# Mizuno JPX 850 Driver



## Mcleodc2000 (Jan 10, 2015)

First off, I'd like to take the opportunity to once again thank Golf Monthly for giving me the chance to test the new driver!

As there have been many posts about the club at this point, I won't bore anyone with more photos of the club itself, we all know how sexy it looks...

First impressions of the club were very good, I love the look of it, certainly much nicer looking than my current G20. When I sit it down behind the ball I just feel comfortable with the look of it. 

A bit of background on me before I talk about the performance: I'm 19 years old, 5'9" and pretty thin, not exactly built like a bomber, but through years of playing badminton I'm pretty flexible so can build fairly reasonable club head speed. My current driver is the Ping G20 10.5 with the Tour Stiff shaft.

When I first took it out to the range, it was very cold and I hadn't had a swing in a few weeks, so was a bit rusty. None the less, I was hitting it well- I had it set in the 8.5 setting with the weights in 2 and 3 position. The club just feels really solid in this setup. As I say, it was cold, so I was swinging as freely as I usually do. I was hitting it well, still pretty high, but not ballooning like my G20 occasionally does.

Following on from that, I had a couple of trips to the course, playing nine holes here and there where the weather, my work and university schedules would allow. On these trips, I was hitting it alright, but again struggling to swing my best due to the cold. 

Today, however, I was able to get on to a GC2 Launch Monitor at Affordable Golf in East Kilbride.

I warmed up with a few 7 irons, then hit 7 shots with my own driver, followed by 7 with the JPX, still in the 8.5 setting with the weights in 2 and 3. 

The image below shows the results, my G20 on top and the JPX below. I removed the best and worst hits with each club. 




As you can see, the spin with the JPX was much better, and the distance was up significantly. 

My issue, however, was with my dispersion. I was all over the place. This could be down to a swing fault and lack of play, or could have something to do with the weight/torque/flex of the shaft. 

The 60g Orochi stiff definitely feels softer than my current shaft, and I think that played a part in my dispersion issue. I'd love to be able to try the JPX with a heavier, stiffer shaft because I think with that it would be a real monster for me. 

All in all, I love the look, feel and distance I get out of the driver. If I can get the dispersion tightened up it will go in the bag without question. I have a lesson booked for a couple of weeks time once I get my exams out the way and hopefully that will help to correct whatever is causing the dispersion issues, or will highlight that it would beneficial for me to experiment with other shafts.

Thanks for taking the time to read this- if you have any questions I'd be happy to answer them!


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## moogie (Jan 10, 2015)

Just a quickie........

If your current driver is 10.5 degs loft
Why would you set up the Mizuno at 8.5 degs to use as a comparison.....???

Hardly a good side by side comparison
Regardless of wether the latter is a better fit for you


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## Mcleodc2000 (Jan 10, 2015)

I had it set up at 10.5 at one point, and should probably have got photographs of that as well. It would have been a fairer comparison, you're correct. 

If my memory serves me correctly, the length at 10.5 was about 10 yards less than at 8.5. It was carrying marginally further but rolling out quite a bit less. 

It was, however, still carrying about 12 yards further than my G20. 

Apologies for my error, I should have thought about that!


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## moogie (Jan 10, 2015)

No probs
Just thought a fairer comparison was with same lofts
Then tinker til your hearts content to achieve best settings  for yourself 

Good luck with it :thup:


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## Junior (Jan 10, 2015)

Nice review , impressive numbers!!!  Launch is up even though the Mizuno is set 2 degrees lower in loft.  Im no expert but I wonder if it is because the shaft is a bit too soft for you.


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## Mcleodc2000 (Jan 11, 2015)

Thanks!

Yeah, I have a feeling it might be, or certainly the wrong bend profile. I've contacted the indoor golf academy place who say they should have their fitting cart in in the next couple of weeks, so once they do I'll hopefully get through and try out a few other shafts. 

I just really want it to work for me!

On a side note, one issue I have found with the driver is the dirt buildup in the channel at the back. Particularly with the conditions being as they are just now, mud and grass just seem to clog the channel making it very difficult to move the weights.


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## Craigg (Jan 11, 2015)

But of course you wouldn't be moving the weights mid round now would you?


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## Mcleodc2000 (Jan 28, 2015)

Just an update!

I managed to get a lesson in last week once I got my exams finished. My club path was way off, so we did some work on that to bring it a lot closer to square at impact. 

Once I'd kind of got the hang of that, I picked up the 850 again and gave it a go. Wow- what a difference! It just seemed to keep going and going for me! Dispersion seemed a lot tighter, though I don't have any numbers to prove it. I'm keen to get back on to a launch monitor before I submit my review, but I'm not sure I'll have the opportunity  

I'm still keen to try a few other shafts, but I'm stuck waiting for a demo day that fits my uni schedule...


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## Mcleodc2000 (Feb 9, 2015)

Managed to get through on Thursday!

Wasn't swinging my best because I was knackered- it'd be a long day! Roland was the fitter who seemed like a nice guy, certainly up front and honest. My swing was a little all over the place, partly because I'm going through a lovely, awkward swing change. 

Anyway, the consensus was that the Orochi suited me the best, but in the X-flex. Unfortunately, I couldn't justify buying it there and then, but it's a consideration for the future! Just need to sort my swing out first...


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