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The Mizuno JPX921 Tour irons are solid players irons, though there’s nothing substantially different from the previous generation.
Check out the new Mizuno JPX923 Tour irons HERE
Introduction
Mizuno’s marketing refers to the JPX921 Tour as “The Chosen One.” While the MP-20 [review HERE] might beg to differ, the success of the Tour model among professional golfers is hard to argue with. I approached this review with one question in mind: what’s new about the JPX921 Tour?
Looks
At address, the JPX921 Tour is the best looking Mizuno iron of this fall. It has the thinnest top line, thinnest sole, lowest offset, and shortest blade length of any JPX921 iron. With the exception of offset, where the JPX921 Forged [review HERE] is almost identical in the short irons, the gap between the Tour and the other JPX921 irons is noticeable.
Interestingly, the gap between the JPX921 Tour and the MP-20 is also quite substantial, with the MP-20 being smaller in every way.
In the bag, the JPX921 Tour is fairly bland. There’s nothing objectionable about it, but there’s nothing eye catching either.
Sound & Feel
With a compact, forged iron, expectations for feel are going to be high. They’re higher still with the name Mizuno. While the feel of the JPX921 Tour isn’t life-altering, it does meet my expectations.
Centered shots are soft with a small, crisp impact sound. When you move away from the sweet spot, the feel becomes dull and less crisp. This isn’t the sharp rebuke that many players irons give you for a mishit, and whether or not that’s a good thing is in the eye of the beholder.
Performance
The Tour iron in Mizuno’s JPX family has consistently provided good distance, a modest amount of forgiveness, and excellent shot control. All of that remains true in the JPX921 Tour. The forgiveness is fair relative to its size, but this is not a club I’d recommend to many mid or high handicappers. Ball speed is fairly high on center, but it will drop off noticeably if you stray from the middle of the face.
Compared to the other JPX921 irons, the JPX921 Tour has the most traditional lofts. This translates to slightly higher launch and spin which also means less distance for most golfers.
What I was most interested in was how the JPX921 differed from the previous versions. Per Mizuno, the soles of the short irons have been narrowed and the club is “thicker behind impact” for softer feel. While the JPX921 Tour is a fine club, this is a pretty underwhelming “upgrade.” If you’ve got the a previous version of the JPX Tour iron, I don’t see a reason to change.
One final note of interest: Mizuno dropped the 3 iron from the JPX921 Tour because they found that there was not a single JPX919 3 iron in play on Tour. I don’t often suggest taking your equipment cues from Tour, but in this case it’s probably a good idea. Find a long iron replacement that’s easy to hit.
Conclusion
While there’s nothing particularly new about the Mizuno JPX921 Tour, it’s still a very fine iron for the better player. If you spend most of your time on the sweet spot and enjoy a traditional look and feel, this is worth a swing.
Mizuno JPX921 Tour Irons Price & Specs
Matt Saternus
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Great, honest review. This can be said of most irons in the “player” category, frankly. My MP60s are still as good as anything I have hit.
I think Mizuno did a fantastic job of refreshing their most played iron on Tour. Subtle adjustments were all that were needed over the 919T and I believe the 921T is going to have a lot of success on and off Tour.
Nice review. Can that mirror strip be removed? I hate the look of it.
I’m sure it can, but that’s not my area of expertise.
-Matt
Hi Matt,
Great reviews, just found your site and love the simple and honest reviews. I have a combo set of MP4/M64 (MP64 in j6-j4) and looking for some newness in the bag and thinking of keeping the MP4 (PW-J7) and replace the MP64ors. Also to add a touch of forgiveness in the long irons. Will test JPX tour, forged and HMB but what is your take on their characteristics vs the 64:ors in the long irons? Is there any foregiveness to gain from the Tour? And would the forged and HMB be too ”hot” in the face? As referens i hit my J7 around 170yards and J4 around 210. What i would like to gain is mainly less distance drop off on bad strikes. But consistent distance on good strikes.
Patrik,
I think the closest match would be the Tour. I think with the Forged or HMB you might see a big gap open up.
Best,
Matt
After reviewing the new Srixon ZX7, would you say the 921 Tour is more demanding? Any other thoughts between the two?
The ZX7 is much easier to hit.
Best,
Matt
Hi Matt, how would you compare these and the 921 Forged to the Hogan PTX Pros or Icons? Cost aside, purely performance?
Regards,
Oliver
Oliver,
I haven’t hit the Icons, so I can’t speak to those. I have full reviews of the 921 Forged here: https://pluggedingolf.com/mizuno-jpx921-forged-irons-review/
and the PTx Pro here: https://pluggedingolf.com/ben-hogan-ptx-pro-irons-review/
-Matt
Hi Matt, I currently play the calaway apex pro 19s and looking to change are these in a similar bracket of iron and worth the upgrade
Olly,
Broadly speaking, yes, the Apex Pro and JPX921 Tour are in the same category, but I would not consider these an upgrade over the Apex Pro – I think those are awesome irons.
Best,
Matt
Matt:
I found the MMC hard to elevate in the 4i-6i. How do you think the 921 will compare in the long irons?
Steve
Steve,
I don’t think the JPX921 Tour is dramatically different than the MMC.
Best,
Matt
Hi Matt,
How do you think the JPX Tour compares to the Taylormade P7MC in terms of distance, feel, forgiveness? Replacing my MP 60s and thinking about both. Decent ball striker here, +1 handicap.
Will
Will,
I have a full review of the P7MC here: https://pluggedingolf.com/taylormade-p7mc-irons-review/
-Matt
I found the 921 tour’s long irons extremely easier to hit than my old T100’s and the feel is much better.
Are the ZX7s that much easier to hit ? I have the 921 SELs and I’m trying to decide if it’s worth the trouble to switch over
Duke,
I think the ZX7 is noticeably more forgiving than the 921 Tour.
-Matt
The 921 Tour is not as easy to work as the 919T. That’s the reason that no one plays them on tour and the guys have switched to the 221. I tested these sticks and immediately bought myself a backup set of 919T’s, 3-PW (yes, I hit the 3 iron) for less than $800. The 223 is a much better option although I think that the 919T is the most playable topflight iron that Mizuno has ever made.
I’m a big fan of Mizuno irons. I have a few of their clubs in my bag and I have never been disappointed. The JPX921 Tour Irons are no exception. They are a great set of ir
I’m a big fan of Mizuno irons. I have a few of their clubs in my bag and I have never been disappointed. The JPX921 Tour Irons are no exception. They are a great set of ir