MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED: Mizuno JPX Fli-Hi 22º fitted with regular flex steel shafts.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: I’m a user of long irons – I can hit my 3-iron to around 200 metres – so I’ve never really had a good look at hybrids. The Mizuno reminded me of a little 5-wood I used to own, with similar weighting and a little shorter shaft.
VERDICT: I wasn’t comfortable with the club initially, but I put that down to not being a hybrid player. It had a bit of a heavy feel, and you definitely couldn’t swing the hybrid too hard. That said, it wasn’t like a fairway wood – it did have that iron-like feel. Early in the test round, I had to hit an escape shot from the rough on a par-5. There was a big gap in the tree line to get through, and I had a good lie. I used the hybrid, and hit it well – too well, as it went up quickly and clipped a tree above.
As I got used to the flight that the hybrid produced over the course of the test, I found I could use it more effectively. I used it off the tee to cut the corner on a short, dogleg par-4 and get over a tree. It was a shot that I couldn’t hit with a long iron – while I found the distance of the hybrid was equivalent to my 4-iron, about 180 metres, the height was entirely different.
MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED: Mizuno JPX Fli-Hi 25º fitted with regular flex graphite shafts.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: It’s a nice-looking club, in that classic Mizuno way. It definitely has an iron feel rather than the fairway wood-type hybrids you see out there – it really is designed to fit into the rest of a JPX set.
VERDICT: The hybrid hit the standout shots of the test round for me, a couple of approaches into long par-4s where I normally wouldn’t be thinking of getting there in two. I’m a player that needs the extra help with the distance, so I found the hybrid to be really useful.
They’re also forgiving and really accurate. The ball would go where I would aim, and even on those occasions it didn’t, it would not miss by much.
I found the hybrid did perform best when I treated it more like an iron than a wood. The ball came off with a high flight, and would stop quickly. It’s an easy club to hit, and with that extra weight behind the face, it gives you confidence not to hit it too hard.
I did like how the hybrid options worked with the JPX irons, which we also played during the round. I definitely could see myself swapping out the 5-iron for the equivalent hybrid – it really performs better in the situations that I normally use my 5-iron.
FACTS & FIGURES
SUITABILITY: All levels of player.
SHAFTS: True Temper Dynalite Gold XP steel is standard. Graphite options include Fujikura Orochi and Project X.
LOFTS: 19, 22, 25, 28 and 32.
LEFT-HANDED MODELS?: Yes, in steel shaft only.
HOW MUCH?: $115 (steel), $140 (graphite).
MIZUNO SAYS: “The new JPX Fli-Hi replaces the difficult-to-hit, traditional long iron with an easy-to-launch, hugely forgiving wood-type hybrid.
“The JPX Fli-Hi harnesses the same distance-generating technologies used in the JPX irons. A multi-thickness HOT METAL clubface and MAX COR Pocket Cavity are used to increase ball speeds across the entire clubface. Combined with a low, deep centre of gravity, the JPX Fl-Hi allows players of all levels to execute long, soft landing shots with ease and accuracy.
“The JPX Fli-Hi can be integrated seamlessly into any one of Mizuno’s JPX iron sets.”
Contact Mizuno on (03) 9239 7100 or visit golf.mizunoeurope.com