A Bunch of Mizuno Irons
For the 2011 Iron Test, Mizuno sent a lot of 6 irons - different models, different shafts, different flexes. So we thought it would be interesting to take a good, consistent ball striker to the range and see how he felt about the different models and shafts. During the 3-wood test, we found our candidate. He hit the sweet spot around 90% of the time and you could tell when he missed it. Asked and he said sure, sounds like fun so we setup a date at a range.

We had him hit each of the clubs until he was comfortable with it and then tell us what he thought. The outcome was not totally what we expected as you'll see. Here is the breakdown of the models and what he, and we, saw and felt. Keep in mind, all observations are based on only one golfer with the stock clubs we had from the iron test.

Mizuno JPX-800 JPX-800 (True Temper Gold)
High trajectory with a slight draw
Very forgiving on miss hits
Mizuno JPX-800 Pro JPX-800 Pro (True Temper Gold)
Was a little shorter than the JPX-800 with a slightly higher flight
Not as consistent with a tendency to fade
Less forgiving
Mizuno MP-53 Project X Shaft MP-53 (Rifle Project X)
Straight ball flight
Misses went both directions
Shorter
Mizuno MP-53 True Temper Shaft MP-53 (True Temper Gold)
Shorter still
Miss hits a little more forgiving
Mizuno MP-58 Rifle Project X shaft MP-58 (Rifle Project X)
Left and shorter
Less consistent
Mizuno MP-58 True Temper shaft MP-58 (True Temper Gold)
Longer
Misses went left
Better consistency
Mizuno MP-63 Project X Shaft MP-63 (Rifle Project X)
Longer, higher
Average distance
Mizuno MP-63 True Temper Shaft MP-63 (True Temper Gold)
Very accurate
Better sound

Note: really accurate, we're talking short birdie putts.

Shafts
Project X shaft was longer but he felt they had less feel and seemed bulkier to him. The True Temper Gold shaft, he felt was more consistent with a softer feel and better sound

Final thoughts
It was very obvious which club worked the best for him, the MP-63 with the True Temper Gold shaft. Out of the all the balls he hit, only one or two left him with a 5 footer for birdie, the rest were gimmes. He agreed but, and a big but here, he would take the JPX-800. Why? He was not playing as much as he used too so he felt the forgiveness of the JPX-800 iron suited him based on how much he was expecting to play now and in the future. For the rest of us, we would give a body part to hit balls like he hit the MP-63.
09/18/2011
Comments...
Putz
10/01/2011
At 61, and playing less golf with little practice the last few years, I've watched my handicap balloon from 12 to 18. I'm putting my favorite 5-year-old Mizuno MP-32's on the shelf and also about to buy the JPX-800's for the same reason as your tester - forgiveness. I started playing Mizuno MX-20's with Exsar shafts in 2000 - best clubs I've owned in 40 years. The MP-32's were the most accurate irons I've hit when playing twice a week. Now at twice a month, the JPX-800's with cast heads feel surprisingly close to Mizuno's grain flow forged heads. And the exsar shafts, in my humble opinion, are the best graphite shafts in golf. Mizuno irons are superior to everything else out there.