Equipment
Miura Golf sold, new owner plans “significant investment”
Miura Golf has a new owner who will make a “significant investment” in the Japanese golf equipment brand, sources close to the matter have told GolfWRX. We have also learned that True Spec Golf will manage worldwide sales and distribution of Miura products.
Miura currently sells a full line of ultra-premium golf equipment that is designed and manufactured by Miura Founder Katsuhiro Miura and his sons (Yoshitaka and Shinei) at the company’s manufacturing facility in Himeji, Japan. The family’s hands-on approach to its business has been an important part of its success. According to GolfWRX sources, the Miuras’ involvement in the design and manufacturing of its products “will remain the same.”
Miura Founder Katsuhiro Miura has been making handcrafted forged golf clubs since 1957. According to Miura, professional golfers have won several major championships using its clubs, specifically its forged players irons, without endorsement contracts. The company has also produced forged irons for Nike and TaylorMade, and K.J. Choi used a set of Miura CB-501 irons to win The Players Championship in 2011.
Miura was once an undisputed leader in the ultra-premium golf equipment category, but the company’s presence at retailers has declined in recent years due increased competition, specifically from upstart equipment manufacturer PXG. PXG was founded by billionaire Bob Parsons in 2014 and sells its irons at the starting price of $350 per head.
A Miura brand re-launch will focus on “exposing Miura clubs to consumers worldwide” and “simplifying” the company’s product line, GolfWRX sources said. The company currently offers more than a dozen different iron models. Just as important will also be an increased emphasis on creating highly engineered irons that are “easier for more golfers to hit,” such the company’s new Genesis irons (pictured), which were recently launched and sell for $350 per head.
GolfWRX will continue to follow this story as it unfolds. An official announcement from Miura is expected this week.
Related
- What GolfWRX Members are saying about Miura’s sale in our forum.
- Our review of Miura’s new Genesis irons.
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Whats in the Bag
Scottie Scheffler’s winning WITB: 2024 Masters
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (8 degrees @8.25) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7 X (45 inches)
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees) Buy here.
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X
Irons: Srixon ZU85 (3, 4) Buy here, TaylorMade P7TW (5-PW) Buy here.
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Hybrid Prototype 10 X (3), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (50-12F, 56-14F) Buy here, Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks Proto (60-T) Buy here.
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X Buy here.
Grip: Golf Pride Pro Only Cord
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1 Buy here.
Check out more in-hand photos of Scottie Scheffler’s clubs here.
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
WITB Time Machine: Danny Willett’s winning WITB, 2016 Masters
Driver: Callaway XR 16 (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana W-Series 60 X
Length: 45.5 inches
3-wood: Callaway XR 16 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana W-Series 70X
5-wood: Callaway XR 16 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Rayon Diamana W-Series 80X
Irons: Callaway Apex UT (2, 4), Callaway Apex Pro (5-9)
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 Superlite
Wedges: Callaway Mack Daddy 2 (47-11 S-Grind) Callaway Mack Daddy 2 Tour Grind (54-11, 58-9)
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 Superlite
Putter: Odyssey Versa #1 Wide (WBW)
Lie angle: 71 degrees
Ball: Callaway Speed Regime SR-3
Check out more photos of Willett’s equipment from 2016 here.
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Equipment
Project X Denali Blue, Black shaft Review – Club Junkie Review
Originally, Project X was known for low-spin steel iron shafts. However, the company might now be known for wood shafts. Denali is the newest line of graphite shafts from Project X. With the Denali line, the company focuses on feel as well as performance.
There are two profiles in the Denali line, Blue and Black, to fit different launch windows. Denali Blue is the mid-launch and mid-spin profile for players who are looking for a little added launch and Denali Black is designed for low-launch and low-spin. Both models are going to offer you a smooth feel and accuracy.
For a full in-depth review check out the Club Junkie podcast on all podcast streaming platforms and on YouTube.
Project X Denali Blue
I typically fit better into mid-launch shafts, as I don’t hit a very high ball so the Denali Blue was the model I was more excited to try. Out of the box, the shaft looks great and from a distance, it is almost hard to tell the dark blue from the Denali Black. With a logo down install of the shaft, you don’t have anything to distract your eyes, just a clean look with the transition from the white and silver handle section to the dark navy mid and tip.
Out on the course, the Blue offers a very smooth feel that gives you a good kick at impact. The shaft loads easily and you can feel the slightly softer handle section compared to the HZRDUS lineup. This gives the shaft a really good feel of it loading on the transition to the downswing, and as your hands get to impact, the Denali Blue keeps going for a nice, strong kick.
Denali Blue is easy to square up at impact and even turn over to hit it straight or just little draws and most of the flex of the shaft feels like it happens right around where the paint changes from silver to blue. The Blue launches easily and produces what I consider a true mid-flight with the driver. While it is listed as mid-spin, I never noticed any type of rise in my drives. Drives that I didn’t hit perfectly were met with good stability and a ball that stayed online well.
Project X Denali Black
When you hold the Denali Black in your hands you can tell it is a more stout shaft compared to its Blue sibling by just trying to bend it. While the handle feels close to the Blue in terms of stiffness, you can tell the tip is much stiffer when you swing it.
Denali Black definitely takes a little more power to load it but the shaft is still smooth and doesn’t give you any harsh vibrations. Where the Blue kicks hard at impact, the Black holds on a little and feels like keeps you in control even on swings that you try and put a little extra effort into. The stiff tip section also makes it a little harder to square up at impact and for some players could take away a little of the draw from their shot.
Launch is lower and more penetrating compared to the Blue and produces a boring, flat trajectory. Shots into the wind don’t rise or spin up, proving that the spin stays down. Like its mid-launch sibling, the Black is very stable and mishits and keeps the ball on a straighter line. Shots low off the face don’t get very high up in the air, but the low spin properties get the ball out there farther than you would expect. For being such a stout shaft, the feel is very good, and the Denali Black does keep harsh vibrations from your hands.
Overall the Project X Denali Blue and Black are great additions to the line of popular wood shafts. If you are looking for good feel and solid performance the Denali line is worth trying out with your swing. Choose Blue for mid-launch and mid-spin or Black for lower launch and low spin.
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Rich
Jan 10, 2017 at 7:52 am
With “significant investment” comes significant expectation. Profit that is. With high profit expectation comes compromise. If you want a set of real Miura irons, buy them now before the investor/shareholder profit expectation f@&ks them up.
Bert
Jan 9, 2017 at 9:13 pm
I was a Miura dealer for several years (as a custom clubfitter/clubmaker). I would purchase heads only and do the custom assembly as per customer’s specs that were determined through the fitting process (about 4 hours). I even had a personal set for a while. No doubt about it, they are beautiful clubs. Now when it comes to performance – did they out-perform the other brands? The answer is no. Once we determined the ideal shaft length/weight/flex for a golfer, the next step in the process is to determine the correct and best performing head for the golfer. More often than not, I could get a golfer hitting other brands (such as Wishon, Alpha, Swing Science) heads better and more consistent than the Miura designs. You can’t script this stuff, performance trumps all. The golfer could see, touch, and feel it right then and there during the fitting – FlightScope, impact labels, and golfer feedback on FEEL would concur. Many times people would come to me with the intention of buying Miura clubs from me (usually doctors, lawyers, the more “professional” type folks), [and my custom build Miuras were NOT cheap by any means], but in a very high percentage I would have them hitting another brand better (when comparing equal loft to equal loft). My personal set was very nice (and expensive too), but I did not play any better with my Miura set than I did with any of my other personal sets (three sets of Wishon irons, one set of Alpha irons, and one set of Swing Science irons). Not bashing the Miura product, as previously mentioned it is absolutely gorgeous stuff – just that the wicked high price a golfer will pay for them will not buy them a better game. The absolute most important factor with golf clubs is to have them PROPERLY fit by a certified & qualified clubfitter, and then made to YOUR specifications – that will make a difference in your game. It will be interesting to see what the new owners come up with in the future.
Florian
Aug 31, 2019 at 4:33 am
I cannot really confirm that as a long time clubmaker but I can agree that you just can’t buy performance. What you’re paying for is the feel of hitting Miuras and a bit of history. However, Miuras quality is still outstanding and unmatched by pretty much every other manufacturer. All the heads have the exact weight and specs we need them to have. You can adapt them easily in regards to lie, loft and weight. This is not the case with most other clubs. And yes, there are cheaper brands with the same opportunities but they are not known and less popular. After decades it’s extremely rare that a player moved back to another brand after having played a custom built set of Miuras. What I have to admit is that the range is not particularly broad so there might be players to whom another head fits better. But these cases are very rare.
Adam
Jan 9, 2017 at 8:57 pm
So has True Spec Golf bought the american part of Miura Golf, the article states Miura Golf and Miura Golf Inc is an american incorporated company from my understanding. Or has True Spec Golf bought also the Japanese based company as well, which is know as Miura Giken a.k.a Miura Giken Co. Ltd, which predominantly serves the Japanese market for products. Outside of Japan Miura golf irons and known as branded as Miura but within Japan products are branded as MiuraGiken!
Mark
Jan 9, 2017 at 7:20 pm
Never has so small a company had so many comments. I see Miura as something like Patek in watches. Beautifully made, limited production runs and only sold through a select group of retailers to guarantee exclusivity. Problem is they tell the same time as a Rolex or Omega at a fraction of the cost. And in Golf terms won’t do anything a Mizuno or Srixon blade will do.
Bling
Jan 9, 2017 at 8:21 pm
But it’s the Bling! We all want the Bling!
Jim
Jan 9, 2017 at 9:58 pm
Actually, standard spec (closer to 80’s traditional blade lofts) Miura have been beating all comers on Trackman in our indoor/outdoor fittings.
NO major OEM focus’ on the hosel, which has been Miura’s “secret” of success. Titleist, TM, Mizuno or Nike (we’ve reshafted or pured hundreds of sets) have loose ill fitting hosels, the heads are generally poorly weight stepped, the insert depths are inconsistent & the bore often off center.
Miura says the hosel is the most important part of the head, and he sure seams to be right.
Our Miura heads come with a pilot hole so we bore them for either taper or parralel tips, and have to pound the heads down to seat them fully. Mizuno dimples their shafts because there’s so much play. Vastly tighter head to shaft fit transmits more energy and the buttery soft but rock solid feel.
I’ve witnessed DOZENS of ‘standard issue’ mid-low hcp players <90mph hit Miura 6 irons 7-14 yrds longer than ANY major OEM product (not always the same shaft – but always close weight/flex wise during fittings). Stronger players were averaging 15 yrds longer AND 30% LESS dispersion.
We're on all Top 25, Top 50 & Top 100 fitting/custom&pro shop listsn and from 2007-2013 these numbers were consistent.
Best Ever.
Newer forgings and hot lofted models from EPON and occasionally PXG have edged them on length, but NEVER on feel. PXG's need spacers for TT shafts….wtf's up w/that Mr. P?
Dave R
Jan 9, 2017 at 5:09 pm
I like the lawyer dude, he’s got it figured out.
JThunder
Jan 9, 2017 at 4:58 pm
Yuck
ZJohnson
Jan 9, 2017 at 4:37 pm
It could be True Spec as their owner has tons of money and tons of wealthy investors. They bought Club Conex last year and paid much more than the original owner was asking for. Granted Club Conex is nowhere near what he would have to pay for Miura. I would put my money on it being Parsons though. Before he started PXG, he had a massive love affair with Miura. He had 10 or so sets of the 1957 baby’s done in the black boron. That was just the start of it too. I bet he spent over $100 g’s on Miura product alone in less than 18 months. I could see him using their expertise to grow PXG even faster in the Asian markets.
Wilson
Jan 9, 2017 at 3:08 pm
yeah, i’m thinking it’s TourSpecGolf, an ultra premium retailer that’s been around for a while. True Spec Golf looks like it’s a large scale golf fitting facility, which could also make sense.
hmm…real head scratcher. if i was betting i would go with TourSpecGolf though.
https://www.tourspecgolf.com
http://truespecgolf.com/
Zak Kozuchowski
Jan 9, 2017 at 3:54 pm
True Spec Golf is correct
Bling
Jan 9, 2017 at 8:23 pm
TourSpec only wishes it could have that kind of money, them scammers that they are
Skip
Jan 10, 2017 at 12:08 pm
Agreed. None of their Miura product were acquired legitimately.
Adam
Jan 9, 2017 at 9:04 pm
What have they bought Miura Golf (i think an american incorporated company) or Miura Giken (Japanese incorporated company) or both companies. Miura Golf is the company for international sales, whilst MiuraGiken is for the Japanese market
Neil Cameron
Jan 10, 2017 at 2:58 am
i think they have bought Miura manufacturing,and appointed True spec as the distributer.
will include all Miura heads,look for a coming together and simplification of the product line
Tom
Jan 9, 2017 at 3:05 pm
$350 a head! The hood ornament on my Roll’s cost less then that.
Doug
Jan 9, 2017 at 4:02 pm
…THAN that. Sorry, I’m a 2nd grade teacher. Can’t help myself. 😉
RedX
Jan 9, 2017 at 4:11 pm
A quick read through of the contributions here suggest you have considerably more correcting to do Doug ! Don’t stop now…
Tom
Jan 10, 2017 at 2:53 pm
no prob. and thank you
The geek
Jan 9, 2017 at 8:38 pm
Nah – I drove a rolls once with the prom queen – the grill alone was 5 grand (I didn’t have 5 grand) and that was back in the 80’s
Hood ornament has to be $$$$
Jeffrey Purtell
Jan 10, 2017 at 1:03 am
Yeah, but you can only hit it 20 yards.
HumbleBrag?
Jan 10, 2017 at 7:13 pm
Toot toot! Jack would be a great fit — played the cb57’s at father/son. I’ve owned a few sets and can say it’s more than just conspicuous consumption. Played my best golf, purest golf with these.
Jericho
Jan 9, 2017 at 3:03 pm
The reason I’ve had three sets of Miura blades including two sets of the 1957 Limited addition baby blade is because they were forged and ground by the man himself “the hands of God” .. ..now they are going to be forged and ground by “the hands of some guy who used to work for another company and now is going to get a paycheck to drive over to the shop to work here..”. .. umm ..I was somewhat on the fence with getting another set of baby blades ..I think I’ll go look at those 0311T’s
Skip
Jan 10, 2017 at 12:11 pm
not to burst your bubble, but those heads aren’t “hand forged” like some magical sword in Game of Thrones. Hand ground yes, hand forged no.
Jericho
Jan 10, 2017 at 1:12 pm
Skip yea I know these heads had the bejesus pounded out of them with tons of pressure with a machine I’m just saying ..ok we’re kinda getting from the story here ..although the Game of Thrones magical sword reference was a good one lol
FlyPhish
Jan 10, 2017 at 1:42 pm
The “Blades of a Thousand Truths”
Mark
Jan 9, 2017 at 2:02 pm
I have spent time in the True Spec facility at Turnberry and it is certainly high end (PXG is currently one of the brands for which they fit). So if this is going to be the access point for Miura, it is not obvious to me why this would make Miura, in a negative way, become a mainstream brand. I am also wondering if any of the True Spec investors are involved with the Miura purchase.
cgasucks
Jan 9, 2017 at 1:55 pm
I hope they’ll still let Mr. Miura or at least his sons overlook the forging and grinding of the clubheads in Japan instead of contracting it out to other Japanese or worse, Chinese foundries. If that is the case say goodbye to its mystique that what made them so successful in the first place.
Tom
Jan 9, 2017 at 3:08 pm
who’s to say they weren’t doing that prior to the sell of the company?
cgasucks
Jan 9, 2017 at 6:10 pm
Yeah…I didn’t read the article property…from what it says, despite the new ownership, the Miura family will keep doing what they’re doing..
S Hitty
Jan 9, 2017 at 1:45 pm
It’s the specialst, high-end, personal touch of Miura is what made it what it is. Now that it will become a global slave, it’ll just suffer like the rest of them.
Yep
Jan 9, 2017 at 3:55 pm
Almost my comment exactly. People pay for Miura. Not so bullish on Miura-by-Dave.
Craigie73
Jan 9, 2017 at 1:24 pm
I heard it’s Jack Nicklaus
Blackman
Jan 9, 2017 at 3:58 pm
Same here
Blackmon
Jan 9, 2017 at 8:25 pm
Nah you dinn’t
Joseph
Jan 9, 2017 at 8:49 pm
Jack is 77. If he is in the buying mode, I feel bad for Jack
Jeffrey Purtell
Jan 10, 2017 at 1:07 am
Its not Arnold Palmer.
Sloop
Jan 10, 2017 at 1:23 am
How do you know?
Ty Webb
Jan 10, 2017 at 1:24 am
This is the first time I’ve genuinely laughed at something on wrx!
Jim
Jan 9, 2017 at 1:13 pm
“The family’s hands-on approach to its business has been an important part of its success.” That is why they were so successful – it’ll be all downhill from here. And just yesterday I was thinking of finding a set of Baby Blades.
thomas murphy
Jan 9, 2017 at 1:18 pm
I would have that fear also, I am hoping that the “investment” is mainly in marketing and sales channel development but they will keep the product line simple – could be broader investment into wider line of product (drivers etc) but yeah, this now puts me on the path to get my next irons sooner rather than later.
Justin
Jan 9, 2017 at 12:45 pm
I googled Tru spec Golf – are you sure that is the correct name?
Brent
Jan 9, 2017 at 1:11 pm
TourSpec Golf
Frank Gifford
Jan 9, 2017 at 1:19 pm
http://truespecgolf.com
Dat
Jan 9, 2017 at 12:21 pm
Sounds like the investor wants to sell heads at or above PXG pricing. If so, say goodnight to Miura.
Tom
Jan 9, 2017 at 2:51 pm
They’re already the same price at a little over $2k per set.
Dave
Jan 9, 2017 at 12:09 pm
Looks like my Baby Blades are going up in value. I’ve seen this movie a thousand times…new buyer capitalizes on a mostly untapped global market with a great family name by mass producing lesser quality products at the same or higher prices. I sure hope I’m wrong…
Joseph R Dreitler
Jan 9, 2017 at 2:54 pm
“…new buyer capitalizes on a mostly untapped global market with a great family name by mass producing lesser quality products at the same or higher prices.” you nailed it. The seller gets a 3 year contract to stay away (er, consult), the new buyer puts its own people running the business and decides to “leverage” the brand by putting it on a lot more “stuff” to increase their revenue and at some point, flip it public and make a bundle.
Anyone here old enough to remember when Wilson WAS a really good brand of sporting goods, including golf clubs? The owners sold out to Pepsi Cola (seriously) and Pepsi did all of the above, the quality became garbage and Wilson has been sold and re-sold more than a dozen times.
Tom
Jan 9, 2017 at 12:03 pm
I can’t assume they would’ve made a move if they weren’t starting to go into red figures, but I can’t see things remaining the same. They aren’t main stream irons, and shouldn’t be main stream irons. Not only do you have to have the money to buy them ( I had to wait a long time and sell a lot of clubs to get a set of these), but you have to have the game to appreciate them.
If they become more mass-produced, I can’t see how you’ll still find the Hands of God himself at the end of the line, hand grinding every set. I know he made my sets, and I will hold onto them. This is a sad day. I guess one set will stay in the bag, and the other will go up on the wall.
Long live the hands of god, I wish the company the best, but unfortunately I feel it’s a waste of breath to say “don’t go changin.” At best, I could see him continuing to have the same role in making the players clubs.
Couldn’t super rich guy just have bought them to keep them the same? Between Tiger and Rory, they both owe some gratitude to this guy, maybe they could make a donation? HA.
Jim
Jan 9, 2017 at 12:00 pm
Bummer.
Joseph R Dreitler
Jan 9, 2017 at 11:47 am
I’ve been a lawyer for 40 years. I’ve worked on more “deals” than I can count. 99 and 44/100% of the time, the acquiring company is larger than the seller. And the acquiring company has a lot more overhead to put on top of the company they acquired. And to pay for the acquisition costs (often with borrowed funds) and to increase their profits, very often the acquiring company cuts costs. Marketing, R&D, Product Development, etc. It usually takes 2-3 years before this becomes apparent, but watch out Titleist. As for Miura, since this doesn’t say who acquired it, I would like to hope that the new owner will not cut corners to pay down the debt of the money they borrowed for the acquisition. But, my experience says I wouldn’t bet more than a Coke or a beer on that.
Swingblade
Jan 9, 2017 at 2:56 pm
Just ask yourselves what would be the likely result if Taylormade bought PXG. Within three to five years, PXG as we know it today, would simply be a memory and mass production of gimmicky twists on the former PXG design fundamentals would be the mainstay of the TM PXG line.
But, Miura is a completely different animal than PXG in so many ways. As said above, the new owners will have an agenda to significantly increase both revenue and profits. No matter what they say, they will have no sincere or meaningful agenda to maintain the unique Miura heritage of craftsmanship.
I hope that my pessimism based on past business experience is unfounded. I hope that the formal announcement will completely dispel such concerns in no uncertain terms.
Sadly, the gentleman below perhaps said it best, “Cue Jim Morrison … ‘This is the end.”
I feel very fortunate to have complete sets of CB 57’s and K Grinds.
W
Jan 10, 2017 at 3:26 am
Well yeah, Miura has been around for a while now, and their expertise is second to none, with beautifully forged clubs with individual care, rather than the clunky machine-factory pumped PXG junk with rivets from WW2.
Eric
Jan 9, 2017 at 11:46 am
Don’t tamper with greatness. Long live the Miura treasures like the MB and Tournament Blades, CB57 Irons, and Y and K Grind Wedges
Blake
Jan 9, 2017 at 11:42 am
Tour spec golf*
Frank Gifford
Jan 9, 2017 at 1:19 pm
http://truespecgolf.com
Mike Honcho
Jan 9, 2017 at 11:42 am
Queue Jim Morrison… “This is the end…”
Cue
Jan 9, 2017 at 11:52 am
Take a cue from me… Jim Morrison waits in line for no one.
Queue
Jan 9, 2017 at 12:05 pm
What the heck would you know, Cue? You a psycho drug addict too? Yeah, huh?
Maggie M'Gill
Jan 9, 2017 at 9:20 pm
He waited in line for me.
M....
Jan 9, 2017 at 11:23 am
As long as the CB-501 isn’t changed before I get a set…