p l ay e r s - d i s ta n c e i r o n s
performance
★★★★½
i n n o vat i o n
★★★★½
look • sound • feel
★★★★½
p l ay e r c o m m e n t
“The feel is crisp. No vibration through impact. Plenty of distance. The ball felt spring-loaded coming off the face.”
demand
TR21X
★★★★★
i n n o vat i o n
★★★★
look • sound • feel
★★★★★
p l ay e r c o m m e n t
“It feels solid and light. You can really work the ball. They’ve made a club that differentiates itself from other models.”
demand
★
honma
performance
★★★½
RRP AED 6,825
mizuno
RRP AED 5,075
JPX921 FORGED
▶ Sometimes you can be a victim of your own success. For Honma, this means having to make a players-distance iron that brings plenty of heat in the same highly attractive clubhead the company is famous for. The TR21X irons accomplish this. They might look like single-piece forged irons at first glance, but they’re actually hollow construction with an unsupported Carpenter steel L-face insert (in which the bottom of the face wraps around part of the sole). A U-shape wedge of tungsten is positioned low and near the sole with portions raised in the heel and toe to maximise performance on shots struck in those areas. The tungsten—which ranges from 50 to 89 grams depending on the iron—is also set back from the face, allowing it to flex more easily at impact. To deliver the proper sound, a foam is used inside the head to dampen unwanted vibrations. Those seeking a lightweight shaft can choose from the company’s proprietary Vizard graphite shafts in 65 or 85 grams (the lighter version is about half the weight of a typical steel shaft). Oh, and don’t scratch your head when you see a 10- and 11-iron. Those are Honma’s pitching and gap wedges.
▶ To create a players-distance iron, you need a face material strong enough to create the thin, fast-flexing faces required in this category—perhaps something like the chromoly steel alloy used in the roll cages of race cars or M16 rifles. That’s exactly the kind of steel Mizuno uses here. The alloy allows Mizuno to create a thinner, hotter face in a relatively compact, better-player shape. This also created new opportunities for designers to produce a face that’s 16 percent thinner in the centre. The face also has a 45 percent larger area that yields the fastest ball speeds since the JPX 919 Forged, Mizuno’s previous model in this category. Making the face thinner has benefits other than just adding ball speed. A thinner face equals weight savings, which allowed Mizuno’s designers to create a lower, deeper centre of gravity, especially on the long irons, to help get shots airborne without sacrificing forgiveness. In terms of shape, this iron trends back toward better-player preferences, including a thinner topline and a beveled, narrower sole for improved shot-making opportunities. Plus, there might not be enough o’s in smooth to describe the sweet-feeling experience at impact.
Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae
Demo this club at eGolf Megastore, or buy online at egolfmegastore.ae
60 golfdigestme.com | hot list 2021
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