I see a very strong resemblance but I also see some differences, in finish and shape. And there are only so many ways to design a blade iron. It seems possible to me that two designers took a very similar route.
if by "similar route", you mean copy.... yes they did take a similar route.
i get ur point, but it wouldn't surprise me if tiger told nike he hit these and fell in love and nike said, "well, we can make some just like that, Tiger"
i get ur point, but it wouldn't surprise me if tiger told nike he hit these and fell in love and nike said, "well, we can make some just like that, Tiger"
I wouldn't be surprised by this, either. You think with Nike's resources, they could come up with something Tiger likes especially since they have such a close relationship.
This topic interested me so I did a search. Don't know how reliable it is since the site sells Miura clubs (in Singapore) but here's what it said:
Quote:
If few golfers are aware of his company it's only because Miura doesn't sponsor any tour professionals. As Bill Holowaty, Miura's Vancouver-based vice-president, puts it, "Mr. Miura believes that the good players will find him." When Tiger Woods was playing Titleist clubs, the company called on Miura to make limited-edition irons. Titleist brought its own dies and design; Miura's contribution was his 14-step manufacturing process.
Quote:
Woods plays Nike blades (as they're often called because they look like knives or, for that matter, swords), and says there's little or no sensation of impact when the clubface collides with the ball. Some tour pros also find it easier to "work" the ball with muscle backs - to hit a greater variety of shots and exert more control over the flight of the ball. Davis Love III, who plays with Titleist muscle backs, says, "You get a better feel, and you can keep the ball down.
heres a link with info on tiger playing mizuno's before titleist, and titleist's deal to develop a set of clubs with the same specifications as the mizunos..... which they contracted out to miura which you can read in the link provided by nikeone. a host of other links also boast this information. This link and the others you can find is directed towards those who dont believe a golf company such as nike or titleist would let their players do this. As far as inside information goes. I know a gentleman who drives the NIKE trailer for the tour. He works on the clubs of all nike players EXCEPT tiger. (i know this guy because my brother in law owns a trailer company and works on this guy's trailer every time he needs it, and he is a good friend of ours, this is the ONLY person i know connected to the tour) This gentleman told me in response to my question about tigers clubs, that Miura and one other guy (cant remember name want to say Tom something) work with tiger on R&D all the time. Tom for the design Miura for the forging process. He said this info was hush hush and that he was not told this but observed it many times. He recognized miura. . I haven't talked to my guy in a few mths but this was the last information i received when i asked about tiger playing mizunos at one point. Im going to sawgrass this summer, i will be there on a practice day. I will try my hardest to get some high res close ups of his bag.
heres a link with info on tiger playing mizuno's before titleist, and titleist's deal to develop a set of clubs with the same specifications as the mizunos..... which they contracted out to miura which you can read in the link provided by nikeone. a host of other links also boast this information. This link and the others you can find is directed towards those who dont believe a golf company such as nike or titleist would let their players do this. As far as inside information goes. I know a gentleman who drives the NIKE trailer for the tour. He works on the clubs of all nike players EXCEPT tiger. (i know this guy because my brother in law owns a trailer company and works on this guy's trailer every time he needs it, and he is a good friend of ours, this is the ONLY person i know connected to the tour) This gentleman told me in response to my question about tigers clubs, that Miura and one other guy (cant remember name want to say Tom something) work with tiger on R&D all the time. Tom for the design Miura for the forging process. He said this info was hush hush and that he was not told this but observed it many times. He recognized miura. . I haven't talked to my guy in a few mths but this was the last information i received when i asked about tiger playing mizunos at one point. Im going to sawgrass this summer, i will be there on a practice day. I will try my hardest to get some high res close ups of his bag.
After reading this entire thread, it seems fairly obvious Tiger is playing clubs designed by Miura but with the Nike/TW branding. This makes sense. I've read some of Tom Wishon's work, and he says flat out that many OEMs, including "component" companies, use heads that come from the same foundries, as there are only so many that actually produce quality products. Also, the link posted by Mizuno notes that "when arranging his contract with Titleist, (Tiger) stipulated that he would sign if they could make a set identical to the Mizunos he was using." Simple request...same foundry, same specs, switch names, same clubs, different brand.
So, while it seems to be implied here that there is some sort of fraud being perpetrated on the public, this is nothing different than what any of the other big companies are doing. Here it's simply Miura specs, Nike branding, end of story. It's just a matter of understanding and accepting the way the industry operates.
Tom Stites and his team work tirelessly to develop clubs that perform for me.
Quote:
Forged Blades Tiger's Choice
Nike's first set of irons made under the supervision of master club maker Tom Stites. Meticulously crafted and tour-tested, Nike's Forged Blade Irons provide performance and short-for-shot consistency.
Note that the 'under the supervision of .....' phrase leaves sufficient room for interpretation to allow the free exploration of further conspiracy theories!
And i would say your right..but hmm..the clubs from 2005 until now..look the EXACT same..just different stamps..what a quinkie dink!..lol..Ive been on Miz's side of this battle since Day 1..
What mizuno just said..i totally agree with..lets face it..NIKE definately isnt the best golf manufacturer in the business and have you ever noticed Tiger never talks equipment..Thats a dead give-away for me..almost every other tour player talks equipment..And you cant play ANY of tigers equipment..ever..he doesnt play the one platinum..the clubs you can buy that are "his"..ANYTHING..maybe the driver..But trust me..theres no way anyone of tour caliber would play with that ****..not dogging Nike..but seriously..theres better out there..
LoL the driver is the only club made by nike, that makes perfect sense because thats the club that he struggles with the most
This is an interesting discussion. Similarly, I read and article in Links magazine recently about Greg Norman's business interests' and how he now owns 20% of Macgregor golf, sits on the board, and endorses their clubs. The article quotes Norman as saying that he always played Macgreggor because of the influence Jack Niklaus had on him. He said that even when he was endorsing King Cobra he was getting Macgregor Muirfield classic blade blanks and having them stamped "cobra". Apparently its was somewhat well know on tour as they were referred to as "MacCobras". I guess there's just no telling what is really in the tour players bag, or how often their clubs specs change without the public's knowledge. I've never really believed that what's on the rack at Edwin Watts is what the tour player actually uses, though.
April 20th, 2007, 10:07 PM
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