JPX 921 HMP too unpredictable for distance?

[cyb0rg]

Here's some background information. I've been using a set of Callaway X Forged irons since 2007. They are still fine but I dont play enough golf as I used to so I was looking for something with a little more forgiveness. I don't feel like I have an issue with distance as my 150 yard club is a normal 8 iron with traditional lofts.

 

I bought a set of HMP's and got them bent weak from Mizuno to try not to make them too jacked. However, the problem I'm seeing is that sometimes balls will jump 20 yards in differences between a seemingly decent shot with another. I've never really had this issue with my x forged irons. If i dont hit it perfect, I have me left or right of target but I'm close to pin high. I'm thinking about selling them and replacing them with JPX forged irons or maybe even some older Mizuno MP 53s. Do you think going with forged clubs will help with distance control? Or will newer JPX forged or other hotter clubs have these issues? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[NNJ]

20 hours ago, cyb0rg said:

I bought a set of HMP's and got them bent weak from Mizuno to try not to make them too jacked. However, the problem I'm seeing is that sometimes balls will jump 20 yards in differences between a seemingly decent shot with another. I've never really had this issue with my x forged irons. If i dont hit it perfect, I have me left or right of target but I'm close to pin high. I'm thinking about selling them and replacing them with JPX forged irons or maybe even some older Mizuno MP 53s. Do you think going with forged clubs will help with distance control? Or will newer JPX forged or other hotter clubs have these issues? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I tried the previous generation HMPs and found a similar issue. They are very very long for the class of club. I was taking the 7 iron to places a 7 iron shouldn’t go. I’m not sure what it is with the face, but while there is forgiveness (a lot of the face feels good even if it’s not on center), I found a lack of distance consistency between shots which all felt good.

I’m not sure if this was due to the design of the head focusing solely on providing maximum distance across the face (instead of focusing on providing a club that hits as similar as possible distances across the face), or if it was the shaft (or both).
 

I’d maybe start by trying a different shaft in one or two of the irons (maybe try a stiffer shaft in the 7 and a shaft with a less reactive tip in the 8, or try a heavier shaft in one of them, you should ideally see a fitter). Some new steel shafts and many of the new graphite shafts really advertise a benefit of added consistency or helping tighten dispersion, so you could check to see if you see benefits from a shaft change. Anecdotally, many on this forum will tell you that they found much better results in distance control, consistency, and dispersion with one shaft over another (even with a hollow head), but the shaft that will work for you is likely personal.

 

If that doesn’t help, you may want to move to a different club, and a one piece forging will likely be more consistent off of the center, but you definitely may see a bigger drop off in distance from off center hits and less forgiveness .

[NNJ]

TLDR - a one piece forged iron may help your problem, if the problem is solely the head itself. But if you are set up with the wrong shaft profile, the wrong shaft weight for your swing/transition, or the wrong swingweight, you could end up having the same issue in any club.
 

Only way to find out what the issue is might be to test other shafts and swingweights, and if this solves the issue, it might be a way to save a thousand dollars or so. If it doesn’t then you’ll at least know what is going to help you be optimized for your new heads.

[cyb0rg]

Great feedback NNJ! Thank you very much.

 

I did get fitted by Mizuno with went with their recommended $-Tapers. I'm going to actually try rotating a couple of irons heads out with my older DG S300 and see if there are any differences. This is certainly an expensive option to try for since I can do this on my own. If they still seem inconsistent.. I cab then look into new heads. 🙂

 

 

[NNJ]

3 hours ago, cyb0rg said:

Great feedback NNJ! Thank you very much.

 

I did get fitted by Mizuno with went with their recommended $-Tapers. I'm going to actually try rotating a couple of irons heads out with my older DG S300 and see if there are any differences. This is certainly an expensive option to try for since I can do this on my own. If they still seem inconsistent.. I cab then look into new heads. 🙂

 

 

You also may want to try a bit of lead tape on the head (prior to swapping out the shafts) to first see if a different swing weight helps.
 

This is purely from my own experience as I know nothing about your game, but a quicker transition with less loading of the shaft which is hit solid dead center may go a completely different distance than a swing with a better tempo, where the shaft really loads which is also hit center, even though ostensibly both may feel equally good when striking the ball (especially with a hollow body iron). Sometimes additional weight in the head can help tempo (for some people for others the opposite) and the S taper can load pretty well for certain swings.

[dmeeksDC]

Played the 921 HMP and found them extremely consistent. Much more so than the og p790. 
 

HMP is a really well designed club. Only distance difference I experienced was when I missed the middle and the distance loss was minimal. Hit in the middle they were the most consistent distance iron I’ve come across, as consistent as any cavity back.