Tell me about JPX 923 Tour irons

[hh2nd]

I currently play JPX 825 Pro. Have had them a LONG time. Played MP 32 before current set. Tell me about the JPX 923 Tour. I really want to buy these but man do they look skinny. Is there any forgiveness to speak of? Maybe put a different 4 iron in the bag? But then again, there was no better feeling than flushing the MP 32 four iron. 
 

somebody talk me in to or out of these. 
 

I was fairly convinced that I was between the T150 or the MP 243, but after finally seeing the 923 Tour in person, I’m not sure I can resist. Especially with the current price discount. 

[poor_putting]

I have a 4 and 5 in the 243 and 6-P in 241’s. The feel of the 243’s isn’t nearly as good as the 241’s and the soles are much wider in the 243’s. If that matters to you, might want to check out those tours, as I believe they are a bit narrower in sole (someone correct me if I’m wrong). 

[jasona93]

Just switched into new 923 Tours with Recoil 95’s. With this combo it’s the best feeling iron I’ve hit, but I like them soft. Unsure if a lot of that feel is because of my first foray into graphite iron shafts because I hit one in the store and didn’t need to try anything else. Shocking forgiveness for what it is, I’ve had a few far away from middled and the result was better than expected. (anywhere but very fat, which would be poor in any iron). Finally, if you’re a digger, you will appreciate the added bounce, I’m creating shallower divots. Could be placebo or confirmation bias, but I’m thrilled with the switch, especially at the new price. 

[Joesti]

They are basically blades. Great irons but don't expect loads of forgiveness. I hit them when i got my 221 blades and I didn't think they were any more forgiving at all. Askgolfnut does fantastic videos that are very in depth on this.

 

[Dewdman42]

I love mine and I’m just a mid handicapper.  I do carry a ping g430 5h instead of the 4i.

 

my view about forgiveness is that these are perhaps slightly more forgiving then pure blades, perhaps not.  They don’t hit the ball further than blades.  Mishits are mishits.  I personally think if I hit short 15 yards then it might as well be 30-40 short, it’s not gonna make any difference score wise.  But I’m hitting them pure a lot, maybe the smaller face is focusing my strikes in some way?  Maybe the thinner sole is helping me in some way?  I don’t know but I love the clubs

[PNW]

They are a top option if you have speed and deloft a bit at impact. Definitely more forgiving than 221/241. The V chassis design is supposed to help with forgiveness off of toe-side which I found these to handle better than 243s. They're fairly similar forgiveness-wise to ZX7. It's my favorite option in the current Mizuno lineup for someone coming from older Mizuno forged CBs and while they're about to be refreshed it means you can get them pretty cheap right now.

[Dewdman42]

What else can you say about comparing them to the 243’s?

[hammergolf]

15 hours ago, hh2nd said:

I currently play JPX 825 Pro. Have had them a LONG time. Played MP 32 before current set. Tell me about the JPX 923 Tour. I really want to buy these but man do they look skinny. Is there any forgiveness to speak of? Maybe put a different 4 iron in the bag? But then again, there was no better feeling than flushing the MP 32 four iron. 
 

somebody talk me in to or out of these. 
 

I was fairly convinced that I was between the T150 or the MP 243, but after finally seeing the 923 Tour in person, I’m not sure I can resist. Especially with the current price discount. 

The JPX 923 Forged would be the modern improvement and most similar to your current set. The 923 Tours are basically a blade that has a slightly lower launching, lower spinning profile. 

[Joesti]

16 minutes ago, Dewdman42 said:

What else can you say about comparing them to the 243’s?

243 is much more forgiving than the tour in the longer irons. I am currently gaming 243 and was playing 221 before them. Im regretting going away from the more compact shape and thin soul of the 221. I may give the tours a go next. The 243 is very easy to hit in the long irons IMO thanks to the insert they have.

[mason82]

I love mine, but like the Blueprints a little better. 923s feel amazing, if you are into the super soft feeling these will be hard to beat. Not to unforgiving either, very sweet irons. 
 

listed my set for sale….

[Joesti]

6 minutes ago, mason82 said:

I love mine, but like the Blueprints a little better. 923s feel amazing, if you are into the super soft feeling these will be hard to beat. Not to unforgiving either, very sweet irons. 
 

listed my set for sale….

How do your numbers compare between the blueprint and the tours in terms of spin, height, and distance? What do you like better about the blueprints?

[mason82]

Both of these irons launched high for me, which I prefer. BPS maybe 3-4 yards further, and I prefer the feel of them as well. Not as soft as the Tours, just more dense. I could go with either this year but needed to pick one. BPS edged them out. 

[bobfoster]

56 minutes ago, hammergolf said:

The JPX 923 Forged would be the modern improvement and most similar to your current set. The 923 Tours are basically a blade that has a slightly lower launching, lower spinning profile. 

Yes, I think so. I play a mixed Mizzy set ... JPX 923 Forged 4i - 6i, and the 245 in my 7i - PW. Love that particular combo. Find them both quite forgiving (relatively speaking - I mean, neither are exactly supposed to be SGI clubs). 

 

PS. @hh2nd - delightful flash from the past ... the first Mizuno irons I played were the MP32s. (Can you believe it has now been 2 decades since they were released?) Fell in love almost immediately, and have been playing Mizzy irons ever since. 

 

Once you get used to warm butter, everything else feels like frozen margarine. 

[hh2nd]

4 minutes ago, bobfoster said:

Yes, I think so. I play a mixed Mizzy set ... JPX 923 Forged 4i - 6i, and the 245 in my 7i - PW. Love that particular combo. Find them both quite forgiving (relatively speaking - I mean, neither are exactly supposed to be SGI clubs). 

 

PS. @hh2nd - delightful flash from the past ... the first Mizuno irons I played were the MP32s. (Can you believe it has now been 2 decades since they were released?) Fell in love almost immediately, and have been playing Mizzy irons ever since. 

 

Once you get used to warm butter, everything else feels like frozen margarine. 

Frozen margarine is right! I’ve toyed with other brands but keep coming back. I actually

tried weakening the lofts on my 825 Pro to get closer to the MP 32 specs.  Closer - not all the way there. It didn’t work. Would think you could strengthen 923 Tour a degree if necessary. 

[bobfoster]

47 minutes ago, hh2nd said:

Frozen margarine is right! I’ve toyed with other brands but keep coming back. I actually

tried weakening the lofts on my 825 Pro to get closer to the MP 32 specs.  Closer - not all the way there. It didn’t work. Would think you could strengthen 923 Tour a degree if necessary. 

Yes - I'm totally not a fan of the last decade's "strengthening loft" trend. It is getting kind of ridiculous. Changes have been incremental, but when you stand back and look at the cumulative effects, they are substantial. The stock MP32 PW (released in 2004) was 47*. The stock 245 PW (just released) is now 43*. I mean, good grief, how could anything with a loft in the low 40s be considered a "wedge". More succinctly, the current 245 PW is exactly the same loft as the MP32 9i was. I got my 245 PW and 9i bent 2* weaker, and the 8i and 7i bent 1* weaker. 

 

PS. Not beating up on Mizuno, pretty much all the big OEMs have been strengthening. But really that's just a minor irritation - still in love with my Mizzys. 

[Dewdman42]

6 minutes ago, bobfoster said:

Yes - I'm totally not a fan of the last decade's "strengthening loft" trend. It is getting kind of ridiculous.

 

Right there with you.

 

I actually bought the 921Forged first, and then after scoring badly for a summer, I switched to the Tours with immediate improvement in my scoring.  

 

It was fun to hit the 921forged 8i 160 yards, but the gapping at the short end of the bag was quite wide and longer irons I had a lot of problems getting the ball up into the air with spin, etc.   had trouble holding greens with 7-5i 

 

In my case I think most likely the inconsistent distances can be attributed to my inconsistent dynamic loft delivery.  I am sometimes able to shallow enough, flattening AoA while also delivering shaft lean properly...basically with optimized dynamic loft delivery for each club for maximum compression, but also with suitable height and spin for each club.  sometimes I get it and sometimes I don't.  With the strong lofted clubs I felt like when I did it right, I would be punished with a zinger that went way too far with no spin or height.  Whereas with the Tours, there is some of that too, but somehow the problem is not magnified nearly as much as it was with the strong lofted 921Forged set.  Now when I do it properly the ball goes where I would expect, and if I don't, then the ball flight is a little high, a little short, but it doesn't turn into a low flight, low spin, ball bouncing and rolling off the back of the green going easily 20-30 yards too far as was the case with the 921forged 7-5i.

 

The Gapping was tighter throughout the whole bag.  yes I am using a 5h in addition to my 5i...as I hit the 5h at least 10 yards further then I hit the 923Tour 5i.   Fine..who cares.  I've covered the long end of the bag..with what I feel is much better distance control through the mid and short end of the bag.

 

I feel strong lofts are not for "players".  I feel generally distance enhancement is a fools errand.  Use a bigger club, like a hybrid if you need yards you just can't get out of the irons.  Taking the whole set to strong lofts doesn't make sense to me unless you CONSISTENTLY hit with high dynamic loft due to less-then-optimal swing mechanics and release timing, etc.  If you do that inferior swing consistently...then sure..a strong lofted set might suit you, but then you'll just be grooving in and locking in those inferior swing tendencies IMHO. 

 

I also don't want some big huge sole in my clubs.  I also don't want some big bulky looking or feeling iron, I love using the small, thin, tight looking 923Tour club face at address.  when I tried to go hit the 921Forged later, I felt like a had a hockey stick in my hand it was humongous in comparison.   Would be bigger sweet spot on the face be slightly helpful with the JPXTours?  Perhaps.  If not adding too much crap that is designed to launch the ball higher then would be indicated by the dynamic loft otherwise, and definitely don't want trampoline effects at all.  Keep it pure.  Slightly bigger sweet spot could be helpful.  Maybe.  Like I said, the smaller face on the Tours may have caused me to focus more and be more accurate with striking the ball close to the middle.  Hard to say.

 

If you want irons that try to make up for consistent swing flaws, such as consistently fat or consistently too much or too little dynamic loft, or consistently too slow swing speed...fine..  Players irons should not ever be in that category if you ask me.  Where I would appreciate some forgiveness is in my INCONSISTENT ability to always deliver idealized conditions to the golf ball...  But that doesn't mean I want a wide sole always getting in my way, or a humongous club face or something that is going to try to launch extra height on a ball or something that may attempt to compensate for not delofting my face enough.  Those kinds of GI tricks should be relegated to folks that know they have a bogey swing and have no intention of trying to fix it.  

 

The JPXTours are for people that are indeed at least trying to do it all right, deliver ideal dynamic loft, with reasonable swing speed.  I think most of us would just like a bit of forgiveness if we don't hit the absolute middle of the club face perhaps.  But certainly we don't need our well struck delofted iron shot to turn into a low, spinless zinger over the green, nor have some big bouncy sole getting in our way when we already know bloody well how to hit the ground after the ball 99% of the time.

 

[bobfoster]

48 minutes ago, Dewdman42 said:

The JPXTours are for people that are indeed at least trying to do it all right, deliver ideal dynamic loft, with reasonable swing speed.  I think most of us would just like a bit of forgiveness if we don't hit the absolute middle of the club face perhaps.  But certainly we don't need our well struck delofted iron shot to turn into a low, spinless zinger over the green, nor have some big bouncy sole getting in our way when we already know bloody well how to hit the ground after the ball 99% of the time.

 

Totally get this. Been playing for decades, and at this point have a pretty consistent swing. When I first started playing all there was were what is now called "blades", so I guess it is just my comfort zone. Have tried full sets of GI, and a couple times tried friends' SGIs - which felt (to me) like I was trying to play golf with a flippin' sledgehammer. 

 

Sounds like you are a bit more consistent than I am. I tried 923 Tours, but wanted a bit more forgiveness in my long irons, so went to the Forged, and find them perfect. Recently bought the 245s for my scoring irons (sight unseen, they just looked too pretty to resist). Have since tried the 241 and 243, but am sticking with the 245s. 

 

I guess I'm just completely comfortable in my game at this point. I do get inconsistent now and then, but that doesn't so much come from a badly flawed swing as it does simple hours. Life circumstances go through phases. Years ago I was close to scratch, but was playing two or three times a week, and on the range at least once, often more. Maybe for some people it is possible, but at least for me I can't hit and maintain a high level of golf without flat out playing a lot of golf. Currently can only play once or twice a week, and hit the range maybe once every couple of weeks, so I am going to be slightly off center (never dramatically, but often slightly), and my current bag is - so to speak - "perfectly tuned to my imperfections". 

 

As you say, don't need some ego boost that comes from saying "look how long I hit my 7i" (when it is really merely an old 6i loft with a 7 stamped on the bottom of the club). Rarely badly chunk it or thin it, or hit hosel rockets. Don't need a warclub with insane offset. But it is not at all uncommon to be a centimeter off center, or now and then hit it a bit high off the face (am a digger, not a picker), and I greatly appreciate not being too penalized for slight mishits. 

 

But the nice thing about playing golf today is that there are sooooo many options (relative to when I started playing). Golfers at virtually every level can find clubs optimal for their game - from the thinnest player's blades to the fattest SGIs. And (this is huge) a great number of big boxes have the Trackman (and/or related) technology that helps the average amateur determine that optimization - technology that only the pros had access to a couple decades ago is now widespread and readily available to the masses. 

 

It really is a great time to be a golfer. 

[Louis_Posture]

On 5/5/2024 at 6:17 PM, hh2nd said:

I currently play JPX 825 Pro. Have had them a LONG time. Played MP 32 before current set. Tell me about the JPX 923 Tour. I really want to buy these but man do they look skinny. Is there any forgiveness to speak of? Maybe put a different 4 iron in the bag? But then again, there was no better feeling than flushing the MP 32 four iron. 
 

somebody talk me in to or out of these. 
 

I was fairly convinced that I was between the T150 or the MP 243, but after finally seeing the 923 Tour in person, I’m not sure I can resist. Especially with the current price discount. 

 

The 923T is a medium size head with an elongated heel-to-toe length. It's a significantly larger head size than your MP32 model. For impact sound-feel the 923T will be the same as your MP32 for quality impact strikes, but for mishit shots the 923T will sound-feel louder-harsher than your MP32.

[Hawkeye77]

Okay - get the 923 forged. Best iron I’ve played since my Wilson Tour Staffs. 

[hh2nd]

On 5/6/2024 at 1:01 PM, hammergolf said:

The JPX 923 Forged would be the modern improvement and most similar to your current set. The 923 Tours are basically a blade that has a slightly lower launching, lower spinning profile. 

Yeah but the loft jacking has gotten ridiculous, even in the 923 Forged. I just don’t need to hit a 7 iron 185 yards. The specs on the new Forged make it hard to get wedges where I’m comfortable.