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Honma TW737 445 Driver Review

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The Honma TW737 445 driver is a dark horse driver with good feel, performance, and super low spinning and launching tee shots.

Introduction

I’ll be the first one to admit that I was skeptical going into this review of the Honma TW737 445 driver.  I met up with my buddy Roger at Club Champion , and he will tell you that our discussion did not paint a picture of optimism.

Roger actually hit the club first and said to me, “I’ll tell you what, I think you’re going to be surprised…”  Boy, was he right.  The Honma TW737 445 driver produced some of the best consistency I’ve ever had right out of the box.  Take it from me, it’s definitely worth diving into the world of Honma drivers.

Check out Honma’s latest, the BERES Black driver, HERE

Admittedly, the looks of the Honma TW737 445 driver are fairly plain and lack flash, but the simplicity will be appealing to traditionalists .  At address, the TW737 445 has a very deep face with a compact pear shape.  Flip the club over and the sole is a polished silver with minimal branding.  If you’re looking for a simple driver that just says “I’m here for business” than the Honma TW737 445 driver is perfect.

Sound & Feel

If you’re looking for that trampoline feel off the face of your driver, the Honma TW737 445 is not it.  The TW737 445 has a solid-feeling face that puts all of its energy right back into the ball.  It almost feels as if the face overpowers the compression of the golf ball .  Honma uses a grain-flow forged cup face which means the grain of the steel in the face flows vertically instead of horizontally – the more common grain in woods.  The rest of the head is made up of a hollow titanium casting, so the driver is still an appropriate weight.

The sound of the TW737 445 is on the louder, metallic ping side.  In an era where everyone has a bunch of internal hardware or tons of foam and hotmelt dampening the sound, the TW737 has a more hollow metallic sound that will certainly be heard.

Performance

What caught my attention with the Honma TW737 445 driver wasn’t so much the average numbers.  Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take them!  It was more how immediate and consistent the results were.  When I test a club, I spend some time getting acquainted with the equipment before tracking results.  With the TW737 445 I experienced optimal results from the beginning and didn’t need to go through that adjustment period.

A lot goes into how a club performs for an individual, but I clearly had a unique relationship with this driver.  These are some of lowest spin numbers I’ve had and easily the lowest launch angle.  Yes, my speed was good, but the biggest win was my ability to find the center of the face consistently.  I consistently saw a 1.50 smash factor, and in turn, long, accurate drives with a lot of roll.

I love when I get to make “discoveries” like the Honma TW737 445 driver.  As it stands, I’m hitting the Honma better than three of five drivers I consider “in play.”  At first I was skeptical and expected this driver to be just ok but ended up very pleasantly surprised.  The reality is the Honma TW737 445 is a great driver and has certainly put Honma on my radar.

Honma TW737 445 Driver Price & Specs

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12 Comments

What does the driver cost and can you order it online? Can you tell me about the shafts and list their specs?

Honma does not sell the drivers directly, but you can lookup dealers to buy from either in store or in person.

As far as shafts, you can see which stock shafts are available in what flexes above. I did not hit all of them so I can’t speak to them, but the Honma website has information on the Vizard shafts here .

i would you like to ask about driver head model. do they have any diffrent model of 737 driver head? or is it only driver head from 737?

If you click one of the Honma links in the review, you can view their entire product line. Here is a link for their drivers.

http://www.honmagolf.co.jp/en/item/club/driver.html

Nice review Bill, My question, Did you do test with the vizard shaft? If yes, Which model? How do you think the vizard shaft compared to diamana, specifically the b-series? Thanks Bill.

I did test with the Vizard, but it’s been so long that I can’t really remember the subjective details. I’ve also never hit the Diamana you’re asking about. For the comparisons you’re looking for, you’re really going to need to do head-to-head testing.

Just got this driver because it out preformed all other by a long shot on the simulator at EW. On the course, the consistency stands out most. Even the guys I play with are already on board. Very solid club.

Just bought a Honma 727 455, driver. These drivers are the real deal. I have tried most of the “high end” driver out there and out of frustration I decided to order a similar model that was being played by a LPGA player. The feel and consistency, not to mention the clean look of these driver rivals any name brand driver out there.

I bought this driver head of 460 and 10.5º. I thought it was made in Japan and it is not like that, it is manufactured and assembled in China. They know why the same model is manufactured in China and Japan. Are there differences in performance? between one and another. Greetings.

Unfortunately I don’t have any knowledge about manufacturing locations or the tolerances/performance relative to where these drivers might be built.

Old thread – but I believe the TW, TR20 releases and TR21 lines are made in China, and the Vizard Shaft (all spine Flo’ed) are made in Japan with all assembly in Japan. I bought a TR20 460 Driver and am impressed.

after being fitted for a TS3 with Tensei Blue 50S shaft that blew my M1 numbers out of the water (avg 1000 less spin, 18 yards more carry), tested Honma 737 445 with Vizard A 70S at urging of EW manager. Even with heavier shaft, ball speed and spin were superior to TS3. $75 for demo saved me over $400. Loved the shaft so much, just bought 737p irons with vizard i60s shafts. Same result: straight, consistent. $361 for 7 irons on eBay. Amazing value for beautiful, highest performing clubs. Vizard shafts the underestimated secret sauce?

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REVIEW: Honma TW737 450 Driver

The  Honma TW737 450 driver is constructed with a cup-face and high density titanium for excellent feel off the face at impact.  It has very traditional crack at impact that is slightly muted.  I found it to be about as good of sounding driver as you can buy.  The “traditional” shape and design is really pleasing to the lower handicap golfer.  It doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles.  There is a weight low and forward, but I believe the only way to change that is from the factory or with a fitter; there are no owners kits available.  It doesn’t have an adjustable hosel, but how often does anyone adjust that anyways?  The head sits very square behind the ball so unless you like a closed or open look, this driver is has a great look and feel without needing to adjust anything.

The  Honma TW737 450 actually surprised me on the course.  It doesn’t have the radical looks of most drivers, or a whole bunch of fancy adjustments so I wasn’t sure what I’d get.  On my first round I was blown away by the consistency of straight drives.  It was tee after tee that I was able to step up and find the center of the fairway.  Even my playing partners commented on how straight the ball was flying.  That is not to say I didn’t hit a wide right and big hook left, those shot are still possible with this club, but decent swings got straight results.

Straight drives sometimes means shorter drives; but not with this driver.  I was really impressed by the length too.  I was at my normal distances; a couple were  as long as I’ve ever hit with a driver.  I cracked the 300 barrier a few times with this club.  I did notice on the  FlightScope Xi Tour  that my club head speed is up a little bit here in AZ.  The warm, dry weather seems to keep my muscles a little looser.

The  Honma TW737 450 I received came with a Vizard Z 70 stiff flex shaft.  What is a Vizard?  Honma actually makes their own shafts in-house.  While “made for shafts” often get a bad name, it’s hard to argue with the quality of this shaft. It’s not a “made for” shaft, but a high quality “after market” type shaft that they have designed for their clubs. It feels as good as anything I’ve swung.  It is very smooth and has a moderate kick.  This certainly has something to do with the good results I am having with this driver.

Flightscope Xi Tour Launch Monitor

Honma TW737 450  Driver

• Spin: 1957 rpms
• Launch Angle: 14.4*
• Dispersion: 6.8 yds
• Club Head Speed: 104.8 mph
• Ball Speed: 153.7 mph
• Total Distance:  287.9 yds
• Carry Distance:  269.1 yds

So if you think the  Honma TW737 driver is just a non-gold plated club or something dumbed down, you are wrong.   Honma might be synonymous with expensive clubs, but you might want to think about the premium performance they offer.  It doesn’t hit the ball 50 yards further, but it certainly ranks up near the top of my list of drivers.  It has a great traditional look and feel, yet performs as well as any club without the radical looks or adjustments.  Premium name that also offers premium performance.

Check the price online here

For more information:  https://us.honmagolf.com/

Quick Hits +Awesome traditional look +Great feel and sound +Very straight +Long +Excellent feeling “stock” shaft +No adjustments

–No adjustments

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Honma TW737 445 Driver Review

Honma tw737 445 driver.

If you haven’t heard of Honma golf yet, you’re not alone.  Honma is a brand currently blowing up in Japan and many golfers coming from the Asian Tours are starting to show up wearing some of the coolest hats on the professional golf circuit.  Aside from the hats, Honma also makes some pretty impressive gear that follows in the reputation of high-end Japanese equipment.  (If you ever want a rabbit hole to go down, research “JDM Golf Equipment.”)  The Honma TW737 445 driver in this review looks fairly understated but sure as hell gets the job done on the course.

First Impressions

It’s not uncommon for the Japanse equipment market to be really flashy and “opulent” as my friends from England say.  On the contrary, the Honma TW737 445 driver is somewhat unassuming and tame.  A smooth black crown and a polished chrome sole with minimal branding gives the TW737 445 an all-business look that let’s the performance do the talking.

The TW737 445 specifically is a smaller driver head which often comes with a deeper face.  At address, the TW737 445 sits a little high and has less depth from face to trailing edge .  Players familiar with the old TaylorMade R9 SuperDeep will find the footprint of the Honma TW737 445 to be similar.

How Does it Feel?

At impact, the Honma TW737 445 feels VERY solid and definitely metallic.  Honma achieves this high-energy, solid feel by using a vertical grain flow in the driver face as pictured below.

Now, let’s be honest.  I can’t speak to the actual scientific validity of this claim, but I can tell you I haven’t felt many more solid driver faces than that of the Honma TW737 445 .  Mishits don’t feel good, unsurprisingly.  It’s important to note that the TW737 445 is designed with a more advanced player in mind so finding the sweet spot is pretty much about the only option with this club.

How Does it Sound?

As you can guess from the feel section above, the Honma TW737 445 has a sound that lands on the louder side with a metallic influence.  Most of the driver market seems to be going toward the muted crack sound, but the Honma TW737 445 doesn’t seem too anxious to head there anytime soon.  The hollow titanium body behind the titanium face certainly makes its presence known on the range.

On-Course Performance

The Honma TW737 445 driver has a center of gravity that’s conducive to an inside-to-out swing often seen in better players.  These days, I would argue my swing is nowhere near that, but I still experience great results.  As you can see in my data, my launch was really low and I had some pretty low spin.  With enough speed generated, I was getting good carry and excellent roll.  The reality is, my testing uncovered a relatively unknown beast for me.  In an era full of adjustability and other bells and whistles, the TW737 445 is a fairly simple driver that resulted in low piercing bullets that ran for days.

Final Thoughts

I admittedly still don’t have an extensive grasp of the Honma product line, but based on my experience with the TW737 445 driver, I hope that changes.  I’m not claiming this is the best driver I’ve ever hit, or that it’s perfect for me.  I can’t honestly tell you I have a clue due to limited testing.  What I do know is that I was very impressed with the results I had with it and it left me wondering what other hidden gems there are in the Honma lineup.  If you’re one of those players with a pension for the Japanese import gear, the Honma TW737 445 is definitely worth checking out.  Just be honest with yourself about whether or not you have the game for a driver like this.

Stock Honma TW737 445 Driver Specs

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Honma Tour World TW717 Driver Review

Published: 26 September 2013 Last updated: 26 November 2015

At a glance

• TG Rating Not yet rated
• Owner Rating Not yet rated
• RRP £895.00

What we say...

To celebrate its 55th anniversary year, Japanese clubmaker Honma – which famously makes all of its clubs and graphite shafts in a single giant design and production studio in northern Japan – has resurrected one of its former brands, Tour World.

The hand-crafted clubs is aimed at better players and serious golfers.

Tour World is designed with clean lines, and represents a step away from some of Honma’s more ornate-looking clubheads seen in previous models. All clubs represent the pinnacle of Honma’s 55 years of experience in hand-making golf equipment.

There are three shaft options and head sizes for the forged Titanium Tour World TW717 drivers. The first is 460cc head with a larger sweetspot and shallow-back design for a high launch. The 455cc head is a classic deep-faced shape made of a different forged titanium and features heel-toe weights to keep the face squarer at impact. While the 430cc version (right) comes in a matt-black finish aimed at the better player with higher swing speeds looking for workability as well as distance.

Specifications: 460cc and 455cc drivers in 9.5° and 10.5°, 430cc in 8.5°, 9.5° and 10.5°. RRPs: £895 (Honma VIZARD shaft), £950 (2-star ARMRQ8 shaft) and £5,095 (5-star spec). Website: www.honma.co.uk

Product Information

Your reviews, honma drivers user reviews.

Iron Reviews

Review: honma tw737-vs forged irons.

Pros:  Incredible feel all the way through the bag. These irons offer considerable forgiveness on mishits, and their slightly stronger lofts generate plenty of distance for a better-player forged iron.

Cons:  Some will find the price point ($150 per club) too high to consider.

Bottom Line:  The entire TW737 line boasts impressive specs and looks. The TW737-Vs, with their slightly larger shape and stronger lofts, could be perfect for the player ready to move from game-improvement irons to better players irons or for those those looking for more forgiveness in a forged set.

Many GolfWRX Members will already be familiar with Honma Golf, known for its intricately crafted clubs and as one of the most prestigious, fastest-growing golf brands in the world. For others, this review will be the first time they’ve heard of Honma, or seen their iconic “mole in a hole” cloisonné and wondered, “What’s that?”

That is about to change. Honma, a mainstay in the Japanese Domestic Market for almost 60 years, is making a major push to become a household name in the U.S. and Europe. This year marks the company’s first entry into national “Hot List” competitions, and you can now find and test some of their products, such as the TW737 irons, in big-box golf stores like the PGA Superstore.

While Honma has traditionally been associated with extremely high-end clubs —  even gold-plated at times — the Tour World line is priced similarly with other forged irons from domestic manufacturers. Tour World also happens to be the line played by their tour pros like Hideto Tanihara , who has the TW737-Vs in his bag.

Related: More photos of Honma’s Tour World irons, driving irons and wedges

There are three unique models in the Tour World 737 line, each with slight variations in loft and head shape that are designed to fit the specific needs of forged-iron users. Each model includes Honma’s unified face progression and center of gravity design, which essentially allows for slight changes in sole width, face thickness, and head size based on loft, while keeping the same offset. The design is great in and of itself, and it also makes it easier to play a Tour World combo set.

The entire TW737 iron line is forged from S25C steel using Honma’s proprietary high strength W-Forging , a two-stage forging process that mixes hot and cold forging. According to the company, the process creates more density in the club face, especially high on the face. The extra strength is said to increase ball speed and forgiveness.

• The TW737-Vn  is made particularly for better golfers who like the shape and workability of a blade, but want a little more forgiveness.
• The TW737-V  has a small cavity-back head, but adds a little more forgiveness and distance than the Vn.
• The TW737-Vs , the model I tested, has a slightly larger head and strongest lofts, making it the longest and most forgiving of the three forged irons in the TW737 lineup.

You can find all the  specs on the Honma site here .  The TW737-Vs specs are below.

TW737-Vs irons are available now in 3-11 ($150 per club). A variety of stock shafts are available and include the NS Pro 950GH, Dynamic Gold AMT, Modus3 Tour, and Vizard 160. Honma has a  retailer search on its site  to help you find nearby golf stores where you can check out these clubs for yourself. Of course, custom shaft and grip options are available.

My set of TW737-Vs

I decided on the TW737-Vs because I wanted the extra performance and forgiveness. Honma built a 3-11 iron set, standard length, 0.5-degrees upright with Golf Pride New Decade Multi-Compound grips and two wraps of tape.

Having played cast, game-improvement irons my entire golfing life, I was anxious to see how these clubs would look at address, feel at impact and most importantly, how they would perform for my swing. In recent years, I have been using a forged Vega wedge, also an iconic Japanese brand. I love the feel, so I was excited for these.

You might be wondering, “Why test against a cast club and not compare Honma to Honma or Honma to Miura?” One reason is that like many of you, I’m precisely who Honma is looking to attract — a US-based consumer who has been playing mostly domestic clubs.

Take it one step further, I’ve also been looking to put forged clubs in the bag and make the move to the better-player iron category, but I was hesitant for a variety of reasons. I mentioned to a few other golfer that I was reviewing this set and their reaction was the same. Are they blades? Are they small? Are they hard to hit? All responses were followed by, “I don’t think I’d be ready for forged clubs.”

After testing I can tell you the irons are not too small, not too hard to hit, and stack up to anything else I’ve tested.

Performance

I like to start testing outside before getting on a launch monitor so I can focus purely on what I’m seeing and feeling. And with these clubs, my expectations were high, very high.

I started with the 11-iron because… how often do you get to hit a club stamped with an 11? I’ve always taken a significant divot with my wedges, but my first swing resulted in a solid, crisp shot with a thinner divot. Everything about the shot felt perfect. This happened to be a center strike and impact felt like almost nothing at all… in a good way. The sound was solid and strong, but the first real feeing I registered was slicing through the turf.

That feeling continued even with the long irons. Hitting a 3 or 4-iron around the middle provided plenty of feedback, but the more pure the strike, the less feeling there was. The ball flight appeared to be slightly lower than my current set, with a straight-to-draw flight and similar distances. Working the ball both ways was not a problem.

On the course, I struggled with distance control at first. This was my own fault for not dialing in the distances, especially with the stronger lofts in the 7-iron and shorter clubs. My expectation was that these clubs would not fly as far as my current clubs, but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

The exceptional feel continued. Truly effortless power on center strikes. The ball just jumped off the face and provided plenty of feedback and forgiveness. My divots from fairway lies were thinner than normal, which I don’t mind at all. These clubs cut through the rough nicely as well.

My favorite moment came at an island-green par-3, No. 16 at BridgeMill Athletic Club. I had 160 yards to the pin, with 150 yards covering the water and 175 yards to the water at the back of the green. With my old set, it would have been a smooth 8-iron (a full 9-iron is a reliable 145 yard carry). For me, the TW737-Vs 9-iron is essentially an 8.5-iron, so I went with 9-iron and played to the center with a little draw. I hit one of the most solid shots of the day, and it landed just a few feet away from the pin. Trusting a 9-iron would be enough… now that was fun.

Launch Monitor Data

My expectation going into launch monitor testing was that I’d see a flatter trajectory, lower peak height, similar distance and spin, and a decent amount of help on mishits.  I tested the TW737-Vs on SkyTrak against my TaylorMade RSi 2’s using Bridgestone Tour B330 balls. I rotated clubs every 5 shots and went through multiple rounds with each club.

The launch monitor data backed up what I was seeing on the course. For the short and mid irons, the Honmas generated slightly more distance (not less as I expected prior to testing). The 9-iron had the biggest gap, but the TW737-Vs is also 2 degrees stronger.

Spin was lower, but I was also seeing slightly more draw bias to my shots. While the spin looks a little low, on the course I had no issues stopping the ball on approach shots. With the long irons, my flatter trajectory always forces me to play for a little roll, so that won’t change.

I’ve never been a high ball hitter. My swing produces a lower flight and I’m sticking with it. Not surprisingly, my launch angle and peak height with the TW737-Vs was slightly lower across the board.

Ball speed on heel and toe side of center dropped about 2 mph on average, but the shots were very playable. With the 3 and 4-irons, toe shots generated quite a bit more left spin, but heel shots didn’t really impact the flight.

For shots higher on the face, I was very surprised and happy to see a minimal loss of distance. All in all, these clubs are very playable and forgiving on shots that miss the dead center of the clubface.

Looks and Feel

Feel is subjective, but I love the way these clubs feel. There is a nice weight through the swing. The W-Forging process has created a strong face that fires balls off like little rockets. Some other irons have a spring-like feel at impact, but with these, center shots just seemed to melt into my hands.

I spent a lot of time using powder spray on the face to see the exact impact location. With other irons I’ve tested, it is easy to know if I hit the extreme toe or heel side. But with the TW737-Vs, I was able to feel if I was half a ball to the heel or toe side. Same with being low on the face or a few grooves high. Both better players and mid-handicap golfers looking to improve will appreciate the feedback these clubs provide.

As for looks, “These are beautifully simple” was my first thought when I saw them in person. The lines are clean and sharp in some areas and smooth and rounded in others. The head, while definitely smaller than what I’m used to, doesn’t feel or look too small. I don’t have any confidence issues looking down at the ball.

Each of the TW737 models have the same minimal amount of offset, creating a relatively straight edge from the shaft out to the toe. I find it easier to set up and align clubs with less offset, so I like this a lot. I wouldn’t call the top line thin, but it isn’t thick either. Overall, I just really like how these irons look at address.

Bottom Line

Honma might not be the first name most Americans think of when they think of forged irons. That is going to change… not just because Honma will be spending more money to reach golfers in North America, but because the company’s Tour World line is both beautifully crafted and packed with performance.

If you’re in the market for forged players irons, make sure the TW737 is on the list of clubs to hit.

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When he is not obsessing about his golf game, Kane heads up an innovation lab responsible for driving innovative digital product development for Fortune 500 companies. He is also the co-founder of RoundShout and creator of Ranger GPS , the free iOS GPS app for the driving range. On a quest to become a scratch golfer, Kane writes about his progress (for better or worse) at kanecochran.com and contributes golf technology-focused articles on GolfWRX.com.

29 Comments

Satya Mantena

Aug 11, 2019 at 11:43 pm

Kane – Thanks for sharing the review is great detail. I bought 737-VS for $499 @ PGASuperstore, its an amazing set. I have added you to my LinkedIn connections (hope you accept). Enjoy Golfing … Forever

Sep 9, 2018 at 12:39 am

Great article! I was lookingnfor a set myself and i thought you provided more than enough information. Your review was very insightful and helpful.

BTW, I didnt know there were so many trolls on GolfWRX. Dont mind them. Keep up the good work!

Apr 25, 2018 at 2:24 am

I picked a set up six months ago, and have nothing but praise for these irons. I wanted to get into a set of titleist irons, but my fitter handed me one of these irons, the feeling of the ball off the face, made it a no brainer. When pured, they feel like a soft blade. The cost was $20 cheaper then the titleist offerings. Give them a try

Mar 4, 2018 at 7:47 am

I’ve switched to tw737vn from titleist CB last year. VN has almost normal spec (34deg/7i) and distance comes from those are almost par to Titleist CB. Both feels butterly smooth and soft, but This Honma has more forgiveness at off center hit. Also I had my own hook problem with CB, but Honma turn its head milder than CB at the impact while keeping distance. This makes me much less dispersion at scoring shot and fully satisfied with it.

Sep 10, 2017 at 6:13 pm

I’m gone to convey my little brother, that he should also visit this blog on regular basis to get updated from most up-to-date news update.

Sep 8, 2017 at 11:51 am

My observation is this. Club manufacturers put out new product on a regular basis always claiming improved performance. I can’t believe that technology moves so fast that I am going to be able to take an average of multiple strokes off my rounds just by upgrading clubs every couple years. Ultimately, it’s still me that has to hit the ball. Would a purchase like this (or any others new model) take me from my current handicap of four, down to one? I really doubt it.

Sep 8, 2017 at 9:19 pm

Some of us make enough money to have the nicer things in life… There’s levels to this, peasant

Sep 8, 2017 at 9:23 pm

Do you really have nothing better to do with your time than spam/troll these forums with your nonsense? You must have a word-of-the-month calendar, and for September it was “infantile”. If you don’t like the price of the clubs, then don’t buy them and get on with your life.

Sep 7, 2017 at 10:30 pm

The lofts make no sense to me..actually they do they are 2-PW.

Sep 7, 2017 at 2:47 pm

Just curious, did Honma give you these clubs in exchange for the review? If not, why would you pay that money for clubs before you test them out? Not criticizing, just want to know. I play the rsi 2s as well and hit it low (recovering sweeper). interesting to see how they compare.

Kane Cochran

Sep 7, 2017 at 3:04 pm

Hi David – Yes Honma did provide the clubs for me to review, which is very typical. You’re right, it would (almost) never make sense to buy a new set of clubs without testing them first. I’ve swapped out the RSi2 for these already. Not sure if you’ll have the same impression, but I would definitely give them a hit when you’re testing new clubs.

Oct 26, 2018 at 3:03 am

Hi kane, Could you tell me if in the United States your head is made in sakata? How many digits do you have there 7 or 8? I would like to be able to verify the ones that are bought in USA. Thanks

Sep 7, 2017 at 1:47 pm

Not a very convincing review and the reason it lacks the most important thing, how do these compare to other forged offerings from Mizuno, Miura, BStone, etc….. The review keep driving the feel aspect of the clubs while not comparing to similar feel biased brands like Mizuno or Miura Like how is this set different than the JPX-900s, Z765, Z565 etc…

Sep 7, 2017 at 11:58 am

What a silly club design only intended to suck in the sad geerheads. There is no relevant technology in these clubs that will improve performance. Clubheads are just pieced of dead metal that have little to no influence on swing performance or even ball flight. Only neurotics who fall in love with clubheads will claim fantastic performance by the clubhead. Sad.

Sep 7, 2017 at 11:28 am

These irons are no longer made in Japan, therefore the lower prices

Sep 7, 2017 at 11:53 am

You’re right. They moved most of their TW line outside Japan. Only clubs stamped with Made in Japan Sakata are still produced at that facility. The set I received was not so I didn’t focus on that aspect. They claim to use the same materials and have moved craftsmen from Japan to the new facilities to continue to provide the same level of quality. Whether that is true across the board or not we will wait and see.

Raymond CHASTEL

Sep 8, 2017 at 10:04 am

If your clubs are not made in JAPAN ,they are HONMA by the name ,not by the quality . It’s like a TOYOTA not made in JAPAN .I have one which is 20 years old ,it runs like a Swiss Watch :nothing to do with the TOYOTA’s made outside of JAPAN . I know the JAPANESE manufacturing very well ,I was CEO of OTIS and SKF :the factories we had in JAPAN produced better products than those we had in USA or EUROPE .I have visited all the Toyota factories in JAPAN :what a difference with their German and US counterparts . Remember MITSUBISHI produced the ZERO fighter which outclassed every isngle US British or German fighter of the time !

Sep 10, 2017 at 2:54 pm

Japanese quality = Dr. Deming + no obese factory workers + no unions. Golf club so-called ‘quality’ is well subordinate to golf swing ability. IOW…. ability > quality …. in golf performance. Just look at Bobby Jones swinging a hickory shafted primitive design clubhead and hitting whacky golf balls.

Sep 11, 2017 at 1:48 am

Well, at least irons like these don’t have mechanical or electronic parts to them, so I’m sure the quality is fine, being made in Taiwan as they are, like the rest of them in China. Not a big deal

Wizardofflatstickmountain

Sep 8, 2017 at 6:36 pm

It’s a japanese company, so irrelevant.

Cant get lower than failing as a troll.

Sep 7, 2017 at 10:02 am

Thanks for the thorough review. I will argue that the feel isn’t there. I hit these up against the MP18 series, the Srixon 765, Bridgestone J15CB. Not even close as the Homna suffer a harder impact feeling. And with those blocky cavity design characteristics it better feel good or it’s got very little going for it.

Sep 7, 2017 at 10:29 am

Thanks for your feedback, Mark. It’s tough to get everyone to agree on feel, it’s just one of those super subjective aspects of testing. So I appreciate hearing what others think, thanks for sharing.

canadiangolfer

Sep 8, 2017 at 1:12 pm

Honestly such a true fact. I work in a golf shop and everyone has different opinions. I have had people say the M2 irons feel amazing. Kinda have to take a quick walk and have a laugh. Some people hate the feel of Mizuno. Personally I play Miura irons, which many people debate are the softest in the world. When I hit them they feel more “solid”. That may be what this guy is feeling. I feel like this is what this gentleman is feeling. It is a soft feel once you get used to it but it does feel solid.

Sep 7, 2017 at 9:35 am

They look great, and as much as I hate beating a dead horse, those lofts are insane, and unless there is a mechanical issue in the tester’s swing, which I’m guessing there’s not, then that 9i isn’t spinning nearly enough. With lofts this strong, the clubs will legitimately become less accurate.

Sep 7, 2017 at 8:26 am

Pitching wedge way too strong and a 3 iron that is probably close to un-hittable at 19*. Cost is listed as a Con, but this model is only $10 per club more than Titleist AP1s, a cast club. Titleist AP2s, which are forged also are listed at $185 per club on Titleist’s website. My usual tirade;when are manufacturers and players going to come to their senses. Irons are for accuracy, not distance. As lofts continue to get stronger how many gap wedges are going to be needed? Also, as gaps between clubs get smaller (2*), why do we need to carry a full complement of clubs?

Sep 7, 2017 at 7:54 am

Look great but 43* PW, yikes! How were the 3i strikes because there is only 17 yards difference to the 6i?

Sep 7, 2017 at 10:24 am

Hey Anders – The 3 iron felt great and these numbers are based on solid shots. Sadly, my long iron swings with any club end up with narrower gapping than they should on average. Its a limitation of my own swing and not the clubs and something I’m working on.

Sep 7, 2017 at 11:27 am

But you said yourself you’ve always hit the irons low, so why get clubs also made to hit lower with stronger lofts? duh

Sep 7, 2017 at 11:37 am

Your point is spot on. Usually it wouldn’t make sense. I will likely not keep the 3i in the bag, at 19º in a smaller package and with less distance than I hit a hybrid, it doesn’t make sense for me. This review was about the set as a whole though. I’ve actually tried clubs designed for higher launch and haven’t found one that fit my eye or game. Probably because I’ve dealt with a lower trajectory for so long. These fit nicely with similar on course performance, but better feel, so they’ll go in the bag for now.

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Club Junkie

Club junkie review: cobra’s new king tour irons.

The Cobra King Tour irons have been proven on the PGA Tour already and will be in bags of better amateur players this year. The previous King Tour MIM irons were very underrated and offered great precision with a solid shape that many players liked. Cobra went away from the Metal Injection Molded construction and went with a five-step forging process for soft and solid feel.

Make sure to check out the full podcast review at the links below and search GolfWRX Radio on every podcast platform.

I was a big fan of the previous Tour MIM irons and played them in rotation throughout the last two years. Out of the box, I was impressed with the more simple and clean look of the badging on the new King Tour. Badging is mostly silver with just small black accents that should appeal to even the pickiest golfers. I didn’t notice the shorter blade length in the new irons but did notice that the leading edge is just slightly more rounded. Topline is thin, but not razor thin, but still has enough there to give you the confidence that you don’t have to hit it on the dead center every shot.

Feel is solid and soft with just a slight click to the thud on well struck shots while mishits are met with a little more sound and vibration to the hands.

These King Tour irons are built to be cannons and place more emphasis on consistent and precise shots. I also felt like the new irons launch easily and maybe a touch higher than some irons in the same category.

My launch monitor showed my 7 iron with an average launch angle of 22 degrees and spin right around 5,800 with a Project X LZ 6.0 stock shaft. Ball speed isn’t the ultimate focus of this iron but it did well with an average around 108mph and the iron was able to keep the speed up well when you didn’t strike the center. You will still see a drop off in speed and distance when you miss the center, but you don’t have to be Navy SEAL sniper accurate on the face to achieve a good shot. Dispersion was very tight, and while there are bigger irons with more forgiveness, this players cavity still allows good playability when you aren’t bringing your A-plus game to the course.

Cobra lists the King Tour as an iron for a Tour level player up to a 7 handicap and I think this iron could see the bags of more golfers than that. I am a 9.4 handicap, and I felt more than comfortable playing this iron even on less than perfect days.

One of the many benefits of being a GolfWRX Forum Member is exclusive access to Giveaways and Testing Threads. For Giveaways — we give away everything from golf clubs to golf balls to GPS units — all it takes is a forum name. Enter any Giveaway, and we select winners randomly. You’re then free to enjoy your prize as you wish.

For Testing Threads, the process a bit more involved. GolfWRX Forum Members sign up to test the latest and greatest products in golf, and then they provide in-depth reviews on the equipment. Being the intelligent golf-equipment users they are, GoflWRX Members are able to provide the most-informed and unbiased reviews on the Internet.

In this Testing Thread , we selected 75 members to test a TaylorMade M1 2017 7-iron and TaylorMade M2 7-iron. Each of the clubs were built with the stock lofts and shafts — M2 2017 (28.5 degrees) with a TaylorMade Reax shaft, and M1 2017 (30.5 degrees) with a True Temper Dynamic Gold S300 shaft — and the testers were instructed to post their review of the clubs here .

Below, we’ve selected what we’ve deemed the most in-depth and educated reviews out of the 75 testers. We have edited each of the posts for brevity, clarity and grammar.

Thanks to all of those involved in the testing!

• All 75 Reviews: TaylorMade M1 and M2 Testing Thread
• Tech Talk: What you need to know about TaylorMade’s M1 and M2 irons

To be honest, looking down on the TaylorMade M1 and M2 irons at address, there is really not much difference. I would have to pick one up to see which is which.

The first 10 balls I hit were with M1 and 6/10 felt great, while the other 4 were toe hits, which I felt and the distance reflected that. Kinda what I expected with a club design for lower-handicap players. Distance was about 1/2 longer than my Srixon iron and dispersion was close, as well. I will say they did not feel as good as the Srixon on center hits.

Next 10 (ok, 15) balls were with the M2. Wow, can you say “up, up and away? The ball really popped of the club face, but wasn’t a ballon flight. Waited for the ball to come down and WTH, with the roll out it was 5-8 yards longer than balls hit with M1, and that is with a few toe shots. I did some smooth swings and then very aggressive swings and was a little amazed at this iron. Just like the M1, it does not have the forged feeling and does have a clicky sound (which I hate).

Bottom line: M2 is the longest iron I have ever hit. I love my 545s, but I could see myself playing M2 very easily. Matter of fact, I will be taking this M2 7 iron in my bag and play it more head-to-head against my Srixon 545 on the course.

deathbymuffin

These are both beautiful clubs. What surprised me the most is how much alike the two clubs look at address. I was expecting a chunky topline and significant offset in the M2, but it’s footprint looked almost exactly the same as the M1, outside of the chrome finish on the M2 versus the frosted finish of the M1. The M2 could almost pass as a player’s iron to my eye at address. These clubs both get A’s from me in the looks department.

The M1 felt a tad thicker than most player’s irons I’m used to, but it seemed to come with a bit of added forgiveness too. Well-struck shots felt good, with a nice mid-trajectory and with the workability that I’ve come to expect from a player’s iron. But true to TaylorMade’s claims, the M1 seemed more forgiving than a traditional player’s iron. Had a nice soft feel at impact, mishits didn’t sting and left you with a more playable result. A really nice combination of the better attributes of both player’s and game improvement irons. I’ve been playing with an old set of Tommy Armour blades, but I’ve been recently wanting more forgiveness for when I’m stuck with my B or C swing. Based on the early returns, I could definitely see myself bagging these.

I’m not sure if it’s the shaft, the design of the clubhead, or a combination of both, but the M2 is definitely a different animal than the M1 at impact. This club launches the ball high, arguably ridiculously so. I was hitting Jason Day moonbombs with this bad boy. Didn’t seem to matter what kind of swing I put on it, the ball launched high, flat and dead straight. The club was super forgiving and if not for the insanely high ball flight, I would love to have a set of these for when my swing is out of sorts. I didn’t really try to flight it at all, so I’m not sure what it’s capable of at this point. One other note was that the M2 had a clicky feel at impact. It didn’t bother me since it still felt so sweet… so strange as it sounds, clicky, but smooth and sweet at the same time. I think these clubs will be big winners with the mid-to-high handicap set.

The M1 is a fine iron, but doesn’t really stand out in any way from other irons of its class.

The M2, on the other hand, is an iron on steroids. I’m really starting to love this thing. It’s super forgiving and just goes and goes. According to my laser, flush shots were going 195 yards (my usual blade 5 iron distance) and very high. I can’t help but think golf would be a whole lot easier, particularly longer courses with long par 3s, with a full set of these in my bag.

poppyhillsguy

M1 feels softer than the M2 and I felt the ball flight was more consistent and what I want in an iron. The M1 did have a harsher feeling in my hands than I typically like, but I’m going to credit a lot of that to the range balls.

M2 flies very high. It was a windy afternoon and about 100 degrees. I love the high ball flight on the range, but I have a concern what that ball flight would be like on the course. I like to hit the ball different heights for different shots and I don’t think I could do that confidently with the M2, but I could with the M1. I don’t like the sound of the M2. It sounded “clicky” to me.

Initially on the range I was scared because the M1 had a regular flex in it, so I took it easy for my initial 10-15 swings with it. Ball SHOT off the face, loud crack (didn’t care for it, but not too bad) and ball just kept rising and rising but didn’t balloon. I thought, “whoa,” that’s not what I expected…did it again…another CRACK and the ball just flew. I set another down and I paid attention to how it looked behind the ball, not much offset for a game improvement and I thought…”I could actually play this club!”  The 5-7 were EASY swings, aimed at a target of 170 yards away (my normal 7 iron distance) and with a EASY swing I was flying it by 20 yards or so. The next 5-10 I really went after it, same CRACK and ball just flew but to my surprise it was a nice draw, harder draw than the first but it was a nice 10-yard draw. This time the balls were landing just short of the 200 yard marker. Damn, 200 yards with a 7 iron! I know they are jacked lofts but it feels good to say “my 7 irons just few 190-200 yards!”

P.S. LOVE the Lamkin UTX grip!

Now, this was interesting, the M2 was quieter then the M1… weird!  Now, there is more carbon fiber added to this one and there is a “Geocoustic” label on the back. I am sure that it has something to do with all that carbon fiber but it does have a better sound. Other than the sound, it played exactly like the M1: long and straight. The REAX shaft felt a little weaker than the True Temper shaft and it flew a little higher but nothing else I could pick up.

noahdavis_7

Finally got out to the range after getting these bad boys in on Friday. My first impression of them is that they look really sharp. The graphics and design really stand out and really give these clubs a cool, modern look.

They were both a little to big IMO, as I am currently bagging Mizuno MP-68s. The M2 isa definite “game improvement iron”, while the M1 was similar in size and shape to my previous irons, Titleist AP1s.

They both really launch it, high and far. Ridiculous for 7 irons. I don’t have access to a launch monitor, but it was about a 20-yard difference between my gamer 7 iron and these (stronger lofts, as well).

The M1 definitely was more suited for my eye, and produced more consistent ball flights. It felt much more smooth and solid as the M2 had a clicky, cheap feel.

The M2 just isn’t for me. I felt like it was launching too high and ballooning, which could be due to the shaft (the M1 had the S300, while the M2 just had a stock “Reax” shaft).  The feel off the face of the M2 just turned me off, to be honest.

While I don’t think I’ll be putting either model in play, I can definitely see the appeal for mid-to-high handicaps. Both irons were super forgiving, and they should be a dream to the average weekend golfer who has trouble with ball striking consistently.

golfnut5438

Looks: As expected, I preferred the M1 with less offset, slightly smaller sole and a smoother finish. Less glare looking down on the iron. I must say the M2 did not look as bulky, or have as much offset as I thought it might have.

Feel: This was a close race, probably due to the shafts as much as the heads. The M1 was just a slight bit smoother feeling on solid shots. But the M2 was not bad at all, just not quite as smooth.

Distance and performance: Our range has a slight incline up the length of the range, so specific yardage gains or losses were difficult to measure. Both irons had a higher trajectory than my gamer 7 iron. Neither sole dug onto the turf either. The lofts for both irons are a degree or two stronger than mine, so I would think they probably flew a little further than my gamers. Neither iron flew “too” high, however. Might be a little harder to hit knock down shots, though.

Final thoughts: I had hit both the M1 and M2 irons last year during a fitting day, but did not like either. This year’s model were both better in my eyes. I asked a fellow member at our club to hit both and he felt the M1 was his preferred model, and he is a 20-index player. So coming from both a single digit, and a high double-digit, the M1 won this battle of wills. I will try and see if I can locate both a 5 iron and 9 iron to see if a full set might be a winner for me.

I was surprised that the M2 was the winner in this brief session. It felt better, flew higher, easier to hit and about 1/2 club longer that my gamer Apex CF16. The feel/sound was better than I thought it might be, but really not up to the CF16. I could, however, easily game the M2’s.

Feel: I hit the M2 first, and found it to be very solid when hit on the screws. There was almost no feel off the club face at all. When I mishit it, you knew it was, but it wasn’t harsh at all. Hit the M1 next, and same type of feel when hit solid. Much more harsh when mishit though, but I knew that was coming.

Distance and performance: This is was where I was curious to see how they would play. The M2 went out high in the air, and just kept going forever. Now granted my eyesight isn’t that great anymore, but it looked like I got about 10-15 yards more from the M2 compared to my Wilson D300. The only thing I didn’t like about the M2 was how much I was able to turn it over. Got a lot more hook compared to my D300. Don’t know if that was from the REAX shaft, but would love to find a less spinning shaft to correct that.

The M1 wasn’t a great performer for me. Same height as the M2, but much straighter off the club face. Didn’t get any great distance advantage as compared to my D300.  Can’t game a player’s iron anymore, and testing this one just reaffirmed that.

Final thoughts: Was very happy with the distance I gained with the M2 compared to my current gamer. Very good-performing iron for me, and something I would definitely consider changing them out if I could reduce the spin off the face. If you’re looking for more distance, you need to try these out.  The M1 just wasn’t for me, but as a player’s iron, I can see it as a great option.

Like the other testers, I found the M2 to launch the ball much higher and is 10-to-15 yards longer than my Adams XTD forged 7 iron. Of the two 7 irons I prefer the M1. I like the design of the M1 and its visual appearance at address. I feel more confident in trying to work the ball with the M1. The M1 gave me more feedback as to where the club head was in relation to my swing plane. If I had my druthers I would put the M1 in the bag as it stands now. Will continue to test, what a treat to compare the two irons.

Once I started making solid contact with a decent shoulder turn, the M2 really came alive in my hands. Towering flat height, for me, and very long. No more clacky hollow feel, just a very mild pleasant sensation… then zoom. Once I started making better swings, back to the M1, which was a very nice iron. Shorter than the M2 (though not short) and a little lower ball flight. Felt nice and substantial without being heavy. Very forgiving on slight mishits.

But the M2 was the star for me. High trajectory and very long. Club felt lively and fun. Frankly, unless a player wanted a lower trajectory, or likes to hit a lot of knock downs or feel shots, I don’t know why anyone wouldn’t choose the M2. They are very attractive and a very fun iron. I think folks who say that the M2 feels and/or sounds clicky, clacky or hollow may be mishitting the iron toward the toe. I am not judging — I mishit a lot of shots at first. I agree on toe mishits the iron did not feel great. It almost felt like plastic. The ball still flew pretty well, but it wasn’t a very enjoyable experience. Not painful, just felt very dead. But when hit nearer the center, the iron felt fantastic. Light, springy and very lively. 

They are both good-looking clubs. Not too long heel to toe and toplines were not that distracting. M1 is more what I like to see shape wise, but M2 was not bad at all. Personally, not a fan of seeing the face slots. But I could see how some people may like how they frame the ball. 

– Has a very odd sound on contact, almost sounds a tad like a fairway wood “ting. Not a fan – Looks very good at address with the brushed finish – Most shots I hit with it seemed to fall out of the sky (very likely a lack of spin). Ball flight was much lower than I would have expected (not super low, just not much different than my 7 iron) – Inconsistent misses. Next to no distance gains vs RocketBladez Tour 7 iron

– Doesn’t look as good at address as the M1. Chrome finish at address is  not  an issue in even direct sunlight for me – Feels and sounds quite nice to my ears at impact. Not a classic sound but very good considering what type of club it is – Ball flight is very strong (comes off hot). Ball stays high in the air for awhile. Very high and lands soft – 10-12 yards longer on average vs my 7 iron, it even had the horsepower to hang with my 6 iron – VERY forgiving on thin strikes. Couldn’t believe how a near-top still traveled to nearly the front edge in the air and still went as far as the M1 did on a good strike – Shaft is too light

Even though I’m a 2-handicap and don’t fit the M2 “mold,” I could see myself playing this club from 4-6 iron (although gapping would be a major issue mixing these with almost anything else) if it had a heavier shaft in it (I can only imagine how far this 4 iron must go… yikes)

M1 = 2.5/5 stars M2 = 4.5/5 stars

Visual first impressions:  The M1 7-iron is visually appealing to me as far as the finish and overall look. Even though it is classified as a player’s iron, it doesn’t seem so tiny that it would be tough to hit. I am not a huge fan of the bright-yellow badging, but I probably could get over it. The iron inspires confidence with its topline and a little bit of offset. The “rubber” piece on the hosel is a little bit funky to me.

I thought the M2 7-iron would look clunkier than it really is. Besides the finish being a little bit different, the difference between the M1 and M2 is actually pretty small. The M2’s topline and sole are a touch wider, but not by much. Not a huge fan of the fluted hosel since it can be seen at address. The M1’s fluting is only on the rear of the club.

I did notice that the sole’s finish did scratch pretty easily. Overall, I thought the M1 and M2 are pretty good looking, but I would definitely give the edge to the M1. I also preferred the stock Lamkin grip on the M1 vs. the ribbed M2 grip.

On course action:  They both feel solid. I tried hitting both irons in all different types of on-course situations over a two week period. Both clubs launch the ball high but I would not say they balloon. For me, the M2 was about 10 yards longer and higher than the M1. Compared to my Cleveland irons, they are 1 to 1.5 clubs longer.

M1 loft = 30.5 M2 loft = 28.5 Cleveland TA7 loft = 33.5

I know this accounts for the distance gain but the ball definitely comes off hot compared to my set. I was hoping I would hit the M1 better since I like the appearance better, but that was not the case. The M2 definitely felt better for me and I felt more confident with it in my hands.

Discussion: Read all 75 reviews and the responses in our Testing Thread

Members Choice: The Best Irons of 2017

To help golfers find the best irons for them in 2017, we enlisted the services of GolfWRX Members, the most knowledgeable golfers on the internet. They not only understand the technology used in the latest golf equipment, but they also test new clubs extensively. Following their detailed experiences and words of wisdom about the latest products is the perfect starting point for anyone interested in purchasing new golf clubs.

To gather their votes and feedback, we as a company first needed to properly sort the irons into categories. We aimed to keep the categories as simple as possible with 2017’s crop of irons, and we broke them down into three general categories:

• Players Irons:  Basically, small-sized irons.   These irons have sleek top lines and soles. They place workability and control over distance, and for that reason they’re irons you can expect to see in the bag of a professional golfer.
• Game-Improvement Irons:  Basically, medium-sized irons. This category includes a wide-range of clubs that blend distance, forgiveness, good looks and workability.
• Super Game-Improvement Irons: Basically, large-sized irons. These irons are juiced with hot faces, wide soles, thick top lines, big offset and a low center of gravity, among other engineering feats, that are often unique to each company.

Note: Because of the abundance of Players Irons currently available, we divided that category into two categories: Players Irons and Exotics Players Irons. The Exotic Players Irons list included players irons from companies such as Epon, Fourteen, Miura, PXG, and Honma, which are not as widely available for testing in the U.S.

Below you can access the full results of our Members Choice 2017: Best Irons lists, as well as feedback about each iron from the GolfWRX Community. We’d like to sincerely thank all the GolfWRX Members who participated in the voting and provided feedback on the irons. We also want to thank those of you who provided feedback on the voting process itself. We assure you that we read and consider everything, and we’re going to continue to improve our process in order to provide the best and most useful information about the latest golf equipment.

Members Choice: The Best Players Irons

Vote Leader: Mizuno JPX-900 Tour

“WOW! Great mix of buttery feel and forgiveness.”

Overall, the Mizuno JPX-900 Tour irons earned nearly 15 percent of votes on the Players iron category, giving them top billing for players irons. One GolfWRX member said he was “weak in the knees from first look at the satin finish and compact size,” and that the “feel is excellent, and there’s just enough forgiveness.” Another said the JPX-900 Tour irons are the “best irons out there right now in terms of blending feel, forgiveness, and the ability to shape shots.”

Full List:  The Best Players Irons of 2017

Members Choice: The Best Exotic Players Irons

Vote Leader: PXG 0311T

“I can’t say I have ever hit anything that feels as good as the PXG.”

With more 21 percent of votes for the Best Exotics Players Irons of 2017, PXG’s 0311T irons were described by GolfWRX members as “a great looking club,” and that they “felt unbelievable.” When comparing the irons to Titleist’s 716 MB irons, one member said, “The fact that you can barely tell if it has or doesn’t have more offset than the MB 7 iron just shows how little it has.”

Full List:  The Best Exotic Players Irons of 2017

Members Choice: Best Game-Improvement Irons

Vote Leader: Callaway Apex CF ’16 

“Apex CF is simply the most explosive, best feeling iron I’ve ever hit in this category.”

Acquiring nearly 20 percent of votes of all models in the Best Game-Improvement Iron category, GolfWRX Members described the Callaway Apex CF ’16 irons as “simply the most explosive,” and that they “perform very well on center hits and almost as good on mishits.”

Full List: The Best Game-Improvement Irons of 2017

The Best Super Game-Improvement Irons 

Vote Leader: Ping G

“The Ping G takes what Ping has done for years and added in increased ball speed, improved feel and much better looks.”

An iron that “will appeal even to Ping haters.” GolfWRX Members described the Ping G as “stupid easy to hit,” providing a “high and straight ball flight,” and “an eye opener.” The irons also accumulated more than 22 percent of the total votes in the category.

Full List :  The Best Super Game-Improvement irons of 2017

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Honma T//World GS Driver Review

In this Honma T//World GS driver review, Neil Tappin explains what is on offer from this premium driver

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A superb offering for modern swingers. Shafts are very high quality and with a good fitting, we think this will provide very strong all round performance. Not as premium in terms of price as we have seen in the past for Honma so if you've been put off in the past, maybe now is the time to consider.

Consistent and playable feel

Excellent stock shaft

Good quality head cover is a nice touch

Doesn't feel as powerful as some

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Honma T//World GS Driver Review 

The Honma brand has become much more accessible to golfers since it entered the European and US market in 2013. While prices back then seemed extortionate compared to more familiar brands, nine years of brand exposure in the West has seen prices become much more accessible. That is most evident in the Honma T//World GS driver, which now sits nicely alongside its rivals as one of the best golf drivers on the market right now, 

The T//World GS driver is aimed at golfers across the handicap spectrum, with the emphasis on forgiveness and control over outright speed and distance. For those looking at out and out distance, the TaylorMade Stealth , Callaway Rogue ST Max LS and Cobra LTDx drivers from 2022 are a better options. 

Starting with looks and the more accessible price point hasn't seen a drop off in premium looks and feel. The driver looks really appealing behind the ball, with a classic looking shape and subtle alignment marks that help with lining up the ball at address. The contrast between the silver face and black crown is clear too. This helps highlight the loft and makes it feel really easy to hit. One small point on the looks is the quality of the headcover. It's not a reason alone to buy the driver, but it's a nice touch and it will provide the driver head with plenty of protection.

At impact, the T//World GS makes a fairly high pitched sound. It's also very loud - which is a subjective issue - but we felt it didn't feel as powerful off the face as some other drivers in this market like the Ping G425 Max or Titleist TSi3 . 

Now to the all important performance statistics. We tested the Honma T//World GS driver on a SkyTrack launch monitor using Titleist Pro V1x golf balls. The shaft fitted was the Honma Speed Tuned 55g stiff option with the loft sleeve at 9.5°. Our immediate first impression was how stable this driver is. Indeed, the excellent stock shaft on offer feels light and flexible but we never lost control of the ball flight in our testing. 

It's also really easy to launch and the spin rates were really consistent. In all our testing, there was only 145rpm of difference in the back spin numbers. While the ball speed and carry was decent, overall distance was a little down from what we'd normally expect to see. With a good fitting though, we think the stability and consistency of this driver makes it stand out, with the small drop off in distance not an issue when you hit more fairways. 

This driver will appeal to a wide range of golfers with only the really low handicap golfers probably not suited to its set up. The stability and control of this driver is its stand out feature, with the overall distance not sitting too far behind its competitors. Couple this with an excellent headcover and an air of exclusivity around the Honma brand and the T//World GS is a well specced package. 

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In July 2023, Neil became just the 9th editor in Golf Monthly's 112-year history. Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he has also presented many Golf Monthly videos looking at all areas of the game from Tour player interviews to the rules of golf. 

Throughout his time with the brand he has also covered equipment launches that date back well over a decade. He clearly remembers the launch of the Callaway and Nike square drivers as well as the white TaylorMade driver families, such as the RocketBallz! If you take a look at the Golf Monthly YouTube channel, you'll see his equipment videos dating back over a decade! He has also conducted 'What's In The Bag' interviews with many of the game's best players like Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm. Over the years, Neil has tested a vast array of products in each category and at drastically different price-points. 

Neil is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus Fairway Wood: Titleist TSR2 Hybrid: Titleist TS3 Irons: PING Blueprint S (4&5), PING Blueprint T (6-PW) Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 50˚, 54˚, 60˚ Putter: Odyssey Triple Track Ten Ball: Titleist Pro V1X

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Honma Tour World 737Vn (TW737Vn) Irons Review

The Honma Tour World 737 iron series is something to behold.  Unique in more than just their build process, they have provided golfers with a slightly more finite than usual way of making the iron accommodate their particular nuances and preferences.  On the surface it might seem like overkill, but Honma has provided subtle changes to the TW737 on three heads, the Vn, V, and VS.  Once a golfer has decided the profile suits them, they have an opportunity to select between these three marginally different heads to get exactly what they want.  Sounds fantastic, right?

For the purpose of this review, the TW737Vn irons were photographed and tested extensively.  Honma took an interesting approach with the finish of the irons, combining a mix of brushed, buffed, and rough to draw the sleek lines of the iron head together.  This provides that traditional shiny player iron look when reviewing them up close and in the bag, while avoiding some of the frustrations of glare on the golf course.  The cavity portion of the TW737Vn is also quite limited, providing that sleek look while presenting the opportunity for a touch of weight allocation, which will ultimately maximize the potential of the head at this profile. 

One aspect of the cavity that was appreciated early on and carried through the testing, was the isolation of material in the central location of the head.  While sending weight to the perimeter can certainly improve the potential on poorer strikes, taking too much away from the central location seems to have an adverse result on the quality of sound on contact.  Fortunately, Honma left a great deal of material in that location, and golfers are presented with a truly rich response on well struck shots.

On the top line, golfers are treated with an attractive player profile, with sleek narrow top lines, peaking in a slightly sharper top toe section and blending down into the toe.  The hosel width is on line with typical shaping, but does extend further upwards into the shaft connection in comparison to some other player cavity backs.  The slightly brushed heel and toe portions of the face contrast well with the groove section, allowing for a clean frame of the golf ball at address.

The TW737Vn irons have what Honma calls “V 3 Series Unified Face Progression.”  Essentially, slight alterations to head design and loft to allow for a more granular approach to fitting.  Rather than trying to explain them specifically, here is a graph that represents the changes between the three heads;

As you can see, there are changes in loft, depth of the face, and width of the head present.  Being the weakest of the three lofted irons, it should not surprise anyone that the TW737Vn irons promoted some higher ball flight, especially being paired with the DG AMT steel shafts.  Despite presenting like a compact player shape, the length of the head heel to toe is actually quite reasonable, opening the door to some flexibility in contact deviance from center.  In many cases this slightly wider profile could increase the confidence over a traditional, small bladed iron.

One of the most subtle design elements of the Honma TW737Vn irons is the understated rolled leading edge.  While hard to perceive when looking at the sole of the club, mat based testing showed a small ridge leading the contact area, taking on much of the green shavings of the mat, while the rest of the sole had a lighter green hue to it.  This could be very telling for turf interaction, and during testing, the irons never seemed to be overly aggressive when producing divots.  This subtle profile makes a difference when talking about the small elements of forgiveness that surround this head.

A secondary highlight from Honma is their new “W” forging process, which includes a cold and a hot forge that creates a much denser concentration of metal.  This grain flow density is most predominant in the central upper portion of the face (where we all try to hit the ball) and spans outwards from there, being slightly less dense towards the toe and heel.  This fascinating process certainly lived up to the hype during testing.

Golfers who hit the TW737Vn well could not take their focus away from the quality of the strike, especially as it relates to sound.  While some golfers equated to a rich, complete sound, others suggested it sound/felt like almost nothing at all.  It was as though the head was hitting nothing (in a very good way).  In many cases, an iron of this design needs to reflect the quality of the strike and award the golfer with a positive sensation on center-face contact, and the Honma TW737Vn provide that much in a very effective way.

Strikes off center, naturally, leave much to be desired.  With limited material in the heel and toe portions lower on the head, making subpar contact provided very responsive feedback to the hands and ears.  It is a notable departure from center face contact, but this type of iron should leave golfers anticipating only marginal increases in forgiveness as compared to a traditional blade shape.  It is the combination of the compact cavity, subtle leading edge roll, and weight positioning that set the Honma TW737Vn irons apart from others of a similar head shape.

For stronger players who are seeking a compact iron package with excellent feedback and small elements of forgiveness, the Honma TW737Vn irons are worthy of a spot atop the ponder list.  With a new forging process and the hot/cold forge, they are bound to have a sound and responsiveness unique to their own, with consistencies in dense grain flow forging to promote potentially more accurate, better shots.  For more information on the Honma TW737Vn irons, visit http://www.honmagolf.co.jp/en/ .

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