Comparing Callaway Apex 19 and Mizuno JPX-919 Hot Metal Pro

By Drew Mahowald -- 2nd Swing Staff Writer

Over the past decade or so, the game of golf has been adapting to a critical culture shift. It’s changed the way players of all skill levels play. And it’s changed the way golf manufacturers implement new technology into their products.

PGA Tour and LPGA Tour professionals began hitting the ball farther and farther. Pressure was applied to golf manufacturers to produce equipment that resulted in distance gains.

Every golf equipment advertisement a golfer might see on television or social media is about the distance that product will add. Those advertisements usually include keywords like ball speed, hot face, and low spin. But the main idea remains that most golfers want the ball to travel further above all else.

This new philosophy brought an added focus to the players-distance iron category. The iron sets that fall into this category are, for the most part, game-improvement irons with a more compact shape to look like a players iron at address. These clubs have become popular with single-digit handicap amateurs as full sets and professionals as longer or utility irons.

The Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal Pro and the Callaway Apex 19 are among the best new players-distance irons on the market in 2019. Both brands have built strong reputations for producing superb irons over the years, so it’s no surprise to see these two sets performing well.

Needless to say, when recently I had the opportunity to test and compare these two sets using Trackman 4 launch monitor technology at 2nd Swing’s Minnetonka Tour Van location, I was excited to see the results.

At address, the irons have a similar look. The Apex 19 irons, in my opinion, have a little bit more compact shape than the Hot Metal Pros. This will appeal more to better ball strikers.

To conduct my test, I used the same model as I have with previous tests. I hit 10 solid 7-irons with each product, using the same golf ball (Srixon Z-Star XV), and compared the average statistics, such as ball speed, carry distance, launch angle, spin, and landing angle.

After conducting the test, I found that the Hot Metal Pro irons produced more carry distance (177.4 yards) and more spin (6213 RPM) than the Apex 19 irons (174.7 yards and 6138 RPM, respectively). The Hot Metal Pro also generated slightly more ball speed (122.1 MPH) compared to the Apex 19 irons (121.5 MPH). 

I suspect this is due to the cast construction of the Hot Metal Pro irons. Meanwhile, the Apex 19 irons are forged, which generally results in less face flexing and takes away some ball speed. 

While that forged construction did hurt the Apex 19 irons in terms of distance, it certainly helped in terms of both launch and feel. I’ve struggled with hitting my irons too high thus far in the 2019 calendar year, and in windy conditions it has cost me strokes.

My launch angle with the Hot Metal Pro irons was 19.9 degrees, while my launch angle with the Apex 19 irons was 19.6 degrees. For context, the PGA Tour average launch angle for a 7-iron is 16.3 degrees. 

The Apex 19 also felt superb for a distance-oriented iron, thanks largely to the forged construction. Any vibrations were dampened much more efficiently and miss-hits did not produce a clanky feel. This isn’t to say the Hot Metal Pro irons have bad feel characteristics. The forged design just gave the Apex 19 an advantage.

If you’re in the market for new players-distance irons, either one of these sets would be an excellent addition to your bag. The choice between these two will depend on what your game needs the most. For me, the choice would be the Callaway Apex 19 irons because I prefer a lower trajectory and more solid feel over a few yards of added distance.

However, you may have the opposite problem and hit your irons too low. Or, you might just want those extra few yards of distance that can help you shave a club on approach shots. In either case, I would recommend the Mizuno JPX 919 Hot Metal Pro irons.

Ultimately, it depends on your preferences. But both sets offer tremendous distance-enhancing technologies and would be a solid upgrade over your current set.