Tigers Irons?

[jedimater]

Are they really Nikes?

I heard that Tiger had Mizuno irons with a Nike Logo etched on them is that true? Or was it true when he first signed with Nike?

[Goldenhawk]

The rumor is that Tiger's irons are Muira forged with a Nike Swoosh Stamp. His Titleist irons were also Muira forged.

[divot46]

I always thought when he went to Nike they basically made copies of his Titleists.

[NikeSlingshot06]

tiger was a mizuno man from day 1, so all of his past sets were based on mizuno clubs

[RobotDoctor]

Tiger played Ping Eye2s for the majority of his amateur career. I am not sure when he switched to Mizuno irons during his amateur career. Tiger started his professional career using a set comprised of MP14 and MP29 irons. His Titleist Irons were made using the Mizuno irons as a baseline. While the Titleist irons looked a little different, my guess is that the playing characteristics were the same. His Nike Irons were essentially the Titleist irons that were essentially the Mizunos. Whether they were made by Muira or not, I do know know.

[slicktry]

Muira.

 

God Bless

Jer

[jza80]

Tiger's irons are most definately Nike irons, handmade by Nike for Tiger. Please see video below of Tiger's irons being made below. Tiger's heads are being worked on towards end of videohttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-JN3G9zEHY

[SadTrombone]

Here we go again....let the Mizuno/PING loyalists rejoice in the only aparent "original" thought on golf clubs in the history of golf.

 

-mini

[JKB]

I HATE THIS TOPIC

EVERY 6 MONTHS THIS COMES BACK

BLAH BLAH BLAH

[kenfuji]

don't forget about the tour issue King Cobra irons that he recieved from Greg Norman back in 94/95' and used sometime during his amature career in stanford.... so you never the his nike blades might have been hand forged by Greg Norman himself... j/k heheheheh

[victor2000]

Here we go again....let the Mizuno/PING loyalists rejoice in the only aparent "original" thought on golf clubs in the history of golf.

 

-mini

 

What is this sentence attempting to say? I am not getting it.

[SadTrombone]

Here we go again....let the Mizuno/PING loyalists rejoice in the only aparent "original" thought on golf clubs in the history of golf.

 

-mini

 

What is this sentence attempting to say? I am not getting it.

Some people have their head so far up their favorite OEM's arse that they can't figure out that there really aren't many more original thoughts left out there. Civilization has been around, what? 10,000 years? I'm not smart enough to have a thought that hasn't already been thought up in the past 10,000 years.

 

Those people are under the impression that any company other than Mizzy is just copying Mizzy's forged blade "design" and that Scotty Cameron just copies Ping over and over again.

 

This type of thread comes up 3-4 times a year it seems...it just gets very old.

 

-mini

[dlygrisse]

Here we go again....let the Mizuno/PING loyalists rejoice in the only aparent "original" thought on golf clubs in the history of golf.

 

-mini

 

What is this sentence attempting to say? I am not getting it.

Some people have their head so far up their favorite OEM's arse that they can't figure out that there really aren't many more original thoughts left out there. Civilization has been around, what? 10,000 years? I'm not smart enough to have a thought that hasn't already been thought up in the past 10,000 years.

 

Those people are under the impression that any company other than Mizzy is just copying Mizzy's forged blade "design" and that Scotty Cameron just copies Ping over and over again.

 

This type of thread comes up 3-4 times a year it seems...it just gets very old.

 

-mini

 

Tigers Nike irons are actually copies of Titleist irons which are copies of of Mizuno irons. Mizuno irons are actually copies of Wilson staff irons, which are copies of Hogan irons. Hogan irons are actually copies of MacGregor VIP irons, which are copies of Spaulding irons that Bobby Jones designed in the 1930's. These irons are actually copies of clubs designed in Scotland by D Anderson and sons who copied clubs designed by old Tom Morris at St. Andrews. Old Tom stole his design from a shepherd he saw playing in an old stretch of links land off the Firth of Forth, who stole the idea from a guy hitting a rock with his staff. The guy who designed the shepperds staff was named Chip Green, or Willie Buyit, know one really knows for sure. ;)

 

I agree with the previous quote, how many times do people have to ask about this rumor? Tom Stites with Nike is one of the most qualified clubmakers in the world, (he used to make clubs for Hogan when Ben himself still ran the company) why would he have someone else make clubs for Tiger? It makes no sense. also you have to remember Tigers clubs are not the ones you can buy off the rack, the are custom made by hand one at a time to his specs, custom leading edges, sole grinds, shape etc. etc. They are similar to the Nike blades you see at Golf Discount, but not the same.

The only way any of us will ever play the exact clubs tiger uses is if he gives us his hand me downs when he has worn them out. So unless you are good buddies with Eldrick, and on his Christmas card list just go to a qualified clubmaker and buy a set that fit you and made for your game.

[bloodredsun]

I think that people revisit this topic every 6 months because there is never a definitive answer (although yours is the best one I've ever seen). The 'murky' past history of who made Tiger's irons also adds to this - 'his Mizunos were Muiras and his Titleist restamped Mizunos' etc.

 

I don't really care that deeply who makes Tiger's irons but I do care if a company tells us one thing when the truth is something else.

[MisterMizzy]

Bingo. Very well put bloodredsun. I like knowing that when I go to buy a set of clubs that I am paying for what the company claims, however what they claim may not be the same for everyone. The biggest variable when it comes to clubs is the person swinging them. When it comes to picking a club, it all comes down to personal preference. That being said, I don't doubt that Tiger could go to any reputable clubmaker and have them stamp out clubs until they create what feels exactly right to him. I've hit both Titleist and Mizuno blades and currently play the Mizunos. I've hit clubs identical in shape, made of the same metal, with the same shaft installed and have gotten completely different feedback from each club (Mizuno blades vs. Titleist blades). When it all comes down to it, it's just a piece of forged 1025 carbon steel on a stick. It's just that when a manufacturer stops making a set of clubs, not everyone has the luxury of going to a clubmaker and having them build a set of clubs identical to what we are used to.

[cambo3295]

Strictly speaking, none of the modern blades is a blade, they're musclebacks. A blade has a flat back to it, and apart from a couple of efforts, they haven't been made for ages.

 

But that's not really important anyway.........

 

To make a club for Tiger as he wants it, with a small head, almost zero offset, high c of g, exact transition from hosel into face, relatively square toe, sole grind, leading edge etc, basically means you have little design flexibility once all those have been established. So it's hardly surprising that they look similar. To say they are identical, clones or copies, is just blind allegiance to a brand or subscribing to repeated internet rumour as if it were fact. MP29's, T Stamps and the current Nikes are NOT the same. Similar, yes, because they were all made with basically the same design brief.

 

Iain

[MisterMizzy]

All of that info is true cambo. I feel like the Mizunos and Nikes are about the same softness, all personal feel of course. I feel like the Titleists feel somewhat harsh, almost like hitting a thin shot even when making perfectly solid contact. While they may all look similar, the feels are very different.

 

In addition to my last post, the new 695 MBs feel much softer to me and much more comparable to my MP 37s than the older Titleist MB models (i.e. 681 MB and 690 MB).

[cambo3295]

All of that info is true cambo. I feel like the Mizunos and Nikes are about the same softness, all personal feel of course. I feel like the Titleists feel somewhat harsh, almost like hitting a thin shot even when making perfectly solid contact. While they may all look similar, the feels are very different.

 

In that case, you've not hit the T Stamps with SST pured PX!

 

681 and T are very different feeling to the 690, 670 and 680. They're even a different grade of steel. Those Endo forged Titleists are slightly clickier than the Mizunos, for sure. But some prefer that feel.

 

I do agree the 695MB feels a little softer than the 690.

 

Iain

[jedimater]

Well what a firestorm. Sorry guys, I was just curious. I think it probably comes up every 6 months or so because this forum likely adds one or two new people every 6 months or so.

And really I am not intending on or would I every think that I could buy "Tiger's Irons" I was just curious as to the manufacturer of the blades he plays.

I mean if they are copies forged by Nike staff, thats significantly different than him playing a set of mizunos with a nike swoosh on them.

I have an old set of Spalding blades that I played 20 years ago that look like a set of Titliest's but you can bet Titliest didn't grind off the Spalding Logo.

 

My Irons have been frequency matched, loft and lie adjusted etc... no big deal,but I am not about to grind off the Tommy Armour name and etch in a swoosh.

 

But then again no one would buy Nikes if I did that.

[pafundi]

There seems to be some information straight from Tiger here.

 

http://www.golfrewind.com/tour-talk/33107-...-augusta-4.html

[NikeProto]

Mr. Woods irons are 100% Nike. Only ten sets exsist in one calander year...

[MisterMizzy]

I've always really liked all the Titleist stuff, but when I decided to go to a muscle back, I ultimately picked the Mizuno. If I could find a set of Titleists that felt like my Mizunos I'd probably go back to an all Titleist bag. But, it might be kind of silly to give up my current clubs just to have a club that felt the same with a different name on it.

[DemolitionMan]

Perhaps we should have a new thread on whether or not anyone cares about Miura anymore. While Miura was the hot name four years ago and rightfully so, honestly, his time has passed and no longer is it good enough to have the 'hands of god.' Enough already, quit making ugly clubs that only serve your ego.

 

Off soapbox....

 

Seriously, Nike has come a long way in golf in a short time. It seemed like they started out as a serious clubmaker that was too serious with blades being the first irons and a driver that had a sweet spot the size of a dime. But it did not take long to make clubs for the masses. Personally, I would never bag a Sumo2, it's loud and ugly, but there is no denying it is effective if you want straight (unless of course, TW is swinging it....I kid, I kid).

 

Anyways, Tom Stites knows what he is doing and it's great to see a designer not afraid to experiment and push the envelope. We don't always get 'winners', but we get choices, and some of those choices will be keepers. Pro Combo OS may be a dud to some, but then Nike turns around and comes out with the CCI forged which look pretty good and probably perform as well as many other CBs.

 

Bottom line, Tom Stites and Nike do not need Miura.

[trossignol]

Tiger played Ping Eye2s for the majority of his amateur career. I am not sure when he switched to Mizuno irons during his amateur career. Tiger started his professional career using a set comprised of MP14 and MP29 irons. His Titleist Irons were made using the Mizuno irons as a baseline. While the Titleist irons looked a little different, my guess is that the playing characteristics were the same. His Nike Irons were essentially the Titleist irons that were essentially the Mizunos. Whether they were made by Muira or not, I do know know.

 

He started to switched the summer of his Junior year in High School. He played both for a while and switched for his Senior golf season.

[skinkman]

Mr. Woods irons are 100% Nike. Only ten sets exsist in one calander year...

 

i don't believe you :clapping:

 

you are wasting your time with this topic..even if Tom Stites came over and talked over and over about how they had to design one club at a time till Tiger felt it was right before they moved on to the next..how Stites said it was the most challenging design he's had to do in his time as a clubmaker..how each club was internally weighted differently to fit Tiger..

with one sentence..all of that is for nought and all it is is a copy of Mizuno and Titleist.. :russian_roulette:

it's a waste of time trying to convince people otherwise..

Miura may have done the forging..but they certainly did not do the design..last I checked very few OEMs forge their own blades..next to none

[theinsider]

Hey NikeProto....Mike Taylor is a genius.. :russian_roulette:

 

Tiger's Nike's ARE Nike's and damn they feel heavy when you hold them. (At least the 5 iron did)

 

If you watch the Nike Father's Day 2007 ad (the baby set), in the first few seconds where they show the grinding room there is actually a duplicate set of Tiger's clubs resting right there in a case.

 

Miura has commented publicly (and privately) that they are not responsible for the current TW Nike irons.

 

"Tiger Woods, the world's top-ranked golfer, who is paid about $20 million a year to endorse Nike equipment, said at a news conference last month that he never has used Miura clubs or met Miura himself. Beth Gast, a spokeswoman for Nike Inc.'s golf division, said in an e-mail that Miura never has made clubs for the Beaverton, Oregon-based company.

 

Miura said in an e-mail that he has made wedges for Nike, and his company's Web site says that in the late 1990s he forged irons for Woods under the Titleist name, then a Woods sponsor."

 

Full article here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...amp;refer=japan

[RobotDoctor]

The reality is that Tiger is looking for specific flight characteristics from each of his irons. He developed his preference using Mizuno irons and this carries through today with Nike. Yes, Tiger's clubs are designed and made by Nike but to Tiger's preference.

 

I do not think anyone here is meaning to post a RAH RAH comment for a particular manufacturer. My comment was made to reflect Tiger is discriminate with the irons he plays and goes through many irons until he gets the right combination of head/shaft/grip that produces the shot flight he wants. Yes, Tiger is that good!

 

For those who have gotten their undies tied up in a knot, what Tiger plays is not a case of life or death and certainly not worth blowing a blood clot. Just my 2 cents. Thanks. :russian_roulette:

[addamsmith]

We are not talking about men walking on the Moon here, Tigers clubs are 100% made by Nike.

How can anyone say that nike are not capable of building these clubs. They have the skill and the men to do the job.

Nike make a great club, They have gone so far in a short time in the golfing world.

There was the same talk a few years back that the Titleist 681 T was a Mizuno blade with Titleist on it.

Don't this sound very the same again.

Addam

[capt.murphy]

very cool video. thanks for the post.

[NikeProto]

Hey NikeProto....Mike Taylor is a genius.. :russian_roulette:

 

Tiger's Nike's ARE Nike's and damn they feel heavy when you hold them. (At least the 5 iron did)

 

If you watch the Nike Father's Day 2007 ad (the baby set), in the first few seconds where they show the grinding room there is actually a duplicate set of Tiger's clubs resting right there in a case.

 

Miura has commented publicly (and privately) that they are not responsible for the current TW Nike irons.

 

"Tiger Woods, the world's top-ranked golfer, who is paid about $20 million a year to endorse Nike equipment, said at a news conference last month that he never has used Miura clubs or met Miura himself. Beth Gast, a spokeswoman for Nike Inc.'s golf division, said in an e-mail that Miura never has made clubs for the Beaverton, Oregon-based company.

 

Miura said in an e-mail that he has made wedges for Nike, and his company's Web site says that in the late 1990s he forged irons for Woods under the Titleist name, then a Woods sponsor."

 

 

 

 

hahahahahaha. You would be suprised were his clubs are forged.....

 

Full article here:

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=206...amp;refer=japan