Equipment
Review: Miura MC-501
Pros: The most forgiving blade you’ll ever hit. Miura has made what seems like the hugest oxymoron in golf clubs that we club buyers have been dreaming of!
Cons: The Miura MC 501s are only offered to right-handed golfers. My lefty friends again are going to have to wait and hope that Miura will bring this superior work of golf art to life.
Bottom Line: The Miura MC-501, the newest weapon from Miura golf in their blade line, is the newest weapon for more than just the better golfer. If you’ve been loving the look of Miura blades and have felt that you just weren’t good enough to play them, this might be the model you’ve been waiting to try. All the superior looks Miura has been famous for, the butter-soft feel and a touch of forgiveness in an amazing package!
Overview
Miura has famously made some of the most gorgeous irons ever produced in the world. Their muscle back blades have garnered cult status and many of the better players have always gravitated towards their designs. They have made cavity back irons but the models that have drawn the most attention from all skill levels are the muscle backs. Unfortunately those muscle backs weren’t for everyone but the very low handicaps.
The MC-501 is the muscle back model that was made to change that. It is the longest heel to toe blade model they’ve ever made. Through engineering they’ve repositioned 20 grams of weight to the sole, which not only made the sole wider but moved the center of gravity to allow ease in getting a higher trajectory. The MC-501 also incorporates Yoshitaka Miura’s iconic Y-grind sole that blunts and softens the club head’s leading edge and improves turf interaction.
Precision forged from S25C carbon steel in Miura’s factory in Himeji, these clubs were developed under the most stringent and fastidious craftsmen that you could only wish were making your set.
The MC-501 is are available from authorized Miura dealers/fitters worldwide. They carry a suggested retail price of $260 a club, though the prices may vary with different shaft options.
Clubs tested
- Miura MC-501 iron set
- 4-iron through pitching wedge
- KBS CT95 shafts/Japan Exclusive Model, Black Finish
- Elite Y360SV grips from Japan
Entire set custom fit and built at Miura Authorized Fitting Center, Aloha Golf Center Las Vegas.
Performance
My initial test with the MC-501s put an immediate smile on my face. My favorite muscle back and club line from Miura has always been the MB-001. There were a few shortcomings in the MB-001, but the looks and feel always made me forget them. The MC-501 seemed to address the shortcomings of the MB-001 perfectly — particularly in the missed shots. Users whose misses tend to be thin will find the movement of weight toward the sole generously allows them a bit of forgiveness and help in trajectory usually lost than other traditionally shaped muscle backs.
Users who want to work the ball will also find the MC-501s play similarly to the MB-001s despite that added forgiveness. I had to work them a little harder but I was able to move the ball either left or right with no issues. They were a little more similar in playability to the CB-57 line than the MB-001.
The Yoshitaka Miura Y Grind sole allows the usual clean strike at impact and great interaction with the turf. There is no digging and it gives a very positive thump sound to your shots. This sole grind also helps to thin the look of the wider sole. Probably the widest sole offered on any Miura muscle back. Although wide, the MC-501 never played clunky, as you might expect upon an initial look, they instead played just like all the other pure Miura blades.
The long irons were where the MC-501s particularly shined. I have never hit a Miura muscle back 4-iron with such ease. Naturally, the design of the head afforded much more forgiveness in launch, yet I was still able to knock down shots when I needed to. The MC-501, being longer heel-to-toe than any other Miura muscle back, also assist it in having much greater forgiveness in the long irons.
The short irons were definitely precision tools. From PW to 7-iron, the distance with them were consistent and playability perfect. There were no hot spots on the face and Miura’s pure forging made solid shots particularly delightful. I marveled at how accurately these clubs hit their distances once you dialed them in. This is a feature I have not been able to replicate in the filled hollow head irons from many other brands.
Forgiveness was much greater in the MC-501 versus other muscle backs from Miura like the Tournament Blade, MB-001 or Baby Blades. This was immediately obvious upon using them. The loss in yardage with thin shots was lessened, and the trajectory was much more consistent due to the design of the head.
Looks and Feel
The MC-501s have a look all of their own in the Miura lineup. The X-like design on the back almost makes you feel like they have superhero qualities! They will definitely take some getting used to if you’re a long-time user of Miura blades, but for those who aren’t as familiar, the look may appear as an exciting change to the standard muscle back.
The beautiful satin finish, which Miura has come to be the standard bearer of, appeals so much to my senses. Miura clubs are one of the few lines that I can sit and just stare at the head, marveling at the beauty that was once just a raw piece of steel. Miura’s ability to produce golf art is something many club companies strive to meet, but some miserably fail at.
The black Miura logo and name prominently in the main middle muscle of the head and a simple MC-501 stamped towards a toe just continues the classy look of Miura. There’s no need for screw heads, fancy colored paint fill, decals, and other fluff. This is just a pure Japanese forged golf club at its highest level.
For what Miura has touted as its most forgiving iron, the top line at address does not make you feel like you’re playing some huge cavity back. It’s as thin as you would expect a Miura muscle back to be. For blade lovers, and past Miura blade users, the top line will not disappoint you. The toe on the MC-501 appears more square than past muscle backs. I personally like a rounder toe, but the squareness does give a look of a bigger face — something that might please those who want a bit of a more forgiving look. The squared toe and shape of the head frames the ball well, and its easy to align the clubs.
The MC-501 design transitions very well through the set. When you line them up on a wall and look at the heads as they transition from the short to the long irons, the shapes blend perfectly. I think Miura is one of the finest makers when it comes to the transitioning of irons in their sets.
The MC-501 is a joyful feeling in your hands. Once you hit a pure strike with them, that clean, pure feeling of the ball striking the face will take your breath away. I don’t know what they put in the steel in Himeji, Japan, but I’ve yet to feel any other brand of club that makes me smile so much after hitting its clubs. The MC-501 in my humble opinion is one extremely fine feeling line of clubs.
The Takeaway
Katsuhiro Miura’s philosophy is one of not just making a new club to come out with something new, but to improve on what the company already offers. The MC-501 is the amalgamation of all his past irons and the top of their club evolutionary chain. With its eye-catching looks, superior feel, and added forgiveness, the MC-501 is a great gateway club for people wanting to try their first Miura club.
The MC-501 is also the club for current Miura muscle back users who would appreciate more forgiveness in their current set and are just not ready to move to full on cavity back irons. I, for one, am getting older and it has occurred to me to switch over to more forgiving shapes and jacked up lofts. The MC-501 is the club that will keep me playing a few more years in the designs I love to look at!
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Whats in the Bag
Rory McIlroy’s winning WITB: 2024 Wells Fargo Championship
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @8.25) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 X
Irons: TaylorMade Proto (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9) Buy here.
Shaft: Project X 7.0 (4-9)
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB) Buy here, Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58-K @59) Buy here.
Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X3 Buy here.
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour
Ball: 2024 TaylorMade TP5x Buy here.
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Rory McIlroy’s WITB in the forums.
View this post on Instagram
The winning WITB is presented by 2nd Swing Golf. 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
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Whats in the Bag
Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)
- Kevin Tway what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wells Fargo Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX
5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX
Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)
Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4
More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.
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Equipment
Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?
Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.
The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?
Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.
When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.
To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.
Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.
“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.
“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”
Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.
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Bladehunter
Nov 13, 2020 at 11:28 am
Comments here are hilarious. Miura is a better feel than mizuno. Period. Only folks who disagree with that are the ones who haven’t owned both. Mizuno is an odd feel. Mp20 I hated. Mp68 I love. They aren’t all uniform.
I just attracted a set of the mic-501. And I’m impressed. And I’ve owned 4 sets of miura small blades and several sets of wedges. This set is beautiful in feel and function. Has the big old school short irons you can’t buy with major oems blades anymore.
MP32
Dec 13, 2018 at 10:00 pm
Are you saying these are more forgiving than MP-32? I doubt it. Miura has gone to shi† in the past few years. Their clubs look like Chinese knockoffs.
Lefty
Dec 12, 2018 at 7:22 am
All good – Fujimoto MB made for us Lefties – perfect feel and performance – I love previous model Miura left blades but Fujimoto better
ogo
Dec 11, 2018 at 7:49 pm
There is no technological advantage to these clubs over any other forged blades built in the last 10 years… they are only ‘new toys’ for the geardeads seeking a solution to their rotten game… and desire to own the latest greatest clubs on the market…
Rano
Dec 12, 2018 at 5:30 am
You have a personality disorder ogo.
ogo
Dec 14, 2018 at 12:12 am
… you call “sanity” a “personality disorder” ??!!!!
rex235
Nov 30, 2018 at 3:30 am
Soon it will be 2019…
“…going to have to WAIT and HOPE that Miura will bring this superior work of golf art to life.”
“…WAIT-Wait for what?!” Jimmy Stewart as George Bailey in “It’s a Wonderful Life”
For all of their great club designs, Miura remains RH ONLY.
Not like some left handed golfer recently won any match or anything…
ogo
Dec 10, 2018 at 10:22 pm
Left handedness is considered to be evil in Japanese society… sinistra (Latin)… and failure will befall you.
ogo
Nov 27, 2018 at 7:05 pm
Why has Miura put a big slug of steel behind the impact zone on the front of the club? This reduces the club MOI and makes it noticeably less forgiving.
No toe weighting compromises the deadly toe hit so common with recreational golfers with double digit handicaps and up.
learnsomething
Dec 10, 2018 at 10:06 am
So go get the MB 5005s if that’s your complaint.
ogo
Dec 10, 2018 at 10:18 pm
No complaint… just a valid question on club design. Also a valid observation on rec golfer failures. What’s bugging you?!!
Paul
May 19, 2019 at 3:40 pm
How many years have u been designing/ making clubs for ogo can I buy one of your sets as they must be incredible with all your knowledge behind them.
Nihonsei
Nov 26, 2018 at 8:11 pm
Loved my T-Zoid Pros, 1st set I bought myself. Japanese clubs are the closest I get to having any of my grandfather’s sword collection (donated to war cause) and I would give these a go, in fact, I would Love these if it were cheaper than the 919s. I’ll just reshaft my MP 59s and see your money in the clubhouse!
T Zoid
Dec 13, 2018 at 9:58 pm
haha, good point!
W
Nov 26, 2018 at 1:43 pm
Can you say Tzoid by Mizuno circa 1999. Not a whole lot can be done with a blade, move cg, maybe wider sole.
Stan Denenberg
Nov 26, 2018 at 4:55 pm
I had T-Zoid “True” irons in the 90’s-thats the club I immediately thought of.
steve
Nov 25, 2018 at 9:33 pm
FAKE FORGED WARNING!!!
The Miura hosels are NOT 100% forged, they have a steel pipe welded to the forged club body.
Mizunos are 100% grain flow forged from toe to hosel as are most other true forged clubs.
JP
Nov 26, 2018 at 12:19 pm
Thank God I don’t hit the ball off the hosel.
steve
Nov 26, 2018 at 2:31 pm
Yes… hitting the ball on the toe is the usual mis-hit mistake. The OEM solution is to place a slug of heavy tungsten into the toe area to cover up the perpetual disaster.
Keith
Dec 6, 2018 at 3:31 pm
The hosel is forged separately… watch the video
ogo
Dec 14, 2018 at 12:16 am
… and there is a disconnecting weld ring to attach the hosel tube to the forged body…. a hi-tech solution to a forged club design??!!!
oohmatron
Dec 14, 2018 at 6:01 pm
ogo your ignorance in most of your answers is pitiful. Spin welding is not the same as gas or arc welding. Better to remain silent and be considered a fool than to post on here and remove all doubt.
ogo
Dec 15, 2018 at 1:52 am
Okay, but friction spin welding alters the steel grain structure so that the clubhead forge grain is not the same as the steel pipe grain… because of the mechanical friction… sheesh…. now all the gearheads are confused even more… 😮
Point misser
Nov 25, 2018 at 9:05 pm
Not too many folks out there who wouldn’t benefit from a more forgiving iron…maybe 20 or 30 folks in the world. It’s great that Miura continues to find a market
ogo
Nov 25, 2018 at 9:24 pm
No such thing as a “forgiving iron” if you consistently hit way out on the toe or at the heel. No way to engineer out bad mis-hits and bad face alignment. Find another sport if you are searching to be rescued by clubhead design.
dave
Dec 10, 2018 at 8:40 pm
ogo. you havent tried the wilson forged c300 then. literally toe hits stay on line and go 100 percent distance. its amazing. i formed this opinion way before reading their sales promos stating that hits toward the toe actually get the most help from design. im a believer for sure. i sold my set cause i simply hit them too far. but i love loved them.
ogo
Dec 11, 2018 at 7:46 pm
If you love your Wilson Forged clubs then hold on to them lovingly… even take them to bed with you if your love of them is so inclined to do so… cold steel is not my idea for ‘love’…
ogo
Nov 25, 2018 at 7:06 pm
Miura clubheads are forged separately from the hosel which is just a steel pipe welded to the forged clubhead. They still stamp “Forged” on the pipe hosel which is misleading. (Mizuno forge the head and hosel together.)
https://miuragolf.com/the-miura-way/forging-process/#forging
MP-4
Nov 27, 2018 at 12:37 am
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLWo9LzkQNQ
Less voids in the hosel steel with the spin welded hosel.
Solid club all the way through.
Try a Miura club, the steel quality is noticeably higher.
ogo
Nov 27, 2018 at 7:01 pm
So Miura “forged” irons have a forged clubhead with no hosel… a weld ring… a steel tube hosel….. and you don’t notice a discontinuity between the clubhead and hosel?
A “solid club” is all-forged steel piece with no welds. How can you determine higher quality by “trying a Miura club”? Feeel is not a consistent standard.
Tom Duckworth
Nov 25, 2018 at 4:27 pm
They are great looking irons and I bet they play great if you have the game for them. That would go for any blades. If you don’t well blame it on the clubs right?
I wonder how many sets of any Miuras are on tour?
ron
Nov 25, 2018 at 6:58 pm
Miura has performance built into these beauty blades. Just look at the melliferous musclebacks on these clubs. Too bad they only come in right hand models.
ogo
Nov 25, 2018 at 9:25 pm
Lefties can try to hit these beauties cross-handed… if they love them so much.
Jerry G
Dec 16, 2018 at 2:24 am
MIura does not pay to play, but players have used them – KJ Choi won a few tournaments with them, including a Players. Titleist had some blades made for them in the late ’90s and supposedly Tiger played them.
Nut Butter
Nov 25, 2018 at 3:44 pm
Over rated
ron
Nov 25, 2018 at 6:50 pm
Over hyped too….
MP-4
Nov 24, 2018 at 7:18 pm
Some of the best looking clubs ever.
ogo
Nov 25, 2018 at 12:38 am
… only if you are superficial and ignorant about golf club design.
joey
Nov 25, 2018 at 2:48 pm
… and “looks” are everything when you load your WITB arsenal of flaccid weapons.. ppfffttt
ron
Nov 25, 2018 at 6:52 pm
Yes… absolutely the best looking clubs ever…
jimbo
Nov 25, 2018 at 9:27 pm
Better have a spiffy wardrobe if you want to appear in public with these beauties… no jeans and skateboard shoes.
Bubbert
Nov 24, 2018 at 6:22 pm
Beautiful clean design … most club making companies could learn from this.
ogo
Nov 25, 2018 at 12:37 am
Nope… these are bottom and back-weighted blades most suitable for rich duffers who can’t get the ball up up up. Also the slug of metal behind the sweet spot is intended to provide a buttery impact feel.. and highlight the Miura logo for status and show. The design is a compromise by stretching them out from heel-to-toe to increase MOI.
joey
Nov 25, 2018 at 2:51 pm
That’s not a “clean design”; it’s a silly design with irrelevant grooves, lumps of metal on the back and it’s stretched out from heel to toe to make it clunky and oversized. These are not compact muscleback club designs. They are designed to attract rich duffers seeking status.
Piter
Dec 4, 2018 at 1:43 pm
Agree. Made me wonder why they call them blades, maybe just because they have a thin topline? I thought that term came from looking like the blade of a knife, so more like the Titleist MB or TM730 or so.
Anyway, beauty is in tthe eye of the beholder. I don’t like the blob in the middle of the back either but that’s just me.
SKip
Dec 7, 2018 at 3:08 pm
It’s literally MC-501 or “Muscle Cavity”. So they never claim it to be a full MB model.
Piter
Dec 7, 2018 at 4:05 pm
Correction noted. I should have said “the author of the article calls them blades”.
ron
Nov 25, 2018 at 6:53 pm
Yes… beautiful clean design that will result in great feel and lovely performance.
jimbo
Nov 25, 2018 at 9:29 pm
No… lovely feel and great performance… get your grammar straight.
lance
Nov 24, 2018 at 3:32 pm
Love at first sight!! I’m left-handed but I will practice right-handed so I can own these gorgeous Muira musclebacks. OoOoOoOoOooooooh… I’m trembling with {{{love love love}}}
joey
Nov 25, 2018 at 2:53 pm
… and “love” conquers all… even a banana slice and shank.
Brian H.
Nov 24, 2018 at 12:43 pm
Moz I think your feel is a little different than most.. Miura uses the softest steel. Check your “feel”.
ogo
Nov 25, 2018 at 12:44 am
I believe the Brinell Hardness of the Miura steel is ~120 HB…. which makes them plenty soft.
Moz
Nov 24, 2018 at 9:36 am
Mizunos feel way softer. These Miuras feel clunky
Gunter Eisenberg
Nov 24, 2018 at 10:14 am
How would you know?? Did you actually swung one?
Moz
Nov 25, 2018 at 3:28 am
Yes, I hit a bunch of them with all kinds of different shafts, at the clubs I visit there are many wealthy people who have jumped onto the bandwagon, and they all act flash but they all say they’re not as great as they were told
joey
Nov 25, 2018 at 2:56 pm
That ‘clunky’ feel is due to slight off-center hits with a club that has been stretched out from heel-to-toe in an attempt to increase the MOI for duffers who can’t hit on the sweet spot.
ogo
Nov 25, 2018 at 12:49 am
That’s because the Mizuno are completely Flow Forged from a single steel blank that combines the clubhead and hosel… while the Miuras have a steel tube hosel welded to the forged club body… and that dulls the “feeeel”.
Hack
Nov 26, 2018 at 9:55 am
Aren’t these just a redo of the Mizuno T-Zoid irons that Faldo played so well with for a time? Minor changes for certain but nothing new here….
oohmatron
Dec 14, 2018 at 6:07 pm
More laughable and ill informed nonsense from a self-impressed fool. Your risible and ill-informed comments always make me laugh and serve to reiterate your lack of knowledge and/or general education. Be quiet little man, nobody takes you seriously on here.
ogo
Dec 15, 2018 at 1:57 am
… and all you do is fling sh!t and hoping some of it will stick to make you look good … you pedantic pr!ck ….
ogo
Dec 15, 2018 at 1:59 am
… and all you do is fling sh!† and hoping some of it will stick to make you look good … you pedan†ic pr!k ….