At times, it feels like Honma struggles to make headways in the North American marketplace, and while that may be the case, it doesn’t take away from the fact that they have a proven history of producing some of the most luxurious golf equipment in the world. Earlier this year, they released their entire line of Beres NX clubs, designed to attract a younger generation of golfers. Honma also knows how to cater to golfers willing to invest in a special set of clubs by offering a more premium version with their Beres NX Triple Star irons.
Honma’s Nx Triple Star irons feature a sleek monochromatic design, which is quite a departure from the Beres line’s bold and gold aesthetics of the past. While the iron’s back badging and head have the same color, the former stands out more in person than in photos, making these clubs look positively stunning in the bag. Regarding the profile, the Honma Beres NX Triple Star irons have a comfortable blade length that should appeal to a wide range of golfers. They also have some offset, which can help those struggling to get the ball in the air. The medium-wide sole thickness provides just the right amount of turf interaction, allowing for clean strikes on various lies.
Honma has done a great job of integrating game improvement technology into the Beres NX Triple Star irons while still maintaining an aesthetically pleasing design. The use of tungsten in here has proven to be beneficial in various ways. Firstly, it helps to position the center of gravity low and deep within the iron head by working with the sole width. As a result, companies can strengthen the lofts and still achieve high launch, which is the case with Honma’s irons. Additionally, golfers will notice the tungsten toe weight, supported by a vibration-absorbing resin. These two materials and the L-Cup face structure increase the head’s rigidity and boost the repulsive force, enabling the irons to gain height and distance.
If you’re familiar with Honma’s Beres NX lineup, you’ll notice that many of the technologies mentioned above are also prevalent in the regular NX irons. However, as usual with the Beres line, Honma offers a star-based tiered system that includes more premium materials as the star rating increases. A significant difference between these two lines is the shaft. When moving up to the Beres NX Triple-Star line, golfers get a more premium VIZARD for NX shaft. This shaft is designed with ultra-high elasticity prepreg, which helps create a shaft with low frequency and low torque. These features make both higher launch and more trajectory while maintaining exceptional distance and precision properties.
Honma’s reputation for producing irons with exceptional feel is well-established, and the Beres NX Triple Star are no exception. During testing, I was pleasantly surprised by the deep, satisfying tone produced on center strikes, which gave the impression of a different construction than what was actually in my hands. However, when contact strayed from the center, the audible tone was noticeably brighter and crisper, providing immediate feedback on the quality of the strike. Honma mentions that their 3D Emblem helps absorb vibrations to the point that these will sound like forged irons.
For my testing purposes, I played the Beres NX Triple Star in their stock configuration of 7-11iron, with the Vizard for NX shaft weighing in at 45 grams in a stiff flex.
Playing an iron set that starts with a 7-iron was a new experience, but after a brief warm-up range session, I got a comfortable idea of where these distances would fall. It was noticeable that the yardages were strong, with some clubs being almost an entire club stronger than I was used to. As I type that, I know many out there will look to the lofts immediately. Besides the distances, the other area that jumped out to me was how high the ball was going. Honma often talks about building clubs with a holistic approach so that every component complements each other to achieve the preferred end goal. With these irons, the end goal is an iron that can fly high and far, and let me tell you, their holistic philosophy paid off here. Compared to other irons I have played this season, these flew noticeably higher. My preconceived expectation was that I would be hitting a lot of high draws, but I found the ball flight to be incredibly stable. As I went down in the set, I still could flight down the 10 and 11 irons to try and control distances.
I found that using an iron shaft approximately 60 grams lighter than what I had been using all season was an easy adjustment for me. The slightly head-heavy iron made me feel like I could rely on the clubhead to do most of the work, which is something my former golf instructor would have been proud to hear me say. What I noticed the most was how the head’s weight helped me get through the rough and easily lift the ball with minimal effort. It even came in handy when hitting out of fairway bunkers and other areas where I try to lift the ball.
After some impressive on-course results, it was time to get a closer examination of what these irons provided with the help of a Foresight GC2. What we saw helped re-affirm the on-course impressions. With the Beres NX Triple Star 8 iron, we were getting an average ball speed of 115.4 MPH, a high launch angle of 22.5°, and an excellent peak height of 37 yards, which produced an average carry distance of 158 yards. Along with the high ball flight, the descent angle came in at 50.3°. What surprised me the most during this test was the spin rate, as I was expecting something that would be absurdly low, but it wasn’t. Spin rates for this 8 iron was 6355 RPMs. Take in the speed and loft of 31°, and the expectation was that it would be lower than that based on my previous experiences with irons of similar designs.
Moving to the 11 iron, yes, the 11 iron of Honma’s Beres NX Triple Star line showed very similar characteristics as the 8 iron. Believe it or not, this marks my first time playing an 11-iron. Honma lists 45° of loft for this one, so depending on whatever set of irons you play, consider this a PW or even a GW/AW. Based on the loft alone, it sits where my usual PW is. With ball speed sitting at 98.5 MPH combined with 8679 RPMS of spin, it produced an average carry of 125 yards and, once again, a descent angle that came in over 50°.
The price of the Honma equipment has been discussed among golf enthusiasts. This set of irons comes with a hefty price tag of $2,500 for a stock configuration of 7-11 irons, meaning each iron costs around $500. For those who will see that sticker price and immediately move on, Honma does have the Beres NX irons that carry many of the same technologies that slide in at a price tag of $1,700 for the same 7-11 set makeup.
The Details
Price: $2,500
Configuration: 7-11 irons
Shaft: Vizard for NX Triple Star 45
Check out their website at www.honmagolf.com.
