Driver comparison: Titleist 917 vs. Mizuno JPX900
Our Titleist 917 vs. Mizuno JPX900 driver comparison took place on the driving range at Reunion Resort in Florida, where conditions on the day were warm and windy.
Titleist 917 vs. Mizuno JPX900 – The methodology
We picked out these two drivers for their adjustability.
They are two of the most customisable drivers on the market for 2017 so we thought it would be interesting to see how they got on head-to-head.
With our Anonymous Big Hitter detained in the UK, we drafted in his American cousin Randy to do the hitting and the results were monitored on Trackman 4 by our resident pro James Whitaker.
The Titleist 917 we tested was the D2 model.
Titleist 917 vs. Mizuno JPX900 – The technology
The Titleist 917 driver saw the introduction of what Titleist call SureFit CG – a cylindrical 12 gram weight in the sole which can be set in three different positions.
Well, actually you get two weights with the driver with one that just has weight in the middle for a more neutral shot shape.
The second weight can be set to draw or fade. The draw position sees more weight in the heel to speed up the toe and vice-versa.
With the Mizuno JPX900 we have two weights which can be moved forward or backwards or into the heel or the toe.
There’s an additional pad toward the toe which can change the face angle to be open, closed or neutral.
Both drivers have adjustable loft sleeves with the 917 going up 1.5˚ in loft or down .75˚ and the JPX900 goes from 7.5˚-11.5˚.
Our Pro James set both drivers up to have fade bias with 9.5˚ of loft.
Titleist 917 vs. Mizuno JPX900 – The results
What was great to see was all, apart from one, of the shots missing to the right side of the fairway.
This showed the adjustability was working as it should.
The 917 has much more of a classical look at address with a slightly grey finish Titleist call liquid slate.
It has a fantastic sound off the face – high pitched and sweet.
We love the blue crown on the JPX900 – it’s not as shiny as the previous JPX850 so doesn’t get glare from the sun.
It does make a bit of a whistling sound through the air but there’s no problem with that at all.
From a pure ball speed point of view the JPX900 did seem to be performing better for our ABH – the dispersion was a bit tighter too.
The first shot with the 917 wasn’t Randy’s best of the day and it seemed to bring his averages down.
Mizuno were very excited with the release of the JPX900 and it was pleasing to see the ball speed numbers getting close to 170mph.
The 917 was getting up to 165mph so not far behind at all.
Titleist 917 vs. Mizuno JPX900 – NCG verdict
Although this was a very interesting test to see we’ve taken the results with a pinch of salt.
Basically because these drivers are all about the custom-fitting process in order to get the best performance.
These drivers are all about getting you dialled in to get the most out of your swing, help promote the sort of shot you want to see and/or minimising your bad shot.
Our pro did set both of these drivers up in a way he felt would work for our Randy on the day but is was far from a custom-fitting.
If Randy had a fitting for each driver, the results may have been different.
What is clear to us though is that this is a serious driver from Mizuno.
In terms of ball speed it’s right up there with the new Callaway and TaylorMade drivers we have tested so far this year.
We think it’s the best driver Mizuno have released to date.
For more information visit the Titleist or Mizuno websites.
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Equipment: Titleist 917 v Titleist 915 big-hitter testing comparison
James Savage
Former equipment editor of NCG. Inconsistent ball-striker and tea-maker.
