Miura MC-501 Irons Review – Are They Forgiving & Good for High Handicappers?

“The Miura MC-501 irons have a striking design and are made from premium materials.”

We suppose that the above statement won’t come as much of a surprise to golfers who are familiar with Miura irons.

Miura is known for their forged, premium irons that look sexy in the bag and enticing behind the ball. But with the MC-501’s, Miura has stepped up their game.

These are some of the most beautiful and alluring irons we have ever had the pleasure of testing.

In the following review, we will tell you how well they work for high handicappers and how they perform on the links.

Miura MC-501 Irons Overview

“Miura calls the MC-501’s “muscle cavity” irons.”

And in our opinion, that is a pretty apt designation. At a glance, the Miura MC-501 irons look like muscle and cavity back irons at once.

The back of the club head has stark angles and there is mass right in the middle behind the sweet spot. This extra bit of mass is what gives these irons a muscle back look.

But just as obvious as that bit of mass are the cavities that flank it. In the back of the head, in the toe and heel sections are unmistakable cavities.

The soles aren’t very chunky so you still get a really clean look at address.

The Miura MC-501 irons are forged from S20C soft carbon steel, as are many of Miura’s irons.

This gives them a very soft feel and crisp feedback. Indeed, you can feel exactly where you made contact with the ball on  every swing.

It’s not harsh enough to be unpleasant; but it’s clear enough to inform all of your swings.

The Miura MC-501 irons also have thin toplines. At the end of the day, they look like players performance blades at address. In the bag though, they almost look like game improvement irons.

Miura also claims that the blades are longer than your typical game improvement irons. While we would agree with this statement, it’s important to note that these are by no means shovels.

The footprint is minimal and you still have to be able to make consistent contact to get the best performance out of these irons.

“The Miura MC-501 irons are certainly some of the most forgiving forged blade-style irons we have ever tested. And the feel alone is worth a fitting.”

Are Miura MC-501 Irons Forgiving?

“Yes and no. They are certainly more forgiving than most blade irons; but they are not as forgiving as many modern GI irons.”

Allow us to be more specific. You will find that the Miura MC-501 irons have more offset than your typical fully forged irons.

This makes it much easier to square the face at impact – especially with the longer irons that you will normally be taking full swings with. Also, the Miura MC-501 irons feel soft and smooth no matter what.

Even if you mis-hit by a mile, you won’t feel it all the way up  your forearms.

It’s also easy to work the ball at will with these irons – even if you are a mid or high handicapper.

The lofts are on the weak side but it doesn’t take much skill to bring the trajectory lower and gain distance with a more powerful launch.

With all that being said, mis-hits close to the heel and toe diverge quite a bit. We’re talking 14+ yards of divergence on shots made outside the hitting zone.

If you are a mid handicapper who isn’t quite ready to take the plunge into full-on blades, the Miura MC-501 irons are excellent.

They offer moderate forgiveness at least and good forgiveness for blades at best.

Are Miura MC-501 Irons Good for Beginners & High Handicappers?

“The Miura MC-501 irons would be better for mid handicappers.”

Sure, high handicappers will appreciate the soft feel of the Miura MC-501 irons.

But there isn’t enough heft here to make a high handicapper feel confident at address. At address, they certainly look more like blades than cavity back irons.

Still, if you are looking to challenge yourself as a high handicapper, the Miura MC-501 irons aren’t the tallest mountain to climb.

You can even manipulate the weak lofts to optimize carry distance if you are a high handicap/moderate swing player.

Should you Buy the MC-501’s or the MC-502’s?

“If you like less offset, the MC-502’s would be a good choice.”

The offset is less pronounced in the MC-502’s; but you still get the same T-shaped cavity/muscle back.