Help..TM300 Miura, Tourstage us spec mr-23 or Miura 201

[SmashIt]

I am thinking about a new set of irons and have narrowed it down to the above. Can anyone give me some comparisions of any of the above. I currently play 690.cb and have played mp-30s too Would be interested in a comparision of z101 and mr-23. Also any opinion about going with the Miura 201 or trying to hunt down a japanese miura would be helpful too.

Thanks

Tommy

[ziggy1]

Hi Tommy,

I´ve played all irons (or close brothers of them) that you´re interested. Here are my comments (as good as I can describe):

TM 300:

great set of clubs. I only had the retail set. Quite large face, probably the largest ones of your selection. Some digging issues, but this could be the reason they made the "NS" grind. Seems to be a classic already.

Miura 201:

I played the CB1005, which are very similar. The only problem I had was the size and the look of the short irons. I´ve seen the 201 on a trade show, and I did not find a huge difference to the japanse version. I must admit I did not inspect them side by side, but my memory could not discover a huge difference. The 1005 mid and long irons are probably the best feeling forged CB on the market. RAC CB 2004 are in the same category, or close enough to be mentioned here - with all pros and cons.

Z101:

Really great set. No digging issues, plenty forgiving for that small size. Close to no offset and great feel as well. All irons have the perfect size. You can find them pretty cheap now, and I won´t have any problems playing them again. I bought them because I did not want to spend the money for a set of MR23, which were really expensice back then.

MR23 US CB

That´s what I currently play - and always wanted to play. They are really close to the Z101, but even a bit smaller. The short and mid irons are a dream. perfect sole shape, absolutely non-digging (big issue for me). Great ballflight as well. When we are talking about 3,4,5 irons, the picture changes a bit though. They are really small and you need to hit the club really consistently to get the performance you want. 5 iron is still ok, but 3 and 4 are hard to hit well. There ars blades on the market that are more (much more) forgiving than these "cb".

From a looks and coolness (and confidence) factor, I´d go with the MR23. Forgiveness is probably best with the Miuras and TM. The Z101 are in between and probably the best choice overall.

for your info: driver ss 110, mph, Hcp 5.9, 150 yards club: 8 iron (sometimes 7, it depends)

[SmashIt]

thanks. that was awesome. really appreciate you taking so much time.

thanks again!

Tommy

[ziggy1]

no big deal. Maybe some others jump in as well.....

[love2golf]

I play the Z101's and they are a surprisingly forgiving club for such a small head size. They also have a very soft feel and are beautiful. Just a great all around club and for the price nowadays you'd have to be crazy not to consider them.

I have demo'ed the CB201's at Shreveport Golf. A great feeling club as well. If I had the money I may spring for it. It seemed to be just as soft feeling and forgiving as the Z101's. By the way, I hit the 6 iron in Nippon 950. I play Nippon 1050's in my Z101's.

The other two, I don't have much opinion because I have not hit them. I have heard that if you play the MR23 CB's, you may as well play a blade because they just aren't very forgiving. That has been repeated in many of the reviews that I have read.

If you consider the Miuras, give Shreveport Golf a call. Paul runs that shop and is a sponsor of this site. He handles all of my golf needs and is a great guy that does quality work. He can be reached at 318-686-9074

[madball]

Hi Tommy,

I´ve played all irons (or close brothers of them) that you´re interested. Here are my comments (as good as I can describe):

TM 300:

great set of clubs. I only had the retail set. Quite large face, probably the largest ones of your selection. Some digging issues, but this could be the reason they made the "NS" grind. Seems to be a classic already.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I played every club here also--I have a tour 300 forged ns stamped set that had a small leading edge grind on them-but they still dug a little..

I sent them down to Chip Usher--he put on a more aggressive leading edge grind--a trailing edge grind, and a bounce grind on them...for a great price ...

Totally different animal.

No digging worries any more.. They cut thru the grass like hot butter and feel like a dream..

Same grind the tour van puts on.. These are the only irons that ever got me to stop iron ho-ing!! :whistle:

I'm going to get another set of TM 300's and get Chip to put the same grind on them--put them away for backups--I'll be set for years.

[Polymer]

The MR-23 CB's are definitely more forgiving than most blades. I went from MP14's to MR23 CBs and there's definitely a difference in how forgiving they are. In some situations, the difference is very significant (well, IMO).

[Pepe8714]

I honestly do not think that 5-pw mr23cb can be beat. There is nothing else out there that matches them, IMO, and I have hit EVERYTHING. Literally.

The 3 and 4 are more difficult to hit, but not impossible... they are very playable.

The best set ever made, IMO. I know that I will never sell mine...

Pepe

[sammyhack]

I currently play the Miura CB-201's, and they're working out pretty well for me (8.0 index, 105-110 swingspeed). They definitely have a distinctive feel, there's nothing out there quite like it -- the RAC CB 2004, yes, has that unmistakable Miura feel too. But the CB-201 is considerably more forgiving.

I find the iron rather forgiving, compared to MP-30 or Titliest 690.CBs. It's not as compact as an MP-30, or even the 690.CB, but it helps out with more forgiveness.

I'm about half a club longer with these than MP-30s, but I did my have lofts jacked 1 strong. You probably don't want to jack it up much more, as CB-201s doesn't have as much bounce as other irons in the market. I wonder if the design has to do with the turf golfers encounter in Japan or Taiwan, where bermuda fairways are prevalent. Nevertheless, these do a fine job up here in Northern California, on poa and/or bent/fescue fairways.

I have Project X 5.0's mounted on my CB-201s. I normally play the x-100 soft-stepped, but so far so good. I'm getting a slightly lower ball flight, more penetrating. That's probably the shaft, not the head.

Another thing about Miuras you should know is that they're "tour-weighted" -- I got my set built at an authorized Miura clubmaker, and they've told me that you generally don't want to go much beyond 1/2" over standard, or the club will start to feel heavy. I had mine built to 38.25 5-iron, and I'm thinking about having it brough down to 38".