Honma Golf – They make some of the best gear in the world in fact I can’t think of another brand that has as complete of an arsenal as they do or owns a factory as advanced and massive as they own or has the backing with as deep pockets they’re on a whole other level yet at the same time there is a segment of enthusiasts that simply brush them off as gold plated golf clubs with soft whippy shafts for the older asian rich gentleman, and the sad part is most of these people have no clue what Honma is all about and are missing out on some of the best gear in golf.
last years model the 717 was spot on but this years model while looking somewhat similar is completely refined and TW series is one of their many line ups now consider this this one portion of Honma’s gear has 4 drivers, 4 irons, a fairway, UT, driving iron, and wedge not to mention a ton of high end accessories to match. That’s more than most brands have period and that’s not counting the other many series of clubs Honma produces.
Here’s my take on the new TW-727M (muscle back) – Follow the Jump to Read On…
Compact and this on this years model everything is a little more rounded this is the #6 iron and what I like most about it is the subtle neck transition as the neck has a short and slight bump forming into the top line which is also very thin yet curved slightly on both sides. Looking at it’s face profile what I see is a slightly more shallow 6 iron than other muscle backs (im splitting hairs here) Honma did this for two reasons to keep more mass low making it easier to hit and give it a softer dense feel at impact. I can vouch for the softer feel compared to the previous TW717 model. I’ve had these for several months already I’ve hit some of the most pure strikes in my life with the shorter irons especially the #8 as well as some buttery #4 iron shots from the tee box on long par 3’s.
I’m diggin the font used for the numbers on the sole (below) and also the curved angles all around especially in the toe back side, the image below doesn’t show this well but the heel and toe are more rounded than one would expect, you don’t see this in very many blades from Titleist to Miura also the Honma appears to have a little more bounce although I’m not sure on the exact number the curves give it that appearance, I wouldn’t consider them flat soled at all although they extremely versatile help at least a little in the rough or softer conditions yet round enough not to get in the way of playing them off hard pan or tight lies.
Ok so how do they play? Forgiving compared to other blades? Yes but not the most forgiving of MB’s more forgiving than just about every Miura MB and less forgiving than most Neo Blades like the Titleist T-MB I posted yesterday the heel to toe length gives you confidence, what appears to be a more shallow profile adds to that as well and it’s extremely accurate which is where I think these shine not all MB’s are as well balanced as these.
Feel is soft and somewhat buttery it’s in between soft and medium, for sure not mushy and it’s distance is what you would expect from any other blades keeping in mind really no traditional blade is designed for distance they are designed for workability and accuracy for the most part. The shape is gorgeous they gave the 727 a more square and straight neck image than the previous model at their pro players request. The finish is absolutely bonkers and I mean that in a good way it’s called half mirror + mirror + double layer paint I have no clue what that means but lets call it the sexiest brushed satin from any brand finished in house at Sakata Studio.
Lofts are somewhat traditional with a 46* PW aka #10 iron, the two standard shafts are DG S200 and Vizard IB95 Carbon, These Vizard shafts are legit and Honma has put a patent on the IB version as it’s a Japan made high grade carbon shaft with amorphous metal fibers in the tip section so it feels like carbon but plays somewhat similar to steel, much like the Fujikura MCI also these are high kick point shafts.
These irons in the photos are a standard set, My personal set is on an entirely different level, TSG offers some wicked options from Sakata Studio first I’m playing a Combo set #4 is the TW727P 5/6/7 = 727Vn and 8/9/10 is this M but that’s not all they have custom Vizard IB105’s which are the heavier version and second they have a custom black nickel finish done by Sakata that I will show pics of in the coming weeks. I asked Honma to match the lofts, lie angles, serial numbers and everything of my combo set so it flowed properly. Anyway you will see those soon. In the meantime I hope you enjoyed the brief review here is the product listing: Click Here!
Daniel Oskarsson