Mizuno JPX 900 Hot Metal

[wluns83]

I bought the 900 forged originally with Project X 6.0's along with the Hot Metal wedges. I tested all three 900 models at Watts and got better front to back dispersion with the Tours and the Hot Metals than I did with the Forged. I am a 2 handicap and just had trouble wrapping my head around Chromoly, the large head, and all of that. Also, I've been fitted for things before that for whatever reason I just never get along great with the club in reality. The Tours are sweet, but coming from MP69's I just wanted something a tad larger. I upped my tourney play a little bit and I just want to feel in command under the gun. After several range sessions and two rounds I returned the Forged to Watts and luckily they have the 90 day return policy and I got the Hot Metals....couldn't be happier. I don't know if the face springs (apparently it does?) and I had zero trouble finding the sweet spot on the Forged, but every other shot that I hit online flew way to far. I have just as consistent dispersion with the Hot metals as I did with my 69's...they just work for me. I believe that for me the Forged issue was spin...I could flush 5 in a row and the backspin was always inconsistent...it was very bizarre. I am not saying they are a bad club just not a good fit for me. I find the center of the club face very consistently so I assure you that was not my issue, but I do want to stick up for the HM's...like I said I am a 2 capper and hit the HM 6 iron 185-188ish carry 8 out of 10 times...the other 2 would be mishit but I just don't get the airmail over the pin. I love the trajectory, the consistency, the size, and the wedges. I bought the gap, sand, and two lobs and had them built 50-54-58-62 and they are really sweet as well. The 62 only comes out in funky spots but gives me a reasonable chance at times where previously there was no shot of getting up and down. Love them and the size only bothered me for the first half of the first range session. By the end of it I was in love.

[JFM628]

I bought the 900 forged originally with Project X 6.0's along with the Hot Metal wedges. I tested all three 900 models at Watts and got better front to back dispersion with the Tours and the Hot Metals than I did with the Forged. I am a 2 handicap and just had trouble wrapping my head around Chromoly, the large head, and all of that. Also, I've been fitted for things before that for whatever reason I just never get along great with the club in reality. The Tours are sweet, but coming from MP69's I just wanted something a tad larger. I upped my tourney play a little bit and I just want to feel in command under the gun. After several range sessions and two rounds I returned the Forged to Watts and luckily they have the 90 day return policy and I got the Hot Metals....couldn't be happier. I don't know if the face springs (apparently it does?) and I had zero trouble finding the sweet spot on the Forged, but every other shot that I hit online flew way to far. I have just as consistent dispersion with the Hot metals as I did with my 69's...they just work for me. I believe that for me the Forged issue was spin...I could flush 5 in a row and the backspin was always inconsistent...it was very bizarre. I am not saying they are a bad club just not a good fit for me. I find the center of the club face very consistently so I assure you that was not my issue, but I do want to stick up for the HM's...like I said I am a 2 capper and hit the HM 6 iron 185-188ish carry 8 out of 10 times...the other 2 would be mishit but I just don't get the airmail over the pin. I love the trajectory, the consistency, the size, and the wedges. I bought the gap, sand, and two lobs and had them built 50-54-58-62 and they are really sweet as well. The 62 only comes out in funky spots but gives me a reasonable chance at times where previously there was no shot of getting up and down. Love them and the size only bothered me for the first half of the first range session. By the end of it I was in love.

 

This is a great post - thanks for your thoughts. How do you like the SW? Full shots? Sand play? What were you playing before. Struggling with whether to order the SW

[jrwingate6]

As I understand it the HM irons are at the .83 COR limit. A non spring face club COR is about .78 so that's a .05 or a 5% difference in energy transfer.

 

This is fuzzy math, not direct, but if one normally hits their non spring face club 150 yards a strike with a .83 COR club should hit the ball about 5% farther so about 157 or so. So that's the deal. Nut the shot and get extra distance. What's hard to know is how much the COR drops off as you move away from the sweet spot. With drivers they use a variable face thickness to create as wide an area (sweet spot) as possible, but with an iron the face area is smaller so the sweet spot is smaller and the COR number drops quickly as you move away from the center of the face.

 

Any way you slice it, with spring face technology, if you catch the ball in the .83 hot spot you will get more distance than you would with a non spring face iron. As you move away from the .83 spot your distance will drop off quickly. It's not about fliers and low spin from balls coming off high on the face, although that can contribute. A non spring face iron will have a .78 COR, but the area of the face with that .78 will be larger because there is no hot spot with spring effect. In other words, the non spring face iron will be more consistent for distance across the face, but shorter on well struck shots. That's how I've got it figured anyway and my experience bears this out. Your mileage may vary.

If you look at the reading material on the Hot Metals, there is an illustration outlining the face of the club to show you how much you lose depending on where on the face the ball is struck. Basically dead center is 100% and toe and heal are 90%. The illustration also says it stays at 100% if you hit it higher on the face.

 

Here is where I think your fliers are coming from. When you hit it high on the face, the ball is going to spin less. With the HM's, since you don't lose any of the core power when you hit it high on the face, the ball is coming off at the same speed but with less spin.

 

If I find the illustration, I'll post it.

[wluns83]

I bought the 900 forged originally with Project X 6.0's along with the Hot Metal wedges. I tested all three 900 models at Watts and got better front to back dispersion with the Tours and the Hot Metals than I did with the Forged. I am a 2 handicap and just had trouble wrapping my head around Chromoly, the large head, and all of that. Also, I've been fitted for things before that for whatever reason I just never get along great with the club in reality. The Tours are sweet, but coming from MP69's I just wanted something a tad larger. I upped my tourney play a little bit and I just want to feel in command under the gun. After several range sessions and two rounds I returned the Forged to Watts and luckily they have the 90 day return policy and I got the Hot Metals....couldn't be happier. I don't know if the face springs (apparently it does?) and I had zero trouble finding the sweet spot on the Forged, but every other shot that I hit online flew way to far. I have just as consistent dispersion with the Hot metals as I did with my 69's...they just work for me. I believe that for me the Forged issue was spin...I could flush 5 in a row and the backspin was always inconsistent...it was very bizarre. I am not saying they are a bad club just not a good fit for me. I find the center of the club face very consistently so I assure you that was not my issue, but I do want to stick up for the HM's...like I said I am a 2 capper and hit the HM 6 iron 185-188ish carry 8 out of 10 times...the other 2 would be mishit but I just don't get the airmail over the pin. I love the trajectory, the consistency, the size, and the wedges. I bought the gap, sand, and two lobs and had them built 50-54-58-62 and they are really sweet as well. The 62 only comes out in funky spots but gives me a reasonable chance at times where previously there was no shot of getting up and down. Love them and the size only bothered me for the first half of the first range session. By the end of it I was in love.

 

This is a great post - thanks for your thoughts. How do you like the SW? Full shots? Sand play? What were you playing before. Struggling with whether to order the SW

 

I really like the wedges a lot. They built them exactly to spec and I like the slightly larger heads especially when I open them up. Most recently played SM6's and the Mizuno S5's. I liked both, but definitely preferred the Vokey's to the S5's but like the HM's better than both. Consistent distance on all types of shots but have not had much experience in the sand with them. The few sand shots I've hit with them I just played with the 58* and the turf interaction was nice. The 62* is really for very difficult shots I normally would play safe. With that much loft you really have to give it a go or it's not going to be pretty.

[ShowMe]

As I understand it the HM irons are at the .83 COR limit. A non spring face club COR is about .78 so that's a .05 or a 5% difference in energy transfer.

 

This is fuzzy math, not direct, but if one normally hits their non spring face club 150 yards a strike with a .83 COR club should hit the ball about 5% farther so about 157 or so. So that's the deal. Nut the shot and get extra distance. What's hard to know is how much the COR drops off as you move away from the sweet spot. With drivers they use a variable face thickness to create as wide an area (sweet spot) as possible, but with an iron the face area is smaller so the sweet spot is smaller and the COR number drops quickly as you move away from the center of the face.

 

Any way you slice it, with spring face technology, if you catch the ball in the .83 hot spot you will get more distance than you would with a non spring face iron. As you move away from the .83 spot your distance will drop off quickly. It's not about fliers and low spin from balls coming off high on the face, although that can contribute. A non spring face iron will have a .78 COR, but the area of the face with that .78 will be larger because there is no hot spot with spring effect. In other words, the non spring face iron will be more consistent for distance across the face, but shorter on well struck shots. That's how I've got it figured anyway and my experience bears this out. Your mileage may vary.

If you look at the reading material on the Hot Metals, there is an illustration outlining the face of the club to show you how much you lose depending on where on the face the ball is struck. Basically dead center is 100% and toe and heal are 90%. The illustration also says it stays at 100% if you hit it higher on the face.

 

Here is where I think your fliers are coming from. When you hit it high on the face, the ball is going to spin less. With the HM's, since you don't lose any of the core power when you hit it high on the face, the ball is coming off at the same speed but with less spin.

 

If I find the illustration, I'll post it.

 

I might be misremembering, but I think the illustration indicates 103% for high center hits.

[jrwingate6]

As I understand it the HM irons are at the .83 COR limit. A non spring face club COR is about .78 so that's a .05 or a 5% difference in energy transfer.

 

This is fuzzy math, not direct, but if one normally hits their non spring face club 150 yards a strike with a .83 COR club should hit the ball about 5% farther so about 157 or so. So that's the deal. Nut the shot and get extra distance. What's hard to know is how much the COR drops off as you move away from the sweet spot. With drivers they use a variable face thickness to create as wide an area (sweet spot) as possible, but with an iron the face area is smaller so the sweet spot is smaller and the COR number drops quickly as you move away from the center of the face.

 

Any way you slice it, with spring face technology, if you catch the ball in the .83 hot spot you will get more distance than you would with a non spring face iron. As you move away from the .83 spot your distance will drop off quickly. It's not about fliers and low spin from balls coming off high on the face, although that can contribute. A non spring face iron will have a .78 COR, but the area of the face with that .78 will be larger because there is no hot spot with spring effect. In other words, the non spring face iron will be more consistent for distance across the face, but shorter on well struck shots. That's how I've got it figured anyway and my experience bears this out. Your mileage may vary.

If you look at the reading material on the Hot Metals, there is an illustration outlining the face of the club to show you how much you lose depending on where on the face the ball is struck. Basically dead center is 100% and toe and heal are 90%. The illustration also says it stays at 100% if you hit it higher on the face.

 

Here is where I think your fliers are coming from. When you hit it high on the face, the ball is going to spin less. With the HM's, since you don't lose any of the core power when you hit it high on the face, the ball is coming off at the same speed but with less spin.

 

If I find the illustration, I'll post it.

 

I might be misremembering, but I think the illustration indicates 103% for high center hits.

 

That's a possibility as well. I'm just trying to get my point across that fliers are not caused but center strikes. They are caused by high strikes.

[Nessism]

Regardless of the strike location on the face, I NEVER one time got extra distance when using Ping G-series irons.

 

BTW, I'd love to see that diagram you guys are talking about. On the Mizuno website there is a diagram discussing sweet area. It's different than what you guys are mentioning though...

 

http://www.mizunousa.com/golf/jpx900chromoly

[scooter827]

Regardless of the strike location on the face, I NEVER one time got extra distance when using Ping G-series irons.

 

BTW, I'd love to see that diagram you guys are talking about. On the Mizuno website there is a diagram discussing sweet area. It's different than what you guys are mentioning though...

 

http://www.mizunousa.com/golf/jpx900chromoly

 

 

Nessism. I understand how this can drive one self crazy always wondering if where you are going to catch the ball on the way down and if you are going to get the ill fated flyer. I am not sure how much you have in the clubs or if where you bought them has a playability clause like Edwin watts which is usually 90 days. But maybe you should look into getting rid of them if you feel you can not trust them. Just my .02

[jeffrey r]

Hey there. I am 3 rounds in with my 900 HM's on a golf trip out west, and they have been terrific so far. I've played a lot of iron sets over the past few years, and this combo of the 900 HM's with Modus Tour 105 shafts is truly the best that have played.

 

Very forgiving, incredible turf interaction, great feel, high straight shots. They can have a bad strike like any other irons, but there are very few of those. All in all, very pleased with this purchase and their performance so far, and just a real joy to play.

 

As I am playing courses that are new to me, I don't have a great idea of correct distances as I am approaching the green. But I have not noticed any real fliers that have gone way longer than they should. These are definitely on the longer side rather than shorter though. The ball does jump off the face.

 

Side-note, these Modus Tour 105 regular flex shafts are no joke. They are so solid, stable and smooth. And seriously, this regular flex is pretty stout IMO. These shafts do encourage and reward a smooth swing, but they do require some oomph as well. These are very different from a Nippon 950 or something like that.

[puresurfr]

I have gamed my Hot Metals and have not noticed anything too crazy in terms of fliers......The club is very forgiving and well struck balls go quite far !

 

* I did notice using trackman testing that i would get some balls that had very low spin and the ball would carry 10-15 yards further than normal. I normally hit the 6 iron at 5600 spin and carry about 175 but i would get the occasional low spin 3800-4200 ball which would carry 185-190. if u asked me how it felt, i would swear that the spin would be over 6000 and the ball felt compressed. Flight was a bit higher than normal by about 5 yards but spin would be really low. I noticed this throughout the set, perhaps this is where the hot spot distance is coming from ????

[randyfitz]

I have a set of hot metals to unload. PM me for details.

[Modad]

Update on my 900 Hot Metal irons: Fitter suggested that I combo a set with the 6-GW irons in conventional irons and the 4-5 be the Fli-Hi hybrid irons. My experience so far is great with the irons, but disappointed in the Fli Hi clubs. They are supposed to be an even exchange but with the forgiveness of hybrids. I hit the 6 iron so effortlessly that I wish I had the other clubs in irons as well. The hybrids just don't have the same feel or consistency for me that the Hot Metal irons have. Love the irons, but can't suggest the hybrids so look for the shortly on the 'Bay.

[JMH1220]

Thanks for that bit of info. The 4 and 5 iron sound easy to hit

[jay65]

I've decided to, under Mizunos' 30 day exchange policy, to go all HotMetal through my bag from 4-PW. I did have the JPX900 Forged from 7-PW but can't get the launch window that is comfortable to my eye, so as the HM hit it a bit higher for me, it gives a consistency throughout the bag that I'd like to see.

 

The Hot Metal 4 iron launches like a 6 iron, and just flies, so easy to hit, why make the game even more difficult than it needs to be. Nothing wrong with the JPX900 Forged, but the Hot Metal 6 iron launches like a 7 iron, and the Forged 7 iron launches like a 6 iron, so it goes all t*** up when blending the two irons in my bag. Much more simple to keep all the launch windows consistent throughout the set.

[Pacificgem]

I've got the JPX 850's but with the slimmer look, yet same overall forgiveness, I'm going to get myself a set of the Hot Metals. Great feedback.

[jhw1009]

I learned to play golf at my “old” age less than 10 years ago and became an addict. I practice a lot at home with my net and play once a week on average. My handicap is improving steadily over the years but my game seems to slow down last season. I do whatever it takes to improve my game so I took some lessons with my 4^th teacher, recommended, to improve my iron play which is my weakness link. The swing change surprises me that I found my old driver distance of 250 Carry with the new swing. I have high percentage of driving to the fairway, say around 80%. My chipping and putting are my strength as well but my GIR is quite dismal because of my iron play. Dispersion is not very good. I am currently playing the Taylormade Speedblade (always play TM irons through the years) with the stock graphite shaft (due to tennis elbow) and the shaft is quite whippy. I am ready to try new brand of irons and read a lot about the Mizuno JPX 900 irons, reviews and all, and ready to test the irons myself.

 

I scheduled a fitting session later next week and wonder if anyone can provide some opinions about these irons whether you tested or currently played them. I don’t work the iron swing much so my primary goal is to get a set that can give me better dispersion and forgiveness. Length is always good but not as important. I have a smooth and relatively slow swing speed. Any good graphite shaft advice is appreciated.

 

Irons interested: JPX 900 Hot Metal, JPX 900 Forged, Srixon z565, M1, Steelhead XR and Steelhead XR Pro. Looking for less offset iron set. Thanks in advance.

[Bill Guy]

I have a set of JPX900 forged 4-GW + S5 SW with Recoil 95 F4 (stiff) shafts that I have now used for about 4 months and am absolutely delighted with them. Beautiful to hit and shots are rifle straight for me. I think my 6 iron swing speed is about 79mph. The only issue I have is with the 5/4 irons which I have a problem getting up in the air. I have no problem getting them up in the air off driving range mats or good lies... it's only a problem from tight lies. I dropped the 4 iron and went with a Titleist 913h rescue 21* instead which I am delighted with. I have been watching this thread as I was thinking that I may to for a F3 (regular) shaft in 5/6 irons or switch those irons to HM's

[Nessism]

I've been trying to really pay attention to my shot distance to try to pinpoint the issue I've been having with distance control. A couple of things I'm pretty sure about at this point are 1) I don't get as much spin as I'd like because shots are rolling out farther than expected and 2) the HM's are forgiving and long. Number 2 conclusion comes after picking up a set of Miura PP-9003 irons over the weekend from a friend and noticing a number of shots coming up short of target. I expected the distances to be shorter with these clubs but not quite so much. The approach shots are sticking a little better with the Miura's though so that caught my attention as well.

 

My swing has shallowed out more than it used to be and I don't take as much of a divot as previous so maybe that's contributing to the lowish spin. I think these HM's are low spin clubs overall though. At least that's what I'm thinking at this time. More to come...

[uapachyderm]

I've got 4-pw in the 900 HM's with 6.0 PX LZ and couldn't be happier. Granted I've only got 4 rounds with them but these things are stupid easy to hit - just point and shoot. I have not noticed any fliers and have surprisingly been hitting them my standard distances (8i 155). I did hit them with the Modus 105S and they felt really good - I am considering scooping up a set if I come across a good deal. FWIW I am 9hcp and gave up playing players irons years ago. Last set were G30's and I never could get used to the bounce - the 900 HM's have much less bounce and GREAT turf interaction.

[jumpalot]

Went in today to hit the Ping G and Callaway Steelheads. I'd only really done research on those two. I started hitting the G and wasn't overly impressed. I hit them pretty well but didn't care for the look and feel. Switched to the Steelheads and hit them about the same. They felt "harder" to me and I really didn't care for the finish. Decided to go ahead and try the HM's. Wasn't really looking at them to begin with. The Mizuno Shaft Optimizer recommended the DG X100 softstepped, the KBS C-Taper X soft stepped and the Project X 6.0. Hit the 6.0 in the HM for awhile and had about the same distance, but dispersion seemed to be better. The fitting cart didn't have the other two recommended shafts. Tried the Nippon Modus 105 for 5 swings. Liked the feel, but hit them too high. Went back to the G for a few swings and decided they weren't for me and I was totally convinced when I walked in that was what I was going to buy. Tried the Steelhead again and still didn't like the feel. 6.0 back in the HM and all was right with the world again. I really can't say that any one really outperformed the others for me. Distance seemed to be close to the same for all three. The HM's just felt better on the good and bad hits and fit my eye better. So now the wait begins.....

[dmeeksDC]

I've got 4-pw in the 900 HM's with 6.0 PX LZ and couldn't be happier. Granted I've only got 4 rounds with them but these things are stupid easy to hit - just point and shoot. I have not noticed any fliers and have surprisingly been hitting them my standard distances (8i 155). I did hit them with the Modus 105S and they felt really good - I am considering scooping up a set if I come across a good deal. FWIW I am 9hcp and gave up playing players irons years ago. Last set were G30's and I never could get used to the bounce - the 900 HM's have much less bounce and GREAT turf interaction.

 

Mind sharing your swingspeed? I seem to be inbetween a 5.5 and a 6.0 in PX LZ. I really like the shaft. Prefer the weight of the 6.0 but it is a tad too stiff for me. Can these LZ shafts be softstepped? If so, how much closer would that bring it to the 5.5 in stiffness, but with the advantage of the 6.0 120-gram weight? Thanks.

[AndersUK]

I've got 4-pw in the 900 HM's with 6.0 PX LZ and couldn't be happier. Granted I've only got 4 rounds with them but these things are stupid easy to hit - just point and shoot. I have not noticed any fliers and have surprisingly been hitting them my standard distances (8i 155). I did hit them with the Modus 105S and they felt really good - I am considering scooping up a set if I come across a good deal. FWIW I am 9hcp and gave up playing players irons years ago. Last set were G30's and I never could get used to the bounce - the 900 HM's have much less bounce and GREAT turf interaction.

 

Mind sharing your swingspeed? I seem to be inbetween a 5.5 and a 6.0 in PX LZ. I really like the shaft. Prefer the weight of the 6.0 but it is a tad too stiff for me. Can these LZ shafts be softstepped? If so, how much closer would that bring it to the 5.5 in stiffness, but with the advantage of the 6.0 120-gram weight? Thanks.

 

If it's any help I was fitted with PX 6.0 LX and my swing speed was 87-88 with the 6i. Yes, they can be soft stepped.

[dmeeksDC]

Thanks much. That is right where I am at. I even hit 90 on one swing but am mostly 85-87. In the hitting bay, I seemed to be hitting the 5.5 better, but I hit those first, was getting tired and generally am not great in indoor hitting bays. Lacking the natural target a golf course provides, hitting into nets does not do it for me. And on my good swings, the 6.0 definitely went longer. And when I get outside, my usual regret is a shaft that hits the ball too high, which is why I dont play Nippon shafts. No trouble with elevation and spin for me. I have played 6.0 in regular PX before and only dropped down to 5.5 due to a sore wrist. But the LZ seems less harsh. Am thinking I will go with them, soft-stepped once, and it will be fine. May try one club first.

[JackpotJohnny]

I've got the JPX 850's but with the slimmer look, yet same overall forgiveness, I'm going to get myself a set of the Hot Metals. Great feedback.

 

Anyone got any heads up comparisons between the HM and the 850s?

They supposedly only moved the needle slightly on them, but the HM seems to be getting way more love than the 850s ever did

 

[jshel]

Been meaning to post here for a little bit. I hit a demo set of these a month or so ago and was quite impressed. The irons are forgiving, they fly straight, I like the Modus shaft (which I also had in my previous irons). And they do go like crazy.

 

After several rounds with the demos, I ordered a set of 4-PW + 1/2" and I picked them up last week.

 

These replace a set of G irons, also with Modus and + 1/2".

 

What I like about the Hot Metals are how they look, how forgiving they are and just how straight they fly. The amount of draw is significantly less than with my G irons. They get to the top and just kind of fall a couple of yards to the left.

 

In terms of distance, these certainly fly a little bit further - maybe a half club. That doesn't hurt. And they don't seem to jump unpredictably for me like some cast irons have.

[twgolf78]

im about ready to go to GI irons... These are on the top of my list.

 

Gatta give them a go

[jeffrey r]

Though my season is just kicking into gear here in NJ, I am still loving the 900 HM irons. They went head to head with a set of Srixon 565's, and at least for my game, the 900 HM's handily prevailed. To be frank, I wanted the Srixons to win out, as they really can't look or feel much better for a GI iron. But the 900 HM's simply perform better for me (while still looking and feeling great as well). A great pairing with the Modus Tour 105 shafts.

[Carl Spackler3]

After some 25 years of all sorts of Mizunos, I bought X-R steelheads . Despite a good start they just didn't fit me. I went back and picked up hot metals

with some spec changes and recoil shafts, really enjoying them and despite previous range/simulator comparisons, on course the HMs beat the XRs

[Boogs2]

Debating on a set of 5-PW 900 HMs or the Cobra F7 One lengths. Currently playing the Nike Vapor Fly Pros but just not meshing well with it for some reason.

[Z1ggy16]

Debating on a set of 5-PW 900 HMs or the Cobra F7 One lengths. Currently playing the Nike Vapor Fly Pros but just not meshing well with it for some reason.

Can't go wrong with either. I will say tho, the F7's are "larger" looking to my eye than the HM's. In fact I'm honestly debating about switching back to my Hot Metals this spring over my players irons for a little bit of added forgiveness and stability.