The New Name in Players-Distance? The Mizuno JPX 925 Forged Irons Review

We’ve been anticipating the Mizuno JPX 925 Forged irons since the company announced their sister irons. Now that they’re here, do they live up to the hype?

There are big shoes to fill with the Mizuno JPX 925 Forged irons. The JPX Forged model has been one of the best irons for a long time now, within several categories of golfers. The Hot Metal lines launched earlier this year to much acclaim, particularly with the Hot Metal Pro and Hot Metal HL models, but it’s a family that has so far been built on clubs for the Game Improver category.

With the 925 Forged irons, there is an expectation on Mizuno to create something that cannot just rival their competitors for performance: it must do that while also offering feedback and feel worthy of the brand’s near-100 years of manufacturing golf equipment.

Despite the weight of the history on its shoulders, the 2025 edition of the Forged model is not content with staying still. Coupling brand-new technology with some much-desired design features of the past, Mizuno are looking to truly cement themselves into the future of the game with this release.

Looks/Feel – 5/5

Now it wouldn’t be a Mizuno offering without us taking time to discuss the look and feedback from the club.

To my eye, the Mizuno JPX 925 Forged is a little chunkier than previous generations of the model, though it’s not in a bad way. During our time with Mizuno, they’d told us that they really wanted to go after the Players-Distance iron market, with irons like the category-leading P790 included, so some room for technology was needed.

Firstly, these irons are still smaller than the P790 for both topline and iron length, but Mizuno have done more than just shrink down someone else’s irons.

The best way I can describe the club is if you’d taken a classic Mizuno shape, with its straighter leading edge, rounded toe, and slimmer topline, and then just made it beefier. It’s a Mizuno iron that’s spent time in the gym, and there’s something formidable about that idea.

Feel blends the feedback that you’d expect with a more powerful ‘jump’ from off the face. It’s distinct from both the blades and game-improver irons, making its own unique middle ground that I love.

I don’t typically play with more powerful irons, but I really like the blend that Mizuno are offering. They cut through the ground nicely, thanks to the return of the Triple Cut Sole, but don’t get stuck like a tighter leading edge typically would. Think of the pre-worn design that used to be on most Players irons coupled with Srixon’s VT Sole, and you’re somewhere in the region.

Technology – 5/5

Talking about feedback gives me a great excuse to explain a little more about how Mizuno are managing to achieve this compromise between the hotter cavity and that vintage sound profile that you expect.

The engineers at the company have painstakingly mapped the acoustics of their previous and most loved irons to understand more about what makes an iron feel good. What they’ve found is that irons that have garnered the most attention and goodwill over time all fit into a particular frequency, so if they could replicate that would those irons designed to help golfers, they should have a winning package.

Regarding forgiveness, the Mizuno JPX 925 Forged features a technology called Contour Ellipse. It’s seen release in the 925 Hot Metal at the end of last year, and we have a deeper explanation of the 925 Family story for those that want more detail, but Contour Ellipse is a redesign of the faces in the irons.

The internal structure now moves from the low heel to the high toe – where golfers generally miss on the face – to support and retain off-center speeds as well as keep the ball flight straighter when we don’t make the contact we’re trying for.

Finally, there’s a combination of the long irons (4-7) in Chromoly 4120, a strong yet easy-to-manipulate metal, and short irons (8-GW) that are made from Mizuno’s typical 1025E Carbon Steel.

This is essentially going to give you adjustability like a classic forged iron, while also offering additional long-iron power with maximum short-iron control.

Mizuno are also offering the JPX 925 Forged in a Limited Edition Black, so if you want that murdered out look to match a darker shaft or wedges then you can but – full disclosure – I haven’t seen this in first-person at time of writing so I can’t give you an opinion yet!

Performance – 5/5

It feels unusual to praise a Mizuno iron for how powerful it is. I want to talk about how beautiful the feel is, or how good it looks down on the ground, but my biggest takeaway is just about the strength on offer.

The flight is reminiscent of where I’ve hit the Hot Metal irons, where I almost fell like the ball hits an apex and then gets a second wind where it just keeps going forward. There’s absolutely room for Mizuno to start taking shots at TaylorMade’s flagship model, from a distance perspective (and I’m certainly interested to see how they compare later in the year), but it still comes with height and control into greens that every golfer needs.

The Triple Cut Sole is fantastic in the softer conditions we’re seeing during the winter, but I don’t feel like it’s just going to start bouncing off the ground once we get back into the summer month either.

It was one of the reasons that Brooks Koepka was initially drawn to the JPX 900 irons and it’s great to see a sole design like that coming back and taking center-stage in the discussion. How you need your irons to interact with the turf properly and finding what suits you is just as important for consistency as the face flex or more forgiving tech.

I love the combo of the traditional carbon steel in the short irons and the extra help from the Chromoly in the long. There’s not much need for help when you’re playing shots closer to the green so the additional feel let me know what was going on during impact and predict how the shot would end up from 160 and in.

Conversely, a better feel isn’t as necessary when I’m hitting 4-iron from the tee or into a Par 5, so that improved forgiving and ball speed is easy to appreciate over a slightly dampened vibration.

Overall – 5/5

This feels like a return to form from Mizuno, certainly in the JPX family. I’ve certainly felt that the JPX series was becoming a little stale and didn’t really feel like the innovative line-up that it once was.

With JPX 925 Forged, and the Hot Metal series too, there’s genuine reason to get excited about new clubs again.

As a line-up, you’ve got complete control to blend the set but as an iron on its own, the Forged can tangle with the best in the business from the time I’ve spent with it.

If you’re a decent ball striker looking for more speed, this is a stellar iron to move into, with all the characteristics you could want.

If you’re a higher handicap looking to make the next step in your progression, you’ll get enough forgiveness to trust the iron set but the feedback and response will help you develop feel in your own hands too.

There’s few golfers who want improve their performance with these irons and it’s going down as my number one iron to demo in 2025 so far!

About the author

Lewis Daff

Lewis joined the Today’s Golfer digital team in 2024, having spent more than a decade in both big-box golf retail and independent stores working as a club fitter and builder.

Experienced with every level of golfer, from beginner to professional, he has achieved Master Fitter and Builder status with most major manufacturers, including Mizuno, Taylormade, and Callaway, helping him to cement both a wide and deep knowledge base, ideal for helping guide golfers towards the correct equipment for them. Lewis specializes in Clubs, Shafts, Training Aids, Launch Monitors and Grips.

In Lewis’ bag is Titleist GT3 Driver (9º) with Fujikura Ventus Black, TaylorMade SIM Max Fairway Woods (15º and 18º), Wilson Staff D9 Forged 3-iron, Srixon ZX7 MKii Irons (4-PW), Titleist SM9 Wedges (52º, 60º), Toulon San Diego Putter, and the Titleist ProV1X Left Dash.

Talk to Lewis about why steel shafts are now dead and graphite is the only way forward, or any other equipment you’d like to debate, via his email, Instagram, or Bluesky.

RRP: £1200 (6-piece set), £200 per iron (£215 for Limited Edition Black)

Availability: 4 – PW, GW (RH / LH)

Stock shafts: N.S. Pro Modus Tour 105 (s) & MMT 85 (g)

Stock grips: Golf Pride MCC Black-Grey

7-iron loft: 30°

Category: Player-distance Iron

Construction: Chromoly 4120 (4-7), 1025E Mild Carbon Steel (8-GW)