Miura Golf Sold?!?! Any info on the new buyer???

[kingarthur]

I dunno. It's a good development that yet another company is investing in golf. But the focus always becomes profitability so quality somewhere usually suffers. Look at the history of Fender and Gibson guitars for example. I think pre-True Spec clubs will become more desirable. Of course I am biased though (I have two sets , one for sale)

pretty much my thoughts. If Miura San wants to maintain the standard of quality/craftsmanship the brand has been known for, he and Miura Giken have very little to gain from a deal like this. Miura has an unique way of attaching the neck/hosel to the club head and as far as I know only a hand full at the foundry are capable of doing it. There's not a lot of extra volume to be pumped out with their capacity.

 

I agree. I don't care how deep your pockets are when you invest in anything you want to see a profit.

 

Seems like the definition of insanity, they are going to supposedly change nothing (including quality) yet make more money. How and where does more production mean quality stays the same?

I am afraid Miura may be going down the same route as Epon/Endo.

 

Is there a known, measured drop in the quality/craftsmanship in Epon/Endo?

measured drop, no, but i have seen clubs with smeared paint and the finish is not quite as good. Epon is not doing that well in Japan.

[nwlim]

To be honest, the Miura website could use a lot of work..

[Faking-it-with-blades]

I already own one set of Baby Blade heads that I'm having built as we speak. When I saw this announcement, I ordered a second set of BB heads to have in the future in case they're discontinued.

[Les Strokes]

To be honest, the Miura website could use a lot of work..

 

Agree.

 

As for Epon, when I was first looking at JDM for forged irons I checked around, and while it is personal taste of course, the Epons don't suit my eye. Too clunky. Miura has nice simple designs that work well and stand the test of time.

[Les Strokes]

I already own one set of Baby Blade heads that I'm having built as we speak. When I saw this announcement, I ordered a second set of BB heads to have in the future in case they're discontinued.

 

I think that's pretty smart. Love the MB001's and CB 501's too.

[Matt J]

I've got two sets and decided a while back that mine are getting sent to TigerNick stripped, rechromed, and rebuilt whenever the browning gets too bad.

 

I'd rather spend a few hundred bucks on and end up with another brand new set of Miuras every three or four years than get back on the irons merry-go-round. The shaft merry-go-round will make me plenty dizzy when I rebuild.

[chipaputt]

A few more facts to add to this thread.

 

Miura does have the ability to increase capacity without compromising on quality. Mr Miura will be running the show and everything must be perfect from a production standpoint. He also has two sons who are heavily involved in the day to day operation.

 

The New Investor Group who now owns a "part" of Miura wants to aggressively promote the brand. Even though almost all Golfwrx members know about Miura, there is still a vast amount of golfers who still don't know them. When the official and complete details of this new collaboration ( including the key person involved) are revealed it will be very positive for Miura.

 

True Spec is not making the clubs. It makes sense to have a US distribution location....customs, cost, speed of delivery etc...

 

Miura Giken and Miura Golf are forged in the same Miura factory in Japan. Miura Giken normally refers to clubs made for the Japan & Korea markets. They tend to have less bounce and slightly different head profiles. Miura Golf pretty much covers the rest of the world. These clubs tend to have a little more bounce and more "Western" profile grinds. My guess is we will see a merging of these brands, but it makes sense to offer golfers clubs that appeal to their eye and work in their playing conditions.

[benzenbe]

Looks like Miura is starting to acknowledge the sale. This was posted on their different social media accounts today:

 

 

While this gives us a relative time frame for the refresh, I'm still waiting for something more detailed. Hopefully the new owners don't force the "chefs" to change the Miura "secret sauce".

 

To be honest, the Miura website could use a lot of work..

 

I'm sure newly appointed Miura President Hoyt McGarity (True Spec Golf CEO) will give the brand (and website) the much needed refresh it needs. I don't think anything is or ever was wrong with Miura products, so hopefully the refresh will strictly focus on polishing/enhancing marketing and distribution.

[benzenbe]

Check that, looks like we won't have to wait until spring

 

 

[nitram]

A few more facts to add to this thread.

 

Miura does have the ability to increase capacity without compromising on quality. Mr Miura will be running the show and everything must be perfect from a production standpoint. He also has two sons who are heavily involved in the day to day operation.

 

The New Investor Group who now owns a "part" of Miura wants to aggressively promote the brand. Even though almost all Golfwrx members know about Miura, there is still a vast amount of golfers who still don't know them. When the official and complete details of this new collaboration ( including the key person involved) are revealed it will be very positive for Miura.

 

True Spec is not making the clubs. It makes sense to have a US distribution location....customs, cost, speed of delivery etc...

 

Miura Giken and Miura Golf are forged in the same Miura factory in Japan. Miura Giken normally refers to clubs made for the Japan & Korea markets. They tend to have less bounce and slightly different head profiles. Miura Golf pretty much covers the rest of the world. These clubs tend to have a little more bounce and more "Western" profile grinds. My guess is we will see a merging of these brands, but it makes sense to offer golfers clubs that appeal to their eye and work in their playing conditions.

 

Thanks again Chip!

[theshadow1971]

A few more facts to add to this thread.

 

Miura does have the ability to increase capacity without compromising on quality. Mr Miura will be running the show and everything must be perfect from a production standpoint. He also has two sons who are heavily involved in the day to day operation.

 

The New Investor Group who now owns a "part" of Miura wants to aggressively promote the brand. Even though almost all Golfwrx members know about Miura, there is still a vast amount of golfers who still don't know them. When the official and complete details of this new collaboration ( including the key person involved) are revealed it will be very positive for Miura.

 

True Spec is not making the clubs. It makes sense to have a US distribution location....customs, cost, speed of delivery etc...

 

Miura Giken and Miura Golf are forged in the same Miura factory in Japan. Miura Giken normally refers to clubs made for the Japan & Korea markets. They tend to have less bounce and slightly different head profiles. Miura Golf pretty much covers the rest of the world. These clubs tend to have a little more bounce and more "Western" profile grinds. My guess is we will see a merging of these brands, but it makes sense to offer golfers clubs that appeal to their eye and work in their playing conditions.

 

This adds to more confusion. U say the investors, they own part of miura, yet writers of articles on GWRX say miura as been bought out completely for the NA and Japanese operations!

 

All i can say it is very very rare for a US company to buy out a Japanese company especially one that is family orientated owned!

[nwlim]

Would love to know if any of the touring pros tested/considered Miura for irons

[tickyboy]

Would love to know if any of the touring pros tested/considered Miura for irons

 

Don't you know all touring pros play hand built one off custom rebadged muira irons??

[Bad9]

Would love to know if any of the touring pros tested/considered Miura for irons

 

Don't you know all touring pros play hand built one off custom rebadged muira irons??

 

Hand forged. Just like samurai swords

[golftechbaker]

http://www.golfwrx.c...ant-investment/

 

 

Can't wait to see what the investments are. Hopefully more stuff will be coming to the US!!

 

I wonder if anything will happen with the price point. If PXG can make it (time will tell) maybe Muira can be big too. Golfer's have shown that we'll overpay for products if they're sexy and unique.

 

Jess

[ChillyDipper]

To be honest, the Miura website could use a lot of work..

 

Agree.

 

As for Epon, when I was first looking at JDM for forged irons I checked around, and while it is personal taste of course, the Epons don't suit my eye. Too clunky. Miura has nice simple designs that work well and stand the test of time.

 

I actually like the fact that their website is crappy. It means my money is going into the club and not into some marketing company's pocket. Support the little guy!

[Landy]

A few more facts to add to this thread.

 

Miura does have the ability to increase capacity without compromising on quality. Mr Miura will be running the show and everything must be perfect from a production standpoint. He also has two sons who are heavily involved in the day to day operation.

 

The New Investor Group who now owns a "part" of Miura wants to aggressively promote the brand. Even though almost all Golfwrx members know about Miura, there is still a vast amount of golfers who still don't know them. When the official and complete details of this new collaboration ( including the key person involved) are revealed it will be very positive for Miura.

 

True Spec is not making the clubs. It makes sense to have a US distribution location....customs, cost, speed of delivery etc...

 

Miura Giken and Miura Golf are forged in the same Miura factory in Japan. Miura Giken normally refers to clubs made for the Japan & Korea markets. They tend to have less bounce and slightly different head profiles. Miura Golf pretty much covers the rest of the world. These clubs tend to have a little more bounce and more "Western" profile grinds. My guess is we will see a merging of these brands, but it makes sense to offer golfers clubs that appeal to their eye and work in their playing conditions.

 

This adds to more confusion. U say the investors, they own part of miura, yet writers of articles on GWRX say miura as been bought out completely for the NA and Japanese operations!

 

All i can say it is very very rare for a US company to buy out a Japanese company especially one that is family orientated owned!

 

Hello - If anyone knows Miura and has added insight its Chip.

[easylittle5wood]

To be honest, the Miura website could use a lot of work..

 

Agree.

 

As for Epon, when I was first looking at JDM for forged irons I checked around, and while it is personal taste of course, the Epons don't suit my eye. Too clunky. Miura has nice simple designs that work well and stand the test of time.

 

I actually like the fact that their website is crappy. It means my money is going into the club and not into some marketing company's pocket. Support the little guy!

 

I agree, the smaller the better. All of this makes little sense to me, if golf aficionados already know and buy Miura (for quite some time I'd say) how is marketing going to sway the "casual" golfer into spending $2k+ on a set of irons?

 

Sounds like it's simply the PXG effect and attempts to keep up. Miura has been around long enough to say they've made it, must be fear of dying that caused this.

[Les Strokes]

It's always nice to have more capital. Perhaps they needed buffer money for R&D, maybe Miura-san has some great ideas for new processes, or new forging machines, innovations etc.

[bladehunter]

A few more facts to add to this thread.

 

Miura does have the ability to increase capacity without compromising on quality. Mr Miura will be running the show and everything must be perfect from a production standpoint. He also has two sons who are heavily involved in the day to day operation.

 

The New Investor Group who now owns a "part" of Miura wants to aggressively promote the brand. Even though almost all Golfwrx members know about Miura, there is still a vast amount of golfers who still don't know them. When the official and complete details of this new collaboration ( including the key person involved) are revealed it will be very positive for Miura.

 

True Spec is not making the clubs. It makes sense to have a US distribution location....customs, cost, speed of delivery etc...

 

Miura Giken and Miura Golf are forged in the same Miura factory in Japan. Miura Giken normally refers to clubs made for the Japan & Korea markets. They tend to have less bounce and slightly different head profiles. Miura Golf pretty much covers the rest of the world. These clubs tend to have a little more bounce and more "Western" profile grinds. My guess is we will see a merging of these brands, but it makes sense to offer golfers clubs that appeal to their eye and work in their playing conditions.

 

This adds to more confusion. U say the investors, they own part of miura, yet writers of articles on GWRX say miura as been bought out completely for the NA and Japanese operations!

 

All i can say it is very very rare for a US company to buy out a Japanese company especially one that is family orientated owned!

 

Hello - If anyone knows Miura and has added insight its Chip.

 

Agree. If you're talking Miura and you don't trust chips opinions or reports you're behind. He knows what's going on here. You literally have an insider in the thread. Don't argue with the facts that are presented.

[Jarlaxle]

Personally I think this is great. Miura will never be a mass market offering because of the price. If my wife knew what I spent on my set of 3 custom built Miura wedges she would freak out. But they are definitely too hard to get here in the U.S. I am in an affluent, large southern city where people play golf 365 days a year (Atlanta) and yet the only place I could find to actually see and try out Miura equipment was Club Champion and it took a while surfing the internet just to find that. If your customer has to work that hard to find and try your product, you are really limiting yourself.

 

With some additional capital and a significant increase in visibility (assuming the rumors of Jack Nicklaus's involvement are true), Miura has a chance to take a significant step forward in accessibility without taking a single step back in quality. In the end, I see this deal as 99% about how Miura clubs are distributed and only 1% how they are made.

[nwlim]

Would love to know if any of the touring pros tested/considered Miura for irons

 

Don't you know all touring pros play hand built one off custom rebadged muira irons??

 

Hand forged. Just like samurai swords

 

Part of marketing is visibility on tour?

[Bad9]

Would love to know if any of the touring pros tested/considered Miura for irons

 

Don't you know all touring pros play hand built one off custom rebadged muira irons??

 

Hand forged. Just like samurai swords

 

Part of marketing is visibility on tour?

 

And Miura has none.

[ScurdyBird13]

Would love to know if any of the touring pros tested/considered Miura for irons

 

Don't you know all touring pros play hand built one off custom rebadged muira irons??

 

Hand forged. Just like samurai swords

 

Part of marketing is visibility on tour?

 

And Miura has none.

 

But haven't players been using Miura for a long time? I kind of like the fact that they stay under the radar. But I also agree with the sentiment on here that the products should be more accessible.

[duffer987]

Personally I think this is great. Miura will never be a mass market offering because of the price. If my wife knew what I spent on my set of 3 custom built Miura wedges she would freak out. But they are definitely too hard to get here in the U.S. I am in an affluent, large southern city where people play golf 365 days a year (Atlanta) and yet the only place I could find to actually see and try out Miura equipment was Club Champion and it took a while surfing the internet just to find that. If your customer has to work that hard to find and try your product, you are really limiting yourself.

 

With some additional capital and a significant increase in visibility (assuming the rumors of Jack Nicklaus's involvement are true), Miura has a chance to take a significant step forward in accessibility without taking a single step back in quality. In the end, I see this deal as 99% about how Miura clubs are distributed and only 1% how they are made.

 

The only significant step forward in accessibility comes with a 'value line' that is priced much closer to the big OEMs.

Club Champion and local shops where you get a proper fitting are the only real environment for these clubs.

 

No one goes into Bigbox Golf to drop $3k on a set of OTR clubs. Golftowns in Greater Vancouver have sets that sit there and sit there and sit there.

 

They are a niche of a niche and will continue to be so. As the poster above said, this smacks of someone pointing to PXG and saying, hey maybe this can be a thing?

[Bad9]

 

But haven't players been using Miura for a long time? I kind of like the fact that they stay under the radar. But I also agree with the sentiment on here that the products should be more accessible.

 

Maybe, none of us really know. nwlim responded to me for some reason "Part of marketing is visibility on tour?" Miura has no visibility on tour. A dozen guys on a golf forum or two is not tour visibility. 90% of the avid golfers I know and who watch most every tournament, but don't read golf forums, have no idea who or what Miura is.

[bladehunter]

The above is true. Which is part of what I love about the brand. When they are in every corner I'll still love my set. But it does make it feel like they should cost less if they are selling at a mass produced rate. I realize they are mass produced now in a way. But not nearly so much as they will have to be when everybody wants a set. As said before. It's likely time to stock up now on " first generation Miura irons " before the prices go up.

[Jarlaxle]

 

The only significant step forward in accessibility comes with a 'value line' that is priced much closer to the big OEMs.

Club Champion and local shops where you get a proper fitting are the only real environment for these clubs.

 

I don't disagree that it would be worthless for Miuras to sit in a Dick's Sporting Goods next to a bunch of stuff that costs 60% less. But I also think a country club like Atlanta Athletic Club (very large with a very active, "better player" membership) is the kind of place where Miura would thrive and yet I don't believe they carry them. I could be wrong but they certainly are not shown as a dealer on the Miura website and neither are any of the other top clubs here in town.

 

I would love to have someone who really knows chime in but I would think a significant percentage of members at that sort of club buy their sticks through the club's pro shop where they can be fit by a pro that knows their game and course conditions. That is the sort of account that would make sense for Miura to pursue/prioritize. If Miura has been shut out of that sales channel to date, that would really hurt their ability to pursue their target customer.

 

Plus there are only a few names in golf that really move the needle but Jack Nicklaus is one. Yes, he tried and ultimately failed to run his own brand of clubs so the name alone isn't enough. But if you put a picture or pamphlet of him holding a Miura iron and saying "I love Miura and you will too", I think people will take notice and give them a chance. From there its up to the clubs to perform but first you have to get them in people's hands.

 

I want to emphasize, this is entirely based on suspicion, I don't actually know how widely available Miura's are in pro shops but my guess is it's pretty limited.

 

I also don't know what percentage of high end clubs are sold through big box or online retailers vs. course based pro shops but hopefully someone else will weigh in on that part.

[Bad9]

 

Plus there are only a few names in golf that really move the needle but Jack Nicklaus is one. Yes, he tried and ultimately failed to run his own brand of clubs so the name alone isn't enough. But if you put a picture or pamphlet of him holding a Miura iron and saying "I love Miura and you will too", I think people will take notice and give them a chance.

 

If they didn't for clubs that had his name on them why would they for a foreign maker that doesn't have his name on them.

[Jarlaxle]

Plus there are only a few names in golf that really move the needle but Jack Nicklaus is one. Yes, he tried and ultimately failed to run his own brand of clubs so the name alone isn't enough. But if you put a picture or pamphlet of him holding a Miura iron and saying "I love Miura and you will too", I think people will take notice and give them a chance.

 

If they didn't for clubs that had his name on them why would they for a foreign maker that doesn't have his name on them.

Frankly the Nicklaus clubs just didn't perform well enough. Distribution wasn't the problem, performance was. It appears Miura has the opposite problem.