Miura from a Non-Authorized Reseller?

[jmcmb]

Hi everyone,

New to the forum, I seldom ever sign up for any forums or become a member of any websites, I'm just not really a computer guy, I'm the only person I know without a facebook, but after reading alot of the threads on here I was definitely interested.  There seems to be a plethora of info and quite a few members here seem to know what they are talking about(some might not, but hey, this is the internet lol).  Figured I would give you guys some information about me so you can have some idea of where i'm coming from when i post or state an opinion...........

My name is Jay, I'm 23 years old and I live in Long island, NY(although my family has homes all over and I spend alot of time traveling)

I've been a scratch golfer for about the past 2 years, I've been playing the game since I was 11, I love every second i spend on the golf course, there is never anywhere I would rather be. I play every day during the week at one or another of the public courses around me at around 615 pm so I can get out alone and hopefully be the last one out, theres nothing like having the course to myself and being able to practice any way I would like.  On the weekends I'll usually get a foursome together and play some different courses.  i have never played golf competitively and never bet on the game, all of the friends I play with are beginners and betting on golf just doesnt do it for me, I play to improve and because I love it plain and simple.

I come from a very wealthy family(god, saying that makes me feel like a prick, but hopefully my self deprication can save me from every memeber here thinking im a tool, lol) and I run the company my father began many years ago since he retired last winter.  The business basically runs itself and doesnt require me to actively be there all that often, and when I am there, I'm in my office by 4AM and on my way home by noon, needless to say my hours nicely facilitate my golf........... addiction.... lol.

I'm generally a pretty happy, mellow guy, when i'm not golfing im usually relaxing in bed and reading, I love science fiction/fantasy.  I'm also kinda long winded, as if you couldn't tell, so I'm going to apologize for the length of this, and my future posts in advance, if I feel the need to start a thread or respond to one, chances are, I wont be brief........

So on to the reason I started this thread, hopefully after all of that you guys will have an idea of where I am coming from.  I have just recently discovered Miura golf clubs(actually the first I saw of them was a review on this site), I find them to be the most stunning clubs that I have ever seen, they just blow everything else out of the water in my opinion, just so clean and crisp, besides that, I collect japanese swords and knives(both antique and modern), I also studied toyama ryu(a japanese sword art) for 3 years, and the idea of having a set of hand forged japanese blades(clubs) to go along with my hand forged japanese blades(swords) is just to perfect for me to pass up.  I have just about always played blades since i started golfing, ive also always had a few sets of slight cavity backs, or "players" cavity backs for those days when I'm just not striking the ball well or just not feeling well, but for the most part, its always been blades.  The sets ive played most often(irons) for the past few years have generally been mizuno, they make a great club, but I honestly wind up scooping up most of the sets that come out from the big name brands, they are the only brands of clubs ive really been aware of up until the past few weeks, as I said before, I'm not much of a computer guy, and my friends(the people I play with most often) are not what you would call serious golfers, on a side note, I will start up another thread asking what everyone thinks of the other custom, japanese, and less commonly know club makers when I get a chance.  But for this thread Miura is really what I'm focused on.  Ok, so after looking around the web and reading just about everything i can about Miura, I was sold, I wanted the 1957 baby blades as they are what apeals to me most, i lovvvee the small head and classic look.  I've owned countless sets of golf clubs, and I've been fit countless times for them, I know my lengths, lies, what grips I want, and what shafts I prefer in what flex, so I set out to buy these clubs online, I've never really bought any clubs over the internet, as before this I've always bought clubs from the major brands.  I found a website that had everything I wanted,  my birthday is actually today, and my father had been bugging me for a while asking me if there was anything he could buy my for my birthday, so i told him to order me these clubs,  he did about a week ago, he ordred me the 3-pw in the baby blades as well as 3-5 irons in the mc 102 for those "off" days, he also ordered 2 1957 series wedges and the km 350 putter for himself, he has spoken to the guy that runs this site(ken lopez) a few times since placing this order and from what he tells me, he seems like a really decent guy, and quite knowledgeable about the game of golf, now today I was checking out the miura web page looking at some of there woods, and for some reason i noticed the "find a dealer" tab on the top of the page, I hadnt noticed it any other time I had been on the Miura page, as I was to busy drooling over the blades lol, but i scrolled down and noticed that pure impact golf in New Jersey was not listed on there, this immediately kinda struck me as odd, so i gave Miura a call, they said that Pure Impact in NJ is not an authorized dealer, and they really didnt have much else to say about it, so I had my father call up Ken Lopez at pure impact and ask him, from what my father told me he was slightly vauge about it saying that he gets his Miura products through someone else(who I'm assuming is an authorized dealer), but I've never spoken to Ken Lopez, I couldnt find anything bad about this site on the web, all of the clubs are full retail price, nothing is discounted, but after reading alot about fake clubs, counterfits, clones, etc... on this forum, I find myself becoming a little leery, again, I have no experienece whatsoever buying clubs online, and everything about pure impact golf seems to be on the level from what I have seen so far, so I'm asking everyone here. Has anyone bought from them before? what did you buy? Miuras? something else? were you happy with the results? has anyone ever heard anything good or bad about this site? from takeing a look at the site and whatever information you may have that i do not, does it look ok? does it seem on the level to a more experienced eye than mine as far as buying clubs over the internet?  please let me know what you think, I would really appreciate any help anyone could give me with this. Thank you very much.

[The Tin Man]

If you can afford to go to a Miura dealer and be custom fitted. Why are you messing around?

Most of us dream of that!

[jmcmb]

It isn't the price, I paid the full MSRP for all clubs, it's convenience, I also didn't find the authorized dealer page until after I ordered, there was no "messing around" I wasn't looking for the best deal, I was looking for the best way to order the clubs, I also had no experience as far as ordering clubs online so I searched for somewhere I could do that, I've been custom fit for more clubs then I could possibly count, it wasn't nessescary, that is why I didn't go though an entire fitting. And I just want to make sure that what I'm getting will be what I paid for, so I would like to know if anyone has had any experience with pure impact golf in NJ or if they know anything about them..... What you also need to understand, and I hate to say this because it makes me seem very arrogant, but I've always been a very straight talker, this isn't really a major purchase for me, I found clubs I fell in love with visually, and I went for them, it also gave my father a chance to get me a birthday present, I buy clubs constantly(not via the Internet), I know exactly what I need, I've been through many fitting processes and unless my swing or body change, or if i havent been playing much, I generally do not need to be fit every time I buy a set of clubs, what I will do when I buy a new set usually is try a few different shafts with that particular club head, but even then, I generally know what shaft I prefer for which type of club(ie, blade, cavity), although I can afford the clubs, I still don't want to be screwed, no one does, I would never do something like that to someone else, and I wouldn't expect someone to do it to me, I also was very uniformed when we ordered these clubs, I have never ordered clubs over the Internet before, I buy very little of anything over the Internet for that matter, so yeah, shame on me for not doing my homework better if the clubs are not what I ordered, and if I was better informed originally I probably would have tried to order them for an authorized dealer via phone or The Internet. And in a way i understand where you are coming from, but when you respond, please understand my circumstances when i ordered these clubs, I was not informed, inexperienced with ordering through the web, desiring convenience, was not looking for a deal on the clubs as all the clubs are full MSRP, and I was completely certain what I needed as far as the specs for the clubs, and the site does not seem to be crooked. It's quite possible that I made a mistake ordering from this company, and as I said before shame on me for not going about it better, but I am trying to rectify a possible mistake by getting all the info and feedback I can get on Pure Impact Golf in NJ, nothing seems wrong with the web site, but again, I have no experience with this, and would like the feedback from people with more trained eyes than mine as far as this topic or people who have done business with this company In the past. I appreciate you taking the time to respond, as you have been the only one so far, and I hope I do not sound like a jerk or that you take offense to anything I've said, I'm just trying to give everyone as much info as possible and to make sure I'm not going to get screwed by this site. Thank you very much. Jay

[The Tin Man]

When I googled them I found a bicycle shop that sold golf clubs ?  If so there's their connection to Japan.......and China.

Location Type: Single Location

Industry: Sporting Goods Stores and Bicycle Shops

Ownership: Private

Year Founded: 2005

Sales Range: Under $500,000

Employees: 1 to 5

Find out who your local Miura fitter is and take the clubs to him to be checked out.

They may be "Grey Market" - legitimate clubs from an unauthorized  dealer,  or fakes.

Grey Market: The product was made for another market and the US distributor doesn't make a penny. If I took legitimate Titelist clubs to Japan and sold them there I would be Grey Marketing, cutting Titelist Japan out of the loop.

[newtogolf]

They could be fake or could be Pure Impact has a deal with a local Miura dealer that gives him a discount if he has a customer that wants to buy them.   You're paying MSRP, so the Miura dealer might give him 10% - 15% dealer discount.  I'd want to make sure you're buying from a authorized dealer just to eliminate any question about them.

[jmcmb]

I appreciate your response, and I understand where you are coming from in a way, but i would like you to understand my circumstances when i ordered these clubs.  I was not "messing around" when i ordered these clubs, i wasnt looking for a deal, or a way to get cheap miuras, i paid full MSRP for everything, I had no experience ordering clubs online when i ordered these, i searched for a way to buy what i wanted, and i found it, nothing seemed wrong when we ordered the clubs, and the web site seems to be on the level, I also did not find the authorized dealer page on miura's site until after i had already ordered the clubs, i would have looked to order the clubs over the phone or the web via an authorized dealer if i knew, i also did not have any information about all of the fakes and misrepresentation with golf clubs on the internet, i have no experience with it, i only learned about it through this forum after i ordered the clubs.

I hate to say this because it makes me seem very very arrogant, but im not one to mince words, this isnt really a major purchase for me, i found clubs i really love and i went for them, it also gave my father a chance to get me something for my birthday, which was a bonus as it made him feel good.  I buy golf clubs constantly, you cannot imagine the amount of clubs I have, and Ive been through countless fittings, I know exactly what i need when i buy clubs, I rarely go through a fitting at this point because it just isnt needed, it would just be telling me over and over again what i already know, unless my swing or body changes, or for some reason i havent been playing often.  I know what lie angel I need, shaft length, which grips i prefer, i know what shafts i like for different types of heads(ie blades, cavity back) and in what flex.  Yes i can afford these clubs no problem, but i dont want to be screwed over, no one does no matter how much money they have, i would never do that to someone else, and i wouldnt expect it to be done to me..... I didnt really do my homework as well as i should have before ordering these clubs, and if it turns out badly, then shame on me, thats my mistake, but it would come from lack of knowledge and experience rather than from trying to get around paying full price, before reading alot on this forum i never ever would have even thought there would be a danger of buying fake or sub pargolf clubs, i just would not have thought its something they counterfit much, especailly considering miura is not a huge brand name, maybe alarm bells would have went off i saw them for 75% off, but paying full manufacturer MSRP from a reputable looking site, it just never would have entered my mind until i read some threads on this forum...... again, if i get screwed, shame on me, but at this point i dont really know anything, im just trying to get all of the information i possibly can and do the homework i didnt do before to make sure im getting what i paid for, and to rectify a possible mistake if i need to.  the website is the name, its easy to find, its just pureimpactgolf.  I would really appreciate all of the info anyone can give me, if anyone has ordered from them before, or know of them, or just has a more trainer eye than  i do, please let me know what you think.  i would really appreciate it.... Tin Man, i hope that i havent offended you with anything i said above, it was not my intention, im just trying to explain my situation, and i appreciate you taking the time out to respond to this. thank you very much.

Also, i never found that it was a bike shop selling golf clubs, it seemed like company that exclusively sells clubs and quite a few, but again, i have zero experience or prior knowledge with this, and appreciate the info and input from someone who knows more than i do. Rest assured i will be taking them to make sure they are the real deal when i recieve them. If they are not, legal action will be taken, with my wealth doesnt just come golf clubs, but fantastic attorneys, and the ability and influence to right these wrongs in a legal manner, and hopefully save other people the hassel of dealing with something like this, again, i dt i need to get all of the info i possibly can.ont know anything yet, the clubs may be totally legit, but i now know that i need to get all of the information i possibly can.

its pure impact golf in New Jersey if anyone wants to check it out, the website is just the name. I appreciate any help. Thank you very much.

Jay

[jmcmb]

For some reason my first reply from Tin man's first post didnt show up on my computer for a while, so i retyped pretty much the same thing in my most recent post, except for the last two paragraphs.  apologies.

Jay

[Alexandre Tsang]

Hello Jay,

Here is the link you are looking for: http://www.pureimpactgolf.com/golf/

I bought some Miuras (CB202, MSPRO 1150 GH and swing weight at D2) from this company and went for a fitting in London and here was the comment of the professional:

"Long story short I had a guy come to see me last week in London who brought some Miura CB 202 off a guy in the states Pure Impact Golf I believe. The build quality was terrible wrong shafts in wrong heads and no attention to swing weight at all 37.50" 6 iron C7. Obviously the guy couldn't hit them so we are re-building."

I tried to call the guy (Ken Lopez) but no answer and I have just addressed him an email asking him to rebuild the clubs. And I hope he will answer.

Will keep you posted

Alex

[Ve1246]

Jay What was the end result with pure impact? I am looking at their website too! Thanks

[Mr. Desmond]

Why bother after  reading the above, if you are purchasing and are in the area?

Authorized sellers and fitters aren't too far from this non authorized guy...

One reason Miuras cost more is they want you to visit an authorized dealer to try their clubs, get fitted, and on a LM for a custom build as to every aspect of the club.

But it is your money, so ... never mind...

[cutshot878]

Just bought a set of Miura Tournament Blades off the website at Pure Impact Custom Golf. Unfortunately, it's been more than a month and I haven't received them yet. I have had to email Ken Lopez (the owner) and practically have to beg him to ship the clubs. Just getting the run around. He says he ships them and then a week later tells me that he didn't ship them. I had to do a credit card dispute with my bank over these clubs. It has been a complete nightmare. Ken says that Hurricane Sandy caused major problems for him (power outages etc) but I don't know. It just seems like he doesn't know what he's doing. If I can get my money back I'll be somewhat satisfied. Ken seems like a nice guy but if you have a fancy website that promises to ship a set of Miura's in 7-10 days then that's what a customer expects. Let me tell you, waiting around and expecting your dream clubs to come every day and receiving nothing is pretty frustrating. I should have just paid the extra dough and gone to an authorized fitter but I like clubs that have standard lie angles and loft (and standard length) because I'm always fiddling with my swing. I cannot recommend Pure Impact Custom Golf. Only bad experience I have had thus far with an online golf equipment company.

[newtogolf]

If a store isn't authorized that means they are either selling fake clubs, used clubs or he's getting them from an authorized seller at a discount and reselling them.  If they have to buy them from another retailer then it's possible the storm caused the delay.  In any case I wouldn't buy clubs as expensive as Miura's from an unauthorized reseller.

[cutshot878]

Pure Impact Custom Golf's owner, Ken Lopez, is not returning my calls or emails. It has now been about 45 days since the order was placed. I had to give up on him and his assurances that he was preparing to ship my golf clubs. One of his excuses was that my emails got caught in his spam filter. Come on Ken, you can do better than that? The clubs I ordered (a set of Miura TB's and a set of Scratch SB-1's) never came. I have initiated a credit card dispute---not a fun experience. Buyer beware! If you're willing to beg this guy every week to ship you your "custom" clubs and wait for a few months, you might receive the merchandise. If you're that hard up for a set of Miura's than Ken might be your guy. I'm not that desperate. When a guy's fancy website claims that his clubs will be shipped in 7-10 days that's what is expected. The only reason I even gave him a chance (instead of driving 100 miles to the nearest "authorized dealer") was because I wanted standard lie and loft and length clubs. Looks like I made a big mistake. A lesson learned.

[MikeW]

Only just seen your message and I know I'm almost a year late but I have been totally ripped off by this website and 'Ken Lopez'.  I ordered a custom made club in December 2011, kept chasing for it, lots of email correspondence with 'Ken', but ultimately . . . nothing.

He now doesn't respond to emails at all and still has my money.  Basically, I can only assume this to be a scam website.  Beware!

[chris6]

Miura operates a very exclusive dealer model. Essentially, one dealer per state (except California, which is always split in 2). This makes it very difficult for club fitters to market and sell the product. That's the first problem.

As an example, you're in NY - big state. Upper and 'City' are two totally different markets. Imagine now that you want to buy, but you're upstate and the only authorized dealer is in the City. That's really inconvenient. Most people aren't going to lay out $2-3k for a set of custom made clubs without actually demo'ing them first. If demo'ing requires driving 4-6 hours round trip, that's pretty unlikely. That's the second problem.

Sometimes smaller golf shops that have a smaller local presence have special arrangements with these singular 'statewide' dealers whereby they order direct from the single dealer at a small discount (5-15%). A lot of times the smaller stores will try to resell the clubs new. This is against Miura policy, and they actively monitor.

It is entirely possible that the small shops will sell sets that they don't have in stock, and they're banking on the fact that they can hold you off for 3-4 weeks while they put their order in through one of the state dealers, take shipment, build and deliver. That's risky. Head availability is based upon foundry orders and logistics can sometimes backlog a single head (like a 7 iron). Can't sell a set if one of the clubs is missing, or if you're waiting for a state dealer to be more efficient. FYI, a lot of these state dealers are very small shops - vry small. Additionally, think about the cash outlay on the money transfer. Small independent clubfitters and small resellers don't typically have 10's of thousands of dollars to float the Miura whacky supply chain.

Imo (and I'm probably a minority here), Miura has created exclusive territories that have the net effect of being in a lottery for a NYC taxi cab medallion.

Direct access to product is the name of the game, and (outside of CA), there simply aren't enough dealers within a reasonable distance to promote a 'one dealer per state' model. Maybe they don't get it. A state is a huge territory. Massively huge when your customers want to touch the product before they buy. There's no possible way I'm driving hundreds of miles to test drive a golf club - I don't care what it is.

Incidentally, Bridgestone has the same problem. I really wanted to buy a J40 430cc driver last year. Unfortunately, no one carries them locally. How do you justify spending $400 on a club sight unseen and without ever trying it? Not going to happen. so I bought a Titleist, like it just fine, but it's not what I wanted.

My feeling is that Miura has an opportunity to qualify its dealer network based upon smaller regional territories and sales volume.

I play Miura tournament blades. I wouldn't change to anything else unless I was signing an equipment endorsement contract that required it.

I would say that the easiest electronic outlet is everyone's favorite ecommerce site (-bay), and more often than not you can find used Miuras there. They're less expensive used, but still very expensive, and if you've never tried the clubs that won't solve your dilemma.

Hope that helps.

[Mr. Desmond]

Some dealers will send a demo 6i in the models you like.

Look at the new Miura blade --- higher toe, beautiful look, wider sole, friendlier grind, although I would weaken lofts to add bounce.

[Clambake]

Miura operates a very exclusive dealer model. Essentially, one dealer per state (except California, which is always split in 2). This makes it very difficult for club fitters to market and sell the product. That's the first problem.

As an example, you're in NY - big state. Upper and 'City' are two totally different markets. Imagine now that you want to buy, but you're upstate and the only authorized dealer is in the City. That's really inconvenient. Most people aren't going to lay out $2-3k for a set of custom made clubs without actually demo'ing them first. If demo'ing requires driving 4-6 hours round trip, that's pretty unlikely. That's the second problem.

Imo (and I'm probably a minority here), Miura has created exclusive territories that have the net effect of being in a lottery for a NYC taxi cab medallion.

Direct access to product is the name of the game, and (outside of CA), there simply aren't enough dealers within a reasonable distance to promote a 'one dealer per state' model. Maybe they don't get it. A state is a huge territory. Massively huge when your customers want to touch the product before they buy. There's no possible way I'm driving hundreds of miles to test drive a golf club - I don't care what it is.

I've run into Muira's at a number of golf shops, so I was curious and looked up their authorized dealers on their website and it shows a very different picture that what you describe.  In California alone they show 42 authorized dealers all over the state.   In NY they show 7 dealers, not all near the City, including the Albany area and Rochester.    15 dealers in Florida.  And so on.   They don't seem to be nearly as exclusive as the image you're trying to paint.

[Ernest Jones]

I've run into Muira's at a number of golf shops, so I was curious and looked up their authorized dealers on their website and it shows a very different picture that what you describe.  In California alone they show 42 authorized dealers all over the state.   In NY they show 7 dealers, not all near the City, including the Albany area and Rochester.    15 dealers in Florida.  And so on.   They don't seem to be nearly as exclusive as the image you're trying to paint.

The infamous and elusive Dime Sized Brown Spot strikes again.