When the name Mizuno comes up in a conversation, most golfers don’t think about drivers. Because while Big Blue’s irons are the stuff of legend, their drivers, thus far, have merited a solid “meh”.
With a single exception—in 2007 the Mizuno MP-600 caused quite a stir among Internet golf gearheads with its good looks, adjustability, feel and performance, especially when paired with Graphite Design’s YSQ shaft. The combination was potent!
Since then, not much has happened on the driver front at Mizuno. That’s not to say that Mizuno drivers in recent years have not been good, it’s just that Mizuno just hasn’t had an exciting driver in more recent history. Until now.
Although it carries the JPX name, the JPX-900 looks unabashedly like a player’s driver. The head, although a full 460cc large, looks compact and the clubface on the small side of standard. Those initial impressions don’t really do Mizuno’s latest driver justice since it plays a lot easier than it looks.
The color will be hit or miss—you’ll either love it or hate it. The matte blue is certainly more attractive that the glossy blue hue on the JPX-850 but we’re not sure it’ll appeal to everyone.
Like most drivers of the day, the JPX-900 is adjustable. It may, in fact, be the most adjustable driver of the day. You can adjust loft (and to a limited extent the lie angle of the driver), the position of the center of gravity, the trajectory bias, even the way the club sits at address. It sounds like too much for the weekend hack but in practice, the system is intuitive.
The two blue weights on the sole can be moved on the Infinite Track which moves the center of gravity around to influence trajectory height and spin; move them forward to bring trajectory down and decrease spin slightly or move both to the rear to do the opposite.
Keep one weight in the track and move the other to the toe or heel to influence shot shape. Put a weight on the toe will create a fade bias, move it to the slot on the heel to create a draw bias. Or you could put one weight on the toe and the other on the heel. That moves the center of gravity closer to the clubface which should keep the ball down. Having the weights at the far ends of the clubface also increases the moment of inertia which should make the JPX-900 more resistant to twisting on mishits.
The stock shaft is top shelf. It’s a Fujikura Speeder Evolution II, the genuine article. If there’s one feature about this driver that commands your attention it’s this shaft. It’s available in a 50-gram variant stock but I believe 60 and 70-gram variants are available if you’re willing to wait.
Mizuno golfs clubs have always been about sound and feel; the feel that Tour players crave. In the case of the JPX-900, the buzz phrase is Harmonic Impact Technology. The result is interesting. It reminds me a lot of a persimmon driver which is a very good thing. The sound might be a disappointment if you like a loud, powerful metallic clash. It works for me but your mileage may vary.
Initial testing yielded very good results. The JPX-900 performs at the upper range of modern drivers. I’m not sure it’s up there with the very longest but I don’t think you’ll lose sleep over it. Trajectory is mid-high and hasn’t shown any unwarranted results both at the range and on the golf course.
The 50-gram Speeder works very well for smooth swingers. It’s lively and very responsive but a smooth, even tempo is essential for the best results. Aggressive swingers of the golf club will want to get the heavier variants. Price wise, the JPX-900 sits in the midrange of the adjustable drivers at just under P25,000. That Speeder makes it a bargain.
All in all, we are most impressed with the Mizuno JPX-900. This is a high-performance product that deserves to wear the Mizuno brand. It’s the first Mizuno driver since the hallowed MP-600 that makes a fitting complement to their marvelous irons. Get the right shaft in this baby and she’ll rock!
The Mizuno JPX-900 driver and the rest of the JPX-900 line of golf clubs is available at Mizuno concept stores throughout the Metro.