Many companies make golf clubs, but for Miura Golf it goes much further. The company has a passion for crafting quality golf clubs, using advanced forging and CNC techniques that can help players of all levels have a better game.
Company president Adam Barr tells us how the company got into the swing of things.
KineticShift: What benefits does forged clubs have over other clubs?
Adam Barr: Mostly, it’s feel. Players of all levels have reported for decades that well-made forged clubs transmit better vibrations to their hands at impact — and this is true for full-swing clubs as well as putters and wedges usually used on “partial-swing” shots. This helps players in two ways: first, it makes the strike more pleasurable and increases confidence over each shot. The knowledge that a solid feel is coming, instead of the fear that a clanky feel will result, helps players get the right attitude. Second, the increased quality of the feel gives more and better feedback to the hands and arms, so a player can know right away how well he hit the ball and, if necessary, make adjustments to refine his approach on that day.
KS: What benefits does the CNC process do to the clubs to ensure better performance?
AB: Because the shaping is computer controlled, the shapes, edges, lines, and ratios can be manufactured to a very tight tolerance. In short, the head shapes are consistent, identical. So one KM-007 head is going to feel exactly like its siblings.
KS: The new KM-007 putters utilize low-carbon steel, so what does that offer?
AB: Low carbon steel is malleable and not brittle, but there is enough carbon in it (generally under 4 percent) to give the steel enough strength to hold its shape. So you get the soft feel and adjustability for loft and lie, but enough strength to strike the ball and stay where it’s set. The same principle applies for our irons and wedges, which are also made of low carbon steel.
KS: Many club makers have looked to titanium and other lightweight materials, so what does steel offer over those metals?
AB: Titanium has its uses, especially in metalwoods. That’s because titanium is about 40 percent lighter per unit of volume; that makes it great for heads that have to be big. For irons, though, it’s not so good, because head weight matters so much in making a nice, dense iron head that can be used in a custom fitted club. To get that weight in titanium, you would have to make the head too big to be attractive or useful. So steel, with its higher density, remains the best material for forged irons. It can be made dense enough, with a fine enough grain, to get to the proper weight and offer the “purity of the strike” feel that golfers crave and that Miura insists on.
Thank you to Adam for talking with us.