Hot on the heels of the JPX900 irons Mizuno has announced a driver, fairway and hybrid to join the range.
The JPX900 range of metals is designed to maximise distance for as many players as possible using the latest Fast Track sliding weight systems to deliver the fastest ball speeds of any Mizuno woods to date.
Mizuno JPX900 Driver
Boasting a host of new features designed to consistently eke out the maximum distance right across the face, the Mizuno engineering team say the JPX900 is a very different driver.
Mizuno Senior Golf Club Engineer Chris Voshall explains the rationale:
It’s a very different approach to a tour type driver. So many of the changes were based on creating more even ball speeds across the face that the JPX900 became a driver that will work for a really wide range of players. Add to that the levels of adjustability and you’ve got a driver that can pinch out a few more yards for almost anyone.
To deliver this performance the JPX900 driver has a newly configured, multi thickness face, strategically strengthened in key areas to deliver ball speeds that Mizuno say push right up to the limit of USGA and R&A guidelines for COR.
The driver also boasts the latest iteration of Mizuno's Fast Track system first introduced in the ground breaking MP-600 driver. The JPX900 Fast Track system lets you optimise launch angle and spin rate using two 8g weights distributed across three Fast Tracks.
The middle track weights slides from front to back whilst the other weight can be moved to promote a fade or draw. If you want, the driver can also be set up with the weights removed completely.
A further level of optimisation is provided by Mizuno's Quick Switch hosel that allows you to adjust both loft and face angle and combines with a silver face angle prop situated on the sole of the club to ensure the perfect position at address.
The shape of the driver has been driven by Mizuno's Tour players who asked for a longer, wider and shallower profile than in previous models so that the driver looks very easy to hit.
Sound can be affected negatively in drivers with sole adjustable weight systems, but Mizuno has got around this by using internal forks to ensure that the JPX900 sounds consistently solid regardless of the configuration chosen.
Finally Mizuno has paired the JPX900 with the Fujikura Speeder Evolution 2 shaft as standard to maintain the high level of performance expected from the driver.
Mizuno JPX900 Fairway Woods
The JPX900 fairways also incorporate a sliding weight system in the sole to ensure maximum playability across a wide range of swing types with Mizuno promising ball speeds that will close the distance gap to your driver.
Voshall says this is vital in fairway woods:
The fairway wood is one club we all strike really differently. To be able to add loft, or move the weight back from the face, makes the JPX900 incredibly versatile. Our tour players will generally take loft off their 3-wood to use it as a safe driver alternative – so being able to move a little weight away from the face for a touch more spin is even useful for them.
The 15g weight in the sole combines with the Quick Switch system to help increase spin and launch rates for slower swing speeds or to suit different course conditions. Weight has also been removed from the crown and placed it lower in the club head for an easy launch.
Ball speed is maximised using the contraction and expansion of the Shockwave Sole first introduced in the JPX850 fairways. The Shockwave sole also puts mass low in the head to ensure the JPX900 works as well from the fairway as from the tee.
Like the driver, the JPX900 fairway also comes with a Fujikura Speeder Evolution 2 shaft as standard.
Mizuno JPX900 Hybrids
The JPX900 is Mizuno's first adjustable hybrid which the engineers say has been built like a wood, but to play like an iron as Tetsu Kanayama, Mizuno R&D Director at Mizuno explains:
Most people use hybrids to replace their longer irons so we fully committed to making the JPX900 more of a long iron replacement. We’ve made a number of little changes that make it easier to strike like an iron, but with the safety net of the wood-style body attached.
To achieve this the JPX900's face sits more like an iron than previous hybrids, while the club is also set up shorter and flatter than earlier models so it will work especially well for players who normally hook their hybrids.
Like the fairway, the hybrid boasts an energy-creating Shockwave Sole, increasing ball speed and lowering the centre of gravity for added playability from the turf. The first Quick Switch hosel added to a Mizuno hybrid allows the loft of the club to be altered across a range of 4°.