What makes some gaga for Honma?

[Dr Rangelove]

I've never hit thier clubs but here in L.A. every other player at some of the local muni's have nothing but Honma. Is it just a status club, and if so, why?

[mac94]

Not sure because I think they are butt ugly.

[Ezgolfer]

So true ......I was at los verdes recently .....
Not to sterotype or anything . I saw few black staff bags with Honma's , mostly popular amongst Asians (Koreans mostly) . I think they are sort of status symbol, kind of like Porsche of clubs , expensive not so great looking.

[ifixclubs]

honma is a status symbol in the asian community...they make some pretty good clubs that are geared towards asians...im not a huge fan of the performance of their products but i know tons of people who absolutely hit these products really well...i find the honmas typically are too light and softer in flex than what i like...they did make some amazing products...super light drivers that you can hit a mile if you just swing them easy...their new product line is great looking but still way too pricey for me...i think their clubs are like the bentley of golf clubs...

[pitbull808]

A lot has to do with being a status symbol. Here in Hawaii, it's readily available and I've seen people of every background playing them. I too have played them in the past and found some of them really great. I agree that most off the rack sets you'll find are weaker in flex and lighter. I personally have been eyeballing a set shafted with X100's for the last year that I can't stop looking at and testing. They have some great feel and the looks IMO are fantastic.

[hayam]

Also, their quality is really good and really good to play,. Their PP Staff blade is one of the best blade ever .

Their Beres is catching up.

I just hated playing it because it almost feel like playing with Old rich man toy.

[Dr Rangelove]

I remember reading that when J.Lo got married to Mark Anthony and they honeymooned in Hawaii, Mark walked into a pro shop, asked for the most expensive set of clubs they had, and plunked down $25K for a set of Honma's.

Fact or urban golf legend, I don't know.

[mat562]

If Liberace had been a golfer, he would have played Honma...

[dpark]

Primarily a status symbol, especially with the Korean golfers. My step-mom played them because "they were the best" (read: they were the most expensive). One of my friends had a Honma persimmon driver in the 90s. Great club, easily on par with the best available from PowerBilt or Hogan at the time.

[ilikegolf]

The Beres line looks pretty spiffy. However i wouldnt be able to play any of their drivers. Its like looking down at a golden nugget.

[BEND OF THE RIVER GC]

Is Honma mostly sold on the West Coast/Hawaii besides Asia? I have NEVER even seen these golf clubs, not even in New Jersey where there appear to be a lot of Asian golfers....

Looking at these pics, they just are not doing it for me...

OnOff, Fourteen and Miura, now you're TALKING!

[K2_2]

Everyone has touched on the image bit (I'm not crazy about that part of things) but they do make some quality gear. If you're in the player end of things, their TW912 and TW913 drivers are quality clubs, very nice stock shaft, and if you like to work the ball and control your trajectory, a few people here might enjoy them.

[Ward]

I don't understood why or how clubs can be that expensive. I have never seen my mom really enthusiastic about searching for new clubs until she was getting ready to buy her honma irons. I bet she thinks she's awesome with them.

[Parmaster]

If Liberace had been a golfer, he would have played Honma...

 

 

Very well put....

 

Really they're all about the bling and status. They rate their models by star depending on the materials used in the construction: 2 being the base and 5 being the highest. A 4 or 5 star model would have a pretty fair amount of gold involved (in a set of irons) and an "exotic" shaft of their design (typically something with a titanium weave or something else funky involved in the graphite). They only produced a handful or forged models: the PP, FE, SF and some of the Tour Athlete series (there might be one or two I'm not remembering) and think the new Beres line is forged to some extent...ironically, most of these 24K gold inlay, $5-10K sets are cast.

 

However, I've taken numerous sets apart over the years and despite the fact the shafts are typically a half to full flex soft of indicated flex, they are usually very close in terms of frequency matching and swingweight.

[rbenz]

I have family in Japan and from what they tell me, the impression of Honma is for the Oyagi and Ojo-Sama's (butchered spelling) - old rich people lol... I've never hit a Honma before but have heard they make quality kit. Personally, I would go with miura, fourteen, epon, tourstage, etc.

[Dr Rangelove]

I went out yesterday afternoon and ended up with a Chinese fellow that had a full Honma set, BIG BLING factor. Claimed to be a 8, was more likely a 13. Everything was about money. He talked about the different clubs he belonged to, sported a watch that was probably worth more then I make in a year, and he mentioned that when he goes to his clubs everyone wants to bet so he always carries at least $1500 and pulled out his wallet and showed a pile of $100 bills.

For all the $ power, he was actually a pretty likeable guy and we had a great time losing a few bucks to a couple of brothers. It was the extreme flaunting I could live without.

[esinger430]

for years i had purchased only honma. everytime they came out with something new i would sell my old ones on ebay and buy the new ones. i even switched to the beres line immediately. i had no idea what else was out there. i actually prefer miura and tourstage to the honma line. as for woods the same thing, never purchased what was good for me only what was new. would sell on ebay and buy the new ones. i now have customized woods and irons from epon, prgr and miura.

the miura irons and wedges are the best i have ever hit. i had them built plus 1/2 inch longer than standard with graphite design shafts and love hitting them. ball flight is beutiful. i have the cb202 irons. the heads are small and almost blade like. they feel like butter when hit. the off center hits dont go as far as a honma would but so what. if u like forged and blade looking clubs miura is the brand for you.

[rge]

Here's my 2 cents on this topic. In order to completely grasp the mystique and hype of the Honma brand ( Or the Maruman Majesty line) you will also have to have some understanding of the Japanese culture. The japanese value packaging almost as much as the product itself. Having said that, the high end Honma products are costly because normally these are bestowed as gifts to captains of industry or dignitaries. The history behind how the product was made has much to do with why the products are priced the way they are. The 4 and 5 star models are usually hand assembled by honma's master artisans (in this case a club builder). The builder is perceived as a truly seasoned craftsman in the same manner that a master sword builder makes a sword for the Samurai class. This explains to a great extent why a lot of precious metal and gilder are used in making the product as well as Honma's most exotic materials. On the 5-star models, the shafts are a gold and titanium weave. Even the ferrule has a 24K platinum ring and the butt end of the grip a 24k gold medallion. You will, however, notice that it is not all bling that goes into the product. Attention to tight tolerances also come into play. Each set in the 4 or 5 star range is assembled and finished by only one craftsman. It does not pass through different hands. His signature or symbol is usually inconspicuously hidden beneath the grip so that one can tell who built the entire set and should any club be returned for any sort of work, this same craftsman will undertake the repair. The builder takes pride in making sure that everything fits, weighs, and looks the way they are supposed to. Given that labor costs are phenomenally high in Japan, one understands how the final price is affected.

 

The lower models (1-3 star) are customarily assembled by the apprentices or less senior builders. If I am not mistaken, the 5 star models comprise less than 10% of their total production. The prices of the lower models are pretty close to those of high end U.S. models.

 

The question now stands as to whether these clubs are particularly good. Having been a honma user for many years (although now I use Maruman's) I would say that they are okay. The drivers go really far. Their models from 2006 which used the DAT55G titanium face were really long. It is true that they flex softer than indicated because this is more for massaging the owners ego than anything else. The irons go far because the lofts are stronger by about 1 club. They are cast from soft carbon steel and finished in 3 layers of satin chrome so they feel pretty much like forged clubs. In truth, if one were to use the same material in making a clubhead, one would be hard pressed to tell the difference in feel between the forged and cast club but that's for another topic.

[Tsukasa36]

Being a Korean, I know many people who play Honmas. Yes they are status symbol. In Japan, they do not even consider Honma to be a great golf club manufacturer, however because Honmas are demanded by many Asian ppl (usually due to their high price), Honma gained popularity. I have hit some Honmas and they do go far. However I realized that they were also illegal. Much of the cost of Honmas can be attributed to their shaft, which has titanium strips running through the graphite (pretty cool). Also Honma Beres series are more geared towards people who want traditional clubs, but are not that popular with the typical Asians. The twin mark series with their gold plating attracts many Asians, and are considered to be the epitome of golf club by many asians. Now these people do not know anything about renowned Japanese golf companies such as Tourstage, Epon, or Miura. Until I discovered these manufacturers I also though homas were the best. LOL

[Grum]

Butt ugly imo.

[TurboSport]

rge, thanks for your description. Honma is known for the quality of workmanship and the feel. This is what the Japanese the well-heeled golf connoisseurs appreciate. The same question to why people pay $30,000 for bottle of a vintage bordeaux?

 

The resale value of Honma I think is unmatched. At e-bay some months ago a 10-year old 2-star LB-280 iron set went for US$1,100. In Jakarta a similarly old 4-star LB-280 iron set still fetches close to $2,000. Amazing resale value.

 

Technologywise, it was Honma 15 years ago who first advocated that the shaft is the most important component of a club. Guess what, nowadays every club manufacturers cite the same thing.

 

What we hear is that the Beres line is not really in the position once enjoyed before. The competition from Epon, Muira, Fourteen, etc is truly felt.

 

Mr Hiro Honma has marked his signature in the history of club manufacturing.

[driverhead]

I played around with the Pro Version of a composite top Beres driver 2 years ago. It was USGA legal. I had the ARMORQ S flex shaft. It was light at 49 grams. I had to swing very easy with it, but I hit my 2 all time longest drives non wind aided and on normal turf using that club. Last year I discovered what EPON driver quality was about and I cant see hitting A Beres again.

[Baycal92510]

I have never hit these clubs, and maybe it's just me but they look like a tm rac mb made in the 60's...gone wrong......cast from lead....lol they look like this 6 iron mcgregor (Nicklaus edition) that we keep around my pro shop that we make newbies hit when they mess something up....lol

 

 

[Baycal92510]

I didn't want to be a total hater so I went and checked out some other top level asian producers, and these are sweeeeeet.

 

 

[hurricanewarning]

I remember reading that when J.Lo got married to Mark Anthony and they honeymooned in Hawaii, Mark walked into a pro shop, asked for the most expensive set of clubs they had, and plunked down $25K for a set of Honma's.

 

Fact or urban golf legend, I don't know.

 

I know someone who played with him at a charity tournament down here in Puerto Rico and told me he really SUCKED! and yes he was playing Honma

 

 

 

 

[TheCapedAvenger]

 

On a separate note, Ivan Rodriguez is looking really good these days. Maybe he had some work done. Keep rockin the aviators dude!

[m5power]

On a separate note, Ivan Rodriguez is looking really good these days. Maybe he had some work done.

 

 

Pudge looks good b/c he lost all that weight that he had gained from taking steroids.

[natas]

Hello everybody,

 

Let me just introduce myself... I live in switzerland and i'm a golf shop manager.

 

We sell Honma in my shop, yes it's a status club but the quality is the best i've ever seen.

 

What is very intresting with those club is the shaft, the quality is classified by stars, more you have and better they are, the 4 and 5 star shafts are hand made.

 

If you want more info on those products you can mail me.

 

 

And Honma will make special clubs for american market on another brand, look for Athport by Honma

[sinochip]

Hi all,

 

A few years ago I analyzed the degree of built-in "perceived value"in a Honma club during an Orlando Golf show . The example I looked at was quite amazing. The fit & finish was perfect. Using a jeweler's loop, I found the deep black shaft had tiny grey lies in it which reminded me of the pin-striping found in the cloth of very expensive mens suits. The head had a deep layer of epoxy on it in which a subtle metal-flaking appeared which looked very much like real gold shards. The groves on the face were nano-perfect and polished on the inside three faces. I short, the club had every kind of subtle high-value cue on it imaginable. The name Honma is also associated with premier quality Japanese swords going back a ways to a Junji Honma, and probably beyond.

 

I also heard an amusing story about another brand of specialty clubs made for senior Japanese executives. It had a pyrotechnic coating on the face which created bright sparks then struck. Then when the big-shot shanked the ball ten yards off the tee, the underlings still had something to dutifully exclaim excitedly about to save the big-shots face. Pretty clever business plan, actually.

[maligaya]

........

 

I also heard an amusing story about another brand of specialty clubs made for senior Japanese executives. It had a pyrotechnic coating on the face which created bright sparks then struck. Then when the big-shot shanked the ball ten yards off the tee, the underlings still had something to dutifully exclaim excitedly about to save the big-shots face. Pretty clever business plan, actually.

 

I wan't that pyrotechnic coating on my Hammer driver......so sparks fly when I yell PPPPOOOOWWWW!!!!