JPX 800's & 800 Pro's with my handicap

[nkjordan23]

I am not a frequent poster on here, but read endlessly to soak in all of the great information on here regarding fundamentals, clubs, ect.

I have been using the Callaway X-14's for about 5 years which were purchased used on EBAY. Over time, I have gotten my handicap down to 18.5 and am looking for another set of used clubs. After swinging the JPX 800's, which felt the best, I was in the process of purchasing when I began second guessing my decision. Because the handicap range on the Mizuno site varies only slightly, I was wondering if it would be an issue going with the 800 Pro's. Please note that my handicap is on the higher end, but my struggles are very much on the greens and in my chipping. Some questions I have are:

1) Am i reading too much into forged versus cast? I read comments like, "you can't tell a difference" and then read others about really feeling it. I don't really work the ball and am probably a ways away from getting to that point.

2) Does the more challenging club, in this case the Pro's, give me the best opportunity to improve my swing in the long run if i truly  am dedicated to getting out there 2-3 times a week? In other words, i may struggle more in the beginning, but could it be worth it a year from now when I have dialed my swing in?

3) I have tried to find out more about the clubs I own now (x-14's). When i purchased them, I was a college kid looking for what people liked the most at an affordable price. This set had tons of praise. When you compare these to something like the 800 Pro, how big or little of a jump is it? Has the technology really changed? My guess is no?

I appreciate all of the help and feedback. I'm really excited to dedicate myself to this upcoming season and would love to add this set to my bag if its the right fit for me.

[DarkPrince]

As a person who almost bought the JPX800 Pro's.... I bought the Wilson Staff Ci9 instead. I won't go into all that crud about purists saying there's a ginormous difference in feel between cast/forged. They felt exactly the same to me....and $400 less. That's all I needed to see to realize Wilson Staff it is. They are both easy as heck to hit, and even when slightly off center you still get a lot of distance, but when you learn to hit draws/fades (on purpose) you can do that too.  I mean it all comes down to you. The only bad thing you can do is buy blades or a super small pocket cavity players club. Get something between those and your X-14's, which is pretty much what you're looking at anyway.

[clubchamp]

If you were sold on the 800s get the 800s and I pretty much agree with darkprince.

[cilos2]

I just got rid of my Calloway x-20 tour and bought the 800 pro. I could not be any happier. I'm a 12 handicap and hit them extremely well from day one. You will not be disappointed. I would like anything else get fitted and make sure that you get the appropriate shaft. This was the first set of clubs I was fitted for and I think that makes a big difference as well.

[The Tin Man]

I was in the process of purchasing when I began second guessing my decision. Because the handicap range on the Mizuno site varies only slightly,

I wouldn't judge the playability of any club based on someone else's handicap. (Not even my own.)

How many shots out of 10 were good with the 8 iron?  How many with the 6?  How many with the 4?

You have to be ruthlessly honest with yourself.

I'm a firm believer in split sets.  Forgiving on the low irons, and feel on the scoring clubs. It doesn't cost any more ordering clubs separately

[Mordan]

Originally Posted by nkjordan23

1) Am i reading too much into forged versus cast? I read comments like, "you can't tell a difference" and then read others about really feeling it. I don't really work the ball and am probably a ways away from getting to that point.

2) Does the more challenging club, in this case the Pro's, give me the best opportunity to improve my swing in the long run if i truly  am dedicated to getting out there 2-3 times a week? In other words, i may struggle more in the beginning, but could it be worth it a year from now when I have dialed my swing in?

I appreciate all of the help and feedback. I'm really excited to dedicate myself to this upcoming season and would love to add this set to my bag if its the right fit for me.

I went from Mizuno MX-17s to MP-57s about 9 months ago. The MX-17s are cast, with a pretty significant cavity and lots of weight in the sole. The MP-57s have a smaller head, a smaller cavity and are forged.

While the MP-57s have a good feel to them, I think the MX-17s used to feel pretty good too when well struck. Buttery feel and all that seems a little over the top to me.

I made the change because I wanted a smaller clubhead, to fit my eye better and to help with getting the clubhead through longer grass. I didn't really feel I needed all the weight in the sole of the club as getting the ball in the air has never been an issue for me, and I'm nor am I a picker (I imagine that pickers benefit from more weight lower in the clubhead).

In the end it's about buying the club that gives you the most confidence. If you particularly struggle with one aspect of iron play then getting clubs that assist with that would be smart. Try and play a few rounds with the clubs you're looking at before committing. I got my MP-57s off ebay barely used for a price that I knew I could get back in a month or two's time if I didn't like the clubs, so it was a no lose opportunity to give them a go. Turns out I really like them and the MX-17s haven't been back in the bag since.

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by nkjordan23 1) Am i reading too much into forged versus cast? I read comments like, "you can't tell a difference" and then read others about really feeling it. I don't really work the ball and am probably a ways away from getting to that point.

Forged vs cast is a touchy subject.  I wouldnt say there is a huge difference in feel from cast to forged but there is a difference.  To me, most cast clubs feel more springy whereas forged clubs feel soft.  Like I said though, its not a night and day difference and its not like I couldnt switch to playing cast clubs with much difficulty.

To me, whether a club is cast or forged shouldnt be the most important factor in selecting an iron.  Clubhead design and how forgiving it is and how high it launches the ball (thicker sole) are much more important, IMO.

Beyond that, all I will say is that if forged and cast were the same, you wouldnt have the vast majority of tour pros playing forged irons and you wouldnt have almost every company, who have made cast wedges for years and years coming out with forged wedges.  All you really need to do is consider the 2 manufacturing processes to see that there is a difference.  In one you are pouring molten metal into a mold and in the other you are heating up a metal bar until its malleable and then pound it into the desired shape (which causes the metal to be packed much tighter than when you cast it).  Again though, I think we are splitting hairs here and it takes a skilled player who has developed feel by hitting thousands and thousands of golfballs to tell a big difference between the 2.

[rustyredcab]

I decided based on my wish to control my distance better with the 800 Pro's vs, the 800's. I felt is was a design thing rather than forged vs. cast. I hate to say this out loud for fear of the golf gods but, I worry more about distance consistency than direction on my irons. I felt the 800 pros help me be more consistent distance wise. I hit them shorter than the 800's but do not care about far as much as knowing how far. My old Callaway Fusions felt great but seemed to once in a while nuke one 25% longer than I expected.) Forged matters. I know it doesn't really matter butt think forged matters in my head. Isn't most of golf in our heads anyway.

Both are great. I'd love to hear other opinions about the theory that 800's are more forgiving right to left and 800 Pro's are more consistent front to back.

[GaijinGolfer]

Originally Posted by rustyredcab

I decided based on my wish to control my distance better with the 800 Pro's vs, the 800's. I felt is was a design thing rather than forged vs. cast. I hate to say this out loud for fear of the golf gods but, I worry more about distance consistency than direction on my irons. I felt the 800 pros help me be more consistent distance wise. I hit them shorter than the 800's but do not care about far as much as knowing how far. My old Callaway Fusions felt great but seemed to once in a while nuke one 25% longer than I expected.) Forged matters. I know it doesn't really matter butt think forged matters in my head. Isn't most of golf in our heads anyway.

Both are great. I'd love to hear other opinions about the theory that 800's are more forgiving right to left and 800 Pro's are more consistent front to back.

Well, the 800s are designed to be a bit hotter than the 800 Pros.  The distance with the Pros is pretty consistent but with the regular 800s you will every now and then get an extra 5 yards if you really catch it in the sweet spot because the regular 800 has a bit thinner face and will spring a bit more.  Thats what Mizuno's, "hot metal" does for you.

One of the reasons why Mizuno chose to cast the 800s instead of forging them is because by casting they could get the face of the club to be really thin and springy (its easier to accomplish that with a casting than a forging), which helps for the people who the 800s were designed for who could use a bit of help in the distance department.

See, in some instances cast is actually better!