Mizuno JPX850 driver scores well with the pros

    Our reviewers were very impressed with Mizuno’s new JPX850 driver with its Fast Track sliding weight system.

    Neil Morris, PGA pro, Broome Park Golf Club

    Although using this driver for the first time on a cold windy day at the London Club, I was impressed with how it performed. With the loft set to 9.5 the ball flight was good, and the feel from the face was excellent, distance given the conditions was strong. With all the different weight and loft options you can optimise ball flight and shape, and all in all I found this a very impressive driver.

    Richard McKiernan, PGA pro, Holme Hall Golf Club

    The first thing you notice is the stunning blue head and with the sliding fast track system. Mizuno pioneered this sliding technology back in 2007 and other companies followed. There are ten possible settings and you can move the rail to more height, the loft is very easy to alter and all parts of the product are first class.

    Over the 40 years as a PGA club professional I have tested most clubs and this is one of the best. I recommend this product as we are a PGA fitting centre for Mizuno for the last two years.

    Kelvin Vince, PGA pro, Rushmere Golf Club, Ipswich

    In over 20 years as a golf professional this my first stab at writing an equipment review. The blue coloured crown of the head with the contrasting white graphics and white shaft makes this look a serious piece of kit. You can quickly adjust the clubs loft from 7.5 degrees to 11.5 degrees.

    I was impressed with the club’s performance and it offers a good combination of feel, sound and workability, it was also (for me!) quite accurate too. To conclude my thoughts are that this is a really good performing piece of kit and would recommend it to anyone looking to upgrade their current driver.

    Rich Williams, manager, Oak Meadow GC

    Straight out of the box you can see that Mizuno mean business with this new JPX850 driver. A gorgeous blue head, white Fujikura shaft and black face make the club look absolutely stunning. The head is 440cc so you can guess that it’s aimed at the ‘player’ markets but the adjustability in this club make it ideal for all levels of golfer.

    Behind the ball the club looks fantastic and after I set it up to my specs and loft to 10.5, stiff shaft and low spinning, the club was an absolute bomb! You have to hit it to believe it and I would seriously recommend a Trackman session with it to really appreciate this. I would give this club 10/10, I’m highly impressed.

    Alastair Forrow, club professional, Whitecraigs Golf Club, Glasgow

    Unsure at first about the blue colour I was totally sold on it as I walked down to our range, the 440cc head is a simple classic look as you’d expect from Mizuno. Initially I set the loft at 9.5 degrees and the weights in a neutral mid setting and found the ball flight slightly lower than I expected. With a slight adjustment I was able to increase both launch and spin eventually arriving at 10.5 degrees and a neutral high weight setting.

    With one head covering the eight loft settings it will simply be a matter of finding the best shaft option.

    Hopefully with some tour presence Mizuno can make some headway into the driver market with the JPX-850 to match the success of their irons.

    Simon Stevenson, PGA Fellow pro, director of golf, Taunton & Pickeridge Golf Club

    The JPX850 driver from Mizuno stands out from the crowd with a high spec white Fujikura shaft and royal blue 440cc pear shaped head. The Fast Track system took a little getting used to but did change the feel and ball flight of the club. The club produces a good high launching and low spinning flight with tight dispersion – a real fairway finder. The driver felt really solid, testament to Mizuno’s renowned build quality, and with the head shape, dispersion and adjustability would suit the better player.

    Fraser Kelley, Scarborough North Cliff Golf Club

    The initial look of the driver was impressive, a striking blue coloured crown with a white shaft.

    As with most new drivers there is the option to change the loft, and this driver has the bonus of Mizuno’s Fast Track weight system which allows the user to change launch characteristics.

    The club produced a powerful flight with low spin (9.5 loft). The ball felt as though it was coming off the club head very fast, giving the feeling of some long drives. The standard shaft option in the club felt very stable, more like an after-market upgrade. With the adjustability of this driver and its performance I think it is something I would expect to retail well.

    Chris Holt , Poulton le Fylde Golf Club

    Having never hit a Mizuno driver I went into this review quite open minded. I’ve had the driver now for about five weeks and have used it for approximately eight rounds of golf.

    Overall looks: its blue, very very shiny blue! The white Mizuno alignment aid is quite large but definitely not obtrusive. Adjustability: there are eight loft and lie settings, five loft angles adjusting every one degree from 7.5 all the way up to 11.5 degrees in standard lie and an additional three from 8.5 to 10.5 with an upright lie!

    With technology comes the added bonus of being able to adjust the ball flight even further – draws, fades, high or low. I have played around with all the different variations and the technology simply works! 11.5 loft with weights set forwards equals high launch bombs, perfect for summer! Overall the JPX 850 is a great solid feeling driver.

    Joe Wilson, PGA pro, Junior Golf Passport, Kibworth Golf Club

    The Mizuno JPX 850 is fantastic! Having used the same driver for the last six years, because I couldn’t find a better one, I was looking forward to trying JPX850. The clubhead looks great behind the ball at address and is complemented with the very impressive Fujikura Orochi shaft.

    The new Fast Track system incorporated in the head was great, allowing me to reduce my ball spin rate which resulted in adding a few more yards off the tee with a much more consistent ball flight. My old driver has been replaced by Mizuno JPX850 – 10/10.

    Steve Furlonger, head PGA pro, Golf Made Simple Academy

    The JPX 850 is an impressive club to look at and played equally, delivering a strong ball flight usable in any weather conditions. It’s 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!

    Steve Furlonger supplied a detailed technical review including Flightscope analysis. To view this extra content online visit: www.golfretailing.com/features/mizuno-jpx-850-driver-review/

    SHARE
    Previous articleFit for Purpose
    Next articleScore the process
    Miles is the Owner and Managing Director of Robel Media, and the award winning GOLF RETAILING Magazine. With over 25 years in the media business, Miles has a wealth of experience in magazine publishing, digital media and live events. HANDICAP - 7.2