Miura’s SIT Stands For Strong, Ideal Trajectory

SIT, in reference to the new SIT-460 driver from Miura Golf, stands for Strong and Ideal Trajectory.

The all-titanium head has a volume of 460 c.c., but shaping by Shinei Miura, son of company founder and clubmaker Katsuhiro Miura, offers a more compact look at address.

“Our dealers told us their customers have been looking for the forgiveness and distance a bigger head can provide,” said Miura president Adam Barr.

“With the help of his father and his brother Yoshitaka, Sinei took that as a challenge and set to work on something that would offer big driver satisfaction, while still giving a confident, classic look at address,” he added.

“What he came up with has surprised a lot of people who put it behind the ball and think it’s much smaller than 460,” said Barr.

One of the ways to get this accomplished was to make the face of the driver taller than in other models to not only make more vertical space for overall volume, but also to increase the effective hitting area.

“This is a design lesson Shinei extended from the success we had in 2011 with our new MG hybrids,” said Barr. “The faces of those clubs are about as tall as the golf ball and that gives a good sense of ball coverage for the coming hit. The driver simply builds on that theory.

The all-titanium head is cast in two pieces, body and face. The face is laser-welded on to the body and finished so the two pieces are unified. The two-piece construction, Shinei insisted, results in a more stable head than three and four-piece options.

The SIT-460 is 70 c.c. bigger than Miura’s Precious Edition 390, but weighs just 196 grams, four less than the Precious Edition. The light weight is designed to open more fitting options, with a wider range of shafts possible for a large, light head.

The SIT-460 is available in nine and 10.5 degree options, right-handed only.

Miura Introduces MG Hybrids

The new MG Hybrids from Miura Golf will be available in HB3 (20 degree loft) and HB4 (23 degrees) models, made from SUS455 steel in an I.P. Black finish that come with steel shafts.

“The days of the three-through-pitch automatic set are over,” said Adam Barr, president of Miura Golf.

“Players are putting more thought into how they will configure their bags, so hybrids become even more important as supporters of the irons,” he added.

“The new MGs are designed with the recognition that hybrids can be used for everything from covering a lot of ground on par fives to pinpoint shots into greens on long par fours and par threes. As the name hybrid truly implies, these clubs play as multi-purpose, long-game tools golfers can rely on,” said Barr.

The blade design hybrid features a new Circle Cut sole shape in which a line cuts through the sole, creating a stepped tier to provide an idea centre of gravity. The blade height is almost the same height as the ball to offer the look of an iron at address.

Miura Adds The Finishing Touch

Miura Golf has introduced a version of its tournament blade with the distinctive Miura Black finish with the release of its new Limited Forged Black Blade iron.

The no-glare, flat-black finish is the same as on Miura’s Black Wedges and will show gradual wear with repeated use, a maturation over time to a silvery gray, mostly on the centre of the clubface and on the sole, starting with the leading edge.

Miura Introduces Passing Point 9003 Irons

Miura Golf is introducing the Passing Point 9003 forged cavity back irons, with a wider sole to help enhance effective turf interaction, while built not to look oversized.

The PP-9003 design places the centre of gravity low for a high and soft-landing flight.

The PP-9003 irons are available in a four iron through pitching wedge set with a gap wedge available in right-handed only.

“The PP-9003 irons are not only aesthetically pleasing, but the incredible technology will help golfers of all handicap levels get the most out of their games,” said Adam Barr, president of Miura Golf.”

A Frightening Moment During Japan Quake

Early reports indicate that golf companies with interests in Japan came through last week’s devastating earthquake and tsunami, but there were some frightening moments.

“Miura, being so far west of the quake area, we’re not aware of any effects,” said Adam Barr, president of Muira Golf, which has its North American headquarters in Vancouver.

Its base in Japan is located near the city of Himeji. “Miura’s actual factory is a 25-minute train ride away from Himeji in a little suburb called Amaji,” said Barr. “To give you some idea, the bullet train ride from Tokyo station to Himeji takes about two-and-a-half hours,” added Barr.

Down in Tokyo, Mike Kelly, the former general manager for Nike Golf Canada, was visiting on business.

“I was in a meeting at Nike Golf, which is on the 13th floor,” he recalled.

“We had had an earthquake the day before that was sizable, but lasted only a few seconds, like those I used to feel in (Southern California) when I worked in Carlsbad,” said Kelly, now Nike’s global marketing director. “This however lasted for over five minutes and had many different gears.

“The building must have moved five to six feet from the centre of my body if I was standing still. I saw out the window across the street at the building going in the opposite direction,” he recalled.

“I kept asking if we should evacuate, run or duck. I hit the floor several times under the table as that was what I was trained to do. Not one shirt, golf club or sample fell off the wall in the room. It was scary and amazing all at once. We evacuated minutes after it stopped, and the rest you have seen on TV,” said Kelly.

Watch GNN for more developments as they relate to golf out of Japan.

Barr’s Job Description Doesn’t Change Much

Adam Barr was working at 8 a.m. Pacific time on Wednesday, just as the release went out announcing that he was the new president of Vancouver-based Miura Golf.

“Before my timer had changed to 8:01, I had three phone calls,” said Barr who, more than anybody, realizes the impact of instant information after spending the last 17 years working Golfweek, The Golf Channel and most recently, his website AdamBarrGolf.

Miura does have respect within the industry with its forged products and other offerings, but its lack of marketing means the story isn’t hitting a lot of ears. With that in mind, Barr’s job description hasn’t changed despite his new, impressive title with Miura. Read more

Media Veteran Joins Miura

The new president of Vancouver-based Miura Golf is no stranger to golf fans.

Adam Barr, former business reporter and writer with The Golf Channel, has been assigned the task of leading Miura’s global expansion, using his industry experience, relationships and communications expertise, as well as the business skills he developed as a lawyer.

Barr, 49, has worked in the golf industry since 1993, first as a freelance writer before joining Golfweek and later The Golf Channel, where he worked from 1997-2009 before becoming principal in his own website.

Prior to his golf journalism career, Barr was a practicing trial lawyer in Pittsburgh and Chicago and served as editor of tax and legal publications.

“Adam has had a unique career in the golf industry and has earned much respect and acclaim from his countless industry contacts. We’re confident his knowledge and experience will help expand Miura Golf’s exposure around the world,” says Bill Holowaty, executive vice president of product strategies.

“I can’t tell you how excited we are to have Adam on the Miura Golf team,” he added.

Barr says the move is the logical next step in a 17-year career.

“Working with the Miura family is a remarkable opportunity and I’m honored that it has come my way,” said Barr.  ”For me, this is the culmination of more than 17 years of work in the golf equipment industry.”

Miura Adds Y And C Wedges To Series 1957

Miura Golf has added the Yoshitaka Grind wedges and C-Grind wedges to its Series 1957 special edition product line. The new wedges join four iron models in the Series 1957.

Both new mild-steel wedge models undergo the same precision forging finish as the irons.

The Yoshitaka, or Y-Grind wedges, are available in 49, 51 and 53-degree lofts, and a 60-degree model will be offered in the future. Available in right-handed only, they feature a W nickel (satin) chrome/black finish and come with a stiff flex steel shaft and Velvet Full Cord grip.

“The Y- and C-Grind wedges not only feature the latest technology that will help every golfer improve his or her game, but the wedges with the Miura Satin finish play as good as they look,” says Bill Holowaty, vice president of operations for Miura Golf in North America.

“Yoshitaka Miura’s craftsmanship and research have resulted in unique playability features that make these wedges the perfect scoring clubs,” he added.

The grind on the Y-Grind wedges was created by Yoshitaka Miura, son of company founder Katsuhiro Miura.

“The new Miura wedges are designed for players seeking the very best,” said Katsuhiro Miura, who researched the Series 1957 Y-Grind wedges by traveling to North America and Europe with his sons to study a variety of playing conditions and turf structures.

The Y-Grind and C-Grind wedges are designed to provide the feel, feedback and workability of a forged blade.

Miura’s forging techniques rearrange the molecular structure of the mild steel in a uniform pattern throughout the club’s hitting area. This tightness in the metal’s grain structure offers control and soft feel.

Miura also uses a proprietary “spin-welding” process to produce a consistent hosel. This unique procedure is in place to ensure that bore depths and hosel heights are identical on every Miura-made head and that every club’s shaft will be perfectly centered.

With the C-Grind wedge, the Miura’s goal was to create a wedge with a more aggressive heel-and-toe relief that complements the company’s other wedges.

The challenge was to find a balance between the relief and the rolled trailing edge on the sole.

When the special grind is combined with Miura clubs’ unique density of grain structure, balance and feel, plus the leading and trailing edge versatility, the result is a wedge that is playable in a broad range of conditions.

The C-Grind wedges are now available in lofts of 55, 57 and 59 degrees in right-hand only. They feature a W nickel (satin) chrome finish and come with a stiff-flex steel shaft and Velvet Full Cord grip.

K-Grind Has A Sole Purpose

Vancouver-based Miura Golf has introduced the K-Grind wedge, with a “fluted” sole that features three channels designed to reduce resistance in sand, thick rough or in the fairway.

The objective of the sole design is to increase acceleration through the ball with less effort on half and quarter shots around the green, reduce the odds of catching it heavy on long bunker shots and help dig the ball out of deep rough.

Miura Goes Back To The Future

The new forged CB-501 irons from Vancouver-based Miura Golf feature a W nickel, satin chrome finish.

According to Bill Holowaty, vice president of operations for Miura Golf in North America, company founder Katsuhiro Miura had a goal of combining ideal ball flight, enough offset to promote playability, a perfect head size and a sole grind to accommodate a wide range of players.

“We obviously are excited about the CB-501 irons,” said Holowaty. “During development, Mr. Muira’s goal was to combine the best features from his favourite Miura irons, both past and present.”

Miura started with a full cavity back with a bit more offset than the company’s CB-202, which had almost none. He worked on a sole grind that would appeal to a wide range of skill levels. He also incorporated the sweet spot muscle back from the CB-1003 irons from 1996.

The small muscle back located behind the sweet spot is in place to deliver the trajectory of a blade when the ball is struck on the centre of the face, while offering cavity back forgiveness and ball flight as contact moves away from the centre of the face.

Miura Offers A Precious Edition To Golf Bags

Vancouver-based Miura Golf has entered the hybrid market with the introduction of its Precious Edition utility clubs, which uses a carbon plate to create a low centre of gravity.

The clubs are designed for mid-to-high trajectory with mid/low spin and a slight draw bias and to sit square at address.

The Miura hybrids come in 17, 20 and 23 degrees with a standard Nippon NSPro 950 steel shaft with other shaft options available.

“After a few shots with the Miura utilities, golfers will notice more of an iron-like ball flight, not the typical hybrid boring trajectory,” said Bill Holowaty, vice president of Miura Golf North American Operations.

“This type of trajectory will help the mid-to-low handicappers with approach shots on long par fours and second shot par fives with a ball flight that will be able to hold today’s harder greens,” he added.

“Golfers will be amazed at how easy it is to hit a draw or a straight shot with the Miura utilities. The design of the sole radius makes those tough shots out of the rough far less intimidating”, said Holowaty.

“What will impress golfers the most is the consistency in distance from the clubs. This was Mr. Miura’s vision. He wanted the utilities to flow perfectly into a set of irons.”

For more information, see the website, www.miuragolf.com.

Miura Forges Ahead with New Putters

Vancouver-based Miura Golf has introduced new forged putters under the Series 1957 name. The Series 1957 lines includes the KM350, a blade model, and the MP 005 and MP 006.

All putters within the 1957 Series feature the same forging process as Miura irons and each have a milled face for forgiveness, feel and distance control. Designed to reduce skid leading to truer roll, these putters feature toe weighting offset and an oil-chrome finish.

For more information, see the website, www.miuragolf.com.

Miura Bucks Industry Trend in Irons

Miura Golf Inc. of Vancouver has introduced the limited edition Small Blade forged irons, with a nickel finish and a thicker face and muscle back head that is about 15 per cent smaller than the company’s Tournament Blade head.

The introduction of a smaller iron comes at a time when the industry trend is towards mid and oversized irons.

“Industry fads mean nothing to me,” said forged iron maker Katsuhiro Miura. “These fads are developed by the marketing departments of the equipment manufacturers simply to boost sales and have little to do with performance.

“What I care about is creating the most perfect, performing clubs for golfers and different golfers have different preferences. I believe there is a class of golfer who will very much appreciate the qualities of the Small Blade and I have made this club for these golfers.”

Miura says the club is designed for golfers who usually strike the ball on the sweetspot and are looking for good feedback on each shot.

“Frankly, if people can cleanse their minds of the marketing hype that has been fed to them over the years, they might find that the forged blades are not necessarily only for the single digit handicappers,” said Miura.

“You are not penalized for mis-hit shots to the degree people believe and there are many advantages to these clubs,” he added. “For example, the Small Blade cuts through rough more efficiently than any other club.”

The Small Blade is available in three iron through nine iron, with a pitching wedge. A two iron is also optional.

For more information, see the website, www.miuragolf.com.