Irons

Japanese clubmaker Miura Golf announced a historic collaboration with Jack Nicklaus for a limited-edition set of irons devised by the 18-time major champion. Nicklaus and Katsuhiro Miura, Miura Golf’s revered master craftsman, have joined together to construct a breathtaking adaptation of the classic Miura blade, designed by the influence of Jack’s preferred specifications.

Both Nicklaus and Miura-san stand for the same things: timelessness, class, artisan craftsmanship – and the lasting legacy of family. Their coming together was meant to be. The limited-issue irons combine Nicklaus’s club-design ideas – developed over 60 years – with Miura-san’s 60-year obsession in the pursuit of club-making perfection.

The Nicklaus-Miura Commemorative Irons are the first clubs to bear the Nicklaus name in more than a decade. The sets arrive in the first quarter of 2021 and are available now for preorder at www.miuragolf.com/nicklaus.

A Collaboration Years in the Making

Nicklaus has an abiding respect for the Miura family that goes back decades. In 2014, he visited the Miura forging house in Himeji, Japan to meet Miura-san. Two patriarchs, living legends of the game, speaking the same language: golf. On that day, Nicklaus became the second person, only after Miura-san, to sit in the grinding line’s first chair.

“The day Jack visited the factory was the best day of my life,” Miura-san said. “My family is honored to produce this set of irons for golf’s greatest champion and see our family’s crest share a clubhead with his seal of approval.”

Following the visit, Nicklaus was inspired to integrate his timeless insights with Miura’s six decades of craftsmanship.

“I’ve spent decades designing golf equipment, and I cherish the painstaking craftsmanship that goes into enhancing the tools of my trade,” Nicklaus said. “The Miura family and I share this passion for doing everything the right way and leaving no detail overlooked, and we have worked closely in this collaboration to highlight the superior subtleties of Miura forged steel.”

In 2007, Nicklaus partnered with the entrepreneur and philanthropist Howard Milstein to further the growth of the Nicklaus Companies. Subsequent to Nicklaus’s introduction to Muira-san in Japan, this partnership eventually evolved into 8AM Golf, the holding company that oversees Milstein’s golf companies — which includes Miura Golf.

“This collaboration between two of the greatest giants in our industry has been a true melding of generational genius,” President of 8AM Golf and CEO of Miura Golf, Hoyt McGarity said. “It’s a union that’s nothing short of inspiring and together they have produced a remarkable set of irons.”

Over his illustrious career, Nicklaus’s finely tuned eye for detail has dictated how his equipment is molded. Forged from premium S20C soft carbon steel and finished in satin chrome, the Nicklaus- Miura collaboration is designed to visually and viscerally delight golf purists.

The Dream Has Finally Taken Form

Nicklaus’s discerning eye and immense feel helped him develop specific preferences in his clubs. The Nicklaus-Miura Commemorative Irons leave no detail overlooked in capturing the Golden Bear’s meticulous standard of excellence. These irons have design elements dear to Nicklaus.

The ultimate goal in this collaboration was for Miura-san to understand Nicklaus’s preferences and then use his design and craftsmanship to deliver a modern version of the Nicklaus blade. Key in the implementation were the “look” and “sole,” both of which were achieved through grinding techniques so subtle that most might not notice unless they were pointed out.

Miura-san was able to move the center of gravity closer to the toe by removing a precise amount of material from the hosel of each individual iron, all the while making certain that the distribution of weight in the head allowed the club to perform as Jack needed.

Nicklaus’s preference was to have his irons designed with standard offset, uniform through the set. This delivered the ball flight and performance he wanted. Additionally, subtle grinding in the neck of the club enabled Miura san to give Nicklaus his preferred “look” and resulting confidence at address. This grinding delivers more “effective offset” without increasing the measured offset Jack preferred.

Now, for the first time, Nicklaus’s preferences carry the stamp of Miura.

The Nicklaus-Miura Commemorative Irons are constructed to the legend’s distinct specs. The clubs can also be preordered for a custom fit. The irons are currently available for order online at www.miuragolf.com/nicklaus.

Nearly seven decades after Ben Hogan, the man renowned for the greatest swing in golf, founded his equipment brand, Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company (BHGEC) has launched the ICON Irons, a set of forged muscle back blades featuring many of Mr. Hogan’s design philosophies.

Developed for better players accomplished at working the ball, the ICON Irons combine traditional styling with modern performance. Better yet, given the company’s innovative Direct-To-Consumer business model which minimizes operational costs and completely eliminates retail mark-up, ICON irons will be sold at www.BenHoganGolf.com and www.BenHoganGolf.eu for $770 (chrome) and $800 (black) for a 7-piece set … far less than the price of many competitive blades in the market today sold through traditional retail stores.

“Ben Hogan always had exceptionally high standards … especially for his blade iron designs. We think the new ICON Irons would be something he would be proud of” said Scott White, CEO, Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company. “In the hands of accomplished players, they will find the ICON Irons offer an unmatched combination of performance, feel and eye appeal as compared to any muscle back blade on the market. This was Mr. Hogan’s mission and we’ve continued that tradition.”

White adds, “Offering a high-performance, forged muscle back set like the ICON Irons at a price point of $770 is unimaginable in today’s market, or in recent memory. It’s thanks to our successful direct-to-consumer business model, which allows golfers to buy direct at BenHoganGolf.com, and avoid the exorbitant retail prices they would pay for clubs of this caliber.”

The ICON irons are textbook Ben Hogan, carrying on the heritage of high-quality, beautifully forged, contemporary muscle backs and placing them in a re-imagined, contemporary package. A blade design having minimal offset, a thin top line, and shorter blade length, the irons are well-suited for accomplished players wanting to work the ball, true shot makers will consider these irons a game changer thanks to an inviting look, top-notch craftsmanship, and several key trademarks incorporated into the design.

Highlighting the design elements of the ICON irons is Hogan’s “Progressive Center of Mass” weighting system that allows golfers, regardless of which club they’re hitting, optimal ball flight on both length and trajectory. The system positions more mass higher in the short, scoring irons to generate a lower ball flight for better control while eliminating any ballooning.

On the long and mid-irons, weight is located progressively lower to help generate higher shot trajectory with more spin. Equally impressive, each loft in the ICON Irons set has a visible weight pad in the rear, with a unique size, shape and position for that specific loft and clubhead. This allows for a seamless performance transition from one iron to the next.

Unlike other companies that have strengthened their iron lofts over the years, which creates unbalanced gaps between irons, the ICON Irons feature consistent four-degree gapping, which was a Ben Hogan signature design element going back to 1953. This practice, when combined with a calculated graduation in club length, and head width and thickness for each iron, leads to a perfectly balanced set of clubs. This level of precision gives golfers much more consistency and flow throughout the set, with respect to performance and feel, while invoking the confidence that better players rely on in their irons.

The ICON Irons also feature Ben Hogan Golf’s proprietary V-SOLE® technology, which provides a high-bounce leading edge and soft, lower-bounce trailing edge to promote forgiveness and prevent digging. Regardless of the length or thickness of the grass, the V-shaped sole cuts right through as if the golfer was hitting from the heart of the fairway.

Adds White, “ICON is the kind of club that the Ben Hogan Golf brand is known for and which epitomizes our ‘forged / feel / feedback’ theme. Serious players can take comfort in knowing that ICON gives them the opportunity to hit their mark on every shot, while feeling the satisfying pureness of flush contact. Mr. Hogan once described that blissful sensation as running from your hands up your arms and into your heart. There’s nothing else quite like it in golf.”

The 7-piece ICON Irons sets will be offered exclusively at www.BenHoganGolf.com and www.BenHoganGolf.eu for $770 in traditional nickel chrome finish, and $800 for proprietary Diamond Black Metal (DBM) finish. Due to delivery delays caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company will begin taking pre-orders for the ICON chrome irons immediately and plans to begin orders for ICON Black irons in the very near future.

As always, ICON irons will be offered with a variety of premium, after-market steel and graphite shafts, and no-charge customization. Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company also offers a number of consumer-centric programs, including: free domestic shipping on orders over $500.00, flat-rate international shipping and a low or no-cost financing program. And, recognizing that many golfers want to personally experience equipment before they purchase, the Company offers a simple, risk-free Demo program, as well as a Trade-UP program where golfers can offset the cost of their purchase by selling used equipment back to the Ben Hogan Golf Equipment Company.

COBRA Golf®, a leader in golf club innovation, introduced its new KING Utility irons, delivering improved distance with a classic look and modern technology. The KING Utility iron is designed for players who seek maximum control and precision on tee shots and longer approach shots on par 5’s. A classic, muscle-back iron shape delivers the feeling of controlled ball flights, while a wider sole and hollow body provides stability, power, and a low centered CG for trajectories that are high and penetrating.  A PWRSHELL™ face insert adds to the performance by expanding the sweet zone for improved ball speeds on off-center hits and launch efficiency for improved trajectory.

Normally only found in Metalwoods, COBRA engineers integrated into the Utility design the trusted COBRA MyFly8™ technology, a series of eight adjustable loft settings that give users the ability to manage trajectory and launch for proper distance gapping. Additionally, the KING Utility irons are geared with COBRA CONNECT™ Powered by Arccos Caddie, an artificial intelligence system that utilizes Smart Grips with embedded sensors to track and record distance and accuracy data on the Arccos Caddie app.  COBRA blends a classic design with cutting-edge engineering, including a hollow-body design, forged PWRSHELL Face, and Tungsten Weighting, to deliver superior performance that users can track and analyze using the in-depth data provided by the Arccos Caddie system.

The KING Utility is also offered in a ONE Length™ configuration (graphite – $219), while sharing the technologies of its variable-length counterpart, is designed at 7-iron length (37.50”), making it a perfect complement to any of COBRA’S ONE Length iron offerings.  Having a constant length through the set promotes one repeatable set-up and swing for more consistency, while the head design and weighting are fine-tuned to provide uniformity of feel through the set.  Traditional variable-length players can also benefit from the consistency and accuracy of the ONE Length Utility iron.  After analyzing player test and GEARS test results, a shorter length has been shown to improve playability in the long irons and promote center contact for more precision.

COBRA KING Utility irons (graphite – $219) will be available in a 2-Utility in RH (adjustable from 16 – 20 degrees), 3-Utility in RH/LH (adjustable from 18 – 21 degrees) and 4-Utility in RH/LH (adjustable from 21 – 24 degrees). The standard Utility comes with a steel KBS $-Taper lite (in S or R flex) and a graphite Project X Catalyst 80 (in X-Stiff, S, or R flex) shaft options with a Lamkin Crossline CONNECT Black grip.  The KING Utility ONE Length irons will be available in a 3-Utility (adjustable from 18 – 21 degrees), 4-Utility (adjustable from 21 to 24 degrees) and a 5-Utility (adjustable from 24 to 27 degrees). The ONE Length Utility offering comes standard with a steel KBS $-Taper lite (in S or R flex) and a graphite Project X Catalyst 80 (in S, XS, or R flex) shaft options with a Lamkin Crossline CONNECT Blue grip.

Honma, one of golf’s most prestigious and enduring equipment brands, continues to make a decisive statement to the North American market with its TR20 (“Tour Release 2020”) iron line. Known globally for beautifully-crafted, versatile and playable equipment, Honma’s approach with its new TR20 V and TR20 P iron sets is to provide serious players the look, set-up, feel and performance they have come to trust and expect in a players, and players distance, iron.

Both the TR20 P and V irons showcase modern player-preferred profiles with sleek lines and shaping, and are built to be fast and forgiving so that golfers can achieve desirable distance and accuracy– even on misses. Reviewers on Golf Digest’s 2020 Hot List panel had this to say about this innovative line:

“These are hot. Trajectory penetrates the wind. My mis-hits weren’t penalized too badly, either.”

“These are already long, but I love that I could swing harder and they’d go a whole iron longer.”

“The sound was one of speed. The ball was motoring.”

In GOLF’s Club Test 2020, a tester said:

“Working this one both directions was no problem. Buttery feel is what you’d expect from something that looks this good.”

“It’s no surprise that discerning players who prefer reliable performance and uncompromised feel of a players iron are enjoying testing the TR20 P and TR 20 V,” said Honma’s President John Kawaja. “Our Carlsbad-based team has had a hand in delivering golfers many of the most proven and iconic iron designs of the past 20 years for other prestigious OEMs. The work they’re doing here at Honma is a brilliant culmination of industry-leading experience, relentless creativity and cutting-edge ingenuity and design.”

THE GOODS: TR20 P

TR20 P is a players distance iron that incorporates game improvement-like playability with beautifully-crafted performance with hand-shaped profiles and tour-caliber response. An S35C forged steel body and thin L-cup face help generate ball speed. A generous sole width and tungsten-weighted pocket cavity (the P in TR20 P stands for Pocket) on the rear of the club head help create speed-enhancing forgiveness. The pocket cavity puts weight around the perimeter of the iron, not just in the heel and toe, but also in the back of the club head. It literally creates a pocket of perimeter weighting. “The 3D pocket cavity allows us to create a strong lofted iron that launches fast and high without excess spin” McGinley said.

The low center of gravity, created by the optimized position (heel-to-toe and front-to-back) of the high-density tungsten weight, promotes higher MOI, higher launch and longer carry distance. Honma’s experienced Takumi combine a traditional blade shape with modern topline and sole proportions and high-performance back designs to pack versatile playability into the TR20 P.

“The blade length on the TR20 P is small enough to be accepted by a tour pro, but large enough to be forgiving and market-playable,” said Honma Vice President of Global Product Chris McGinley. “We used CAD to position the tungsten weight in the ideal spot to create speed on both on- and off-center hits as well as the right amount of launch for the TR 20 P’s strong lofts.This iron hits a wide target audience from competitive golfers and low handicaps, all the way up to mid-teen handicaps.”

THE GOODS: TR20 V
The TR20V is a true players iron that delivers impressive distance. Showing off a handsome, traditional one-piece cavity back head design, the TR20 V is forged from soft S20C carbon steel and helps launch shots quick and high, but with control. It features a slightly shorter blade length and thin topline that better golfers prefer, as well as a recessed electroform Honma mole logo in the cavity as a nod to the great forged irons of the company’s past. The TR20 V’s sole is wide enough to promote desirable launch with enhanced camber for crisp turf interaction.

The responsive feel in the TR20 V comes from the combination of material, construction and design. S20C carbon steel delivers preferred feel, while the blade size, shape and cavity design- including the ideal combination of face thickness and perimeter weighting- create the soft, but solid, feel.

“The TR20 V also has players distance lofts, which are one degree weaker than on the TR20 P. This is a really good traditional forged cavity iron,” said McGinley. “A slightly narrower sole width helps yield good overall playability. It’s an ideal iron for competitive golfers and low handicaps, yet suitable for higher single-digit handicaps, as well.”

A COMMON LANGUAGE
The common design language between the TR20 V and TR20 P irons allows golfers to consider a combination set with familiar profiles. Combined set configurations with TR20P in the mid/long and TR20V in the mid/short irons are becoming popular with Honma customers. “In both iron sets, the confluence of Honma hand-crafted looks with tour level performance, modern constructions and expert designs provide the sound and feel that golfers will love,” said Chris McGinley. “In Honma Experience fittings, we’re seeing a lot of golfers opting for a blended set of TR20 P and TR 20 V for optimal feel, trust and performance.”

Honma TR20P and TR20V are available with VIZARD TR20-85 graphite and Nippon Modus 105 shafts as a standard option. VIZARD TR20 shafts are designed with a stiffer tip section for trajectory control and are built with ascending weight to increase speed with longer irons and increase control with shorter irons. One other commonality to both irons: The counter taper grip reduces tension in the lower hand while sporting a new soft-feeling compound.

An additional set of TR20 irons called TR20B, a classic blade-style iron for skilled players, will be launching in the coming weeks.

TR 20 P and TR 20 V irons ($199.99/club with graphite shaft, $174.99/steel) are now available in stores and online as well as by appointment at a Honma Mobile Experience custom fitter.