Miura Wedge Review: Series 1957 - C Grind

Over the last month I’ve played a lot of golf and along for the ride has been a 59 degree wedge. Most high handicap golfers don’t carry a high lofted wedge probably opting for an extra hybrid in their bags. For me this wedge has really helped my game over the last month.


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I hadn’t really heard about Miura wedges before but when I got the opportunity to review one I jumped at the chance. I’ve tried Cleveland, Taylor Made, Titleist, Adams why not Miura?

The Miura 1957 Wedge C Grind Wedge I received for review has the following details:
Material: Mild steel
Process: Precision forging finish
Finish: W nickel (satin) chrome
Loft 59
Lie 63.5
Offset -1.65
Bounce Angle 15

The C grind is also available in 55 and 57 degree.

Here’s some more info on these wedges from the Miura website:

“C-Wedges” by Miura

The Miura family's (Katsuhiro and his sons Yoshitaka and Shinei) research for the Series 1957 C Grind wedge, like the Y Grind,  included trips to North America and Europe to study a variety of playing conditions and turf structures. They understood that golfers were looking for a sand wedge with even more aggressive heal and toe relief to compliment their other Miura wedges. The challenge for the Miura family was to create a wedge which would not compromise the basic fundamentals of a high performance golf club. The result is a wedge which balances the heal and toe relief golfers wanted, leading and trailing edge versatility golfers need, with playability in a broad range of conditions.

This "special grind" is combined with the unique characteristics that separate Miura clubs from all others. The feel and precision of the Series 1957 C wedge can't be explained in words, it must be experienced to be understood.

Miura's forging techniques rearrange the molecular structure of the mild steel in a pattern that is uniform throughout the hitting area of the club in a manner that is unique to his clubs. This tightness in the grain structure of the metal is what gives Miura made clubs the controlled, soft feel that other manufacturers cannot achieve.

Miura also uses a proprietary “spin welding” process to produce the industries’ most consistent hosel. This unique procedure ensures that the bore depths and hosel heights are identical on every Miura made head and the shaft of every club will be perfectly centered.

When I first received the wedge I had to take it out right away and try it out. This wedge screams to be played so I obliged. So after a quick 9 with it I realized I had to practice with before my next round. A wedge like this you need to find time to practice with it. So I took it to the range for some practice (opening up the face, choking down on it, half swings, full swings, out of sand etc.) I knew this wedge had potential I just needed to practice with it before I played on the golf course again. So after a few range sessions, I finally took it out to the course again and the results were all positive and have only been getting better with as I play the wedge more.

Here are the positives I found with this club:

The versatility of this club has me grinning from ear to ear. It’s great for full shot of about 100 yds which I seem to have many during a typical round. Half and three quarter shots it responds beautifully (See above about practicing). On short chips it performs great. On sand shots I love the way it responds. I get lots of spin with it out of bunkers too and I don’t play a spin ball plus I’m a high handicapper.

I don’t hit a lot of flop shots in a round but when I do I have the confidence with this club to take the shot. I remember one shot in PEI on a tough par 3 where I was in the rough and flopped a shot over a bunker to a tucked pin position. I hit the shot and came out with bogey but I put myself close with the Miura wedge the putter just let me down.

I played golf courses both here in the Ottawa area as well as on vacation in PEI and this Miura 1957 Special Edition Wedge performed great on a variety of lie and turf conditions. From some drier conditions before I left to some wetter ones both in PEI and here in Ottawa since my return. From out of divots, sand, rough and waste areas this

This limited edition forged wedge club just looks plain sexy. It has the glint of an ancient sword probably why it was hard to photograph. This wedge looks like it’s made for a tour pro but even I proved a high handicap golfer can use one.

The only negatives I can see with this limited edition wedge are with the price at a MSRP of $210 as compared to other wedges but considering the versatility of it and the amount you would use it somewhat like your putter. Not a huge stretch to fork out $200 for a putter, right?

Conclusion
This Miura wedge has become my 100 yd. and in club. Other than my putter it’s the most used club in my bag and it has saved me lots of strokes as a high handicap golfer. It has a classic shape and the versatility of it’s Multi-grind "C" grind sole works well from differing lies and turf conditions. I even get some spin from it! If your looking at purchasing a new wedge give a Miura wedge a try you won’t be disappointed.

Custom Bumper Sticker By BuildASign.com

Ottawa Golf Blog designs his own custom bumper sticker!

Who doesn’t like a good ole bumper sticker. Some are quite thought provoking others just down right funny. I know on my recent trip to PEI and New Brunswick I saw lots as I logged over 4000 km over 2+ weeks on a family vacation.

Well how about designing my own bumper sticker for my blog. Well thanks to Jared over at BuildASign.com I got the chance to design my own bumper sticker for Ottawa Golf Blog using an online template system from BuildASign.com. Jared had enjoyed my article on the Puma Cell Fusion Special Edition Shoes and wanted me to try out the Build A Sign system and design a bumper sticker to give away on my blog.

Of course I jumped at the chance at trying out the process. For me customizing and personalizing was a great option for my blog. I wanted to be different and I wanted to be able to upload one of my favorite images. So here’s how it went.

I used a sports template then completely modified it to my liking. I changed the font to a different style (Aardvark Cafe) made it larger (32) and then uploaded the image I wanted to display on the bumper sticker (Bond Golfer). I do come from a web graphics background so using the online system was real easy for me. After centering the graphic and text I had my own custom design completed in less than 5 minutes.

Build A Sign makes it pretty easy for someone with little to no web knowledge to design their own bumper sticker. So don’t be scared design away!

On BuildASign.com you can custom design a ton of things. From various signs (real estate, parking, street, plywood) to banners and magnetic signs. A little something for everyone. For 50 custom bumper stickers it costs about $1.50 per bumper sticker. The more you buy the cheaper it is. So considering signage is one of the best ways of advertising. Probably a great return on investment.

When I returned from my vacation my bumper stickers were in the mail. They really turned out nice now comes the process of giving them out. Stay tuned for an upcoming contest.

Glasgow Hills - Great Views, Great Customer Service, Great Golf

Glasgow Hills Golf Course Review

I had the pleasure to play Glasgow Hill Golf Course on my PEI vacation just a few short weeks ago. If you’ve never been to Prince Edward Island I highly recommend it for a vacation. My family had a great time. Now if your a golfer, PEI has some of the nicest golf courses around including the Les Furber designed Glasgow Hills.

I was camping at nearby Cabot Beach Provincial Park just west of New Glasgow and got great directions over the phone from one of the many friendly staff at the course. So getting there was very easy. After arriving at the course and chatting with the Jeff Trainor the General Manager of the course, my buddy and I decided to walk the course as it was a beautiful Summer day and not to hot. We got our scorecard/yardage guide and were off to the first tee.

Glasgow Hills is situated on the rolling hills high above New Glasgow, PEI. Standing on the first tee you get a beautiful vista of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Definitely worth the price of admission. The starter was great, had a chat about the course and what to expect for our round. He told us the first 4 holes are links style while numbers 5 through 9 are parkland while the back nine are all very hilly. Always nice to get a little local insight when playing a course for the first time.

The first hole is a nice opening par 4 where you don’t need a huge drive to score well just make sure you are in the fairway and you might end up with an early birdie.

The second hole is a downhill par 4 and if you are a long hitter you’ll only have a wedge in. I was about 150 yds out and hit a PW short in the left side bunker. The bunkers are plentiful at Glasgow Hills and were very well maintained. I got out no problem but could only salvage a bogey.

The third hole is a short par 3 playing only 119 yds from the white tees. Although there was relatively no wind when we played this hole could be even more difficult if the wind is up. The green is pretty tough as well depending on where the pin is and what side of the ridge your on. A fun hole with a great view.

The fourth hole I found very difficult because I didn’t have a good drive and you definitely want to be in the fairway on this par 5. At 502 yds this hole plays longer as it’s uphill and be real careful on on your approach as there are bunkers everywhere. A three shot hole for most, par is a great score on this hole.

The 5th hole is a short par 4 at under 300 yds you might want to put the driver away and play it safe or like me and try to bomb it as far as possible. Either way it’s fun.

Crossing over to hole #6 you get a par 5 that isn’t long but is all about positioning. A great driving hole, if your in the fairway you have to go for it especially from the white tees. The green is relatively small so be accurate with your distances if your playing in with an iron.

Hole #7 is a 146 yd. par 3 with one of the hardest greens on the course. The pin was on the back left shelf and I left my tee shot just shy of the left bunker which made for a difficult pitch. I got it on the green about 12 ft away and two putted for a bogey. I was happy with that, a real challenging hole.

Number 8 at Glasgow Hills is a uphill par 4 that again plays longer than the stated 384 yds. Just try to get close on his one as three putts await on this difficult green.

The front 9 closes out with a short dogleg par 4 take aim through the opening in the trees and most golfers will have just a short wedge in don’t be greedy here as you want to be hitting off the fairway as your second is to a island green. Good luck holding the green, I didn’t! At this point in the round we decided to take a cart for the final 9 holes as it was getting warmer and the final 9 holes were more up and down terrain.

The back 9 at Glasgow Hills has an interesting downhill dogleg right to start. On #10 trust the distances in your yardage book, it’s a blind tee shot so get your yardage and hit your shot. Your second shot is over a valley good luck hitting the green I didn’t.

Hole #11 is a good driving hole with an ample fairway to land your ball. At only 310 yds. birdie is a real possibility here.

Number 12 is a hard hole to visualize from the tee if you’ve never played it before. You want to be on the left side of the fairway because you’ll be blocked out from seeing the green if you’re on the right side. Most will have just a wedge into this small green.

A tough par 3 awaits on #13. At 189 yds this hole is hard even though it plays downhill. I ended up with a bogey here, I was real happy!

Number 14 is a par 5 that has a narrow fairway for your drive. If you are long enough and on the fairway go for the green (There is water all along the left down to the green). If you’re like me and are hitting out of the rough it’s definitely a 3 shot hole.

The par 3 15th was my favorite par 3 not only because I hit it close to about 6 feet but it’s one of those fun par 3 over water with an undulating green where you can take a rip with a wedge.

The 16th hole is a straight away par 4. Aim for the right side of the fairway as you’ll get a some kick from this fairway that slopes right to left. Your approach is to a narrow green with bunkers left and back. A tough hole at only 383 yds.

A great view awaits you at #17 a 458 yd. par 5 take a moment on the high tee to take in the beauty of this hole. On my third shot with a wedge green was real hard to hold ended up with bogey, still not bad.

The finishing hole is a dogleg right. Your tee shot is uphill and must be in the fairway. I had a great drive on this hole and still ended up with double. Be wary of the bunkers left and right and the narrow green.

Conclusion
What’s not to like about a golf course that offers so much variety in its holes. Very well maintained from tees to green. Bunkers were a pleasure to hit out as well. With 4 sets of tees golfers of all abilities will enjoy Glasgow Hills.

Glasgow Hills offers great customer service, great views, and great golf. After your round be sure to stop in the Pipers for some complementary mussels. This is what PEI golf is all about playing a great course with a friend and enjoying PEI mussels afterwards.

Glasgow Hills during peak season will cost you $85 which is very reasonable for this type of course and the conditions. Be sure to check out their website for various deals throughout the season. I know you’ll come away as impressed as I was.


After the round I got the chance to ask Jeff Trainor the General Manager of Glasgow Hills Golf Course a few questions:

For a person who has never played Glasgow Hills before what are the three most important things to expect from the course?
1. Great conditioning – we pride ourselves in having best conditions in our area
2. Tremendous views with a different vista from every hole
3. Excellent service and a unique golf course with first 5 holes more links style 5-9 parkland and 10-18 mountainous with lots of ups and downs and tough closing holes


What's your favorite hole?
Hard to choose – Best driving hole is #17, #16 great par four and probably my favorite is par 5 #6 hole as it is great risk reward

Favorite after round beverage after a day of golf?
Cold Keith red draft served with Complimentary steamed PEI mussels

What’s the best after round local snack after a day of golf?
PEI’s best fish and Chips in Pipers Restaurant

If you were to describe Glasgow Hills Golf Course in one word what would that word be?
Scenic