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In this article, I’ll be fully reviewing the Mizuno JPX919 Tour irons.
Labelled “tour performance, precision control” and featuring a forged 1025E Pure Select construction, the JPX919 Tour irons are designed to provide Tour-level precision, premium feel, and tight dispersion patterns from off-center strikes.
The JPX919 Tour is PGA golfer Lucas Glover’s iron of choice.
So, how does the JPX919 Tour iron perform when put to the test? How good do you need to be to use these? Is it worth considering them over the Forged or Hot Metal offerings in the JPX919 line?
Here’s what I’m going to be covering in this review:
- Ratings
- Features & Technologies
- Performance
- Look, Sound & Feel
- Where To Buy These Irons Online
- Conclusion
Read on to find out everything you need to know about these irons to make an informed purchase.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.
What are the reviews like?
The Mizuno JPX919 Tour irons have been received very well by consumers. The ratings from critics have also been very good, but not outstanding (many 4 and 4.5 star ratings on a 5-point scale).
The irons have a 5/5 rating (100% recommended) on the official Mizuno website.
What People Like
- look is very sleek at address
- very controllable distance and high accuracy
- unique, crisp feel
- very workable
- impressively good forgiveness
What People Don’t Like
- a custom fitting is important
- not ideal for the higher handicap who wants results right away
- many feel that the JPX919 Forged irons provide better feel and distance
What are the features?
The JPX919 Tour irons have been streamlined from Mizuno’s standard Tour iron of 2017/18.
Grain Flow Forging & High Density
Like the JPX919 Forged irons, they are forged through the patented Grain Flow Forging Process in Hiroshima, Japan.
This process involves several precise steps, starting with a billet of 1025E Pure Select mild carbon steel. The result is a feel, consistency and durability unique to Mizuno.
Now, the forging concentrates the grain in the steel billets more tightly, result in high-caliber, precise feedback.
1025E Pure Select
The irons are made of 1025E Pure Select steel, which has a six times tighter tolerance than the industry standard for greater purity.
Master Molds
Mizuno’s most skilled, experienced craftsman put their finishing touches and grinds on every iron from 3-PW.
The JPX919 Tour irons have many other features, including:
- harmonic head geometry that enhances feel and feedback
- a narrow top line with added camber
- a low heel profile and shorter blade length, influenced by Mizuno’s irons that have won major championships
Stock Info
There are many set configurations to choose from: full, split or short. The available stock set makeup is the 3-PW.
The stock shaft option is the Dynamic Gold 120 S300 in steel.
If you’re interested, full information on shafts, grips, their specs, and the Mizuno Custom Program can be found on the Mizuno website.
Below are the specs of the JPX919 Forged irons (click to enlarge). Notice that the lofts are weaker than both the JPX919 Forged and Hot Metal irons.
How do these irons perform?
Distance Control
Some people claim that the JPX919 Forged irons produce more distance than the Tour irons, while others claim that the Tour irons keep up with the Forged irons despite the more traditional lofts.
What did I find? Well, I found that the Tour irons are a few yards shorter than the Forged irons. In my view, this isn’t an issue, because these irons aren’t meant to be distance irons.
Distance control, on the other hand, is terrific. I was able to repeat my distances beautifully, particularly with the longer irons. You’re going to see tight dispersions, consistent flights and carries.
If you want reliability and repeatability in your irons, these are it.
Forgiveness
The JPX919 Tour irons are not very forgiving, but I’ve seen worse. What helps in this case is the slightly wider sole.
If you miss the center of the face, you’ll know it; either your shot will go off line or it’ll end up short.
The best thing you can do to avoid bad results is strike your shots as close to the middle of the face as possible. In fact, very slight mis-hits will still see very good results.
If you want a premium-feeling players iron with more forgiveness, definitely look at the JPX919 Forged.
Playability/Workability
You may not be surprised to learn that the playability, accuracy, and workability of the JPX919 Tour irons are fantastic.
Competent golfers should be able to shape shots in any way, with ease.
The interaction with the turf is excellent, and the irons have no issues working through sand or grass of any length.
It is a shotmaker’s club that can be counted on to deliver as expected in pressure situations. The precision is as good as I’ve ever seen in a Mizuno iron, and probably even a bit better.
What about look, sound & feel?
The Look
The first thing you might notice is how thin the top line looks. It’s really a beautiful sight at address.
There are a couple things to note about how this iteration of the Tour iron differs from the JPX900.
The JPX919 is around 10% longer, and the sole is about 5% wider; this serves to add a touch of forgiveness that will make playing the iron more bearable when you’re not on your A-game.
As is the case with the other irons in the JPX919 line, the Tour irons have a durable satin nickel chrome finish that is all silver. There’s no paint fill, making for a clean, timeless look.
The Sound & Feel
I found that the JPX919 Tour irons feel a bit more solid and just all-around better than the JPX900s.
Center strikes feel and sound very crisp. The farther away you get from the center, the harder and harsher the feel and sound get. You’ll know exactly where you make contact with the face.
Having said that, I think Mizuno did a great job of making the Tour iron impart precise feedback without it being too jarring.
Where should you buy these irons?
At the time of writing, you can pick up a set of JPX919 Tour irons on the official Mizuno website here.
For better-player irons like these, I strongly suggest a custom fitting if you’re otherwise not getting them used. You can contact Mizuno to discuss this in more detail.
Aside from that, two of the best places to get the irons at low prices are Global Golf (custom fittings currently available, check the coupon codes and other promotions) and eBay.
eBay is a fantastic source for new and used sets, and you’re pretty much always going to find listings there.
Conclusion
The Mizuno JPX919 Tour irons successfully deliver the high-caliber precision, distance control, workability, and professional look that Tour players demand, with a small side of forgiveness.
Several improvements have been made over the previous JPX900 Tour irons, but some will still prefer the old look.
Having said that, the JPX919 Forged irons offer similar feel and, in many respects, similar performance, and they have more forgiveness. If you can’t consistently hit your iron shots solidly, you might consider those instead.
Have you tried the JPX919 Tour irons? What do you think about them? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
