There’s a certain mystique about Honma clubs in the golf world. Part of that magic comes from the Japanese manufacturer’s famous Beres line — forgiving clubs made of precious metals that sell north of five figures with a maxed-out trim. Still, even their more consumer-friendly lines offer superior materials and engineering, making them some of the finest sticks for sale.
Hitting the market for the 2021 season, the Honma T//WORLD GS series includes drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons and wedges. By way of full disclosure, this scribe wants to make it clear that I already play the Honma T//WORLD-X irons. I welcomed them into my life after an extended fitting session at the Chicagoland True Spec facility and never looked back.
Equipped with stiff, Honma-made shafts, my set runs from a four iron down through a 10 (pitching wedge). I’ve come to a wonderful understanding with these irons and find them to be deadly accurate. If a golf ball goes astray with my T//WORLD-X irons set, it’s because I made an error in my swing. It’s never the clubs.
With that in mind, I eagerly tested a driver, three wood and 21-degree hybrid rescue from the T//WORLD GS line. I wanted to see if these new additions to the T//WORLD category played as well as the irons I took home last summer.
What We Liked About the Honma T//WORLD GS Clubs:
While I’m very happy with my Ping driver, which I listed in last season’s Best Drivers roundup, the T//WORLD GS Driver and closely related three wood feel comfortable and swing well right out of their plastic wrap. Also built with Honma’s in-house shaft technology for testing, both clubs offer confidence in a lighter grip and provide adequate whip for easy release. Large, friendly club heads provide ample forgiveness, though both still require a squared face for best results.
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Most Unique Feature: Incredible Balance
By far, my favorite test run of the Honma T//WORLD GS was the 21-degree hybrid. Essentially a driving iron with a larger club head, the hybrid should feel like any other iron in the golf bag while providing significantly longer carry than a three or four iron. I set up with the 22 degree as I might with such a three or four, resolved to swing as I would with any other iron in my bag. I did so and found the hybrid’s contact to be utterly pure from the first time to the last time off the deck. That’s all due to the precise balancing Honma works into the build quality and toe to grip weighting.
What We Didn’t Like About the Honma T//WORLD GS Clubs
Some players who feel more used to less expensive American manufacturers find Honma builds somewhat heavy. That’s a fair complaint, especially with the weightier and stiffer shafts I prefer in my irons, wedges and hybrid clubs. If the player can settle in and get used to the heaviness provided by Honma’s mix of materials, they’ll find the T//WORLD GS versions use that weight to fall into the swing slot with minimal effort.
The Verdict: Loaded and Locked from Japan
Honma clubs came into 2021 already known for building all of its golf clubs with the best available ingredients and focused engineering. From the driver through its wedges, the T//WORLD GS line drives forward that proud tradition. Such quality comes at a price with the driver running $500 and the irons selling for about $179 apiece currently.