A
Alex1975
Guest
Dear all,
I have been a Mizuno MP 53 player since late 2010 accordingto my review at the time (http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/showthread.php?24699-Mizuno-MP-53-Review&highlight=Mizuno+review).Since the linked review I had the shafts changed at great expense to Project X5.5 and have now sold them to a forum. I found myself on the range with Rickg alittle over a month ago and ended up taking home his set of JPX 800 Pros alsowith the fabulous Project X 5.5. So I thought I would do a little back to backtest and review. I shall break it into looks, sound/feel and performance.
Looks
It’s clear from my original MP 53 post that I love the lookof the 53s, I still do, they are stunning. Bright chrome, thing lines, hiddencavity and no plastic inset in the back of the head. They are understated andclassic, it’s a big part of why I chose and loved them. On the flip side theJPX 800 Pro are again a forged head but are worlds apart in looks. They lookchunky with a fat top line, as it happiness about the same as the Ping i15s sonot huge but they seem so coming from the 53s. The sole is very acceptable andhas a chamfer on the leading and back edge. The head size is a couple of millimetreslarger on most dimensions than the 53s so not drastic to the eye. They arepretty typical for this segment of the market, think Ping i15, Taylor Made R11or Titleist AP2. They have a medium cavity filled with a plastic inset(sigh).
Sound/Feel
This is where the 53s leave the JPX Pro in the dark. Afterusing the 53s for a couple of years I can tell you where every shot I hit washit, 3mm from the toe, 5mm from the bottom of the club, the ball had Titleist 1written on it in black. Seriously though, the 53s talk to you and tell you thestory of the shot, it is a wonderful feeling and can be very helpful. In comparison,even though they are also forged I can hardly tell where I have hit the ball onthe face of the JPX Pro, they feel almost inert, I find myself constantlychecking during practice for marks so I can analyse my shot. I will really missthat amount of feel on my irons but….
Performance
On paper the JPX are a degree stronger than the 53s and Rickadded an additional degree so they are two degrees stronger than the 53sputting the loft on a par with most GI clubs of today. I had promised myselfthat I would not be swayed by clubs that were longer than my 53s for the sakeof distance but in essence I think that is exactly what has happened. The firstnight I used the JPX on the range I was staggered, they were/are just so long. At least a club longer than the 53s clearly theyare more lofted but it they also feel hot off the face. They also have ridiculesamount of forgiveness, it had come to the point with the 53s where I did not knowwhat forgiveness felt like, I could not mentally quantify it. The first week Iused the JPX in a game situation I was on the last tee, a par 3, I needed aboggy to make a figure that I wanted to make that day. I stood up on the teeand hit the ball directly out of the toe and I mean proper toe. As it made itway to the green I said to my buddy “gutted mate, it’s going to be well short,that came right out of the toeâ€. Not only did it travel its distance it wentlonger and ended up on the back of the green and I two putted for par. Nowclearly my idea of forgiveness is squid by I was blown away and have not beenable to take them out of my bag since.
Round up
I am very sad to see my beautiful MP 53s go but at the endof the day it’s about getting the ball to the hole and I feel that with theadded length the JPX Pro give me I can play a shorter club with an easier swingthus making me more accurate by proxy and when I miss the centre of the clubhead I still may find my target. A loss of looks and feel are worth it for methough I miss that look and feel every game. It was a genuine trade off.
I have been a Mizuno MP 53 player since late 2010 accordingto my review at the time (http://forums.golf-monthly.co.uk/showthread.php?24699-Mizuno-MP-53-Review&highlight=Mizuno+review).Since the linked review I had the shafts changed at great expense to Project X5.5 and have now sold them to a forum. I found myself on the range with Rickg alittle over a month ago and ended up taking home his set of JPX 800 Pros alsowith the fabulous Project X 5.5. So I thought I would do a little back to backtest and review. I shall break it into looks, sound/feel and performance.
Looks
It’s clear from my original MP 53 post that I love the lookof the 53s, I still do, they are stunning. Bright chrome, thing lines, hiddencavity and no plastic inset in the back of the head. They are understated andclassic, it’s a big part of why I chose and loved them. On the flip side theJPX 800 Pro are again a forged head but are worlds apart in looks. They lookchunky with a fat top line, as it happiness about the same as the Ping i15s sonot huge but they seem so coming from the 53s. The sole is very acceptable andhas a chamfer on the leading and back edge. The head size is a couple of millimetreslarger on most dimensions than the 53s so not drastic to the eye. They arepretty typical for this segment of the market, think Ping i15, Taylor Made R11or Titleist AP2. They have a medium cavity filled with a plastic inset(sigh).
Sound/Feel
This is where the 53s leave the JPX Pro in the dark. Afterusing the 53s for a couple of years I can tell you where every shot I hit washit, 3mm from the toe, 5mm from the bottom of the club, the ball had Titleist 1written on it in black. Seriously though, the 53s talk to you and tell you thestory of the shot, it is a wonderful feeling and can be very helpful. In comparison,even though they are also forged I can hardly tell where I have hit the ball onthe face of the JPX Pro, they feel almost inert, I find myself constantlychecking during practice for marks so I can analyse my shot. I will really missthat amount of feel on my irons but….
Performance
On paper the JPX are a degree stronger than the 53s and Rickadded an additional degree so they are two degrees stronger than the 53sputting the loft on a par with most GI clubs of today. I had promised myselfthat I would not be swayed by clubs that were longer than my 53s for the sakeof distance but in essence I think that is exactly what has happened. The firstnight I used the JPX on the range I was staggered, they were/are just so long. At least a club longer than the 53s clearly theyare more lofted but it they also feel hot off the face. They also have ridiculesamount of forgiveness, it had come to the point with the 53s where I did not knowwhat forgiveness felt like, I could not mentally quantify it. The first week Iused the JPX in a game situation I was on the last tee, a par 3, I needed aboggy to make a figure that I wanted to make that day. I stood up on the teeand hit the ball directly out of the toe and I mean proper toe. As it made itway to the green I said to my buddy “gutted mate, it’s going to be well short,that came right out of the toeâ€. Not only did it travel its distance it wentlonger and ended up on the back of the green and I two putted for par. Nowclearly my idea of forgiveness is squid by I was blown away and have not beenable to take them out of my bag since.
Round up
I am very sad to see my beautiful MP 53s go but at the endof the day it’s about getting the ball to the hole and I feel that with theadded length the JPX Pro give me I can play a shorter club with an easier swingthus making me more accurate by proxy and when I miss the centre of the clubhead I still may find my target. A loss of looks and feel are worth it for methough I miss that look and feel every game. It was a genuine trade off.
. I'm sure they will look after them as would befit such an excellent set of sticks.
