Equipment
2 GolfWRXers put 4 Miura iron models to TrackMan test
Equipment expert Brian Knudson and WRXer Jackson Elliott had a chance to put four Miura iron models to the test.
See their thoughts on the Miura club testing below, as well as their TrackMan data. For all heads, Knudson used the Project X 6.0, and Jackson used the Ping AWT 2.0. Knudson is an 8.8 handicap, and Jackson is a 16. All clubs were 6-irons.
MC-501
BN: I love the look of blades, but know they don’t fit my skill level. These looked great with a small footprint, topline, and squared off toe. The back “muscle” has a great look that grabs your attention. The feel of the 501 is Miura soft and very solid. Responsiveness is phenomenal, you can really tell where on the face you made contact. For some reason this was the iron I had the tightest dispersion with, we couldn’t figure out what made that happen!
JE: I thought the 501s looked pretty good, they seemed a little boxier than I’m used to, but the top-down view was by no means a turn-off. The ball exploded off the head when I managed to find center face, but I hit more bad shots than good. Definitely a far cry in terms of forgiveness compared to my game improvement irons, but the extra distance I gained almost makes me think the decreased accuracy is worth it.
IC-601
BN: This is the iron that I was not sure of its identity. It is overall a small profile but has a good amount off offset. Ball speed was great and it might have been the longest of the bunch. I was surprised that the feel was so soft as most hollow designs have a bit of clickiness to them. These were the longest for me by a slight margin and were one of the higher launching heads.
JE: The top ridge of the head looked a little too thick and boxy to me. It was a little distracting at first, but I got used to it after a few swings. I thought the club performed very well. The carry was longer than I was expecting, and I was able to put it near the middle fairway more times than not. In terms of performance, I think this would be the most likely to find its way into my bag.
CB 1008
BN: I have hit these irons previously and they are a great feeling iron. I was very impressed with how soft these irons are, maybe even softer than the MC-501. These irons are great looking as well with the sharper toe and slightly larger footprint than the MC-501. These didn’t blow me away with wild distance or ballspeed numbers, but that isn’t what they were intended for. They are just a really good players iron. The only negative thing I could say would be that they mute a little too much and you have a harder time deciphering where you made contact on the face.
JE: I thought both the 1008 and 2008 looked great, and I’d willingly put either set in my bag right now. I had a very hard time feeling any major differences between the two, but both clubs felt good in my hands. The 2008s seemed to be a bit more forgiving when it came to mishits, and the trackman numbers tended to corroborate that. My carry numbers for both clubs were nearly identical, but a few yards longer than I expected them to be.
CB 2008
BN: These are the big brother to the CB-1008 and they have a slightly more rounded shape. I actually like a slightly more rounded toe, so these fit my eye well. Upon the first impact you can tell these have way more power than the 1008, ball feels like it flies off the face. Forgiveness is far better allowing much better numbers on off center hits. Feel is a slight bit lacking, but for a club of its design really good.
JE: (See previous response)
Dispersion plots, trajectories
Knudson’s dispersion
Knudson’s trajectory
Elliot’s dispersion
Eliot’s trajectory
- LIKE192
- LEGIT30
- WOW7
- LOL8
- IDHT4
- FLOP4
- OB4
- SHANK46
Equipment
Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage
Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.
It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.
When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”
“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”
View this post on Instagram
According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.
Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:
“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.
“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.
“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.
“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.
“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”
So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.
His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.
See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here
- LIKE17
- LEGIT0
- WOW0
- LOL1
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK2
It seems like the RBC Heritage is full of new gear to be spotted, and you can add TaylorMade’s P-UDI utility irons to that list.
We spotted a 17-degree P-UDI 2-iron in Nick Dunlap’s bag yesterday, and now have some photos of both the 3- and 4-irons. Nick has his P-UDI 2-iron setup with a Project X HZRDUS Black 4th Gen 105g TX shaft.
From what we can tell, this new P-UDI utility iron looks to have some of the usual TaylorMade technology as we can see the Speed Slot on the sole of the club for additional face flexibility. A toe screw is usually used to close off the hollow body design that will probably be filled with a version of TaylorMade’s Speed Foam that is present in the current iron lineup. This hollow body, foam-filled design should offer additional ball speed, soft feel, and sound, as well as an optimized CG for ball flight.
“Forged” is etched into the hosel, so we can assume that either the face, body, or both are forged for a soft and responsive feel. The club looks good from behind and at address, where we can see just a little offset and a topline that I would consider medium thickness. We don’t have the full details on what is under the hood or how many loft options will be available yet.
TaylorMade P-UDI 3-iron – 20°
TaylorMade P-UDI 4-iron – 22°
- Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage
- LIKE12
- LEGIT1
- WOW2
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP1
- OB0
- SHANK1
- Collin Morikawa what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60 TX (45 inches)
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (4), P7MC (5-6), P730 (7-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Mid 115 X100 (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (7-PW)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-SB09, 56-LB08), TaylorMade MG4 TW (60-TW11)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: TaylorMade TP Soto
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Tour 2.0
Grips: Golf Pride Z-Grip Cord
Ball: TaylorMade TP5x
- LIKE4
- LEGIT0
- WOW1
- LOL0
- IDHT0
- FLOP0
- OB0
- SHANK1
Dave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
John Daly stuns fans into silence with brutal opening tee shot on PGA Tour Champions
Things got heated at the Houston Open between Tony Finau and Alejandro Tosti. Here’s why
Tiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
Scottie Scheffler WITB 2024 (March)
Photos from the 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational
Report: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
Two star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
Joaquin Niemann names 3 PGA Tour events he’d love to play each year ‘in a perfect world’
Spotted: Bettinardi irons at the Arnold Palmer Invitational
Collin Morikawa WITB 2024 (April)
Collin Morikawa what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. More photos from the event here. Driver: TaylorMade...
WITB Time Machine: Jordan Spieth’s winning WITB, 2022 RBC Heritage
At the 2022 RBC Heritage Jordan Spieth defeated Patrick Cantlay on the first playoff hole after nearly holing his greenside...
Jason Day WITB 2024 (April)
Jason Day what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Ping G430 LST (9 degrees @10) Shaft: TPT...
Ludvig Åberg WITB 2024 (April)
Ludvig Åberg what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. Driver: Titleist TSR2 (9 degrees, D4 SureFit setting)...
-
19th Hole1 week agoDave Portnoy places monstrous outright bet for the 2024 Masters
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoThings got heated at the Houston Open between Tony Finau and Alejandro Tosti. Here’s why
-
19th Hole1 week agoTiger Woods arrives at 2024 Masters equipped with a putter that may surprise you
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoReport: Tiger Woods has ‘eliminated sex’ in preparation for the 2024 Masters
-
19th Hole3 days agoTwo star names reportedly blanked Jon Rahm all week at the Masters
-
19th Hole3 days agoNeal Shipley presser ends in awkward fashion after reporter claims Tiger handed him note on 8th fairway
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoAddiction, spinal fusion, and scam artists – Everything Anthony Kim revealed in candid interview with David Feherty
-
19th Hole2 weeks agoAnthony Kim says doctors told him that he ‘may not have much time left’ ahead of LIV return
Chris Hansen
Jan 4, 2019 at 11:16 am
I always found that my Miuras tour blades had way too much spin.. They are beautiful clubs, with a sweet feel. I played their tour blades for two seasons.
Sean
Dec 21, 2018 at 9:47 am
Think it would be helpful to look at each players Dynamic loft. This will explain smash factor difference, launch difference, and spin difference.
Furthermore, can anyone confirm the loft of the MC-501 that was tested? Standard is 30*
gticlay
Dec 21, 2018 at 3:29 am
I’m still gaming a set of i3 blades, which I hit long and high, or low, or whatever. I really like them. But I lust after a set of Miura irons. The more simple Miura are all so nice looking I have a tough time knowing which ones I would want. I think I would want a set of the CB-1008 but to me it’s really disappointing they don’t have the cool Miura logo like the MC-501’s do so I’d want to order my set with that on them instead of the MG logo (yuck!). Also, do you have any idea what the bounce is? I would expect a master iron head builder would have a couple of different forgings with different bounce so they can build a set with more loft but still the right bounce – any idea how that works? It also looks like the clubs might be a little upright for both testers – what do you think Bryan and Jackson – were the “lefts” a product of that and were you hitting off mats or a grass range? Honestly, I don’t think there is a chance at all I’ll ever get a set, but it’s fun to dream about them!
Real
Dec 24, 2018 at 4:48 pm
The M logo Miura is actually geared for the foreign market for easy one-word brand identification, and the MG logo Miura Giken are the real Japanese ones that you should properly lust after
Miuralovechild
Feb 18, 2019 at 1:35 am
I had the MG logo removed by Jim Kronus on my 1008’s. Then I laser etched the other logo on them.
Martin Looth Or King
Dec 21, 2018 at 1:56 am
Looks like a 1996 ‘Zuno T-Zoid.
Prut
Dec 26, 2018 at 4:47 pm
My thought exactly
rex235
Dec 20, 2018 at 3:17 am
Are all of these Miura iron models RH Only?
Just checking.
Jack
Dec 19, 2018 at 10:05 pm
Jackson hits stingers all day it seems. Very low launch for a 6 iron, and also really good distance too.
JB
Dec 19, 2018 at 8:19 pm
Miura feel is second to none! They don’t always look good in trackman numbers, but they certainly look good, feel unbelievable and perform on the golf course.
smz
Dec 19, 2018 at 8:56 pm
yes yees yeeees… i could fall in love with the mc-501’s… they are sooo beautiful i would be proud to bag them in my WITB of performance clubs on the golf course….
Barrett Holman
Dec 19, 2018 at 4:27 pm
I like the honesty here – would have been easy to fanboy the feel here. I’ve never hit a set, but nice to hear that they might not be the second coming. Good anecdotes. Would like to know which set would go in either persons bag in the end.
Kyle
Dec 19, 2018 at 2:40 pm
Is the TM setup/aligned correctly or are both testers playing a decent hook?
Tom
Dec 19, 2018 at 2:20 pm
WOW!! These clubs are so much better that anything else ever made!! Uncle Rico says he will bet he can hit the 5 iron over them there mountains!!!
Hahaha all irons are the same, even “open models” you can get from the foundries….there is nothing new!! same ole same ole repackaged so Sellers can Sell em!
Crazy About Golf
Dec 19, 2018 at 3:30 pm
If only Uncle Rico had those clubs back in ’82……he’d have gone pro, made millions of dollars.
steve
Dec 19, 2018 at 3:44 pm
I am guessing that you have never hit these…
EC3
Dec 20, 2018 at 8:16 am
Hmmm…the MC-501’s look a LOT like my Taylormade TP MB’s from way back when. Still playing them and still loving them. Miura may be on to something here.
I guess it’s true that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Graham
Dec 19, 2018 at 12:59 pm
What are the lofts of each 6-iron?
steve
Dec 19, 2018 at 3:43 pm
IC-601 = 28*
CB-2008 = 28*
CB-1008 = 27*
MC-501 = 27*
Johnny
Jan 11, 2019 at 8:57 am
Not correct! The lofts for a 6-iron are:
30 -> MC 501
28 -> IC 601
30 -> CB 1008
28 -> CB 2008
Source: https://miuragolf.com/products/
CoopScoop12
Dec 19, 2018 at 12:52 pm
Just a small editing comment. Knudson would be BK not BN. Sorry for being picky but I would want to be aware.
ogo
Dec 19, 2018 at 12:30 pm
The difference in these irons is the location of the CofG… and the rest is cosmetic differences. Identical zinc die-cast models would have done just as well… except for the ego conflict.
MP-4
Dec 19, 2018 at 1:09 pm
Baloney.
They are all hand made and designed by a master.
More like the ogo conflict.
Miura – The Quest for the Perfect Golf Club | Adventures in Golf Season 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rGIqMToeFg
smz
Dec 19, 2018 at 9:00 pm
… and you deserve the perfect clubs for your WITB arsenal of potent weapons… and scare the begeezus out of your playing buddies…. hand made clubs that reek of the masters artistry and admiration…
MP-4
Dec 20, 2018 at 5:35 pm
Have some respect.
It’s about supporting an artist and craftsman who has dedicated his life to building quality irons.
He has differentiated his products with the spin welded hosel, forging process, beautiful designs, etc.
What is the benefit of disparaging him by equating what Miura produces with any old cheap crap off of the shelf? A TV dinner is not the same thing as a home cooked meal even though you could argue they have the same calories, fat, carbs, etc. Golf is about fun and appreciation, not ego trips and criticism.
We need more Mr. Miuras.
Dave
Dec 21, 2018 at 9:44 am
What a great comment. Could not say it better.
Benny
Dec 21, 2018 at 10:12 am
I am with MP-4. Buy and play what you like.. i am not a fan of Miura but to each their own. Enough of the crying and yammering about yourselves. You all act like you discovered gold with your facts and useless information. Tis was a nice article and good comments on what these players thought. Thank you Wrx
Funkaholic
Dec 19, 2018 at 2:19 pm
Why are idiots always defending their cast clubs with this nonsense? If you like your clubs just say that, you sound insecure.
Dan
Dec 19, 2018 at 12:04 pm
Most noticeable part of article: Jackson’s spin numbers are completely unplayable! Averaging nearly 60 feet of roll with a six iron?
Crazy About Golf
Dec 19, 2018 at 3:28 pm
Was just thinking that. Another thing that jumps out is that JE has lower swing speed than BN, yet BN’s ball speed is higher and launch is much lower. One could attribute that to better smash factor (>1.4 as shown on the chart); however, I find it hard to believe that a 16 handicap is striking the ball that much better than an 8.8…..moreover, guys on the PGA Tour don’t even achieve a smash factor that high on a 6-iron. Something is off…..that or BN was hitting something longer than a 6 iron.
Crazy About Golf
Dec 19, 2018 at 3:34 pm
Sorry…..just realized I mangled that whole thing. Should have been:
JE has lower swing speed than BN, yet JE’s ball speed is higher and launch is much lower. One could attribute that to better smash factor (>1.4 as shown on the chart) which would produce longer distance; however, I find it hard to believe that a 16 handicap is striking the ball that much better than an 8.8…..moreover, guys on the PGA Tour don’t even achieve a smash factor that high on a 6-iron. Something is off…..that or JE was hitting something longer than a 6 iron.
Skip
Dec 19, 2018 at 4:32 pm
It’s possible that the 8 hdcp is in a less ideal impact position, possibly a little scoopy, hence the higher launch and lower smash. Maybe the 16 compresses it a little better just isn’t as good a player.
Kyle
Dec 19, 2018 at 4:51 pm
I don’t think hes striking it better, I think he’s hitting a consistent low hooded hook, hence the lower peak height, lower spin, higher smash, and sometimes ending up 30yrds+ left
Brandon
Dec 19, 2018 at 10:29 pm
I’d tend to agree with Kyle. That looks like the flight of a 6 iron I try to hit into the wind.
Thomas A
Dec 20, 2018 at 10:57 am
Just further proves that a lesson will do him better than expensive clubs.
A. Commoner
Dec 19, 2018 at 11:06 am
Nicely written article. Well stated observations in meaningful language. With that said, I wish I had all models cited!
Bogeypro
Dec 19, 2018 at 10:31 am
Dispersion was surprisingly tight between all of them. It’s the Indian not the arrow.
Those cb look like mp18 sc.
Skip
Dec 19, 2018 at 4:30 pm
Except the CB1008’s came out way before MP18.
Kyle
Dec 19, 2018 at 9:27 am
Would be nice to know which actual club they hit for the trackman numbers (looks like maybe 7i for Kudson and 5i for Jackson?) and compare it to what they’re currently gaming. That said, I’m pretty sure Miura is the reason that didn’t happen.
Ben Alberstadt
Dec 19, 2018 at 10:44 am
6-iron, both. Meant to include that in the article. It’s been adjusted. Thanks, Kyle.