Miura Golf Black Wedge Series - #BestLookingGear

A few years back, I had an idea.  I reached out to golf equipment manufacturers and asked them to send me what they would consider to be their best looking gear.  I started with the wedge, and presented a simple proposal to various companies.  The concept was simple, send us some wedges, completely “pimp” them out, and our readers will vote to determine who had the best looking wedge in the game.  It was the once instance in golf equipment journalism where performance didn’t matter.  This was a beauty contest for golf equipment, and the manufacturers loved it!

Many of the golf equipment companies embraced the concept and put a considerable amount of time, effort, and yes even R&D.  Manufacturers submitted prototype concepts, rare finishes, unique stampings, welds, and even Damascus metal.  The editorial was received positive feedback from the readers, and the brands had fun seeing how their submissions fared.

​Yes, one of those participants was, Miura Golf.

There was a slight, unforeseen problem with publishing an article with some of the best looking gear in the game.  Everyone wanted to purchase what they saw from the brands.  Unfortunately, like many things you see on tour, and especially these items, they would never see the light of day on a retail store shelf.  The time and effort it took to produce some of the pieces is not always feasible for the general consumer.  Many of the wedges were essentially one-off works of modern art.

iGR has taken this concept and thrown in a little twist and gave it a hashtag to boot.  Before you knew it, #BestLookingGear was born, or to borrow from this writer, The Best Looking Gear in Golf.  However, although this is some of the best looking gear in the game, it is readily available to you, the golf consumer.

Miura Golf Black Series Wedges, Ladies and Gentleman.

Miura has a respected history of producing some of the finest Japanese forgings in the game.  The company was founded by Katsuhiro Miura in 1957.  He brought aboard his sons, Yoshitaka and Shinei and trained them in the art of making some of the best irons in the world.  In the industry, Miura is known for the grain structure in their metal, tight tolerances, and spin welded hosels.  

Some of the big companies today, used to use Miura to forge some of their designs for tour players.  These relationships for the most part, terming in 2004.  The rumors, legends, or something in between suggested that Tiger Woods used Miura Forgings most of his career.  Out of respect for those brands, Miura has always declined to comment on their business relationships.​

Just prior to the 2017 PGA Show this past January, Howard Milstein, acquired a majority interest in the distribution rights for Miura.  They appointed Hoyt McGarity, Founder and CEO of True Spec, a custom club fitting company as President of the Miura brand.  The future of Miura appears strong under this union of two successful businesses.

Miura wedges were selected for this #BestLookingGear piece for a variety of reasons.  For the past 60 years, the iconic brand is regarded among the highest quality in the industry.  But quality aside, and this article is focused on looks.  They are some of the best looking wedges in the game.  They’re classically elegant, yet unassuming and simple.  Most importantly, everything you see here is readily available and can be built to your exacting specifications.
 

The Miura Black wedges are available in two unique finishes, the matte black and boron finishes.  The matte black is a raw finish that will rust or patina over time.  ”The matte black finish is designed to give the maximum amount of spin in combination with our grooves” -Bill Holowaty, Executive VP, Product Strategies.  As you continue to play the Black Wedges from Miura, the raw beauty of the wedges will continue to evolve over time through use and exposure to the elements.

To address consumer demand for a finish that will not rust over time, yet still maintain the Miura feel and quality, Miura introduced the Black Boron finish in its line of wedges.  Hollowly said, the Black Boron “Allowed for a feel and finish that performed identical to our satin finish.  It does not lend itself to mass production, there is an extra step in the process which retails at a higher price-point.”​

Miura isn’t going to be for everyone.  Neither is Ferrari.  But for the discerning player who wants to play some of the finest forgings in the game, Miura is one of the best in the business.  Their aesthetically appealing designs are simply beautiful rendering them some of the #BestLooking Gear available in our sport.

MIURA WEDGES
Loft: 50 / 54 / 58
Lie: 63.5
Bounce: 5 / 8 / 8
Length: 35”
Shaft: KBS Tour Custom Series Black
Grip: Miura by PURE Grips

Website: miuragolf.com