We’ve discussed Honma Golf countless times at THP over the years, but it’s been quite some time since we’ve written about their golf ball line. Honma, at least in North America, can be a bit enigmatic, and their golf balls are no exception. Some of that is because they are primarily a Japanese equipment brand and somewhat out of reach geographically, but it’s also a consequence of Honma’s reputation as a revered luxury brand. Sometimes a little mystery is a good thing. However, the company has made a concerted effort to engage with golfers in North America in the last few years, and we’ve been excited to get a better picture of them as a complete golf company. Honma announced three newly designed golf balls in early 2024, and THP will be looking at each of them. Today, we are discussing the Honma TW-S, an attractively priced three-piece urethane ball that, on paper at least, offers a ton of bang for your buck.
Honma TW-S Details
As we mentioned, the TW-S is one of three golf balls Honma is offering in 2024. Of the three, the TW-S and TW-X are what we’d consider “Tour” balls, while the D1 is a lower-cost ionomer-covered ball. Of the two urethane golf balls, the TW-S fits most closely into the “soft” category that is increasingly popular, while the TW-X appears to be the firmer, more distance-oriented option. Specifications and details are sometimes difficult to come by when we are working with Japanese products, and the TW-S is no exception. While we do have some information from the company, a full technical rundown like we sometimes see from domestic companies isn’t available, but we’ll provide everything we have to share.
Discover the Honma TW-S Golf Balls, meticulously crafted to elevate your game with unparalleled spin mastery. Designed for players who demand precision, these tour-validated golf balls deliver low long game spin, allowing you to control your shots with unprecedented accuracy. The advanced dimple design ensures a penetrating and consistent flight, prioritizing spin for ultimate control on the course. Redefine your golfing experience with the perfect blend of distance and spin, setting a new standard for your performance on every swing.
Designed in Japan, the Honma line of balls is manufactured in Taiwan. Again, the TW-S is a three-piece, cast urethane ball – something we should all be very familiar with at this point. It’s core, which Honma says calls a newly formulated Long-Soft (LS) core, is designed to produce higher ball speeds for slower swing speeds with consumer-preferred soft feel. While the LS core aims to provide the same general attributes of what anchored the previous generation TW-S, it is indeed a departure from the “composite core’ utilized in the past.
The middle layer, sandwiched between the core and urethane cover, is called the High Elasticity FLEX Layer. Honma says this new ionomer formulation serves a dual purpose, increasing back spin on iron shots and contributing to the soft overall feel at impact. This is a welcome addition, as it’s not uncommon to see softer balls deliver somewhat lower iron spin in general.
The cast urethane cover has also been redesigned, and the most telling way to illustrate that is by counting the dimples. The new TW-S features 326 dimples instead of the previous version’s 338. Honma mentions wind-resistance and “penetrating flight” in relation to full swings often when discussing the aerodynamic features of the TW-S. Of course, the cover’s main purpose is to produce ample short game spin while maintaining durability. Specifically, the company says the cover exhibits “increased durability, scratch resistance, and a bite to the face of the club that provides amazing spin while maintaining a soft feel.”
We were able to test the TW-S both indoors and during multiple rounds of golf. From a feel perspective, we were quite impressed with what the ball had to offer. While some “soft” Tour balls border on the mushy side, the TW-S seemed to live more in the middle ground. A wide section of golfers should find the feel at impact pleasant, with a soft thump observed on full swings and the expected light click with putts. The cover seemed to hold up quite well with repeated use, lining up with Honma’s durability claims, though we sometimes believe this attribute is given more importance than it deserves at times.
The TW-S appeared to compete well with similar balls (Volvik XT Soft, for example) on the market in just about every performance attribute we can think of. Wedge spin was within 100 rpms on ½ and ¾ swings, showing the urethane cover performs like we’d expect. Following that general theme, the TW-S seemed to provide similar launch and ball speed numbers to other “soft” balls, though it was slightly less efficient than firmer balls like the Chrome Tour. That resulted in a few yards less distance on full swings, but nothing glaring.
The TW-S seemed to shine most off the tee outdoors, especially with lower swing speeds. Driver trajectory can vary from swing to swing with typical golfers, but in general we saw mid to high ball flight that carried well and still managed to maximize total distance via roll. Iron swings were more mid-height with a small amount of rollout after landing on the green, lining up with our launch monitor observations that the TW-S provided mid-level spin on full approach shots. In all, this a ball that should be very popular with those that gravitate towards a softer ball, especially when you consider the extremely attractive price of $36 per dozen. Just writing that number in relation to a urethane ball seems unsettling these days and consumers should take note. Honma Golf wants your business and is offering great incentive to give their golf balls a try.
Details
- Available in white.
- $36 per dozen.
- More information available at honmagolf.com.
