FROMTOP: JEREMYVOISEY/GETTY IMAGES; LCLAMBRECHT
GOLF
toBarr, is forgingtheheel-to-toeportion
of theclubheadby itself,first. “Then, ina
separateprocesswecall spin-forging, the
hosel isspunonto theheelvery fast.The
frictionmakesaweld.…We thengrind
theclub intoshape, and itoperatesas if it
wereneveranythingbutoneunifiedpiece.
Theresulting feel isotherworldly—you
cansee itonthe facesofpeoplewhohitthe
irons forthefirsttime.”
Bycomparison,othermanufacturers
tendto forgetheentireL-shapedhead-
hoselcombination,Barrsays,whichrisks
yankingthegrainupward intothehosel,
leadingtovoidsorbubbles insidetheclub-
headthatcreatea“clank” feelat impact.
Miura’smethodologyensuresasmall, tight,
uniformgrain—andaheavenly feel.
The factthattherearehandsonthe
clubheadsatalmosteverystage isnot just
atestamenttoasmall-company, small-
batchwayofdoingthingsbutalsoan
opportunitytotestthequalityatnearly
everymomentbytouch.Most largebrands
adheretostrictmanufacturingtolerances
inordertoensureacertain levelofquality.
But inamassproduction, clubscanbe
susceptibletohotspotsalongtheclubface.
Miuraconformstoatighterstandardthan
the industry, ingeneral. “Ourclubhead
weightdeviation isplus-minusahalfgram,”
Barrsays. “That’s1/56ofanounce.Other
OurK-Grindwedges,
for instance,have their
renownedknucklesground
inbyhand, veryoften
byMr.Miurahimself
.
ROAD
PERKS
WHENHEWAS
anon-air person-
ality for theGolf Channel,
Adam
Barr
hit the road 120daysper year.
Thesedays, aspresident ofMiura
Golf, heestimates that he travels
one-thirdof that time. Fortunately
for him, that stillmeanspackinghis
clubswhenever possible. Hereare
his favorite courses:
THEOLDCOURSE
ATST.ANDREWS, SCOTLAND
“The first time I played, asmyball
sailedoff the second tee, abagpiper
beganplayingback in the town. The
musicand themagicwaftedout over
the links. Theatmosphere, company
andbounceshaveneverdisappointed.
Well, sometimes thebounceshave,
but that all tends toevenout.”
OAKMONTCOUNTRYCLUB
OAKMONT,PENNSYLVANIA
“Right inmyhometown— I never got
a chance toplay thereuntil Iwas
in thegolf industry. It’s endlessly
humblingandamazing, but it re-
wardspersistence. There’s anonstop,
on-the-premises tingle therebecause
you’re in thepresenceof somuch
golf enthusiasmand reverence.”
NORTHBERWICKGOLFCLUB
EASTLOTHIAN, SCOTLAND
club.com
“A rollickinggood timeby theNorth
Sea. Bedecisiveor stayon the side-
lines. It features someexciting short
holes. I couldplay thereeveryday for
the rest of a long life.”
MERIONGOLFCLUB
ARDMORE,PENNSYLVANIA
“It’s a round I neverwant toend. His-
tory seems tohang from the trees like
leaves. It’s repletewithwild-looking
edges and tall grass, challenging
bunkers andmarvelousmembers.”
IKUNOKOHGENCOUNTRYCLUB
HYOGOPREFECTURE, JAPAN
“TheMiuras sometimes takemehere
toplay.Mountainous andwild, the
courseoffers somedelightful chal-
lenges. Not tomentionexcellent soba
noodles for lunch.”
WINTER
AA.COM CELEBRATEDLIVING
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