By Chuck Stogel
Special to CBSSports.com
For the past several years, most equipment manufacturers have been urging golfers to undergo a custom-fitting session before purchasing new clubs and, in some cases, balls. According to reports, consumers have responded positively by increasing their usage of a professional fitting analysis and subsequent custom orders.
The upside to undergoing custom fitting is huge, if a player is fitted properly. Clubs can be fine-tuned to match, and help, a golfer's individual playing characteristics, a benefit that is nearly impossible to achieve by buying clubs "off the rack" at a golf specialty store or pro shop.
For Miura Golf, a small, family-owned manufacturer based in Himeji, Japan, custom fitting is the only way to obtain their limited production, premium-priced forged clubs. The company has been growing its North American presence, and praises, the past few years; each year it is adding more professional fitting locations to its roster.
"We not only believe that fitting clubs to complement a player's game is the best way to go, but that we have a superior manufacturing process to produce the best fitted product possible," said Bill Holowaty, the Miura vice president of general operations who is based in Vancouver, British Columbia.
First, some company background: Miura Golf was founded by Katsuhiro Miura, 67, a well-respected craftsman who has been shaping hand-forged clubs for tour players, and sometimes other companies, for decades. Among the pros, players such as Retief Goosen and Jose Maria Olazabal have been cited as using Miura irons in competition. The family business includes wife Akemi and sons Yoshitaka and Shinei. The elder Miura is respected not only for the 14-step manufacturing process he employs, but also for having a "special feel" for clubmaking.
Forged clubs are made from steel that is heated and pounded into shape, then smoothed and finished on grinding wheels. While most forged clubs are struck twice with a forging hammer, Miura's irons undergo a third striking, which according to company execs creates a tighter molecular structure for a more solid feel. In addition, every hosel is milled to symmetrical perfection, with tight bore tolerances assuring that each shaft is absolutely centered.
While the popular belief is that forged clubs are best-suited to more advanced players -- and test sessions among CBSSports.com reviewers generally feel that is the case -- the folks at Miura assert that, with a proper fitting, their clubs will aid golfers of all skill levels.
"If people can cleanse their minds of the marketing hype that has been fed to them over the years, they might find that forged blades are not necessarily for the single-digit handicappers," said the patriarch Miura. "You are not penalized for mishit shots to the degree people believe and there are many advantages to these clubs."
Partially because of pricing, the typical Miura consumer ranges 45 to 65 years old, is a fairly good player and is not put off by the cost. A Miura fan also is likely to be a traditionalist in terms of the look of the clubs.
Because of a firm belief in its product, Miura's catalog of clubs doesn't change much, other than some tweaking, year-to-year. Along with four models of irons, a wedge series and some putters, Miura does offer a metal driver and fairway woods, but irons and wedges are its forte. List price for Miura irons and wedges is $187.50 each, which translates to $1,500 for a set of eight forged irons. Series 1957 putters cost $390.
For the purposes of testing Miura's irons, CBSSports.com asked a low-handicap amateur player to undergo the custom-fitting process, along with playing the clubs. At the range, a variety of players "demo'd" the set after it arrived from Japan. Shipping took place within a week to 10 days after ordering.
Here's a look at the fitting process and the clubs in play.
Custom fitting
From a list of authorized Miura custom-fitting locations in the metropolitan New York region, we chose The Complete Golfer in White Plains, N.Y. An off-course fitter, The Complete Golfer offers a comprehensive analysis and is affiliated with almost all manufacturers.
Our tester, David G., carries a 3.7 USGA handicap index and plays golf two to three times a week in season.
A five-hour fitting session began with a brief questionnaire and a warm-up swing period with Dave G. using his own clubs to hit balls into a large net. An analysis by Complete Golfer owner/fitter John Ioris revealed "a whole range of inconsistencies in loft, flexes and even shaft lengths" for Dave G.'s own set. "Those are all characteristics we need to determine specifically for each golfer, along with loft, lie and a proper progression from club to club," Ioris said.
Wearing an electronic monitor band on his wrist, Dave G. began to go through more detailed swing analysis, club by club, through the set, using both his own and various Miura testing clubs. The Complete Golfer employs a fitting program and monitor provided by Max Out Golf in Sherman Oaks, Calif. Monitor readings include ball speed, spin rate, launch and carry trajectory, along with computerized graphic display.
"I've worked with all the systems available and [Max Out Golf] is by far the best," said Ioris. "That's because it provides not only all the data we need, but the graphic images at impact that are very important to a fitter."
At the end of the process, it was determined that Miura's CB-301 irons, 3-PW, would be best for Dave G., tailored of course to his own specs. The fitting, which called for a slightly heavier steel shaft than the norm, also included ordering gap, sand and lob wedges from Miura's wedge series.
The CB-301 irons have heads forged from mild steel, with a nickel/satin chrome finish. The clubheads are cavitybacks, with distinct perimeter weighting, but the cavities are fairly plain, with no polymer inserts, large undercuts or other bells and whistles. Along with two other iron sets featuring heads and cavities of differing sizes, Miura also offers a Tournament Blade. Meanwhile, wedges are muscleback in design.
"Miura is a great company to work with, because the quality of what they produce is so exact," said Ioris. "They deliver the exact specs ordered. Their clubs have a great look, feel, sound."
For Miura, as it grows, the biggest challenge may be in keeping up with demand. "We don't have a set limit on orders," said Holowaty, after a 25 percent growth in 2008 North American sales. "We don't play by the same rules. We want every customer to have the opportunity to obtain tour-quality clubs."
Testing, playing and review
As of this writing, Dave G. has played more than a dozen rounds with his new Miura irons. One impression he quickly made was how beneficial it is to use properly fit clubs where the swingweights, shaft lengths, clubhead lofts and more are not only custom fitted, but uniform in progression.
Here are some excerpts from Dave G.'s review:
"The irons are absolutely beautiful, which is as important as anything. The heads are also significantly smaller than my [old clubs], which induces a little anxiety [until put into regular play]. When I look at my old clubs now, they seem so completely 20th century that I can't imagine playing them again.
"My traditional method of making contact [sweeping the ball off the fairway, rather than going after it], does not work as well with the Miuras. I have begun going after the ball more aggressively and taking some divots, even with long clubs ... I am getting a really lovely trajectory ... I seem to be able to shape shots with less effort.
"The wedges are spectacular. The 60-degree, with seven degrees of bounce, is fantastic from both the fairway and trap. I can't hit it as far as (my previous) 60-degree, but the Miura imparts some really nice spin, and I was not a big spinner.
"Also, I really liked the fitting experience. It's fantastic to be assessed entirely on how the club makes contact with the ball and not on the vagaries of your swing. The machinery was remarkably accurate and the fitters were true craftsmen."
If there was a surprise, or adjustment needed, for Dave G., it seemed to be with his perceived distances achieved by the Miura irons.
"These new clubs are shorter ... than my old ones," said Dave G. "For instance, where I used to hit my old 8-iron 160 to 165 yards, I'm hitting the Miura 8-iron about 150 to 155 yards. Also, some of the fade shots seem to be coming up short."
Obviously, it's an adjustment if this is the case, and a learning process as to what the distances will be with each iron.
In general, Miura's irons carry a stronger or equivalent loft compared to other manufacturers, so the difference in distance may have more to do with Dave G.'s swing plane. No matter what brand, when putting new irons into play, golfers need to measure and adjust to yardages achieved. The key to success is to have the distances consistent and the player familiar with the clubs.
In one final testing event, several CBSSports.com testers with higher handicaps -- up to 14 -- hit the Miura irons in a range session. The consensus was that the clubs had a "great look and feel," and a "surprising amount of forgiveness" on off-center hits.
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