New Miura Golf wedges can tighten up your short game

LAS VEGAS - I know you’re not supposed to judge new equipment solely upon how you play, but I’ll make an exception for the Miura Golf New Wedge Series. This review was a successful slam dunk.

I took my shiny new 53-degree-lofted Miura wedge to Sin City for the Las Vegas Golf Writers Cup fully expecting to play my usual haphazard game. It was as if the wedge had a mind of its own.

I hit my fair share of sloppy shots with longer clubs. Thankfully, the Miura wedge was there to save me. During the warm-up round, I shot a scrambling 77 at Desert Pines Golf Club, one shot off my career round. Desert Pines plays short so a good wedge game is the only way to manage its narrow fairways and sloping greens.

I hit shots so crisp with the club that I actually spun a few, a PGA TOUR trick I usually only pull off coming out of the sand. The round just set the tone for the week. I ended up winning the tournament, taking home a sequin green jacket that would make Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson jealous.

It was my first experience with Miura, the world’s preeminent maker of quality forged golf clubs. The company, based in Vancouver, Canada, has built a sterling reputation behind the innovation and engineering of Katsuhiro Miura, a one-man wizard dedicated to creating the perfect club.

The wedges are sold in odd-numbered lofts from 51 degrees through 59, featuring redesigned bounce angles that the company believes leads to a crisp, consistent divot. I’m pretty well sold on the concept. Just look at my scores.

Miura President Adam Barr said subtle changes - such as a less shiny face - from the old series of wedges have made a difference.

“It will be better out of more kinds of lies,” he said. “The sole is better shaped. What I’m looking at with any wedge is the sole.”

The quality of Miura’s forged irons are legendary, but the price tags tend to lead to the perception that they’re only for better players. A Miura wedge retails for $235 and up. More golfers should look past the sticker shock to realize it’s money well spent.

“People who aren’t ready for a full set of irons - that’s a big game change and expense - they can discover Miura with our wedges,” Barr said. “They can learn about us without a great deal of expense. If you like what we do with wedges, you will like what we do with irons.”

For more, visit www.muiragolf.com.