GWD_MAY_16

EQUIPMENT
KEY TECHNOLOGIES
MIZUNO JPX-EZ
FORGED
Strong boron steel has allowed Mizuno to
create a thinner face for improved flex
performance and distance. It also
improves face stability by allowing more
weight to be pushed into the perimeters.
The faster, springier face is helped by a
more deeply undercut pocket cavity in
the 3 to 7-irons that leaves more of the
face unsupported and ready to flex.
Mizuno says it has improved flex
performance and distance by creating a
thinner face through strong boron steel.
with launch, power and off-centre strikes.
In recent years Wilson has consistently
produced the most underrated irons in
golf, perhaps not helped by a perception
its technology is late to market. True,
we’ve already seen this kind of polymerfilled
slot technology in the likes of
TaylorMade’s RSi, but in this case, the
brand’s FLX Face technology echoes a
technology Wilson developed more than
30 years ago in the Reflex iron.
Despite one or two misgivings about
the shininess of the face, we universally
warmed to the styling of C200. Though
sporting a thinner topline and less offset
than the others, the midsize face was still
reassuring. Also promising was the quality
of strike. While there is a lot of vibrationdampening
rubber in the face, the club
created a fast, crisp sound. Coupled with
a sole that felt great through the turf, this
club was the most fun to hit.
The C200 design is based around
improved distance and forgiveness. We
saw very competitive stats for ball speed,
smash factor and carry. For three testers,
these parameters were very similar to the
Ping, while typically beating the Mizuno.
Overall C200 impressed for feel,
forgiveness and distance, though its
slightly more compact shape and more
mid-range launch could put it towards the
lower end of the game-improver spectrum.
While the traditional strength of
forging is feel, its Achilles heels have been
lower durability and loss of distance.
Forgings have therefore not always sat
easily within game-improver ranges,
though with the harder boron steel, JPX-
EZ Forged should address those issues.
Lookswise, JPX-EZ Forged sat well
behind the ball, inspiring confidence while
never looking chunky. Approval tailed off,
however, into the short irons, whose
consistently thick top line contributed to
a rather angular look. One tester said this
was the only set he’d seen where the long
irons looked better than the short irons.
Impact was rarely less than pleasing,
though, with the sole camber offering
impressive forgiveness. Sound and feel had
that sense of solidness you expect from a
‘The notion of game-improver forgiveness and distance with
forged feel built in is seductive; yet while the feel was good,
it wasn’t outstandingly more pleasing than cast clubs.’
Mizuno forging; impact was muted,
giving a sense of control if not the power
that came from the higher-pitched
Wilson. Although this was the lowestlaunching
iron, it was easy to get airborne.
Overall, we were split on whether this
iron was a jack-of-all-trades or a master
of none. The notion of game-improver
forgiveness and distance with forged feel is
seductive, yet while the feel was good, it
wasn’t outstandingly more pleasing than
the cast clubs. The club proved marginally
the shortest on test on average, though
out-and-out distance is not necessarily
the main selection criterion for an iron.
Neither was it the most forgiving, though
the three irons were quite evenly matched
in this performance parameter.
OUR TEST SAID…
Distance isn’t the be-all-and-end-all when
it comes to irons, but Mizuno calls this
club its fastest forged face to date. Our
FlightScope testing, however, suggested
this was the shortest of the three irons
on test. The Mizuno 6-iron averaged 160
yards compared to 165 yards for the
Wilson and 168 yards for the Ping. Its
forgiveness however was competitive,
with FlightScope confirming an average
6-iron smash factor of 1.34, which exactly
matched the Wilson but was pipped by
the Ping at 1.36.
SUMMARY
If distance is a priority for you, there are
more powerful options available. But if
you are a higher-handicapper looking for
solid distance and speed protection, plus
the feel of a forged iron, this iron makes
a lot of sense. That’s a very small sector
of the market, however.
May 2016 Golf World 97