Honma Golf is a brand that might seem mysterious in the North American golf market. Although their TW series has consistently garnered praise and performed well, their Beres series can be perceived as expensive and sometimes miss the mark with their artistic designs. Regardless of personal preferences, it’s clear that Honma takes great pride in their products’ designs and craftsmanship. As someone who has tested many Honma clubs over the years, the only equipment I have yet to experience is a Honma golf ball, which changed recently when a box of D1 golf balls arrived for review.
Experience the perfect fusion of distance and control with the Honma D1 Golf Balls. Crafted for distance, these balls feature a thinner cover for a responsive feel around the green, ensuring you get the best of both worlds. With an ultra-soft feel, longer distance, excellent greenside control, and trusted quality, the D1 golf balls redefine your golfing experience.
Honma designed the D1 golf ball to optimize distance for golfers with a club head speed of under 90 MPH. The RB Soft Core has been reformulated and enlarged to help golfers achieve maximum ball speed. Additionally, the ionomer cover has been thinned out to enhance the ball’s feel, while the 368 dimples on the cover increase the height and carry distance of each shot. Despite being a two-piece ball, Honma has paid close attention to the finer details of the design to help maximize performance. This approach has helped the D1 become Japan’s top-selling golf ball. Those who have read our past reviews on Honma’s equipment know about their holistic design philosophy, which aims to get maximum performance from each club. That same philosophy is applied to the D1 golf ball.
Testing of the Honma D1 took place indoors and outdoors for some beautiful spring golf in New York, and on a recent trip to Texas. For indoor testing, data was collected using a SkyTrak+ launch monitor.
As seen in the pictures, we tested a dozen golf balls consisting of four different colors on the course. Thanks to the glossy finish and vibrant colors, there were no problems in spotting these balls. In the past, I’ve had some issues with various colored golf balls on the course, but those issues did not arise here. Even the green ball was relatively easy to locate, although I would be mindful of playing it on courses with thicker rough. Of the four colors tested, orange would rank number one on my list.
As was mentioned above, Honma has specified that the D1 golf ball is specifically designed for players with a driver swing speed of less than 90 MPH. Although eventually, we all might fall into that category, my driver swing speed is currently higher than that mark. I mention this not to brag, believe me, but to clarify why I felt that the D1 balls were very soft when I had the driver in hand. However, when I switched to an iron, the feel remained soft but had a spring-like sensation on clean strikes. All told, the D1 feels like a very lively golf ball that produced a consistent high ball flight.
When a company uses a tagline such as Dynamic Distance, a high expectation for impressive performance is set. After several rounds of testing, this ball did more than hold its own against other premium golf balls in terms of yardage. Although it wasn’t the fastest ball I’ve hit off the driver this year, the overall carry distance was similar to what I typically achieve. What really impressed me was the numbers achieved with the 7-iron. Switching to a two-piece golf ball that doesn’t offer a lot of spin can cause some concern about control. However, after testing, I found that its combination of spin, height, and descent was ideal for stopping on the green. These numbers backed up what I saw during my on-course testing with the D1 golf ball. No matter which club I used, the D1 golf ball consistently produced a high ball flight.
Regarding the short game, the D performed similarly to other two-piece ionomer golf balls. When hitting pitches, the ball launched higher and relied more on trajectory to stop near the hole. However, in most instances, it had more rollout than was preferred. If you’re a golfer who wants to use Honma golf balls and is looking for more greenside control, consider the TW-S or TW-X, as they come with a cast urethane cover that can interact better with wedge grooves.
Honma is currently offering their D1 golf balls for $27 per dozen. These golf balls are available in a variety of colors, including white, yellow, orange, green, or multi-color. The multi-color pack includes a sleeve of green, orange, yellow, and pink. For more information on the D1 golf balls, please visit www.honmagolf.com.
