REVIEW: Miura Golf HB3 hybrid
Miura Golf has long been known for their high-quality, premium irons and wedges commonly found in the bags of truly elite players. Their new hybrid -- available in HB3 or HB4 models -- brings the company's craftsmanship and classic feel to your long game. I tested out the Miura Golf HB3 hybrid during a recent golf round. Here are the results.
Look and Feel (4/5)
Miura Golf has always produced golf clubs that are classic in appearance and relatively soft in feel. A joke that goes around golf equipment circles basically suggests that if you don't want to buy a new set of clubs, don't test out anything made by Miura. You'll immediately open your wallet after hitting one golf ball.
The Miura Golf HB3 hybrid is true to form in this regard, featuring a clean, classic look that will appeal to fans of traditional design. With the exception of two golf weight screws on the sole of the club, this utility club is about as no-frills as they come. And that's fine with me.
No moving parts. No sliding mechanisms. No adjustability features whatsoever. You get what you see with this hybrid, and all of it is great.
In terms of feel, the Miura Golf HB3 provides a soft, muted sensation at impact while producing a sharp, almost loud sound at the same time. The club's stainless steel head produces a "ping-like" sensation that might seem harsh to some players. Personally, it's not my favorite impact sound, but this can be overlooked thanks to how the club feels at impact.
Performance (5/5)
I found the Miura Golf HB3 hybrid to be very accurate and even a little longer than my current model despite being one degree "weaker" (19 degrees vs. 20 degrees in the Miura). I normally carry my hybrid about 210 yards, and the Miura HB3 easily exceeded that distance by five or more yards.
The club's patented Circle Cut Sole design pushes its center-of-gravity low in the clubhead without bottoming out. This prevents your golf ball from "ballooning" too high in the air, which squeezes more distance on every hit.
Overall Impression (4/5)
While the high-pitched impact sound will take some getting used to for players who prefer softer feedback, the Miura Golf HB3 hybrid performs admirably from any lie. I experienced a small boost in distance overall, and accuracy was never an issue. My golf ball also landed softly onto the green on my best hits, giving the Mirua HB3 a true "iron-like" feel and performance.
