Mizuno JPX 919 Forged Irons
Rocket launcher. The Mizuno JPX 919 Forged irons are absolute rocket launchers. Of the three JPX 919 iron models, the Forged is far and away my favorite. I tested the 919 Forged second after a testing session with the 919 Tour (review to come later) and it was like someone punched in a cheat code for me. On the very first swing I was totally blown away with the feel, distance, and overall performance. The 919 Forged falls in a sweet spot that can appeal to a lower handicap or the mid handicap looking for more of a player’s feedback with forgiveness and distance. If that isn’t enough for you, Mizuno claims the JPX 919 Forged is their “fastest ever forging in measured ball speed.” Sound good? Let’s dive into the details.
The Looks
From address, the Mizuno JPX 919 Forged irons look like a slightly beefier player’s iron. The topline isn’t overly thick, but isn’t exactly thin either. The longer irons have a more noticeable offset than the shorter irons, but it flows smoothly into the face so as not to be too unappealing to the lower handicaps. Standing over the ball, the JPX 919 is a strong looking club that makes you feel confident.
Sticking with the theme of previous JPX lineups, the 919 Forged has that mechanical look to it. The trademark Stability Frame draws your attention while the rest of the branding is modest and tasteful. All in all, the JPX 919 Forged is a great, modern-looking club.
How Does it Feel?
I’ve mentioned that the Mizuno JPX 919 Forged irons are rocket launchers, and they feel every single bit of that. A lot of care went into giving the JPX 919 Forged a hot feel but also maintaining that Mizuno standard. First, Mizuno added Boron to their billet making the JPX 919’s carbon steel 30% stronger. Next, Mizuno forged the JPX 919 Forged out of a single billet of 1025E carbon steel. These two things are a great start in creating a great feel. Keep in mind, if you’re a muscle or cavity back blade player, this feel is quite a bit different.
The biggest impact to feel, however, is the CNC milling of the back of the face. By milling the back of the face, Mizuno was able to optimize the face thickness for more speed. Think of it this way – the thinner the face, the faster the ball will jump off the club. Of course, the clubs need to conform to the regulations to stay legal. By CNC milling the back of the face, Mizuno can push that limit to the edge with exact precision on every head. Additionally, removing weight from the face allows for a lower center of gravity (CG) for easier flight and more forgiveness in the mid-to-long irons.
How Does it Sound?
A good shot with the Mizuno JPX 919 Forged irons has a very pure “smack” sound to it. The previously mentioned thin face, and the small pocket as seen in the cross-cut photo above reduce the muted click of most forged player’s irons. Make a good swing and you’ll be rewarded with an extremely satisfying “rip” sound through the turf. A little heavier shot (note: this doesn’t mean fat) has more of a “tear” sound as opposed to the usual thump.
On-Course Performance
When I said my first shot with the Mizuno JPX 919 Forged irons felt like someone punched in a cheat code, I wasn’t exaggerating. From the first swing, I was effortlessly hitting piercing rockets. The combination of all of the elements mentioned so far throughout this review result in a very powerful iron. True, the 919 Forged lofts are stronger than most player’s irons, but it’s more about how easy ball striking is throughout the set. Hitting a long and straight shot was routine, and short irons were easy to shoot darts with. On heavier/fat shots, I found the combination of the Stability Frame and the hot face would bail you out quite a bit and greatly minimize the damage. I had quite a few shots with much better results that I deserved.
Of course, a stronger iron player is going to want some playability in their irons to shape their shots. A common fair concern for this style of iron is that they’ll hit very strong straight shots with good distance, but the workability may be difficult. Having this thought in the back of my head, I spent a lot of time trying to manipulate shots with the JPX 919 Forged. Well, I’m happy to report that the JPX Forged irons are plenty workable. If you look at the sole photo up above, you’ll see the sole isn’t all that thick. This allows the club to track through the turf the way you want it to as opposed to self-correcting to a perfectly squared face. That said, the stability and lower CG of the club does subdue a little bit of the workability.
Final Thoughts
Reading this review back to myself, I can already hear the critics telling me they don’t believe me and I’m wildly exaggerating. I stand by every word I wrote. I’ll openly admit, I didn’t care for the previous generation’s JPX 900 Forged iron. We just didn’t mix well. But this Mizuno JPX 919 Forged was great. Frankly, this is the first set of irons that has made me consider switching since I put my beloved MP-18s in the bag. The Mizuno JPX 919 Forged iron is a very versatile club that will appeal to players ranging from low to mid handicaps that are looking for great performance and feel, a little extra forgiveness, and big distance. If this sounds like you, I’d highly recommend trying out the JPX 919 Forged irons before your next iron purchase.
Stock Mizuno JPX 919 Forged Irons Specs
| Club # | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | PW | GW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loft º | 22º | 25º | 28º | 32º | 36º | 41º | 46º | 51º |
| Lie º | 60º | 60.5º | 61º | 61.5º | 62º | 62.5º | 63º | 63º |
| Length | 38.5″ | 38″ | 37.5″ | 37″ | 36.5″ | 36″ | 35.5″ | 35.25″ |
Hi Bill, great review thanks!
A lot of these reviews say the forged are for a mid handicapper. I am newish to golf and I am at 27 at the moment but dropping fairly quickly. I bought the 4 & 5 in Hot metal and 6-PW in Forged. That mix is working very well for me. Do you think it is a disadvantage for my handicap to not have bought the full hot metal set?
I think you answered your own question if you say the mix is working really well for you. What’s the problem?
Thanks Bill you’re quite right. I should have worded it better but being so new to golf I was wondering if I doing myself a miss service by playing with clubs that are aimed at a mid to low handicapper? From your comments I assume not so thanks for your help and the review
My handicap is 23,5 and I bought the whole JPX 919 Forged set (4-GW), because I like the feeling so much and the the TrackMan results are very nice.
That great that how I felt. They going well for you?
Ultimately there’s no exact requirement. If you’re legitimately hitting them well, tough to call it a disservice to yourself.
I loved them but I did not put them in my bag for a handful of reasons due the type of game I play and my personal preferences. They had a close shot though.
Can u publish your trackman gapping data?
Bill ,what is considered a mid handicap. I am a 14 ,and currently play 2014 apex forged,would the mizuno forged be any more forgiving? Also can the lofts be bent 1 or 2 degrees? Thanks Bob S
Bob,
Mid is really more of a generalization and I’m sure the range depends on who you ask. If I were having a conversation over a beer, I’d put 14 at the “high end of mid” or so.
In terms of which are more forgiving of those two irons, they’re probably fairly comparable and it would come down to personal preference. I personally like the newer Mizuno better out of those two, BUT the latest Apex Forged is pretty good too. I’d say you have to hit them all to see what you think.
And yes, you can bend them a degree or two.
Bill
I was just professionally fitted (absolutely worth it for $200 – you will see why when you do it) for new irons and it performance-wise was very close between AP3 and JPX Forged, I went with the JPX in the end because it was slightly better on mishits and liked the sound coming off the club better (the AP3 would still have been a great choice). It’s important to understand that the shaft and swing weight are just as much, maybe even more important than the head selection. That’s what the professional fitting gets you. Don’t just swing a few with the pro at the range before buying – these things cost way too much to short change yourself over a couple more bucks! PS – Once you see the numbers, it’s likely you will spend more on your clubs as well. So if you are of the ignorance is bliss mindset then save some moola and don’t do it. But if you want another 20 yards on your 6-iron (no joke, I was using 710 AP2s) , then you gotta go.
I play to a 16 to 17 handicap index (it’s been as low as 15.7 and as high as 17.5 this year), and I play the JPX919 Forged irons (6-GW) with a JPX919 Hot Metal 5-iron. I also have the 4 and 5 irons in the 919 Forged model, and occasionally put the 5-iron in my bag when my iron play is strong. Quite honestly, it is not my iron play that is keeping my handicap up where it is; it’s my driver and fairway metals! I hit many great iron shots with the 919 Forged irons, and my bad shots really aren’t that bad. These may just be the best irons that I have ever played. I’m 70 years old, and until I had a couple of shoulder surgeries 8 and 9 years ago, I played to an 11 handicap, and back in my late 40s and early 50s, I was as low as an 8. I played Golden Ram and Hogan Apex blades in the 1980s and early 90s. The 919 Forged are far from those blades, and in fact they are about as forgiving and turf-friendly as any of teh more “game improvement” irons that I have ever hit.
I’ve played Taylormade clubs for over twenty years. At 75 I needed at lighter more forgiving clubs. Was looking at a new set of Taylormade with senior shafts. I’ve had back, neck, both rotator cuffs and knee replacement surgery’s.
Tried different Taylormade sets couldn’t see much difference. The young man fitting me put a Mizuno 919JPX HM in my hands. Couldn’t believe the difference straighter, better ball flight, dramatically tighter down range grouping and longer distance. Couldn’t believe it same old boring good shots. Only got to hit seven iron because that’s all they had. It was longer than Taylormade and ten yards longer tighter grouping. Much better than my old Taylormade seven. Looking to go to a different facility to see if they have a full set to try before I buy. Need to try longer irons and wedges. If the results are the same as the seven. It will Mizuno 919JPX in my bag.
Hi Bill, I’m wondering what shafts you had in these when you tested them. I’d be interested in other people’s shaft experiences as well.
I honestly don’t remember, but I’m curious why you’re wondering what other people experienced with the shaft? Reason being is that everyone will have a different physical reaction to a specific shaft dependent on your swing. In the case of an iron review, I would always advise to only take high level information as peripheral information based on their experience. There are too many other factors to consider in swing/shaft influence in my opinion.
Bill: Great club review that got me excited about springing for a set of 919 Forged. One question: What did your testing show about launch angle and ball height? I could use a little help getting the ball up in the air across all my irons. Thanks.
Won’t be a problem as long as you get the right shaft combo for your swing and the head. Hard to really guide on that without data and seeing flight.
I have a set of Mizunos from way back when I used to play with Moses, love them, need to look at a new set now.
Im mid handicap, I prefer graphite shafts, and I like a forgiving set with a blade feel, I have a mental block with fat bottomed clubheads. I am a long hitter, mostly same distance as most other players while Im using a two numbers higher club. I love my 3 iron. I need some forgiveness on my irons though as iccadionaly I tend to mishit slightly on my middle game (5 through 8) for some unknown reason.
To get to the point, my question would be what irons would you recommend taking all this into account?
I was wondering MP20, MP25 or these clubs, or any other recommendation.
I like the blade look/feel of Mizunos while still being forgiving.
Honestly, you’re bringing up a lot of variables and there are countless options over the range of model years you’re bringing up. Your best bet is to go do some testing and see what profiles you tend to best with and look for similar options from the past years.