Interview: 9 Holes With Miura Golf President Adam Barr

Written by: Tony Korologos | Tuesday, December 11th, 2012
Categories: Golf Clubs • Golf Equipment • Golf Gear • Interviews

I’m happy to present an interview with Miura Golf’s President Adam Barr. You may remember Adam from his years as a broadcaster with Golf Channel. In this interview we discuss Miura and specifically the Miura New Wedge Series which I just reviewed in the previous golf blog post. I do my interviews in nine hole segments; nine questions. Today’s course of choice is the New Course at St. Andrews, designed by Old Tom Morris and opened in 1895. That’s why the holes are so short…

Hole #1 – Par-4 – 336 Yards

TK: Adam, thanks for taking the time to do nine with Hooked On Golf Blog patrons today about Miura and the New Wedge Series. We will start with some background. Tell us about Miura for those who are not familiar with the company.

AB: 336? Can I hit 3-wood? Actually, I want to hit as much club as possible here. Miura is a family company in Japan. Founder Katsuhiro Miura, an expert in club forging and grinding for more than five decades, and his two sons forge the world’s finest irons, wedges and putters at our company’s one factory and forge in Himeji in central Japan. We also have a full line of drivers, fairway woods and hybrids designed by the Miuras and made under their supervision. Mr. Miura is to club grinding as Julia Child was to cooking or Isaac Stern was to the violin — far and away the world’s master.

Miura New Wedge Series – click for review

Hole #2 – Par-4 – 367 Yards

TK: What does Miura do differently than other golf club manufacturers that sets them apart?

AB: Instead of forging the entire golf club head, including the hosel, at one time, we forge only the heel-to-toe portion first. This prevents the grain from being stretched up into the hosel area. Forging the whole head at once would increase the chance of little bubbles and voids in the grain of the steel, and that could lead to “clanky” impact. Instead, the heel-to-toe portion — the business end of the head — is forged with perfect grain structure, and the hosel, made of the same steel and perfectly straight, is welded on by a special process called spin forging. The seam is finished off, and the club operates as if it were always one piece. You can see a demonstration of this on our YouTube channel in this video.

The resulting grain structure in the club head is more comparable to a jar of sand than, say, a jar of marbles. That’s the crucial element in the otherworldly feel of impact in a Miura club.

Hole #3 – Par-5 – 511 Yards

TK: You were a golf journalist at GOLFWEEK and then a broadcaster at Golf Channel for a while. What was the transition like going from golf media to being president of a golf company?

AB: Well, it’s no longer a deadline world. On the corporate side, there are more concurrent projects going on; you push the boulders a little further up the hill each day. It’s not as frenetic as media, for sure. But there are similarities: my primary job is to communicate, with all that entails — knowing your audience, making the message compelling, adjusting to circumstances, being responsive and following up. So overall, media was good training for the corporate world. And the fact that I can make the company videos doesn’t hurt.

Hole #4 – Par-4 – 369 Yards

TK: Being a Japanese company, what are the challenges you’ve had to face working for Miura?

AB: Naturally, there is a language barrier. I have studied some Japanese, but my abilities are very rudimentary. The key challenge is cultural. The Japanese — most Asian cultures — simply do business differently that western cultures. Patience is vital; meetings can involve long silences, but this doesn’t mean things aren’t going well. But on the whole, we have been able to bridge language and cultural divides to form a very satisfying relationship. I like being around the Miuras; I always learn something, and they’re also fun to play golf with.

Hole #5 – Par-3 – 180 Yards

TK: I had to chuckle when I found out that the name of the new wedge series was, “New Wedge Series.” What’s the deal with the name? No model numbers?

AB: Nah. We tend not to stand on ceremony about such things. We simply called it that to differentiate it from our Old Wedge Series.

Hole #6 – Par-4 – 445 Yards

TK: The New Wedge Series has some unique lofts, all odd numbers. What is the story there?

AB: Well, of course, they’re all bendable back or forward to even lofts if necessary. But we found out from our dealers that in most cases, it’s easier to gap wedge sets that have odd lofts. With many of our pitching wedges at 47 degrees standard loft, the odd lofts work out well in most cases. But if they don’t, dealers can adjust.

Mirua New Wedge Series – click for more Miura photos

Hole #7 – Par-4 – 356 Yards

TK: Having played this wedge now for a while, I can attest to the bounce of the club. I can’t quite explain it, but it seems to get under the ball perfectly, even on tight lies. On my old wedges some took too much turf and some bounced too much. Tell us about the bounce of these wedges and their design.

AB: The overall sole design is something the Miuras spend a lot of time on, both in the design stage and in prototyping — naturally, because of its importance in turf interaction. The bounce gets a lot of refining as the dies are made because we understand that golfers play over a lot of different kinds of turf, so we need to come up with a shape that will get the junk out of the road on the way to impact but not bump the leading edge up into the belly of the ball.

Hole #8 – Par-5 – 481 Yards

TK: A friend of mine keeps saying “Japanese Steel” every time I hit my wedge. Is there a difference between the materials used in these wedges or Miura’s clubs in general, versus other golf clubs? How about the shafts too?

AB: No significant differences in the steel we use….it’s more a matter of what we do with it, as mentioned above. The steel is low-carbon, meaning 4 percent or less. That keeps the steel strong enough to hit a ball with, but still malleable enough to bend for loft and lie — all without being brittle. As for the shafts — we have models we like, but that choice is really up to the authorized dealer/fitters and their customers. Our clubs are almost all custom fitted, so any number of shafts can end up in them.

Hole #9 – Par-3 – 225 Yards

TK: Thanks for spending some time with us today Adam. What can we look forward to in the future from Miura?

AB: As for product plans, I can’t divulge yet. But as for communication, much more in addition to the stepped-up pace we began two years ago when I started. We began a concerted social media campaign on the usual outlets early in 2012. We started gathering a golfer database too; golfers can sign up for news about Miura and golf equipment in general by going to www.MiuraGolf.com and using the sign-up box on the home page. And I’m available for questions and comments any time through our website: info @ miuragolf . com. I answer every one; I’m pretty sure I’m the only golf equipment industry exec who does.

Hang on, lemme count my putts….

Review: Miura Golf’s New Wedge Series

Written by: Tony Korologos | Monday, December 10th, 2012
Categories: Golf Clubs • Golf Equipment • Golf Gear • Reviews

I’ve had a beautiful new lob wedge in the bag for the last couple of months, a 59 degree wedge by Miura Golf. My short game has been quite bad this year or so, and I’m very happy to report that the addition of this wedge made a huge difference from the first swing. I’ve only scratched the surface with this wedge, pun intended. I’m looking forward to building this relationship and the quality of my short game more and more.

Mirua New Wedge Series – click for more Miura photos

Lets get to it. My review of this wedge is below. Following the review I will be posting my interview with Miura President Adam Barr, who gives us some great insight into the company and this special wedge series. That post will come up after this review is published.

About Miura

If you have not heard of Miura, they’re a family-owned Japanese company founded by Katsuhiro Miura. Mr. Miura is a master-clubmaker, forging and grinding high end clubs for over 50 years. The company is located in Jimeji, central Japan.

Miura is not a company you hear about all the time like the big marketing machines in golf, but we will be hearing more and more about them in the future. I can tell you that there are many top pros who choose to use Miura irons and wedges, though they’re paid by those big name companies. Perhaps the most famous publicly endorsed player is K.J. Choi, one of my favorites.

Lets dig in, without too much of a divot, to Miura’s New Wedge Series.

Miura New Wedge Series – click to enlarge

New Wedge Series Construction

Miura uses low carbon mild steel in the construction of the New Wedge Series. This steel provides soft feel and control with great feedback (information about the shot provided to the player through feel and sound).

The wedges are precision forged and hand ground. The heel-toe portion of this wedge is forged first, rather than forging the entire head. The top half/hosel is then welded on by a process called “spin forging.” The club is chrome finished, with conservative and classy artwork. Miura President Adam Barr describes this process in the upcoming interview piece.

Looks

This club is stunningly beautiful. When I received it I didn’t even want to take it out of the plastic wrap. I surely didn’t want to take it out on the course and scratch it up! The finish is perfect. The artwork features an understated Japanese character which represents a noble effort. Standing over this club I find easy inspiration for good shotmaking.

Feel

The New Wedge’s hand forged low carbon mild steel and perfect grain structure produces a feel that is unmatched. That feel has been a great boost to my confidence and touch around the greens. My distance control on chips and pitches has improved dramatically. I also have a great feel for the proper bounce, from tight and hard lies to thick lies in long grass. The feedback from the club tells me right where the impact is so I can fine tune my positioning.

Specifications

The New Wedge Series is available in odd numbered lofts from 51 to 59 as shown in the specs chart below. Naturally if a player wants a different loft, the clubs can be tweaked.

Loft (degrees)	51	53	55	57	59
Lie (degrees)	63.5	63.5	63.5	63.5	63.5
Weight (grams)	297	304	304	307	307
Offset* (inches)	0.16	0.03	0.08	-0.04	-0.02
Face Progression** (mm)	5.2	6.5	6	7.2	7
Bounce (degrees)	5	7	9	10	8

Shaft Options

There are dozens of shaft options including selections from: Aerotech, Graphite Design, KBS Tour, muziik, Nippon, Project X True Temper and UST Mamiya. My shaft is an ACCRA SP wedge shaft. The ACCRA SP produces high spin, a penetrating ball flight, excellent stability and low torque.

On The Course

This is where all the above materials, specs and construction techniques win or lose. Do all of these elements produce great results on the course? The answer is a resounding YES. From the first shot I took on the course I knew this was the best wedge I’d ever played. I have many triumphant stories to tell about shots with this wedge. I’ll mention three which really stand out in my mind.

Miura New Wedge Series – click to enlarge

The first shot I hit with the club was on my home course, a par-5. I was 60 yards from a front right pin on a tricky green which has a very fast slope from back to front. My ball was sitting against the cut between the fairway and the rough. I put the swing I felt best on the shot. The ball flew true and on line. The green was elevated so I was not able to see where the ball finished until I walked up to the green. My opponents already gave me the birdie putt. The ball was 12 inches. At that point I thought perhaps I’d bronze the thing and put it on my wall. -1 lifetime.

The next time I used the New Wedge was on the next par-5. This time I was pin-high left in two. I had a chip of about 20 feet from some long rough on the side of the green. The chip was crisp and landed exactly on the spot I’d picked out. The ball rolled to about ONE inch from the hole. I couldn’t believe it didn’t drop. At that point I’d hit two shots with the New Wedge, both resulting in birdies.

Last Thursday on the 12th hole of the day (the 3rd hole since we started on the back nine first) I had a very tough chip. I’d come up short right of the green, with a pin short right. I had no green to work with and the green was super-slick and running away. The lie was very tight on hard ground. If I threw 25 practice balls down in that spot, I’d be lucky to get 4-5 of them within 10 feet. It was nearly impossible. My opponent was licking his chops as he has reached the green in regulation and has a good shot at a par. He figures I’ll fail to get up and down, making a bogey. So what did I do? I rocked my opponent with the perfect chip. It hit the fringe, checked a tiny bit and trickled down the slope and dropped straight into the hole. Center cut. My opponent looked like he’d just seen his ex-wife (you know, the crazy one). That chip-in birdie proved crucial to my winning not only my bets, but my two-man team bets as well.

Critiques

I always post critiques in my reviews. I play devil’s advocate and try to find a place where improvement can be made. I have two complaints about this wedge and Miura in general.

My first complaint about the New Wedge is that I’ve spent my entire golfing career without it. What a shame.

My second complaint about Miura clubs is that I only have one.

Pricing

Pricing on the Miura New Wedge series starts at $235.00 depending on shaft and grip options.

Conclusion

As important as the short game is to one’s golf game, why cut corners? Miura cuts no corners. The materials, design and craftsmanship are of the highest quality. The feel and performance of this beautiful wedge are better than any I’ve played to date.

Related Links

Miura Website

Hooked On Golf Blog Miura images

Miura President Adam Barr Review (coming soon)

Golf Book Review: Spectacular Golf Western Canada

Written by: Tony Korologos | Friday, December 7th, 2012
Categories: Golf Books • Reviews

Note to self: Plan golf trip to Canada, hoser.

A few months ago I traveled up to Vancouver, BC Canada. What a beautiful place. Though I had my sticks with me, I didn’t get a chance to tee it up. I loved the beauty of the area and knew I’d be back to play some golf.

Spectacular Golf Western Canada

Now that I’ve gotten my hands on the book Spectacular Golf Western Canada: The Most Scenic and Challenging Golf Holes in British Columbia and Alberta, I’m chomping at the bit even more to golf in Canada. Spectacular Golf is a 204 page coffee-table-book which highlights more than 75 golf courses in Canada. The book shows a large image of the signature hole of each course on the left and a description of the course on the right (see image below). Retail: $50.00 but I’ve seen copies of Spectacular Golf on Amazon.com for about $36.

Example format.

With Christmas coming up, this book would be a good golf gift. Very classy. I love having the book on my coffee table. I occasionally thumb through it and lust over the fantastic golf I see north of the border.

Golf On TV This Week

Written by: Tony Korologos | Thursday, December 6th, 2012
Categories: European Tour • LPGA Tour • PGA Tour • Pro Golf

Franklin Templeton Shootout

Dates: Dec. 7-9
Venue: Tiburon Golf Club, Naples, Fla.

Golf Channel Airtimes (Eastern):
Friday 1-4 p.m. (Live) / 4:30-7:30 p.m. (Replay)
Sunday 8:30-11:30 p.m. (Replay) / Midnight-3 a.m. (Replay)

NBC Airtimes (Eastern):
Saturday 4-6 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Sunday 3-6 p.m. (Tape Delay)

In the field: Keegan Bradley & Brendan Steele, Dustin Johnson & Ian Poulter, Fredrik Jacobson & Greg Norman, Jerry Kelly & Steve Stricker, Jason Dufner & Vijay Singh, Stewart Cink & Carl Pettersson, Davis Love III & Brandt Snedeker, Bud Cauley & Rickie Fowler, Justin Leonard & Scott Verplank, Charles Howell III & Rory Sabbatini, Mark Calcavecchia & Mike Weir and Sean O’Hair & Kenny Perry.

Nelson Mandela Championship

Dates: Dec. 6-9
Venue: Royal Durban Golf Club, Durban, South Africa

Golf Channel Airtimes (Eastern):
Thursday 6:30-10:30 a.m. (Live)
Friday 6:30-10:30 a.m. (Live)
Saturday 5:30-9:30 a.m. (Live)
Sunday 5:30-9:30 a.m. (Live)

In the field: Branden Grace, John Parry, Thomas Aiken, Garth Mulroy, George Coetzee and Bryce Easton.

Omega Dubai Ladies Masters

Dates: Dec. 5-8
Venue: Emirates Golf Course, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Airtimes (Eastern):
Wednesday 3:30-7:30 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Thursday 3:30-7:30 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Friday 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (Tape Delay)
Saturday 3:30-7:30 p.m. (Tape Delay)

Season-Ending Event on the Ladies European Tour

Thailand Golf Championship

Dates: Dec. 6-9
Venue: Amata Spring Country Club, Bangkok, Thailand

Airtimes (Eastern):
Thursday 1-5:30 a.m. (Live) / 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (Replay)
Friday 1-5:30 a.m. (Live)
Saturday 1-4:30 a.m. (Live) / 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. (Replay)
Sunday 1-4:30 a.m. (Live) / 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. / 6:30-8:30 p.m. (Replay)

In the field: Lee Westwood and Bubba Watson, 2011 Masters winner Charl Schwartzel, Ryder Cup stars Sergio Garcia and Nicolas Colsearts, 2011 Open champion Darren Clarke, Ryo Ishikawa, Hunter Mahan.

Emirates Australian Open

Dates: Dec. 6-9
Venue: The Lakes Golf Club, Sydney, Australia

Airtimes (Eastern):
Wednesday 8 p.m.-1 a.m. (Live) / 1-3:30 p.m. (Thursday Replay)
Thursday 8 p.m.-1 a.m. (Live)
Friday 8 p.m.-1 a.m. (Live) / 1-3:30 p.m. (Saturday replay)
Saturday 8 p.m.-1 a.m. (Live) / 1-6 p.m. (Sunday replay)

In the field: Adam Scott, Geoff Oglivy, Tom Watson, Justin Rose, John Senden, Greg Chalmers, Robert Allenby, Stuart Appleby, Rod Pampling, Nick O’Hern and Peter Senior.

Top 10 Golf Gifts Under $1,000,000

Written by: Tony Korologos | Wednesday, December 5th, 2012
Categories: Golf • Miscellaneous

Today I am posting the Hooked On Golf Blog Top 10 Golf Gifts Under $1,000,000 (and over $30 hehe). This is a follow up post to the HOG Top 10 Golf Gifts Under $30 post. I’m throwing budget out the window, somewhat. Products here are over $30 and under $1 million. Each item featured here links to a Hooked On Golf Blog review. Click the image to go to the review page. Lets rock!

Mobile Warming Heated Golf Rain Jacket – Battery Included – $219.99

Mobile Warming heated golf rain jacket – click for HOG review

I recently reviewed what is possibly the coolest, or should I say “warmest” golf jacket on the market. The battery powered Mobile Warming rain jacket has multiple heating elements and can heat the core of the upper body up to 135 degrees! Perfect for cold winter golf or people like me with stiff, bad backs.

G-Mac by Kartel Ardglass Golf Polo – $90

Ardglass polo – click for HOG review

You may not be as good of a clutch player as Graeme McDowell, but with a G-Mac polo you can look as good. This year the G-Mac apparel line was introduced, made by Irish apparel company Kartel. I reviewed the Ardglass polo a while back and love it. Very sharp, classy, comfortable and doesn’t impede the golf swing.

Ecco BIOM Hybrid Golf Shoes – $190

Ecco BIOM Hybrid Golf Shoes – click for HOG review

I’ve been wearing these treads for many months now, since July. The Ecco BIOM hybrid golf shoes are very comfortable, very good looking and most importantly perform brilliantly on the course. I’ve never slipped. A nice combo of street shoe / golf shoe.

Pro Advanced Ready Net – Golf Practice Net – $199

Pro-Advanced Ready Net – click for HOG review

One of the best products I’ve reviewed in 2012 is the Pro-Advanced Ready Net golf practice net. This net sets up in 30-45 seconds and tears down in even less time than that. The net can be set up outside or inside and can take full shots from any club. This is a great product for folks like me who live in areas which have snow on the ground in winter. I can practice in the basement or garage and keep my swing grooved until spring.

Sun Mountain Club Glider – 4-wheeled golf travel bag – $200

Sun Mountain Club Glider – click for HOG review

I’ve done a ton of golf travel and carted all sorts of golf travel bags all around the world, from New York to St. Andrews. By far the easiest golf travel bag to tote around is the Sun Mountain Club Glider Journey. With the retractable wheels extended, I can pull my golf gear around an airport with my pinkie. Don’t believe me? Click the image to view my review, and see the video.

Top 3 Premium Golf Balls – +/- $50 per dozen

Bridgestone B330-S – click for HOG review

For the serious golfer a box of premium “tour” golf balls is never a bad gift. This past year I played three different balls from three different manufacturers, all good enough to be my go-to ball. HOG top three tour golf balls, click to view details:

Golf Trip – Gaylord “Golf Mecca” in northern Michigan

Treetops Par-3 Course, “3Tops” – Click HOG review

This year I had a fantastic HOG World Tour stop in the golf mecca of Gaylord Michigan. Gaylord is a neat small town which features some amazing golf courses, and skiing in the winter. The most famous courses in Gaylord are at the Treetops Resort. Check out these reviews:

Bridgestone J40 Dual Pocket Cavity Forged Irons – Retail $699. Street prices lower.

Bridgestone J40 Dual Pocket Cavity Irons – click for HOG review

Bridgestone isn’t known as well for their golf clubs as they are for their golf balls. After playing the J40 Dual Pocket Cavity irons, I immediately donated my old set of irons to my local junior golf association. These babies are beauties. Great for mid to low handicap players. Any kind of shot a player can imagine can be executed perfectly with these sticks.

Golf Trip – Black Mesa Golf Course, La Mesilla, New Mexico – Designed by Baxter Spann

Black Mesa Golf Club – Click for HOG review

I’ve had the pleasure of playing some of the world’s greatest golf courses like TPC Sawgrass, the Old Course at St. Andrews and many others. My favorite course out of all of them is Black Mesa in La Mesilla, New Mexico. No course on this planet in my book has the shot by shot values that this brilliant track does. I try to get to Black Mesa at least once or twice per year. When I get there I’m so excited I feel like the earth has no more gravity. I’m floating. The staff at Black Mesa have become good personal friends of mine. Tom, Eddie, Heath and Pat are the best. XOXOXO

The #1 gift for golfers under $1,000,000, drum roll please…

A golf trip to the Home of Golf, St. Andrews, Scotland

My caddie John Boyne and I walk the par-3 8th hole at the Old Course. My putter is already in my hand. I’m enjoying the walk, soaking in the surroundings.

At least once in every golfer’s life, he/she should make the pilgrimage to golf’s home, St. Andrews, Scotland. There is no place like St. Andrews in the world. The town is so salty. The people are wonderful and the golf, of course, is as the locals say, “brilliant!” A golf trip to St. Andrews provides memories to last a lifetime. Speaking of memories, in the photo below I’m pulling my ball out of the hole on the #17th at the Old Course, the Road Hole. I holed out from 196 for PAR after going OB, hitting the Old Course Observatory at the Old Course Hotel. Greatest par I’ll ever have.

Greatest par I’ll ever have… The Road Hole

There are many great courses in St. Andrews other than the world famous Old Course. Kingsbarns is a few minutes down the road, ranked the #1 new modern course in the world in recent publications. The Castle Course is a very fun track, though the golf purists don’t like it for some reason. I quite enjoyed it. Right next to the Old Course is the “New” Course, Strathtyrum, Jubilee Course and the Eden Course. All of them are fantastic links tracks and within walking distance of the center of town and the Old Course.

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