Mizuno JPX 923 Hot Metal Iron Family (Standard, Pro, HL)

Mizuno has launched a brand new JPX 923 Hot Metal lineup.
The lineup contains 5 iron fashions together with Fli-Hello hybrids.
The Sizzling Metallic household ($137.50 per iron) is out there starting subsequent month.
The JPX 923 Cast and Tour will launch early subsequent yr.

For 2023, Mizuno is launching 5—that’s proper, FIVE—new JPX fashions. The JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic lineup which incorporates the usual JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic, JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic Professional and a brand new providing—the JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic HL—will launch in October.

The solid aspect of the lineup, the JPX 923 Forged and JPX 923 Tour, received’t launch till February.

You may examine each of these right here.

Launching Sizzling Metallic within the fall provides Mizuno the chance to hit peak golf season within the Solar Belt. That’s the perfect viewers for Mizuno’s game-improvement golf equipment and that ought to show very true with the brand new JPX 932 HL.

JPX Sizzling-Promoting

One other think about placing a contemporary assortment of Sizzling Metallic on cabinets before later is that JPX Hot Metal is the explanation why Mizuno’s full-year market share exceeded 10 % in 2021. That’s up from seven % in 2018.

Whereas the corporate is understood for its forgings, it’s the usual JPX Sizzling Metallic that’s the corporate’s largest vendor. No. 2? Sizzling Metallic Professional.

The Sizzling Metallic lineup is a type of a giant deal for Mizuno.

As a lot as something, that speaks to Mizuno chipping away on the perception that its golf equipment are solely for higher golfers. The corporate has labored to increase the enchantment of its product throughout a better vary of handicaps and the outcomes are coming by within the gross sales figures.

Whereas our viewers loves Mizuno’s solid stuff, it’s the solid Sizzling Metallic line that’s given Mizuno traction and momentum with common golfers.

JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic Household

The very first thing to bear in mind as we stroll by the Sizzling Metallic of the JPX 923 lineup is that expertise, supplies and building are constant all through. What’s true for one JPX 932 mannequin is basically true for all. The variations may be discovered within the dimension of the iron and the specs of the set.

JPX Sizzling-ter Metallic

For the final three generations of product, Mizuno has used Chromoly 4140M. The fabric served Mizuno properly however with the necessity for extra velocity ever-present, the corporate wanted a stronger alloy to hit its COR and COR AREA (a Mizuno forgiveness metric the corporate believes is a little more strong than Second of Inertia) objectives.

The brand new materials, Nickel Chromoly 4335, is much like 4140M however the addition of nickel to the alloy provides it further power. You received’t discover a lot Nickel Chromoly 4335 in use within the golf business. The place you can find it’s in airplane touchdown gear, transmission gears and navy plane.

Thinner Faces

By the numbers, Nickel Chromoly 4335 is 35 % stronger than the earlier Chromoly materials, which is how Mizuno was capable of cut back face thickness by eight %.

A thinner face works like a much bigger trampoline, which usually yields sooner ball speeds.

Nickel Chromoly can deal with the elevated stress on the face with out further reinforcement. Principally, Mizuno didn’t need to make excessive stress areas overly thick to maintain them from breaking.

Not solely are the entire irons within the JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic household sooner however Mizuno elevated the COR AREA (the portion of the face the place COR is above .800) by 16 %.

Variable Thickness Sole

With JPX 923 irons, Mizuno is utilizing a variable thickness design within the sole. As with the face, if you happen to can create extra flex in fascinating areas of the only, you’ll be able to create extra velocity.

The skinny space of the only is eighteen % bigger which permits for extra flex and with it—you guessed it—extra velocity.

TL;DR: The brand new Mizuno JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic irons aren’t simply sooner, they’re extra constant. Mizuno thinks JPX 923 will produce the quickest and most constant balls speeds among the many aggressive set. You understand, distance and forgiveness. That type of factor.

V-Chassis Design

Thinner faces are nice for velocity however they will have severe penalties with regards to sound and really feel.

“There are such a lot of excessive COR golf golf equipment that sound like scorching trash on the market,” says Mizuno membership designer Chris Voshall.

For an organization that habitually leads the league in sound and really feel, “Sizzling Trash” isn’t going to fly.

Essentially, V-Chassis is a little bit of clubhead geometry to make an ultra-thin confronted casting really feel extra like a cast-iron.

Notable within the building particulars is that every one three JPX 932 Sizzling Metallic designs are single-piece castings.

What’s extra, Mizuno isn’t utilizing any foam or goo to dampen vibrations. Aside from including what Voshall calls “wasted mass,” fillers don’t at all times enhance really feel a lot as they get rid of it.

“We at all times need you to really feel extra,” says Voshall. “Then it’s our to job to ensure you really feel the precise factor.”

What V-Chassis does is reinforce the cavity iron with little bit of that being alongside the topline the place, in easy phrases, good really feel typically goes to die.

In technical phrases, the bolstered body helps suppress decrease frequencies whereas permitting extra sound stress at larger frequencies.

(These particulars received’t be on the check.)

What you would possibly discover in the true world is an iron that’s a bit louder however not “clacky.”

“Sizzling and stable,” says Voshall. “Not scorching and damaged.”

With the tech stuff out of the best way, let’s check out Mizuno’s three JPX 923 choices.

Mizuno JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic HL

Let’s begin with the brand new mannequin within the JPX lineup, the Hot Metal HL.

Because it often does within the golf gear area, HL stands for “excessive launch” and whereas that looks like it ought to be fascinating in a game-improvement iron, I don’t assume I’m sharing a lot of a secret after I let you know that the business has been chasing distance on the expense of launch and spin for years.

Positive, for golfers who generate sufficient velocity, the excessive launch and steep descent angles supplied by low and deep facilities of gravity generally offset the spin misplaced to stronger lofts. For a lot of common and below-average swing velocity gamers, nonetheless, the mathematics behind loft-jacking doesn’t work.

The one means golfers inside that demographic are going to get actual green-stopping efficiency is with larger launch (from larger static lofts) and extra spin.

To make certain, this time round Mizuno isn’t going to lose its id making an attempt to raised serve a specific phase of golfers. Mizuno isn’t making an attempt to recreate the JPX-EZ or make anything that may qualify as distinctively un-Mizuno.

There’s nuance to the JPX 923 HL design. Technically, the blade size from heel to toe is similar as the usual mannequin. Mizuno stretched the par space (the transition zone between hosel and face) only a bit so it does look a bit longer. So, I suppose it’s truthful to say the pinnacle is slightly longer.

In comparison with the usual JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic, the HL has slightly more offset and a slightly thinner topline.

The purpose I need to hammer house is that whereas the JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic HL is designed for man who wants an actual game-improvement or perhaps a tremendous game-improvement design, the thought is to provide the advantage of the previous (again when game-improvement golf equipment have been nonetheless game-improvement golf equipment) with out trying just like the latter.

Weaker Lofts! Significantly.

Past geometry, the massive speaking level for JPX 923 HL is that they’re 2.5 levels weaker in loft than the opposite Sizzling Metallic choices. If there’s a draw back it’s that, for some golfers, the HL would possibly go shorter.

As we discuss regularly, iron distance sells but it surely’s not of a lot worth if you happen to’re firing lasers over and thru greens.

Right here’s my query: Would you quit slightly distance if it meant relying in your wedges rather less typically?

The Fitter’s Perspective

TXG’s Ian Fraser calls the JPX 923 HL, “the iron that the business has been crying out for.”

I believe—a minimum of I hope—Fraser speaks for many fitters but it surely’s an inconvenient reality that the HL can be an iron that golf gear producers have, to the detriment of golfers, been operating away from for the higher a part of the final decade.

Why is Mizuno considering otherwise?

A very good little bit of motivation for creating the JPX 923 HL got here from information collected from fittings utilizing Mizuno’s shaft optimizer. In combing by the information, Mizuno discovered a number of developments that influenced the design.

Mizuno discovered that in the present day’s golfers are delivering the membership with extra shaft lean, they’re steeper into the ball on common and there’s been an considerable improve within the variety of decrease swing velocity gamers getting fitted.

As a associated apart, Mizuno’s shaft optimizer makes a ball advice primarily based on the spin traits of the participant. The info revealed that the optimizer was persistently recommending higher-spinning golf balls.

The abstract model of all of that’s that almost every little thing in Mizuno’s information advised that the gear design world had shifted, arguably over-shifted, in direction of decrease spin.

The JPX 932 HL turned reply to query, “How can we ship extra spin with Sizzling Metallic?”.

We’re not speaking solely about extra spin. With larger lofts, the goal participant goes to expertise excessive ball flight and higher all-round efficiency.

Who’s the JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic HL Participant?

Mizuno discovered that the breakeven level between HL and normal Sizzling Metallic is true round a 73-mph 7-iron. When you don’t know your 7-iron velocity, it really works out to one thing between 87 and 90 mph with a driver. When you’re beneath that, Mizuno thinks there’s likelihood you’ll be higher served by JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic HL.

For what it’s price, Mizuno’s becoming suggests we’re speaking about 27 % of male golfers. And, the factor is, regardless of its latest progress within the game-improvement class, Mizuno nonetheless over-indexes with the higher participant.

The considering is that golfers getting fitted for Mizuno are doubtless sooner than the real-world common. That signifies that the share of golfers whose swing speeds counsel they’d profit from the HL is above 30 %.

To reiterate, the thought behind the JPX 923 HL isn’t to remove distance. Mizuno says the goal golfer is more likely to preserve carry and perhaps even achieve distance, albeit with extra smart, extra playable touchdown circumstances.

It doesn’t precisely roll off the tongue so it in all probability received’t catch on, however Mizuno is framing the brand new Sizzling Metallic as its fastest-stopping quick iron.

Inventory shaft choices for the Mizuno JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic HL embrace the Dynamic Gold DG95 and Recoil ESX graphite.

Set-Matching Wedges

For golfers who need their wedges to match their irons or those that would possibly profit from a barely bigger design, Mizuno is providing JPX Sizzling Metallic HL hole, sand and lob wedges.

JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic (Customary Mannequin)

We’ve already talked concerning the tech so all we actually must say is that the usual JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic irons get you an identical tech because the HL rolled right into a barely smaller chassis.

The JPX 923 is a textbook game-improvement membership. Relative to the market as a complete, Mizuno thinks it’s going to be sooner and extra forgiving however the candy space is barely smaller than the HL.

The middle of gravity is a tick larger as properly and also you’ll discover stronger lofts all through the set. On the threat of stating the plain, the standard JPX 923 Hot Metal goes to launch decrease and with much less spin than the HL.

For the usual JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic (and the Sizzling Metallic Professional), Mizuno has increased the bounce angle on the only a bit.

Once more, this speaks to the information collected with the shaft optimizer. Name it an adjustment for these steeper assault angles. Including bounce provides Mizuno the power to bend lofts stronger when becoming requires it with out rising threat of digging.

Inventory shaft choices for the Mizuno JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic embrace the Dynamic Gold DG95 (Common), KBS Tour Lite (stiff) and Recoil ESX (graphite).

JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic Professional

The abstract of the JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic Professional irons reads like this:

It’s smaller, thinner and contact much less forgiving (in comparison with the usual mannequin).

Past the brand new tech, essentially the most important change for the JPX 923 Hot Metal Pro is a extra compact head design.

The place dimension is worried, there’s a better distinction between the Customary Sizzling Metallic and the Sizzling Metallic Professional than there may be between the Customary and Sizzling Metallic HL.

My takeaway is that, for what it’s, the JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic HL isn’t that large and, for what it’s, the JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic Professional is surprisingly compact.

When you’re within the camp that sees that as a profit, it’s two-fold. First, it provides golfers who just like the look of a extra compact head an choice with loads of forgiveness.

Second, with a extra compact JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic Professional within the lineup, Mizuno took the chance to reduce the footprint of its JPX 923 Cast iron slightly bit. That ought to show extraordinarily well-liked with the 923 Cast participant.

The inventory shaft for the Mizuno JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic Professional is the Dynamic Gold DG95 (common and stiff)

Set-Matching Wedges

Mizuno is providing Sizzling Metallic wedges to pair with the Sizzling Metallic or Sizzling Metallic Professional. Whereas there’s a little little bit of game-improvement slant to the design (relative to the T-series), it’s comparably minimal.

Golfers received’t need to sacrifice efficiency because the Sizzling Metallic wedges function the identical Quad Minimize grooves because the T-Collection.

JPX 923 Fli HI (when HL isn’t sufficient)

In the case of optimizing trajectory throughout the JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic household, Mizuno has yet one more lever to tug. For golfers who want larger launch than any of the Sizzling Metallic irons can provide, the shaft optimizer (or your fitter) could advocate you add a Fli-Hello or two (or three) to the combo.

Hybrid with Deeper footprint.

The most recent iteration of the JPX Fli-Hi is a hybrid with a deep footprint. That low and deep middle of gravity goes to offer you larger launch.

The ripple is that hybrids are usually longer than the lengthy irons they substitute (and the shaft size is a quarter-inch longer to start with) so Mizuno has borrowed a web page from the unique playbook of the brand new Ben Hogan.

As an alternative of placing a quantity (e.g., 3, 4, 5) on its Fli-Hello hybrids, Mizuno determined to stamp the loft as a substitute.

Whereas that may appear to be Mizuno is complicating issues, the objective is to simplify issues for the golfers.

The loft of a 5-iron within the JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic HL set isn’t the identical as it’s with the usual Sizzling Metallic. Somewhat than play to the center (and probably miss everybody), Mizuno desires golfers to test the loft of the lengthy iron they’re changing and discover the Fli-Hello that largely carefully matches.

For instance, if you happen to’re searching for the Fli-Hello alternative on your JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic HL 5-iron, you’ll need the 25-degree mannequin. When you’re making the identical swap in an ordinary JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic set, you’ll need the 22-degree Fli-Hello.

No Putts Given Bonus Version

Make sure to try this particular bonus version of No Putts Given the place we talk about the brand new JPX 923 lineup and a lot extra with Mizuno’s Chris Voshall.

Specs, Pricing and Availability

Retail value for all Mizuno JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic golf equipment, together with the Fli-Hello hybrids, is $137.50 per membership with any shaft or grip within the Mizuno no-upcharge lineup.

Retail availability begins Oct. 8.

For extra info on the Mizuno JPX 923 Sizzling Metallic iron lineup, go to Mizunogolf.com.