A good set of irons is one of the first things a new golfer should buy. In many ways, these clubs are the workhorses of your golf bag, doing most of the long shots and heavy lifting that other clubs cannot. Whether you’re playing for a high-stakes tournament or just teeing off with some friends, nobody likes to lose. That’s why we want to help you improve your game by learning more about golf irons and how to select the best one.
Here is our list of the five best Mizuno irons that we could find online. These products are presented in no particular order so that you can choose for yourself without interference. We should mention that we have not been sponsored by Mizuno in any way, so we have no bias in this matter. We are simply using Mizuno’s products as a good example of what makes a good golf iron.
| Image | Product | |
|---|---|---|
Best for new players  | Mizuno Golf JPX-EZ Club Iron Sets
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The Gold Standart  | Mizuno JPX919 Forged Golf Iron Set
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The Best Value  | Mizuno Golf MP-T5 White Satin Wedge
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Made for the Pros  | Mizuno 2018 MP-18 Split Cavity Golf Iron Set
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The Premium Cast Iron  | Mizuno JPX919 Hot Metal Golf Iron Set
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This is one of the most consistent clubs we have seen, and that is also probably related to the face design. This club has a stiff steel shaft, which is fine for power hitters but not so good for others. Someone with a little less arm strength might not be able to get a good distance out of this club. Also, this is one of those clubs with an intricate design on the back of the head, which makes it harder to clean it when dirt and grass become lodged in there.
- Very large sweet spot
- Cupped face for better control
- Tough steel shaft
- Great consistency
- No shaft flexion
- Hard to clean
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Read More Reviews This is easily the most expensive club on our list, and it’s not hard to see why. This club is supposedly made with very precise forging techniques that are intended to give it both strength and flexibility. A lot of this is done by manipulating the grain structure of the steel. All you need to know is this: When the grains of the steel are packed tightly together, the steel is stronger. When those grains are larger, the metal is softer. Thus, a person with a precise hammer hand can give the metal hardness in key areas by condensing the steel, leaving the less-hammered areas soft and flexible.
- Great for high-speed shots
- Specially forged for both strength and flexibility
- Attractive and durable finish
- Minimal ground friction
- Very expensive
- No warranty
This sleek and attractive club is meant for loft shots, and it does a great job within its field of expertise. You can get this thing in many different loft variations depending on your style of play. The grooves are cut in a way that supposedly gives better control. Whether it comes from the grooving or some other factor, we do see that this club allows for excellent control on those difficult spin shots.
This club has a very durable appearance, and we think that it is a nice touch. The hosel (the point where the head meets the shaft) is very thick and reinforced with an extra band of material. By reinforcing the most common breaking point, the makers of this shaft have greatly extended the lifespan of the product. Most reviews speak well of this club.
- Gives excellent lift
- Excellent control on spin shots
- Very cheap
- Extremely thick hosel
- Balance isn’t perfect
- Steel shaft only
This is another club that has been made using specific metalworking techniques. Like the other one we examined, this one is made to be strong in all the right places and flexible in all the right places. As before, this causes the club to be quite expensive, but this one is nowhere near as hard on the wallet as the JPX919.
This is a thin and aerodynamic club with a very small ground profile, which helps it to “swish” across the grass without any effect on your swing. Right away, we can tell that this club is meant for the advanced player. The split cavity on the back of the head gives it a little more weight at the bottom, adding a little bit more loft to most shots. That can be a great edge for advanced players, but beginners might find it hard to control.
This is another version of the JPX919, but this one is cast rather than forged. Because it has not been hammered, this steel is a little bit softer and more flexible, which allows for a more forgiving strike. Also, you can feel a slight difference in the impact that you feel when it hits the ball. There’s just a tiny bit of giving, and that creates a little bit of extra spring.
This one has a very interesting feature called “harmonic impact.” Basically, it is supposed to use sound waves generated by the “whoosh” of the club to add extra power to the hit. To be honest, we can’t see a huge difference, but the effect could be subtle. The idea of channeling sound waves to add extra velocity does seem solid, however. To top it all off, this club has a stunning appearance that immediately puts one in mind of a classic car.
- Made of excellent steel
- Sound ribs for harmonic impact
- Softer, more forgiving feel
- Beautiful look
- Very expensive
- No warranty
Buyer’s Guide
Now that you have seen some good examples, let’s talk a little bit more about the qualities that make for a good iron. After all, Mizuno isn’t the only brand out there, and you will need some general knowledge with which to evaluate the others.
Shaft Flexion
One thing you need to think about is the shaft. Shaft material makes a big difference in terms of the properties of your shot, and that’s why it should be considered first. A steel shaft, being much stiffer, will give a harder hit. To understand this concept, think about this: Would you rather be hit with a stiff piece of plastic pipe, or with a flexible one? The stiffer material would obviously cause more damage, and the same logic applies to the golf ball.
Nevertheless, a stiffer shaft requires more brute strength and upper-body power in order to get that maximal range. Smaller players, older players, and other lower-velocity hitters should opt for a flexible shaft. This kind of thing can give you almost as much range as a stiff shaft, but with a lot less effort. The springy nature of the shaft will act as a combination of a spring and a whip, imparting a lot of extra force on the ball.
Balance And Swingweight
You also need to think about the balance of your club. This factor is usually called “swing weight” in other articles and is basically just a measure of how your club is balanced. To find out where a particular club falls on this scale, just balance it on two fingers. There will only be one point on the shaft where you can do this. You will have to move your hands around until you find that perfect balance point.
Now that you know how to find the balance point of a club, you only need to know one thing: The shorter the distance between the balance point and the head, the heavier it will feel on the swing. In essence, swing weight is just a measure of how forward-heavy a particular club might be. If you are a beginner, you should experiment with various swing weights and see which one you like the best.
Forged Vs. Cast Irons
You might also want to think about the differences between forged irons and cast irons. Forged irons are heated to red-hot and formed with a hammer, while cast irons are melted down to a molten form and then poured into a mold. Forged clubs tend to be harder because of the way that the hammer compresses the grain structure of the steel. Because of this, forged clubs tend to be much more expensive, as we have already seen.
Is there a difference between forged and cast irons? Yes, but it’s not a huge one. Cast irons tend to be a little bit softer, and that gives them a different feel when you hit with them. It’s very hard to describe this difference in feel, so we advise you to try it for yourself.
Forgiveness
It’s also a good idea to think about forgiveness and ease of use factors. If you’ve been playing golf for many years, you are probably past the point at which you need any kind of “training wheels.” Thus, you can go ahead and select a club with a smaller sweet spot, a smaller face, and less micro-grooving. In fact, you may find that you get better precision from using those less forgiving clubs. If you have the skill and experience to control such clubs, they can do very well.
On the other hand, a beginner needs all the help they can get. Getting an unforgiving club will only make it that much harder to learn the game, although it can certainly force a new player to improve their skills. Still, there is no sense in needlessly complicating things, so we would recommend that newer players get a more forgiving club with a bigger sweet spot, a larger face, and plenty of micro-grooving.
The Importance Of Loft
Loft is another quality that needs to be considered. With many irons, an upward angle is used on the striking face. This upward slope acts as a ramp, which helps to propel the ball upward rather than outward. As you might imagine, the angle of the “ramp” determines its trajectory. This is another case where your choice needs to be suited for your style of play. If you are consistently hitting your shots too high, it means your club probably has too much loft. Consistently hitting too low would indicate the opposite.
There isn’t really any way to adjust the loft of your club, so it’s a good idea to get your clubs in several different loft variations if you can afford to do so. If nothing else, it’s a good idea to have two of each iron: One high-loft version and one low-loft version. Sometimes, that little bit of difference can change the course of a game.
Proper Handicapping
As a final note, we should remind you to always consider your handicap status when selecting a club. As we have often said, the club must be suited to both your body type and skill level. Trying to use a club that doesn’t suit your abilities is like a midget trying to use a sledgehammer. If you give the little fellow a smaller hammer, he can probably do well…but you can’t expect him to put in a full day’s work with a hammer that’s too large. That’s a weird way of explaining it, but we think you get the idea.
Conclusion
New golfers are often surprised at the amount of technical knowledge and precision that goes into the striking of a ball. Finding the right iron for you is a process that will not be quick and easy unless you have the help of a very good trainer. Even then, you will certainly have to do some experimenting and see what works best for you. Hopefully, our article will have given you a good introduction to this subject and saved you some time in that process of experimentation. If so, then our work here is done.
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