Mizuno JPX 850 Driver Review

    By Steve Furlonger, Head PGA professional, Golf Made Simple Academy

    First impressions

    It’s been a good few years since I’ve hit a Mizuno driver and when I saw the Mizuno JPX 850, fond memories of my old MP-001 driver came flooding back! At first glance I was impressed with the look of the Mizuno’s clean shape and size, the trade mark deep blue colour was also very pleasing to the eye. When placed behind the ball I liked the way it sat (face angle was square), and the 440cc size head promoted confidence at address. The Mizuno ‘crossline’ style grip was also a nice feature and felt very soft in the hands. The only small negative point I had was the length, at 45 inches this felt a bit long; my existing driver is 43.5 inches.

    How it played

    Mizuno stock draw
    Mizuno stock draw

    Before I started I just ‘tweaked’ the settings, similar to my current club. I set the club face angle (loft) up at 9.5 degrees, which opened the face slightly at address. This is a personal preference for my stock draw ball flight. When struck, the Hot Metal Face felt very solid with a nice sound, something I look for. After a couple of shots It wasn’t difficult to find my soft draw, and the corresponding Flightscope numbers were impressive.

    With this particular shot (see graphic one) the launch was a little on the low side and the spin rate a faction low also but the great thing about the JPX 850 is its Fast Track technology. With a bit of fine tuning you can dial in these parameters very easy.

    I liked the feel of stock supplied Fujikura Orochi shaft and it certainly didn’t compromise my delivery of the club when I wanted to shape the shot, I found my fade with no trouble at all! (see graphic two).

    In summary

    Mizuno fade
    Mizuno fade

    The JPX 850 is an impressive club to look at and played equally, delivering a strong ball flight usable in any weather conditions. Its technology is certainly up there when compared to all other brands. The Fast Track sliders give the golfer excellent scope to dial in the launch and spin numbers to optimise their ball flight. In conclusion I’d have no objection adding this to my bag next season, well done Mizuno the JPX 850 is an excellent addition to your great stable of golf clubs!