INTERVIEW- Miura Golf President (Adam Barr)

Miura – A Different Kind Of Golf Company

Last year I had the opportunity to review the Miura CB-501 irons.  To say I became an immediate fan is a bit of an understatement.  Apart from the feel and quality of the irons, what impressed me most about Miura was very simply the way the company operates.  In an industry where logos are more recognizable than faces it nearly unimaginable that the manufacturing of what are generally regarded as the world’s finest forgings could be so much more than a business; it’s the family tradition.  Anyone who has ever dealt with Miura, whether it be with an executive, a dealer, or even one of their partners will tell you that, as impressive as the craftsmanship that goes into every club they produce is, equally as impressive is the company’s uncanny ability to handle every interaction with a genuinely personal touch.

Over the past several months we’ve observed what we believe has been a concerted effort by the team at Miura to increase exposure.  While thus far we haven’t seen a Miura commercial wedged between Johnny Miller rants, it’s impossible not to notice an increasing presence on Facebook and Twitter, as well as more aggressive PR campaigns for the release of the Passing Point 9003 irons (pictured below).  While I wish nothing but continued growth and success for the company, I’m pestered by a lingering fear that Miura might one day outgrow its ability to maintain that personal connection with its customers and fans.

Bucking The Trends

Not long after K.J. Choi’s victory at the TPC at Sawgrass I had the opportunity to ask Adam Barr, who took over as President of Miura Golf late last year, a few questions.  Among the topics discussed in our wide-ranging exchange were how Adam came to be President of Miura golf, the expansion of the Miura dealer network, and why the manufacturer of arguably the world’s finest golf clubs continues to buck the popular trend of releasing an abundance of new equipment year after year.

While I didn’t come right out and ask him how long it would be before Miura lost it’s personal touch, it turns out I didn’t need to.  Like most any company, it’s clear that Miura wants to grow, but it’s also abundantly clear the company has absolutely no desire to transform into a faceless golf behemoth where success is measured by volume alone.  As Mr. Barr says, the Miura way; the “handcrafted, personal-attention style of doing business” will not change.  Speaking as an admitted fan of the Miura brand, that is refreshingly good news.

ADAM BARR – INTERVIEW

GolfSpyT: How did the opportunity for you to join Miura actually come up?

Adam Barr: Doug Buchanan, Miura’s CEO, called me at the suggestion of some people in the golf industry who know about my skills and my respect for Miura.

GST: Given your background in the industry as what one might call a “media guy”, I think it’s reasonable to say that some may have thought you an unusual choice to grab the reigns at Miura. What role did your media background play in being named President of Miura Golf, and how will you leverage that background moving forward with Miura?

AB: The notoriety of having been in golf media certainly helped. But it wasn’t simply my media background that qualified me for the job. Rather, it was my golf equipment background. In my 19 years as a freelancer, business editor at GOLFWEEK, and finally business reporter/analyst at Golf Channel, I learned a great deal about golf equipment from all angles — design, production, promotion, tour, recreational, etc. Even when I reported on competition for Golf Channel (and later as the principal of AdamBarrGolf.com), I was close to the equipment action on the pro tours, particularly the PGA Tour. So I had a prime seat for viewing and learning about the world of golf equipment.

At Miura, this knowledge has already helped me understand the market — both in terms of how Miura fits into it, and also in terms of what we want to do differently. And the presentation skills I honed on the media side have resulted in things such as the new Passing Point 9003 video — a very effective way to reach out to discerning golfers who want to know more about that club.

GST: Apart from the obvious tie-in to the golf industry, your position at Miura would seem like a significant departure from your previous work. What was it about the Miura opportunity that led you to make the jump from the media to the business side of the industry?

AB: While in golf media, I saw just about everything in golf equipment. I first encountered Miura in 2003, when I visited the company in Himeji to shoot a show for Golf Channel. I immediately struck up a good relationship with the Miura family. And I realized that I was seeing the best golf clubs in the world being made. When the opportunity came up seven years later to actually work with these people and these clubs, I never hesitated.

The work is not really as significant a departure from what I used to do as you might think. My communications and presentation skills are still in demand, and I use them every day to help get the Miura message to a broader universe of golfers.

GST: You mentioned that the first time you toured the Miura factory you knew you were seeing the best clubs in the world. What is it about Miura clubs that led you to that conclusion?

AB: Mostly it was the ordered, patient way in which the work was being done. Watching Miura-san do some of the hand work — the finishing, the care — was like watching an artist work. When I first interviewed the Miura family, I could tell from their answers how dedicated they are to quality. And of course, as soon as I hit the clubs, I knew I was onto something special.

GST: Many of our readers no doubt remember you from “What’s In The Bag” on The Golf Channel. Can you share with us what’s in your bag right now, and what your current handicap is?

AB:
Driver: Miura Precious Edition 10.5 degree
3-wood: Miura Precious Edition 15 degree
Hybrids: Miura MU 20- and 23-degree
Irons: Miura CB-501 5-PW
Wedges: Miura Yoshitaka Grind 51-degree, Miura K-Wedge 56-degree, and Miura C-Grind 59-degree
Putter: Miura KM-006

My current index is 25.5.

GST: One of things I’ve observed in previous interviews and press releases is that Miura founder, Katsuhiro Miura, is always referred to respectfully as Mr. Miura (in much the same way as many refer to Mr. Jones and Mr. Hogan). Is that simply reflective of the Japanese culture, or is there more to it?

AB: Respect for elders is, of course, an integral part of Japanese culture. But we never really gave it any conscious thought — it just came naturally to address him as Mr. Miura or Miura-san, not because of any cultural imperative, but because most of us are younger than him. Miura-san, while a quiet, private man, is nonetheless very warm and engaging in social settings. He has never insisted on a particular form of address. It’s just something we all started doing because we admire him so much.

GST: My personal experience has been that many, if not the majority, of golfers are unfamiliar with the Miura brand. With an increasing social media presence, and on course recognition, is there a concerted effort underway to increase brand awareness?

AB: That is our primary job, and that is exactly why I was hired. Increasing awareness of the clubs is the number one thing we have to do to take Miura to the next level. Certainly social media is part of it, but not all of it. Every form of communication is in the toolbox as we plan the next few years for Miura. But the core of the message is, the handcrafted, personal-attention style of doing business will not change simply because more people know about us. The patient, careful way in which Miura-san and his sons design, make and sell clubs is our key distinction, and we don’t intend for that to change.

GST: You say ever form of communication is in the toolbox. Clearly this involves independent sites/blogs like MyGolfSpy. Your team has been exceptional to work with with respect to getting equipment in our hands for testing, and answering our questions, but I’m wondering, Is there ever any fear that a review could be negative and could potentially hurt the Miura brand?

AB: No. We have complete confidence in our clubs, and we would never try to avoid a fairly-conducted review for fear of negativity.

GST: What about traditional advertising? Will we see print ads, or perhaps even a commercial?

AB: It’s possible. But we would have to take a hard look at cost and return on investment. We won’t do it just because others have done it before.

GST: Given that a set of Miura irons can easily run $1600, and an individual wedge over $200, I think it’s safe to say that cost may be obstacle to broader market saturation. How much is appealing to the average golfer truly a concern for Miura, and if so how do you convince that average golfer, in what is still very much a down economy, to spend more of his money on Miura?

AB: We don’t sell to income levels. We sell to golfers. It is true that some of the golfers who come to Miura do not care about the expense. Others have to keep budgets in mind. But they’re all golfers, and we want to find ways to bring them into the Miura family regardless of how much they have available to spend. If a golfer can’t afford a set of irons right now, perhaps a wedge (or a set of them) or a putter will be their first entry into the world of Miura.

So I disagree with you; it is not safe to say that cost will be an obstacle to broader market saturation. We have already broadened our market in my first six months with the company, thanks to the work of the dedicated Miura team in Japan, Canada and the U.S. More people are finding out about the clubs and finding ways to work them into their games.

Cost may be an obstacle to the broadest market saturation…but that has never been our goal. We want more golfers to want Miura, to be sure. All are welcome. But as a small company dedicated to handcrafted, highest-quality golf clubs, we would rather stay excellent than try to sell to everyone. Let the mass-producers try for it all. Miura wants to remain special, continuing to make small batches of perfect clubs for discerning golfers.

Incidentally, our dealers tell us that once a prospective Miura golfer hits our clubs, price objections (if there are any) tend to evaporate.

GST: So can we assume that Miura has no plans to introduce a lower cost iron designed to appeal to the more budget conscious golfer?

AB: We really don’t introduce any club with a price segment in mind. The primary motivator of any new club introduction is whether it is an excellent design that can be manufactured to the highest standards. Then we determine how much it will cost to make, and what a reasonable profit would be, which of course leads to the market price.

That price often comes out higher than other clubs in the market, but we do everything we can to make sure the value in the club at least matches the price it will bring. We’re certainly not trying to price anyone out of Miuras, nor are we trying to appeal to only one income level. But the pursuit of excellence in golf clubs often leads to prices that raise some eyebrows.

GST: One of the things that sets Miura apart from other OEMs is its dealer network. What our readers may not know is that vast majority of Miura clubs are 100% custom fit, and assembled on site by each dealer. What standards are in place to ensure that each and every dealer will consistently deliver a finished product that reflects the quality Miura customers expect?

AB: We carefully review every dealer who applies to be part of the Miura network of dealer/fitters. We check references. We discuss with them their philosophy of golf clubs, assembly, customer service and many other aspects of this kind of work. We keep in touch with them constantly to make sure their concerns are addressed and their tools are up to date. (For instance, we can help them get the perfect drill bits for hosel fine-tuning to make a flawless shaft connection.)

GST: The Miura dealer network is still somewhat limited (especially when looked at against the bigger OEMs with big box saturation). While we understand that big box is not the Miura way, what plans do you have to expand your dealer network to make Miura clubs more easily accessible?

AB: We are already “auditioning” and adding dealers all over the world — North America especially, but we also recently added one in Moscow. The process of qualifying and adding dealers in more cities and regions will continue at a pace that allows us to keep producing clubs of the highest quality and deliver them within a reasonable time.

It’s not entirely accurate to say that big box retail is not the Miura way. One so-called big boxer, Golf Town in Canada, has done very well with Miura clubs. The Richmond store, in suburban Vancouver, is one of our biggest customers, and Miura is in four new Golf Towns in the Boston area. There may well be other big box Miura dealers waiting in the wings.

The key thing to remember about big box and Miura is that even in those outlets, Miura not an off-the-rack club. The people who work in these stores have agreed to become experts in fitting and customer service at the levels we think the Miura brand and clubs deserve. And their willingness to do that has been rewarding. In any future big-box alliances, such a partnership will be essential.

Also, we will consider big box installations only where they would not impinge on the business of our loyal dealer network. Our dealers are the solid core of our success, and we want to support them 100 percent.

GST: Thus far 2011 has been, by Miura standards anyway, a busy year. You’ve already announced the PP-9003 irons, and HB series hybrids, and we’ve seen photos of new bags as well. Can we expect any additional announcements this calendar year, and can you offer us any kind of insight into what 2012 might hold?

AB: Expect some limited edition items over the late spring and early summer. A new mallet putter will be available in small quantities. And a very handsome black finish iron — the Limited Forged Black Blade — has just arrived in North America. It’s essentially our Tournament Blade, but with a really sharp, no-glare black matte finish. The finish wears over time into a silvery-gray patina…kind of built-in personalization for each player.

As for 2012…it’s too early to say. We don’t release products on any kind of calendar-based schedule. Rather, we wait until a design is ready. Miura-san and his sons always have ideas and prototypes going; they’re always testing something. When they get a design to the point where it is ready to be produced to Miura’s high quality standards, we’ll bring it to market.

GST: One of the few complaints we’ve heard about Miura’s products (apart from my own disappointment over the lack of a 64 degree wedge) is the relative lack of options for left-handed players. Are there any immediate plans to beef up the offerings for the backward-handed players out there?

AB: I feel your pain on this. As with virtually every other golf club company in the world, this is a matter of demand. The sheer number of left-handed golfers doesn’t always justify the expense involved in providing more LH options. However, we never forget about them. Stay tuned for possible expansions in this area…but I don’t cant say anything more specific than that right now. No point in getting people excited if I can’t deliver what they want when they want it.

That said, our LH Blades have met with enthusiastic reviews from those who play from the other side.

GST: It’s been quite a while since Miura released a new driver or fairway wood, and our honest take on things is that the “Precious Edition” clubs have become a bit outdated. Should we take the release of the MB hybrid as a sign that those areas will be addressed, or will Miura’s short-term focus remain exclusively on irons and wedges?

AB: Your take may be honest — but it’s not in line with Miura-san’s thinking on golf clubs. A good design never gets outdated — it has no expiration date. That’s why our Tournament Blades have been in our line since 2007. They work, and golfers like them. To replace a design simply because a certain amount of time has passed makes no sense. The only impetus for a design change (or a complete new design) should be the discovery of an improvement, a better way to do things — or at least increased interest from a new population of golfers.

This is one of the areas in which Miura wants to be different from other companies. It is not newness, by itself, that should make a product attractive. It is effectiveness. The Precious Edition Driver, with its classic, compact (390 cc) head, is easier to square up than larger drivers….and for many players, it delivers more distance.

As for our new hybrids — they were an idea that was ready, complete with the Circle Cut sole to provide better turf interaction in the crucial last moment before impact. We made and released the HB hybrids because they were ready, not as a concerted effort to serve a category of clubs.

GST: By now many have probably heard that KJ Choi, winner of the TPC at Sawgrass, carried a set of Miura CB-501 irons in his bag (I’d also add that one of the 2nd place finishers in the McGregor Links ABCD draft tournament carried those same irons on that same weekend). While this certainly isn’t the first time that Miura irons have been in the hands of the winner of significant PGA Tour event, what does it mean for Miura to to be able to claim a modicum of credit for the victory, and do you think KJ’s victory will have any lasting impact as far as bringing golfers into the Miura fold is concerned?

AB: Naturally, we’re very proud that K.J. chose our irons. Even after three top-10 finishes this year (T7 Northern Trust, T6 Bay Hill, T8 Masters), he decided he liked the 501s so much that he had to have them in the bag. He immediately finished T3 in New Orleans with them, then of course won the PLAYERS.

As far as other pros, we’d be glad to have them play Miuras. But we’re not working to “bring them into the Miura fold.” We don’t pay players to endorse our clubs, and the fact is that on the PGA Tour, endorsement economics drive a lot of club choices.

Rather, we will be available to any professional who chooses to play Miura. In addition to Choi, that has recently included Nick Price (win at Toshiba plus at least three other top 15s on Champions this year with Miura), Frank Lickliter, and Samantha Richdale on the LPGA Tour.

GST: Granted it’s only been a few weeks, but has there been any measurable boost in sales since K.J.’s victory at Sawgrass?

AB: Certainly there’s been a noticeable uptick in interest all over the world, but especially in the U.S. and Korea. We fully expect it will result in more sales, but it’s a little too early to count yet. But from the communications we have been getting, most of the interest is clearly on the CB-501s, the iron model K.J. was using at PLAYERS (and also in New Orleans, where he tied for third).

COMING UP NEXT:

Look out for our next review of the Miura Series 1957 Wedges in the coming days.  For those of you not familiar with the brand I hope you enjoy the read.