiveness, and get a lighter shaft since I won't be swinging every day". I like the Apex, not sure if I've ever loved them, but like them for sure. This category of iron definitely helped me stay more consistent, even as my practice and playing schedule took a dip.
My practice and playing has improved in 2024 from 2023, but still I need the help of some forgiveness. What I love about the JPX 925 HMP is that it's a more attractive package to my eye compared to the Apex, particularly in offset, but I know the JPX line has been known for giving players forgiveness and ball speed. Both of which I will happily take. I tend to present a decent amount of dynamic loft at impact and my irons have historically flown high with less spin than other players. I'm intrigued by the added spin compared to JPX 923 that others have commented on seeing. I'm looking forward to testing the differences and seeing how it changes my game (if at all).
This is the first time in probably a decade that I've changed to a gap wedge that matches the iron set I'm playing. But I've always preached if you're not chipping with the gap wedge and you're only hitting full and knockdown shots, then you should match it. I never chip with my 50 degree, and with the gapping being a little different I felt like it was a perfect time to try out a set gap wedge and put my own theory to the test.
The top end of my set is pretty standard compared to what I've done for a while. I dumped the 3 iron a while ago and still feel comfortable with the 4 iron on full swings, especially in a more forgiving iron like the HMP. Honestly, it becomes a weapon for me on some tighter courses off the tee (at least my Apex has been for the past couple of seasons and I don't see that changing).
Shaft wise, lie angle wise, length wise - I went straight off the Mizuno optimizer results I got. I felt it was important to put their own technology to the test. Mizuno puts a lot behind not only the optimizer tech, but using it as a tool to get fit and build you custom set. The options they have for no upcharge are really good. The length matches what I've played for many years. The lie angle is a change up for me, but I think it's a good one. I track my competitive rounds and this year out of all missed green I missed 44% right of center compared to 23.1% left of center (the remaining % is mostly center short and a little center long). It makes sense for a little more upright to come into play. That shaft was the top recommendation from the optimizer, though I did test the top 3 to see which felt best and performed best. The LZ was head and shoulders above the other 2 (Nippon 115X and Dynamic Gold 120X).
Technology and Expectations
There are a few technology advancements I'm excited to see in action. Arguably number 1 for me is the addition of tungsten lower in the head to the 4-7 irons to help increase landing angle into greens. I talked about presenting a lot of dynamic loft at impact, but I'm hoping this helps me with my lack of spin sometimes. These irons are stronger than I've played loft wise, but I think this can be a happy medium for me with the included tech.
CORTECH featuring contour ellipse face is exciting for me as well. I've never turned my nose up to more distance. This game gets easier the longer you are, and I get more confident the shorter iron that's in my hand. If that's an 8 over a 7 for me I'll happily take it. 30% thinner face than previous generation and more ball speed across the face is enticing. If my mis-hits perform close to a middle hit sign me up. I've never "over pured" a shot, but I've certainly hit a missed the center of the face. The further that kind of shot can travel the better chance I have to score well. Maybe it's the difference between chipping and having a putt still, or rough versus short in the sand, or making it over vs being in the water. Distance on non-centered strikes is always good, and this seems like another big jump for Mizuno. I saw how the 923 performed when being fit, and the 925 claims to be even better.
To round our another technology I'm excited about...acoustic sound ribs. We all know that a JPX iron might not feel and sound as good as a Mizuno Pro, but I'm curious how close it is. Mizuno seems to invest a lot into sound feedback as it plays into how someone will describe a strike feeling. Nothing will ever beat a pure Mizuno blade being pure'd. But I'm looking forward to seeing how close my HMP centered strike will be.
Conclusion
This is going to be a long, fun, knowledge filled journey. We'll go through a lot of off season data and indoor collection (while sneaking outside when weather allows) and then straight into a full tournament season in 2025 for me. I encourage all users to ask questions, tag me and let me know data you want to see collected, or a test comparison, or a random question on how something looks and feels. The more we go through this together the more we will learn!
Like I mentioned, I'm sidelined for a little bit, but when I'm back I look forward to continuing to add to the education and knowledge around the JPX 925 line.
