Review: Miyazaki C. Kua Iron Shafts
Finally a real alternative to steel
Graphite irons shaft are not new, but ones that can keep up with steel are. I’ve swung and tried graphite shafts in irons mainly at the store, with only limited on course exposure in the past, but it was obvious from just those few swings that graphite iron shafts were not for me. They felt like wet noodles and resulted in very inconsistent results. Those reasons alone always kept me from installing graphite shafts in my irons.
The new Miyazaki iron shafts are finally an alternative to steel because they aren’t like the graphite irons shafts of the past. The first thing that you will notice that Miyazaki shafts have done so well is that they are really lookers. These irons shafts are black with the awesome C. Kua graphics.
Looks are great, but not really valuable on the course, but this is actually where these shafts shine. The first aspect of these shafts that is the real seller is how consistent they are. This has always been the biggest knock on graphite iron shafts is that they are too inconsistent to play in irons. It has always been the reason that steel remains in most irons. While I installed these shafts in my Nike Pro Combo irons and found that my accuracy didn’t change at all. I went from one of the most accurate steel shafts I had hit, only to find the Miyazaki shafts keep up. I had a number of my best iron striking rounds with these shafts installed.
The feel is also what sets these apart from steel. For anyone that remembers going from steel to graphite in their woods, you can make that same transition now with iron shafts. The smooth feeling of graphite is so nice to have in iron shafts too.
Miyazaki also offers a wide variety of flex and trajectory options. You can get high, medium , low trajectories and senior, regular and stiff flexes. With the international codes you can really dial in exactly what you need. I went with the Black since I already hit irons plenty high and thought the Black would be the closest comparison to Dynamic Golds. The Black is the lowest launching iron line and worked out very well. Very comparative to DG shafts.
I did notice that I pick up about a ½ club distance with these shafts, which isn’t a big surprise since these are 59grams shafts. The weight vs. consistency has to be the biggest surprise for me. Not only are they graphite but at 59 grams they are accurate. Now couple that with feel and distance, they are as good as just about any iron shaft I have ever hit.
The only tough part of these shafts right now is the fact that they are .370 parrallel tips which are just fine if you are going to install them in .370 hosels, but installing them in .355 taper tips hosels is possible but does take some time and patience. I tip trimmed and sanded them into tapper tips. I was worried if I would snap the shafts because of the sanding, but after 6 rounds on the rock hard fall turf these are holding up just fine. I did find them swing weight a little light, but not bad. They came in at D0 which really wasn’t bad at all, I think I could have installed a couple hosel weights and get them up to D2, but I was happy with just the straight install results.
I really can’t find any reason to uninstall these shafts. They are consistent, feel great and are a little longer. Just make sure to either have the factory install them or a good clubmaker take his time sanding them just the minimal amount to install them. They really are a true alternative to steel.
Quick Hits
+Amazing feel
+Very Consistent
+1/2 club longer
+Lightweight
+Stellar looks
--Might be too light for some
--Lots of sanding on the installation work
Graphite irons shaft are not new, but ones that can keep up with steel are. I’ve swung and tried graphite shafts in irons mainly at the store, with only limited on course exposure in the past, but it was obvious from just those few swings that graphite iron shafts were not for me. They felt like wet noodles and resulted in very inconsistent results. Those reasons alone always kept me from installing graphite shafts in my irons.
The new Miyazaki iron shafts are finally an alternative to steel because they aren’t like the graphite irons shafts of the past. The first thing that you will notice that Miyazaki shafts have done so well is that they are really lookers. These irons shafts are black with the awesome C. Kua graphics.
Looks are great, but not really valuable on the course, but this is actually where these shafts shine. The first aspect of these shafts that is the real seller is how consistent they are. This has always been the biggest knock on graphite iron shafts is that they are too inconsistent to play in irons. It has always been the reason that steel remains in most irons. While I installed these shafts in my Nike Pro Combo irons and found that my accuracy didn’t change at all. I went from one of the most accurate steel shafts I had hit, only to find the Miyazaki shafts keep up. I had a number of my best iron striking rounds with these shafts installed.
The feel is also what sets these apart from steel. For anyone that remembers going from steel to graphite in their woods, you can make that same transition now with iron shafts. The smooth feeling of graphite is so nice to have in iron shafts too.
Miyazaki also offers a wide variety of flex and trajectory options. You can get high, medium , low trajectories and senior, regular and stiff flexes. With the international codes you can really dial in exactly what you need. I went with the Black since I already hit irons plenty high and thought the Black would be the closest comparison to Dynamic Golds. The Black is the lowest launching iron line and worked out very well. Very comparative to DG shafts.
I did notice that I pick up about a ½ club distance with these shafts, which isn’t a big surprise since these are 59grams shafts. The weight vs. consistency has to be the biggest surprise for me. Not only are they graphite but at 59 grams they are accurate. Now couple that with feel and distance, they are as good as just about any iron shaft I have ever hit.
The only tough part of these shafts right now is the fact that they are .370 parrallel tips which are just fine if you are going to install them in .370 hosels, but installing them in .355 taper tips hosels is possible but does take some time and patience. I tip trimmed and sanded them into tapper tips. I was worried if I would snap the shafts because of the sanding, but after 6 rounds on the rock hard fall turf these are holding up just fine. I did find them swing weight a little light, but not bad. They came in at D0 which really wasn’t bad at all, I think I could have installed a couple hosel weights and get them up to D2, but I was happy with just the straight install results.
I really can’t find any reason to uninstall these shafts. They are consistent, feel great and are a little longer. Just make sure to either have the factory install them or a good clubmaker take his time sanding them just the minimal amount to install them. They really are a true alternative to steel.
Quick Hits
+Amazing feel
+Very Consistent
+1/2 club longer
+Lightweight
+Stellar looks
--Might be too light for some
--Lots of sanding on the installation work
Review: Miyazaki C.Kua Wedge Shafts
Spin and Consistency
Just as the iron shafts, the wedge shafts offer the same consistency, feel and accuracy. What I also liked was that they come in some additional weight, either 95 grams or 115 grams. These two shaft weights are really good for wedges since it is not so much about length, but about accuracy. The smoothness of these shaft felt great in my custom JP wedges. I did install them in non-conforming groove wedges so I’m not 100% sure how much spin they add, because the grooves do much of the work, but these offer great spin control. I felt like I got really good spin, but not too much spin that I couldn’t keep anything on the greens. I think that with the new groove rules, these might be a great way to add a little spin, offer excellent feel and still maintain the accuracy of steel. I think the two weights are more about feel than anything. If you want a little lighter feeling/ softer feeling wedge shaft the 95 gram is perfect, but if your not quite ready to make that jump, the 115 gram is close to steel in terms of weight, but much smoother. These come as .355 taper tips so there is no need to tip these or sand them down on the install. The only knock on these is going to be the additional cost, but I am so happy with the looks and function with these shafts. I highly recommend them to someone looking for a little more spin on partial shots yet great control on full shots.
Quick Hits
+Amazing feel
+Very Consistent
+Very nice spin
+Different weights 95 or 115
+Stellar looks
--Less swingweight
Just as the iron shafts, the wedge shafts offer the same consistency, feel and accuracy. What I also liked was that they come in some additional weight, either 95 grams or 115 grams. These two shaft weights are really good for wedges since it is not so much about length, but about accuracy. The smoothness of these shaft felt great in my custom JP wedges. I did install them in non-conforming groove wedges so I’m not 100% sure how much spin they add, because the grooves do much of the work, but these offer great spin control. I felt like I got really good spin, but not too much spin that I couldn’t keep anything on the greens. I think that with the new groove rules, these might be a great way to add a little spin, offer excellent feel and still maintain the accuracy of steel. I think the two weights are more about feel than anything. If you want a little lighter feeling/ softer feeling wedge shaft the 95 gram is perfect, but if your not quite ready to make that jump, the 115 gram is close to steel in terms of weight, but much smoother. These come as .355 taper tips so there is no need to tip these or sand them down on the install. The only knock on these is going to be the additional cost, but I am so happy with the looks and function with these shafts. I highly recommend them to someone looking for a little more spin on partial shots yet great control on full shots.
Quick Hits
+Amazing feel
+Very Consistent
+Very nice spin
+Different weights 95 or 115
+Stellar looks
--Less swingweight
