Honma’s BERES line has been the epitome of what luxury golf clubs can be. We’ve seen Honma push high-end materials in terms of metals, shafts, and even ferrules in the past. When I say high-end materials, I’m talking about clubs that have used 24 karat gold in those ferrules. As you can imagine, when we start talking about gold in golf clubs, the price will cause most amateur golfers to chuckle. Today, Honma is announcing the BERES Aizu and Black collections, which carries on those traditions.
“This new line represents the latest breakthrough technology for golfers with moderate to modest swing speeds,” says Janeann Lanning, COO of Honma North America. “BERES Aizu and Black allow golfers to make pure, stable swings with enhanced speed and powerful ball flight.”
While these two lines share the same technology, their looks are quite different. “Aizu appeals to players with an artistic flair and respect for Japanese craftsmanship,” according to Janeann Lanning. “While Black brings a modern, refined look for players who value performance and style without compromise.”
Even with looks that will draw plenty of attention, both the Aizu and Black have a wealth of technology worth bragging about as well. Built within the drivers are an L-Cup face and triple sole slots. Both of which are present to help increase ball speeds on both center and off-center strikes. Honma’s Ti6-4 face design helps boost mishit performance on both heel and toe contact. As one might expect, the optimized center of gravity will also assist these drivers in launching the ball high with low spin while still maintaining forgiveness. BERES clubs will also be draw-biased with internal weighting, which shouldn’t come as a surprise as we’ve seen this with many high-end Japanese brands over the years.
That same triple slot sole is also present in the fairway woods and hybrids. While they do not have that L-Cup design, they get a thin crown to help with impact deflection and a flexible face to assist in ball speed. The center of gravity has been independently designed for each head to ensure the launch characteristics are optimal throughout the set throughout all the fairways and hybrids.
In terms of performance, everything about the BERES line is aimed to help get the ball up in the air a bit more effortlessly, so it should be no surprise that the irons will follow that same path. Honma’s Takumi, or master craftsman, wanted to make sure that these irons fit that bill while maintaining an iron that is stable and forgiving. Adding one external and two internal sole slots and incorporating those with a low-deep center of gravity, these BERES irons are set to achieve those higher launch characteristics that are often sought after by the player with a more moderate swing speed.
Honma uses their L-Cup structure throughout the set, featuring a new thinner face, which will boost speed and forgiveness. Now ask many golfers about what they know about Honma irons, and a typical response will be about how good they feel. Again, the BERES line is their premium line, so these irons need to have that premium feel, which is why the body is forged of 8620 steel. We see two different construction styles throughout the set as the 5-9 irons feature an L-Cup two-piece structure, while the 10iron-SW have a flat face two-piece structure.
Honma takes a very holistic approach while designing the head and shafts. The perfect partnership of all components will lead to a better feeling and performing golf club. We see a 2-5 Star grading system for the BERES Aizu line, with more advanced shaft technology as the number gets higher. Below is a rundown of the shaft differences with each level. Note that the shaft found in the Black series is the equivalent of the 2-star level.
2 Star – ARMRQ MX shafts feature a T1100G bias-ply that runs the full shaft length to maximize distance. Proprietary 10-Axis Sheet Metal Hybrid Armour Technology around the butt delivers stability and control.
3 Star – ARMRQ MX shafts include high-strength M40X – highly-elastic Toray Composite that efficiently accelerates clubhead speed. 10-Axis Sheet Metal Hybrid Armour Technology and T1100G add clubhead speed and stability.
4 Star – ARMRQ MX shafts include high-strength M40X – highly-elastic Toray Composite that efficiently accelerates clubhead speed. 10-Axis Sheet Metal Hybrid Armour Technology and T1100G add clubhead speed and stability. A lower kick point toward the tip increases swing speed and distance. 24K gold is also part of the design in the ferrule.
5 Star – ARMRQ MX shafts have the lowest torque and most technology. A high-strength M40X – highly-elastic Toray Composite that efficiently accelerates clubhead speed. 10-Axis Sheet Metal Hybrid Armour Technology and T1100G add clubhead speed and stability. T1100G in the bias layer strengthens twisting power and maximizes distance. 24K gold and platinum can also be found in the ferrule.
Honma’s BERES lineup is one of, if not the, most luxurious golf lineup in the world, and Beres O8 continues with that reputation. Even though Aizu and Black look very different, golfers are getting the same technology-driven clubheads, which means the choice is yours to match your golf clubs to your personality. Yes, the Aizu line looks very different than what we are accustomed to over in the North American market but having held previous BERES clubs, I do not doubt that these will look incredible in hand. More information on the BERES collection can be found at www.honmagolf.com.
Pricing:
BERES AIZU Drivers
2-S: $949
3-S: $1,289
4-S: $2,099
5-S: $5,000
BERES AIZU Fairways
2-S: $649
3-S: $749
4-S: $1,699
5-S: $4,950
BERES AIZU Utilities
2-S: $499
3-S: $599
4-S: $1,499
5-S: $4,950
BERES AIZU Irons
2-S/Per Iron: $399
3-S/Per Irons: $599
4-S/Per Iron: $1,499
5-S/Per Iron: $4,950
BERES Black
Drivers: $1,149
Fairway: $699
Utilities: $549
Irons/Per Iron: $499
