New Putter - Hiro Matsumoto

[Dave in Asia]

Just acquired this Hiro MG-05 in pristine condition. All of my putters are in the 34-35" range. The MG-05 is milled from soft steel and has a relatively heavy head. Taking advantage of that, I had it cut to 33" and re-gripped. My putting has been inconsistent the past year and I wanted to see if a shorter putter might change my fortune. Oh, btw, I stole this for $155.

[Moecat]

Pretty cool pick-up ... hope it works for you!

 

Check the lie on that, too, and have it adjusted if necessary.

[golfluvzme]

Is it just me or does this look like it was made as two pieces, neck and head? The hosel looks to have been attached at a different time and not welded. About the only other way is epoxy of some sort, right?

I haven't seen a lot of Hiro's work, but this one has something just "off" for me. Finish maybe, or the fact that I have seen a fair number of similar putters that are not hand crafted, but carry the logo of another maker, without that maker's OK.

If you can get any pics of that neck, closer up, I'd love to see if it is just my eyes playing tricks on me.

[Dave in Asia]

Is it just me or does this look like it was made as two pieces, neck and head? The hosel looks to have been attached at a different time and not welded. About the only other way is epoxy of some sort, right?

I haven't seen a lot of Hiro's work, but this one has something just "off" for me. Finish maybe, or the fact that I have seen a fair number of similar putters that are not hand crafted, but carry the logo of another maker, without that maker's OK.

If you can get any pics of that neck, closer up, I'd love to see if it is just my eyes playing tricks on me.

 

 

Hi golfluvzm,

 

I agree that the flash used in the previous photos may have made some of the welded seams seem a little off. I think that if you could see the putter in person, you would be able to tell that the neck is in fact welded. I'll try and take another photo in better lighting without using flash. Thanks for your comment.

[Dave in Asia]

Pretty cool pick-up ... hope it works for you!

 

Check the lie on that, too, and have it adjusted if necessary.

 

Thanks! Will check on the lie.

 

During my first round with the putter and I've noticed a slight directional improvement. It was more difficult to say whether there was an improvement in distance control as there was a heavy rain prior to the round.

[golfluvzme]

Dave,

I don't know how to say this, but I did a fair amount of checking and I believe that your putter is most likely a counterfeit, just engraved with the Hiro Matsumoto logo on a cast, Asian-made head. I have no idea where you bought it, how much you paid for it or any of that sort of information. If you can, I'd suggest getting a refund. The finish on this one is something we see out of Chinese foundries, fairly often, as is the face milling. The fact that the hosel is not welded also adds to the case of it being Non-Hiro made.

I wish that I was mistaken, but do not believe so, in this case.

I would love to see a picture of just the top of the hosel, if you can snap one. Just the hosel cup and how it makes the transition to the vertical section of the hosel. This is a very tell-tale sign between a cast or milled hosel.

Sorry if this is bad news or such, just want to make sure that you know what you really have in your hands.

That region has been flooding our country with counterfeit Camerons for a while now. It looks as if they now have taken aim at some of their own quality putter makers.

Sorry, once again,

LaMont in AZ

[golfluvzme]

Just found this link to the authentic MG-05 By Hiro.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but maybe there is still time to get that refund?

LaMont in AZ

 

http://www.tourspecgolf.com/Hiro-Matsumoto-MG-05

[Addicted2Golf]

Yeah, the one in the pic is off compared to the one on the Hiro-Matsumoto website. You really in for $155? Wow, that's tough. Sorry to hear that man.

[xxio]

I've seen quite a few Hiros and the painting on the bottom and the "hm" in the cavity looked to be really off for me when I first opened up the pics.

[Dave in Asia]

Oh wow! I'd have hoped I wasn't wrong and duped on this purchase, but readily admit that I could have been. Bought this second hand on a private deal. I'm usually very good about ensuring that I don't get caught with my pants down - so to speak - when it comes to copies/counterfeits of golf equipment. (And in fact, this is even more embarrassing given that I was offering lots of opinions on another thread regarding the counterfeits and copies that are readily available here in Asia.) But in all honesty, I really thought I was getting the real deal here. I'll try to take another photo tomorrow in daylight, especially from above (as requested) so the forum members here can help me confirm/disaffirm whether this is a genuine. Unfortunately, I'm not going to have a chance to speak to the seller regarding a potential refund for at least another two weeks or so as I'm heading back home to California on the 7th and it's already Tuesday here. In any event, I'd like to alert him to this finding and see whether I can settle this amicably. Unless I have proof he was being deceptive, I'll just presume he was as mistaken as I was. Thanks again for the time and the education, irrespective of how tough this is to digest.

[Dave in Asia]

Dave,

I don't know how to say this, but I did a fair amount of checking and I believe that your putter is most likely a counterfeit, just engraved with the Hiro Matsumoto logo on a cast, Asian-made head. I have no idea where you bought it, how much you paid for it or any of that sort of information. If you can, I'd suggest getting a refund. The finish on this one is something we see out of Chinese foundries, fairly often, as is the face milling. The fact that the hosel is not welded also adds to the case of it being Non-Hiro made.

I wish that I was mistaken, but do not believe so, in this case.

I would love to see a picture of just the top of the hosel, if you can snap one. Just the hosel cup and how it makes the transition to the vertical section of the hosel. This is a very tell-tale sign between a cast or milled hosel.

Sorry if this is bad news or such, just want to make sure that you know what you really have in your hands.

That region has been flooding our country with counterfeit Camerons for a while now. It looks as if they now have taken aim at some of their own quality putter makers.

Sorry, once again,

LaMont in AZ

 

LaMont, here are some additional photos.

[Dave in Asia]

Just found this link to the authentic MG-05 By Hiro.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but maybe there is still time to get that refund?

LaMont in AZ

 

http://www.tourspecgolf.com/Hiro-Matsumoto-MG-05

 

Spoke to the seller by phone today. I expressed some concern as to the authenticity of this putter due to the opinions of others. He was really cool about it, saying that while he has every reason to believe the putter is real, but he wants me to be happy and would refund me the money in full when I returned from my trip if I didn't feel it certain about it.