subject: Affluent Page Presesnts: Golf Zen Master [print this page] Imagine eating dinner with master golf club craftsman Katsuhiro Miura in his birthplace, Japans historic Himeji city, home of the magnificent 400-year-old Himeji castle, once the largest in all of Asia. The following day, you can take a personal tour of Miuras world-renowned atelier, where he is at work every day pursuing his life-long quest to create the perfect golf club, even applying his hands to the actual grinding process. Miuras hands are so skilled, sensitive, and perfectly attuned, they have been called the Hands of God. During the tour, you will bear witness to the unique Miura forging process: one that has evolved through the ages, from the Samurais hand-crafted forged iron swords, to result in a golf club that still rings with the power and precision of those glorious ancient weapons.
Here, you will learn of Miuras demanding work ethic, which leads him to personally inspect each club for balance, unique specification, and individual grace. You will also hear Miura discuss the psychology of his design criteria, for instance the vital relationship of the flat face of the club to its top line, leading edge, and other curved surfaces. Miura believes that the more an individual golfer finds this relationship appealing when he has the club in his hand, the more confident he will be when hitting the ball.
For nearly half a century, Miura has studied the loft, lie, weight, balance, bounce, and center of gravity of the golf club, paying particular attention to the location and size of its crucial sweet spot. As you travel through his immaculate workshop, meet his team, and listen to him speak, you will come to understand why the hand-crafted Miura blades set the standard against which all other forged iron clubs in the world are measured. These blades are striking, sleek, stylish, and cannot be mass-produced.
Prominent golf writer Lorne Rubenstein reports, every golfer who sees [Miuras golf clubs] takes a club in his hands, looks at the head and studies it, and says something along the lines of, this is the most beautiful iron Ive ever seen, they ask about the company, and I fill them in on Mr. Miuras story.
A round of golf with the master craftsman himself is by far the most important step of the visit. During this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, your height and weight will be noted, your gait measured, your stance observed, your swing appraisedall so Miura can take your specifications and determine which irons are best suited to your individual needs. Then, its back to the factory for a final evaluation and a conclusion to the fitting process. There, you will be able to witness the first strike of the iron that will mold your custom-made steel club head. You can also get Miuras personal stamp (or hanko, as it is known in Japan) engraved in your irons along with your initials. The entire forging process will be digitally recorded and presented to you as a gift.
To fully take advantage of the Miura golf club experience we recommend you visit Himeji when the salient cherry blossoms are in season. This unique service, along with assistance from a personal translator, starts at $25,000.
