About this Review: This review is my honest opinion of the iron set, which I purchased with my own money in January of 2021.

My take

The Mizuno JPX921 SEL Irons are geared more for the advanced golfer and lower handicapper. The set is great for hitting iron shots that feel amazing off the face. The irons are also very workable and help me get creative on the course.

About the club I own

• Model: 2021 Mizuno JPX921 SEL Irons
• Loft setting: 4-PW (4,5 JPX921 Forged and 6-PW JPX921 Tour)
• Shaft type: Project X rifle 6.5
• Shaft flex: Extra Stiff

About me

• Average score: 75-80
• Handicap: 3-4
• Experience: 6 years playing golf
• Right/Left-Handed: Left-Handed
• Typical ball flight: High, Fade
• Golf ball used: TaylorMade TP5X
• Club swing speed: About 85 mph (7 iron)

Test conditions

• When I bought the club: January 2021
• Days tested: 365+ days
• Where I’ve used it: Many courses and ranges, mostly Farmington Woods Golf Club
• Weather and wind conditions: Probably every condition imaginable; all different temperatures (40-100 degrees F), wind levels, grasses, rain, etc.

How it performs

What I was looking for

After playing game improvement irons with regular flex for a few years, my swing was definitely ready for new irons. So I got fitted for an iron set and looked for a forged head with a great feel and extra stiff shafts. I wanted my new irons to help my distances be consistent and better bridge the gap to my wedges.

Why I chose this club

The Mizuno JPX SEL irons were the most consistent results during my fitting. I loved the way the clubs looked and were able to get the best results for my swing. I considered several different heads, and the closest runner-up was the TaylorMade P770 irons. I am glad I picked these irons because they have continued to fit me well even after my swing has progressed over the last year and a half.

What I love about it

• Sound: Hitting a flush iron off of a fresh cut fairway is one of the best feelings and sounds in golf. These irons sound just as pleasing as any other iron or blade.
• Workability: There is never a moment where I think that I cannot hit a shot with these irons. It is all up to my swing. These irons deliver whether it's a knockdown, fade, draw, or punch.
• Aesthetic Appeal: The JPX921 Tour version of the irons look amazing. I love how they look standing over the ball and at address.
• Launch Angle: I paired these irons with a low penetrating ball flight shaft, which makes them launch at a nice ball flight with the ability to knock them down and keep low.
• Spin: Spin with these irons are exceptional. I have no problem getting iron shots from all lengths to stop on the greens where I want them to.
• Other: I really like the versatility of this iron set. SEL stands for “special edition lefty,” and they chose to go with PW-6 in the tour version and 4 & 5 in the forged version. I love that the combo set gives me more forgiveness in the longer irons and confidence on long iron shots.

Issues I’ve encountered

• Distance: Given the nature of a smaller club, they will not bring the distance you may want. The lofts on these irons are scaled back to the point of almost a whole club difference between a game improvement iron.
• Forgiveness: As my game has grown and my ball striking improved, the increased forgiveness and club head size in the 4 and 5 iron is too much and I would rather have the 4 and 5 in the matching Tour version. The Forged does not cut through the rough as well and tends to grab very easily in anything outside of the fairway.
• Feel: There really is a reason why people talk about the “Mizuno feel.” Some shots feel like I don’t even hit a golf ball. I did want to note, however, the one spot I have noticed that always does not feel good to mishit is off the toe. Of course every iron and especially as thin as these have a painful miss on thin shots, but I have noticed that shots near the toe come out fairly dead and are the worst miss I have around the club face.

Best shot with this club

It is difficult to pinpoint just one favorite shot with these irons. A couple of my favorite shots have been on a par 3 where I left myself with a short birdie putt. The most notable ones felt so good with the club interacting with the ball at contact that it was almost like I never even made contact with a golf ball. Some of my favorite shots are when I find myself in tree trouble off the tee and have to hit a stinger with the 4 iron. The workability on the 4 iron is incredibly helpful and has helped me hit a small window between two trees and fade it around a corner.

Value for the money vs. other options

Compared to similar irons (Taylormade P770, Srixon X7, Titleist T100, Callaway Apex/Apex Pro), the Mizuno’s are definitely worth the money. They perform just as good, if not better, than other brands’ comparable clubs. However, if one is not very serious or even an advanced golfer, then they are very expensive - as well as everything else at that level - and maybe budget clubs would be better.

Final verdict

This set is great if someone is looking for an amazing forged iron set that they can work the ball with and feel comfortable with in the longer irons. I recommend this set to any lefty who fits those qualities because the performance is great!