Speed. If you don’t have it, you want it, and let’s be honest even if you do have it, you want more. This year Honma Golf is taking their game improvement line into a direction of giving golfers just what they are seeking, speed. Though already released in Japan, the North American release date is now here for the new Honma TW GS driver, fairways, hybrids, and irons.
Want to know more? Keep on keeping on.
2021 Honma T//World GS Lineup
The new GS line is a direct replacement for the T//World XP-1 offerings which had some decent buzz and solid feedback throughout their cycle. The name of the game with GS however, is literally speed, as in “Gain Speed” which is what the GS name stands for. For this release, the Japan base of Honma has worked hand in hand with their North American team in order to create design elements they believe offer more speed, more playability, and more enjoyment in a modern shape and design element.
From the mountain tops Honma is shouting about speed, consistency, and confidence here. Though only time and eventual testing will tell the whole of the story, we will dive into each segment of the GS offerings to tell the tale of the tech.
T//World GS Driver
The GS driver is a 460cc head, which is a titanium head using Ti811 in the body and Ti6-4 for the face. According to Honma, they went this way because of the ability titanium affords them to specifically dictate the thickness and thinness of the entire head in order to try and find the best combination of speed and stability.
The Honma TW GS driver utilizes what the company calls a Keel Sole which is raised to the heel side to promote more draw bias and keep the center of gravity back and low for increased MOI and forgiveness. Additionally, there is a Flip Slot behind the face which allows more flex, which as we all know means more speed potential. By orienting the slot as a “forward toe slot” Honma claims that it allows for a shot straightening gear effect on misses. Finally, there is a Radial Face design which has rib patterns and variable thickness on the face to strengthen it in the upper and lower portion of the face while allowing the rest of the face to maintain optimal flex and speed potential.
The T//World GS driver has a 9g weight in the head which can be customized for individual fitting and the club also utilizes full loft adjustability with a non-rotating adapter that maintains shaft alignment. The GS driver is available in 9.5°, 10.5°, and 11.5° loft options in a traditional black crowned men’s and women’s option as well as a “Red” release which as the name implies features a uniquely deep red crown. The drivers will come in at $499.99 and are paired with Honma’s Japan designed SPEEDTUNED shaft.
T//World GS Fairways and Hybrids
Based around the same premise as the drivers, the name of the game here too is gaining speed. In terms of looks, both mesh seamlessly with their driver counterparts and make for a unified look throughout. Both of these clubs feature the previously discussed Flip Slot technology as well as internal weighting oriented low and towards the heel to help create some natural draw bias which will be beneficial for players who are likely to seek out the GS lineup.
Both the fairways and hybrids, like the driver, feature a SPEEDTUNED shaft which Honma designed in Japan. Additionally, both are available in men’s and women’s heads with fairway loft options of 15°, 16.5°, 18.0°, and 21° with the hybrids coming in 19.0°, 21.0°, and 24.0°. Fairways carry a price of $249 and hybrids will come in at $219.
T//World GS Irons
Finally, the GS irons are, according to Honma, “the ideal game improvement clubs”, which are designed to be easy to hit and maximize forgiveness. Design wise, they feature a very deep cavity and somewhat wider sole to keep the center of gravity low and the stability through MOI high while making the clubs easy to launch.
Along with an undercut in the deep cavity, the irons use Flip Slot technology like the metalwoods do to optimize ball speed potential and retention, especially off of the toe. The irons also have an L-Cup face built into the design which means even more ball speed potential while also managing spin generation.
The irons are available in 4-11 irons for the men’s set and 6-11 in the women’s set. Additionally, a SW is available for each. The irons come standard with graphite SPEEDTUNED shafts for $200/club or steel Nippon N.S. Pro NEO for $175/club.
What are your thoughts on the new T//World GS line of clubs? Is it the game improvement set that finally breaks Honma through stateside? Is it something you plan on seeking out to try? Be sure to jump into the conversation below and on the THP community and make your voice heard!
Now, that’s not a knock or prediction on performance, just a personal observation.
I should have an iron and a fairway in from THP HQ in the next day or so however to take a closer look.
I think it’s a tough market to navigate for them. I get the impression that Japan embraces the GI iron design and everything that comes with it, while over here there’s a desire for clubs that go more towards the "traditional" look and hide the technology.
I’m with you – I’ve really enjoyed everything I’ve played from Honma – the Beers, the one piece forgings I gave a spin, and the few other clubs I’ve hit or demoed. The woods have especially surprised me.
Maybe this is the line that makes them mainstream in North America, game improvement is a big market.
I assume that the Lemon color is the women’s line.
Everything I have hit from Honma has performed well in the past.
Those irons look pretty good to me. The driver looks like a solid pairing. I feel like Gonna is really pressing on trying to make inroads in the US, but they just can’t seem to break through like they want to.
To be fair, this is the GI line and not the players one, so a little more flash is expected usually
That’s probably right. I’ve always wondered why does the GI line have to be so "flashy" compared to the more player oriented lines (true for most OEM)? To me they just look worse, perhaps that’s the only way to get shelf visibility but a thing that always seems strange.
I think it goes back to different types of customers. Across the board, it seems to be this way.
Everybody (I can think of) does it so there must be a reason to do it. Maybe if you make it "uglier" it also differentiates more to the more player types of irons and creates a premium feel to those. E.g. Taylormade SIM vs P-series irons. If SIM looked as good as the P would you sell as many P-series.
Not sure I can answer that, although I do think ugly is subjective a bit haha.
Its funny because busy irons do not bother me, but online boy do people prefer the clean look.
I am having such a hard time figuring out what Honma’s identity is. Very confusing.
Guilty as charged But in all honesty there are certain irons I would disqualify just because of looks alone. Going in for a fitting in a few weeks time and will try to go into exactly the iron that gives the best performance no matter the category and looks, at least that’s what I keep telling myself…
How easily can you find Honma in OH? I know they have them at one store here but thats it. I’m sure I’ll give them a swing at one point but they just don’t scream must have to me.
I have absolutely no idea where to hit them locally.
Awful.
yikes. Learn something new every day. Apparently there are a whole lot of tour players that suck at golf. ?
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That’s a pretty nice shape visually in hand
Im not sure they know to be honest. This is a much more Japan looking line release, reminds me a lot of Yonex honestly.
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Hoping for some HQ pics tonight then on the monitor tomorrow and Monday for everyone. Also have an iron in I’ll get pics up of.
Excited to hit this one tomorrow!
Fairway:
7i:
Fairway:
7i:
Fairway:
7i:
The fairway debuts on course today, bag is gonna be FULL, but it and the C721 will get a workout. Freaking gorgeous club in the sunlight.
I can try! This one is surprisingly deep given the sim of the GS line, much deeper than the 721
Sound isn’t as metallic or resonating as I expected, it’s instead crisp, feels pretty hot off the face too.
Setup look is fun in the sun. It’s busy, but not gaudy like the red driver in the lineup. It’s a pretty deep little fairway. Deeper than the C721 I’m also reviewing.
As expected, it gets up quick. And in such a lightweight setup speed is easy to come by, and for me personally it’s lead to some issues timing things out and feeling the head, though I don’t think I’m the target demographic for this one.
Distance will shake out on monitor Tuesday, but I’m pleasantly surprised here so far, I think the ball speed is going to surprise me.
More soon on this one. Any questions? I’ll also come in and comment on the 7i some more here a bit later!
x2…i would love to try one out.
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Nice!! I still don’t love the bottom, but from above that looks amazing.
Head Cover and Shaft:
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I don’t know if this is going to be any better than the Epic Max but for $215 delivered, it was a “No Brainer” I knew they 2 of these and I waited for their 20% BF sale.
Damn. That thing makes a STATEMENT.
Really curious to hear how it performs for you now!
Good thing I got a personality that can handle something this “Loud”