Sweet Stuff
When taking a cue from the professional tours, more everyday golfers are finding that long irons—especially the newer, more technologically advanced specialty irons—are a great alternative for tee shots on holes where accuracy is more important than overall distance.
With more manufactures introducing longer irons designed to use as a driving club these days, the excellent choices have become more abundant. Miura Golf, which has a long and proud history of producing some of the highest-quality, handcrafted forged irons in the world, has jumped into this arena in a big way with the recent release of its ICL-601 Driving Iron that has been getting rave reviews by club aficionados and just about anyone who has tried the club.
Miura irons, designed and manufactured by the Miura family in their factory in Himeji, Japan since 1957, have traditionally been ranked among the finest on the market, but with the introduction of the ICL-601 driving irons series, the company has outdone itself.
This inner cavity – long iron is the latest in Miura’s MG Collection, and blends seamlessly with a set of any Miura irons. It is being offered in a 23 degree 4-iron, 18 degree 2-iron and 20 degree 3-iron.
“The inner cavity design is not new for Miura,” noted Hoyt McGarity, President of Miura Golf. “It was first introduced with the hugely popular IC-2003. Modern technological advances have allowed us to improve on the original design. This is accomplished by integrating a 455 Carpenter Steel face (as found in our PP-9005 G) and the use of the variable weighting system found in the Hayate woods.”
Miura has optimized the center of gravity by use of the variable weighting system, particularly addressing the mishits typically associated with a long iron. A top line which instills confidence is paired with a sole design which delivers solid turf interaction, no matter the lie.
With a larger look than a typical iron, the comfortable offset has a sharp look to it at address, and the sole shape lets the clubhead sit in a way that gives golfers confidence not usually found when hitting a long iron. The clubhead’s inner cavity allows for a wider sole and lower center of gravity. With a larger sweet spot comes more forgiveness, high launch and controlled spin rates that will benefit golfers of all skill levels.
The 23-degree ICL-601, for instance, includes an 8-gram weight, matching its weight to a standard 4-iron’s. This allows the club to be assembled with the same shaft as your iron set or to be fitted with an optimum-performing shaft. As with other forged irons, the lie and loft angles are adjustable--enabling golfers to fit the club seamlessly into their set. Of course, Miura is known for its custom fitting network, and recommends these adjustments be done by an authorized Miura dealer.
Hitting the ICL-601 gives one the sense of hitting a wood, but with the accuracy of an iron. The ball explodes off of the head with an ease not usually found with a long iron, and is one of the easiest clubs to hit straight and with consistency—especially with one of the light KBS hybrid shafts that is offered with this iron. The sound of the ball at impact with this club instills confidence as well—as does the distance that this iron can produce.
“The ICL gives Miura traditionalists the opportunity to add technology to their game, while maintaining the quality and feel of a Miura forged club,” said Jason Rutkoski, Miura Golf vice president. “The ICL is a remarkable new product that will benefit golfers from all demographics, by seamlessly fitting their existing set or adding a club to fit that one shot/hole per round.”
The ICL-601 is one of the first innovations for the Miura family in its new partnership with Howard Milstein and the Nicklaus Companies,
broadening Miura’s international reach. This rebrand was approached with the desire for a look and feel that expertly mimics the clean and sleek lines for every Miura club. With the release of more forgiving clubs, Miura is reaching deeper into the golf community and exposing more golfers to its legendary feel and hand craftsmanship, but with the ability to serve golfers of all skill levels.
For more information, visit the Miura website for a list of local dealers at: www. miuragolf.com
Blade Quattro Cart
The health advantages of walking the golf course as opposed to riding in a power cart have probably never been more obvious due to the many smart phone apps and wearable technology that tracks steps and calories for everything we do in today’s world.
Because many players want to take advantage of these health benefits of walking during a round of golf, but can’t or don’t like the idea of carrying a bag, push/pull carts are the answer most of the time.
For anyone looking to pull their clubs around the course with a hand cart, one of the most innovative solutions on the market right now is the Blade Quattro by Big Max, an Austrian company with a 20-plus-year history that just entered the US market in 2014.
The Blade Quattro is a four-wheeled cart that is just jam-packed with extra features to go along with its substantial stability and traction design that can navigate some of the most hilly and challenging courses in the world. Its extra wheel brings the robust stability needed to keep the cart on track in all kinds of terrain.
In addition to its superb stability, the Blade Quattro incorporates Big Max’s unique fold flat and quick release technology. Used in their award-winning Blade+ and Autofold FF carts, Big Max fold flat technology is the ideal partner for the Blade Quattro. The extra wheel poses no problems for Big Max’s unique technology, as all four wheels flip neatly under the cart in one swift movement for compact storage. Considering its robust and stable frame, the simplicity with which the Blade Quattro folds, transports and stores is both efficient and easy to travel with.
On the course is where this cart really shines. Its four wheels glide across the terrain easily, even with the largest TOUR bag on board. It offers complete stability even when traversing a hillside and keeps you on course whatever the conditions underfoot. A footbrake keeps the trolley in place when stationary and a host of features such as the organizer panel with storage compartment, range finder holder, smart phone holder and even a sand bottle holder. This lightweight cart also features a height adjustable handle and only two hinges are required to unhook it to fold it down. For any course it offers every practicality that a golfer who loves to push could want.
The Blade Quattro features these colors: Phantom, Phantom/Lime, White, White/Red, and is available in stores and online.
More information is available at: https://us.bigmaxgolf.com
TPT Shaft
Most golf club fitters will tell you that the shaft is the engine of the club, and new technology from Switzerland has found its way into some of the most technologically advanced graphite shafts available today.
Using ‘Thin Ply Technology’ (TPT) carbon fiber materials and a patented manufacturing process developed by its parent company, North Thin Ply Technology SARL, TPT Golf™ is making waves on the pro tours with several of victories around the world as this high-end shaft company is making a name for itself in the golf community.
The patent-pending manufacturing process that is used by TPT Golf™ enables golf shafts to be made with exceptionally accurate fiber placement in a highly uniform way around the shaft. This method creates a spineless shaft and overcomes the inconsistencies sometimes seen in shafts produced by the more-traditional table rolling methods. TPT shafts provide exceptional feel, leading to tighter shot
dispersion, low spin and increased distance.
The smooth feel and consistency is readily apparent with these shafts, which are known for helping with better control— and hitting more fairways while producing exceptional distance.
Biomechanical specialist Jean-Jacques Rivet has been instrumental in developing this new range of graphite shaft and validating performance. He’s also been a huge influence in developing a custom shaft-fitting process that allows the company to offer fully customized shafts.
Leading golf coach David Leadbetter has also provided strong technical support during the range development, and has entered into a partnership with TPT Golf™ to establish a shaft-fitting network linked to the David Leadbetter Academies around the world. “In a sport where feel is everything, TPT shafts offer a unique level of feel to golfers,” said Leadbetter. “This is the most technically advanced shaft for distance and direction, and even makes your bad shots better.”
Combining TPT Golf™, JJ Rivet and David Leadbetter--all experts in their own field--means that shafts are being looked at in a whole new way. For the first time ever, a shaft can be designed that starts with the physical capabilities of the human body and goes on to reflect the coaching being received in practice.
TPT can now provide the bestperforming products for Tour pros and amateurs alike, according to the company, bringing a consistent and precise product into the shaft marketplace. The range of TPT Golf™ shafts has been designed to make the fitting process as simple as possible. There are models to suit players with any swing speed.
TPT Golf recently announced the official launch of its 15-LKP-LT-LW, the shaft that was used to claim three professional victories last fall: the WGC-HSBC Champions in China, the Turkish Airlines Open (European Tour) and the Indonesian Masters (Asian Tour). A new prototype was used in January by the winner of the Farmers Insurance Open for the company’s first win on the PGA Tour.
The 15-LKP-LT-LW joins TPT Golf’s 15 Series, shafts that are designed to meet the needs of high-speed golfers. Within the 15 Series, the 15-LKP-LT-LW offers the lightest weight (63 grams). It is also the lowesttorque shaft in the entire TPT Golf lineup.
“Every product we create at TPT Golf is on the cutting edge,” said TPT Golf Technical Director Jeff Meyer. “Our design and manufacturing processes give us a huge advantage over standard industry methodologies. The 15-LKP-LT-LW is a product that was developed to meet the needs of the best golfers in the world.”
The parent company of TPT--North Thin Ply Technology ( NTPT)--is a serial innovator with a track record of producing performance-enhancing solutions in the high-performance sports arena. The Swissbased company began by developing a process for producing America’s Cup yacht sails, extended its portfolio to products used in the lightweight bodywork of F1 race cars, skis and snowboards and then moved into materials technology found in satellites and luxury composite watches.
For more information on TPT Golf™, visit tptgolf.com