Miura PI-402 irons: What you need to know
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The new Miura PI-402 irons combine a cast frame and high-strength chromoly steel face insert to create faster ball speeds from a relatively compact shape. It is an update of the company’s PI-401 iron introduced five years ago, and it promises more distance along with a revised sole design based on the shape of the tip of the traditional Kissaki sword tip.
PRICE: $350 per iron. Available in 4-iron through gap wedge (48 degrees).
3 Cool Things
1. New speed. Miura, the Japanese golf company known historically for its commitment to meticulously forged irons, occasionally will venture outside its lane into the area of players distance irons. The PI-401 from 2021 was one such example, featuring a separate a hot-rolled S35C carbon steel face insert in a cast body. Five years later, the new PI-402 embraces new materials for a new kind of speed. The face is now made from a chromoly steel alloy (SAE 8655), which allows it to be a constant thickness of just three millimeters, which is 0.6 mm (17 percent) thinner than its predecessor. While not ultra-thin, likely a design choice to maintain a feel proximate to Miura’s baseline forged feel, that thin face design with a material strong enough to create better deflection means gains 2-4 mph in ball speed over its predecessor, according to the company, and more consistent distance across the face. The chromoly steel combines nickel for toughness, chromium for resistance and molybdenum for better resiliency under stress, all elements vital for creating a flexing face in a relatively compact package. The PI-402 adds a TPU plate in the back cavity to preserve cleaner feel from the thinner face design.
2. Shape up. While the team at Miura will explore new things, it’s not going to veer too far beyond its core values. Chief among those, of course, are classic shapes, clean aesthetics and an efficiency through the turf. True to its heritage, the team also often finds inspiration in Japanese tradition, often things like Japanese sword making. There’s a reason the company is based in Himeji, Japan, home of traditional Samurai forged swords in the region since the Edo Period in the 1600s. As the company explains on its website, “The key factor is the use of human sensitivity in the crucial steps that decide the club head or sword balance and control, instead of relying solely on statistics and numbers generated by computers. Each club or sword must have equilibrium of application, technique, and beauty and the three elements must coexist in harmony.” It is in that light that the sole design on the PI-402 irons takes its inspiration from the traditional Kissaki, which is the tip of a Samurai sword. On the PI-402 irons, the sole is not excessively wide (just 22 millimeters at its widest) but plays with forgiveness through selected heel and toe relief and distributing the bounce angle of 11-16 degrees across the set. There is some initial leading edge relief to work more efficiently with steeper swings, but the entire sole is designed for better turf interaction for a range of attack angles.
“Achieving greater distance is perhaps the most common goal of every golfer, which is why we designed the PI-402 to be effective for players of all skill levels,” said Anthony Newville, president of Miura. “Every element of the PI-402 is designed to combine classic aesthetics with modern performance, showcasing Miura’s commitment to craftsmanship and precision engineering.”
3. Higher heights. While the thinner face will provide more ball speed and a bit of heightened trajectory, the PI-402 pushes the center of gravity even lower through the use of a tungsten bar that sits low in a chamber within the cast 8620 steel frame. The bar weighs some 35 grams, or about 12-14 percent of the total weight of each head. Of course the weight structure is only possible because the head is cast, allowing for both the chamber and the frame that supports the thin chromoly steel full face insert.
“The idea behind the PI-402 is to pair resilient face material with low, purposeful weighting and a sole shape that is engineered to perform across a wide range of swing types,” said Kevin O’Connell, Miura ‘s executive vice president for sales and strategy. “The result is higher launch and added stability, all while preserving the refined feel and consistency expected from Miura.”