MacGregor Muirfield

[84425]

Anyone familiair with this special(?) model?

Hello,

Was browsing ebay for irons (slow day at the office), and came across this MacGregor Muirfield iron:



I'm familiair with the 'regular' Muirfield and Muirfield 20th, but never seen this one. Where the Muirfield models I know both have a single muscle (more round on the original and almost in a straight line on the 20th version) whereas - by the looks of this picture - this one has a double muscle.

Was this a production model or custom? Anyone have any idea?

[Todd York]

I have a set of the Muirfields but haven't seen the 'cut' or 'dual' muscle before. I wonder if this was an aftermarket grind someone did on their own or if the picture is just giving the appearance of a variation on the muscle. I'm at my office and don't have my clubs here to compare with but it looks like someone channeled the muscle. I've looked at Muirfields on the internet for years and haven't seen anything like this.

Maybe Ari at Scratch could ask Don White if he's familiar with it. If anyone would know, it would be Mr. White (former clubmaker for Nicklaus at MacGregor and one of the best grinders in the world).

Todd

[84425]

The reason I ask is because they look like my Daiwa's. The story (marketing) behind those was that David Graham (DG) modelled them after the irons he used to win the US Open with (with a score of 273). As you can see in this picture, the Daiwa's have a similar double muscle:

 

 

If the originals are indeed some kind of special version of the Muirfield blades, I would really like to find those (forged instead of cast and .355 instead of .370 hosel).

[RobotDoctor]

If this Muirfield indeed has a double muscle then this is the first I have seen of it. I have owned both the Muirfield and Muirfield 20th irons. I do not recall a double muscle Muirfield, although the apparent double muscle back is very slight here.

[Freddie Klien]

They are very pretty I bet they have tiny heads like the other Muirfields

[astamm8]

i think it's an optical illusion. to me, they look like every other muirfield that i've seen, and i owned a set until about a week ago. the have that rounded muscle but, it's also a long transition from the muscle to the top part of the club. i think maybe the light is hitting that section, and you're seeing a double muscle. anyway, i don't think they're a special grind, but i could be wrong, of course.

[gwtdmdms]

Just a note...
It was David Graham who had a tremendous amount of input into the VIP irons while on MacGregor's staff. He is said to have the most knowledge of club design of any modern player. Shortly after the VIP years, Nicklaus switched to the Muirfield Custom and David Graham exited MacGregor. I do believe that Graham had a lot of input into the Muirfield design. Also, Graham won his Open with a set of VIP's!
He left and was hired by Diawa to design their blades. He may have designed the Diawa irons with the dual or stepped muscle to avoid any conflict with his past favorite design, the simple muscle of the VIP. This would be a great hypothesis!

[84425]

[quote name='astamm8' date='04 February 2010 - 06:48 PM' timestamp='1265305695' post='2227202']
i think it's an optical illusion. [/quote]

I think you are right. I was probably seeing things I would have liked to see. On closer inspection it does indeed look like the original Muirfield design.

[Wildwing55]

That looks like a regular Muirfield iron to me, as I have a set of those as well. But you're correct that David Graham had a lot to do with the design of the Muirfield, as well as limited edition irons of his. I also have a set of his own personal forgings; not too many of those exist. Here's a sample.
[attachment=603161:DSCN0175.JPG]
[attachment=603161:DSCN0175.JPG]

[Scully13]

Man Are those David Grahams bea-uuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-tiful.

I love seeing rare forgings.

[olegolfer]

Have to agree that it looks pretty much like the regular Nicklaus and Muirfield irons. I have a set
of VIPs that I photographed a while back and strangely it gives the illusion of a double cut. Must have
been a reflection of something in the background. Those Limited Edition irons are great looking irons
Was wondering how they play. Looks like they have a very sharp transition from the flat to the muscle
backi. More than I have ever seen in the Macs.