VANCOUVER, British Columbia -Japanese golf-club manufacturer Miura Golf-which has quietly been making the world’s highest-quality forged irons for the world’s major golf OEMs for 43 years-will be represented at the 2008 PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, January 17, 2008
Yoshitaka and Shinei Miura-sons of Katsuhiro Miura, Miura Golf Inc.’s 66-year-old founder, whose forged clubmaking skills over the past 47 years have prompted the Japanese to claim he has “God’s hands”-will represent Miura Golf in Room W305A at the Orange County Convention Center.
Both sons are master craftsmen and play major roles in Katsuhiro Miura’s Japanese company, Miura Giken Co. Ltd., which operates manufacturing facilities in Himeji, Japan. Yoshitaka Miura, 33, is Miura’s director of the Finishing division, while 30-year-old Shinei Miura is the director of the Forging division. Their father, who founded the company when he was just 23 years old, is Miura Giken’s director of manufacturing and product development. Katsuhiro Miura expects both sons to carry on the Miura tradition well into the future.
“We’re extremely pleased that both Yoshitaka and Shinei Miura will be in Orlando to meet with the media, as well as the top golf professionals and clubfitters in the golf industry,” says Miura Golf President Douglas B. Buchanan. “Not only will this be a great opportunity for us to meet personally with key golf-industry personnel, but it will also give the industry a chance to meet and get to know some of the important faces behind Miura Golf.”
Both Yoshitaka Miura and Shinei Miura will be available, by appointment, to meet with the media and will conduct interviews while attending the PGA Merchandise Show to discuss Miura Golf’s current product line, forging process, company history and its future plans.
Miura Golf-whose corporate office is located in Vancouver, British Columbia-manufactures the world’s highest-quality forged, mild-steel irons for consumers and for some of the world’s major golf-equipment companies.
Miura Golf President Douglas B. Buchanan and Vice President Sales and Marketing, Bill Holowaty and Ted Cotter, Vice President General Operations, are based in Vancouver, B.C., Canada.
Katsuhiro Miura’s dream has always been to provide golfers worldwide with the highest-quality designed and manufactured golf clubs so they may play their best and enjoy the game to its fullest. One of the first steps he took to make the dream come true was to organize the creation of Miura Golf Inc., in which he continues as one of the founding shareholders. Miura Golf’s mandate is to market models for the North American and international market under the brand name Miura. The company sold its products primarily through select custom-fitting and green-grass accounts, but the creation of its www.miuragolf.com website two years ago marked a shift in strategy to a broader marketing plan.
In fact, in Fall 2007, Miura Golf-which also is the industry’s premier component head manufacturer-and its network of specialty clubfitters formed an alliance with golf’s leading shaft manufacturer True Temper’s elite Tour Concept clubmaker network.
This affiliation is expected to elevate the custom-fitting programs for both companies by expanding their premium component offerings. Independent club fitters affiliated with each program will have the opportunity to become exclusive dealers on behalf of the new relationship between these two component industry leaders.
The alliance is in line with Miura Golf’s goal to be the most sought-after club line in a golf shop. The company will only let the world’s best clubfitters fit and sell its products because they ask questions of their customers and listen to the answers. These dealers aren’t order takers like the big-box and pro-shop sales forces. Once the fitter uses a launch monitor to compare Miura’s clubs with a golfer’s own clubs, and then the proper shaft is installed, the Miura clubs speak for themselves-100 percent of the time.
Until Miura began making its North American presence known in 2006, only top golf professionals, low-handicappers, affluent golfers and other male and female amateurs who demand the newest hot products had been privy to the fact Miura’s golf clubs had been the industry’s greatest secret, or “forbidden fruit.”While Miura has been in business for nearly five decades, Katsuhiro Miura’s clubs have become red-hot since word began getting out in the U.S. two years ago.
Miura Golf has been one of the world’s most dominant OEM producers for many years, but due to prior OEM confidentiality agreements, Katsuhiro Miura can’t discuss the championships that have been won with his forged clubs. However, public record shows well-known tour stars using Miura-designed clubs while under contract to use clubs manufactured by American OEMs have won two Masters, one U.S. Open, one Senior PGA Championship and have earned 25 victories on the Japanese tour.
In addition, Titleist hired Katsuhiro Miura to make limited-edition irons for Tiger Woods when he was playing Titleist’s clubs. Mr. Miura used Titleist’s dies and design, then manufactured Woods’ clubs using his own 14-step process, many of which are unique and proprietary to Mr. Miura, who fully supervises each step.
Many other players on the U.S. professional tours were, and still are, playing Miura-made clubs under the brand name of other equipment companies and, to a more-limited extent, under the Miura brand.
Miura Golf is known for its extremely beautiful muscleback irons, and that’s where Katsuhiro Miura’s heart lies. However, he also makes cavity-back models, and stresses that his clubs are geared to low- and high-handicappers. That’s why Mr. Miura’s creations are not only popular with tour professionals and low-handicap CEOs, but with average golfers who have lowered their handicaps by taking advantage of Miura’s craftsmanship. Miura’s best customers continue to be the country-club influencer, affluent young businessmen who play at semi-private and resort courses, and male and female amateurs who know about Miura and simply want the best. In all cases, because of Mr. Miura’s craftsmanship, and the company’s approachability and credibility, Miura Golf customers take ownership of the irons and become the company’s most effective sales people.
Mr. Miura also displays an integrity seen nowhere else in the worldwide golf market by not introducing a new product every year just for the sake of marketing purposes. Mr. Miura will only introduce a new club if and when technology demands it-which might be every 18 months to two years. The loyal Miura customers have no reason to change irons, and they can’t wait for a new company model so they can be the first to have the new Miura product.
The current product line includes 12 models-including five new 2007 models, three current and four retro models. The 2007 line includes Blade (Tournament Blade Model); MC-102 (Standard Cavity Model); and CB-202 (Cavity Back Model) irons; and Wedges (Wedge Series and Black Wedge Series, each available in six lofts).
Contact:
Mary Beth Lacy at 760-346-6942 or mb@mblacy.com
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