Ming Pao Weekly, the major entertainment magazine in Hong Kong, did a brief interview about my favorite object. Below is the rough interview in English before it was translated into Cantonese. Reporter: Dawn Dawn Dawn.
1. How you find this object? Suggested by friends? From a mag or what?
Fifteen years ago a friend of mine dragged me kicking and screaming to play golf. After the first lucky hit, I was hooked. Since then, golf has been a passion.
Golfers learn the best players use Mizuno or Titleist clubs. It is almost like two religions because players are passionate about both clubs. As my game got better, I tried both clubs. The Titleist for me seemed harsh when you hit the ball but the Mizunos were special. In golfer terms, they feel like butter. Mizuno is a Japanese company and they are famous for making beautiful clubs that are amazing to hit.
2. How long you have had it?
I’ve owned Mizunos for about nine years. I had an earlier mid-level set of Mizunos for 4 years and my current set, the MP-60’s for 5 years.
3. In what way the object improves your life? Why it is important to you?
The MP-60’s remind me it is possible to create something that is both beautiful and functional at a high level. That is always a good lesson for an artist.
They are not beginners club. You have to have good technique. I can be lazy with technique, so these clubs are good at keeping me in form.
4. It seems you are a great golf player. How this set of irons(or it is a specific model of iron?) is different from other brands?
Thank you. I am not a good player because of my brain. My swing is okay, but I really need Mizuno to create a psychologist for my golf head.
The MP-60’s are amazing because they are very easy to hit for this level of club. Usually only pros could handle this kind of club, but many good golfers can play the MP-60’s. They have this technology called “cut muscle” that made the MP-60’s easier to hit and beautiful.
The trend the last few years has been to make more clubs for beginner players. Many brands use new technology to improve performance of clubs but they mold different materials together that make them ugly. They are a reminder what happens when only engineers create things.
Mizuno (and Titleist) both go against this trend by creating clubs for better players. Mizuno does a really nice job of deciding what is the necessary technology to adapt but not at the expense of performance or aesthetics.
5. Is there any interesting story or memorable moments between you and the iron?
I was playing in a charity tournament with friends the first time I used the MP-60’s on a golf course. I had a 9 iron about 130 yards from the hole. My bad habit is to swing too fast but I was nervous so I put an easy swing on it. The club made this beautiful sound and the ball ended up very close to the hole.
6. How special the design is?
The MP-60’s are beautiful. They are the Brancusi of golf clubs. They are also the perfect blend of form and function. The feel is so subtle, you can tell exactly how you hit the ball, almost like the club is part of your arm. The accuracy of the clubs is amazing.
Jose Maria Olazabal, a famous Spanish golfer once said he used Japanese clubs because the Japanese treat everything as art. He is right.
7. Normally how would you choose our iron? What are the criteria? How it fits your requirement? And what the special feeling the iron gave you?
This part is very simple. You choose the best looking club to your eye that is comfortable for you to hit. Everybody has their aesthetics. There was an interesting study that found golfers hit the ball better if they like the look of their club.
When you hit the MP-60’s and you hit it in the sweet spot, the feeling is very addictive. The only way I can describe it is perfect.
8. How long have you been playing golf? Did you won any prize? Or it is more like an interest for you?
I have been playing for 15 years. My friends and I once won a charity tournament, but I just play for fun. The challenge of getting better at something that is very hard is also appealing.
9. Is there anything related to your illustrator life? (not sure, just an open question. It could be no)
Golf is a great game for a couple of reasons. First, it is a nice obsession to have outside of work. Being obsessed with just work is unhealthy. Second, golf is a creative game. You have to use your imagination to “see” how to play the ball and the landscape. The better you get, the more creative you can be by making the ball do different things. Many of my colleagues and collaborators play so it is nice to relax and play together.
10. What does a ugly iron look like? Like having shape outlines?
An ugly club iron looks like a fat transformer. They hit the ball in the air, but there is no feeling to the clubs. You have no idea where the hell the ball is going or if you have a flaw in your swing.