Fairway woods are always one of the more nuanced releases for manufacturers, everyone wants to chase more distance, but some brands have made that their personality above all else. Being honest, that makes a lot of sense for many golfers, but Honma Golf is taking the approach of distance with playability from both the tee and the turf.
Each club design within the TW767 lineup is a piece to a greater puzzle for Honma, with the ultimate goal always being craftsmanship meeting innovation to create the most complete lineup possible. The TW767 fairway woods fill an interesting spot in that quest, one that we took a much closer look at.
Quick Take
While they may not be the longest fairway woods out there, they earn high marks in overall playability. With a confidence inspiring footprint and shallow face, they are clubheads which elevate the ball from any position. The sound is good, and the performance is better. Though they may not lead in any one area, they do quite well in all of them.
The Education Zone
One thing Honma has shown above all else as we have reviewed the various clubs within their TW767 family is that they have the wherewithal to create designs which fill needs as well as offering overall performance. While the fairways may not have multiple models like the drivers or irons, they use a refined focus on balance.
There are four loft options within the TW767 fairway wood arsenal, 3W (15), 3HL (16.5), 5W (18), and 7W (21). While at first glance they may look like straight forward designs, there is a lot under the hood. All of the models use a SUS630 Stainless Steel for the body which braces a CH175 face. Whole those are a lot of numbers, know this, the CH175 is a unique and custom metal just for Honma Golf. In the 3, 3HL, and 5 woods the material is pressed into a face cup, while the 7 is a rolled design.
Both three wood models also feature a carbon crown that helps move more weight low and back in the larger 184cc heads while the other two loft options are all steel. Internally, each head also uses a 13g tungsten weight in the lower rear, this is critical in getting that CG lower and deeper than in past Tour World fairway woods that Honma has produced. Add in a shallow face and then you have the equation for higher launch, increased stability, and more overall playability.
Each of the models are available with Honma’s proprietary Vizard shafts, the EZ-C, EZ-A, EZ-P, and EZ-Z. While you might read proprietary and think they are inferior made for designs, the reality is each is created my Honma’s “Takumi” (Master Craftsmen), they are then also hand rolled in-house. Each shaft has a specific kick-point to achieve desired launch and spin parameters.
Honma TW767 Fairway Woods
We got both the 3W and 5W in for a closer look, both paired with the Vizard EZ-C shaft. Visually, they are definitely a larger footprint, the 184cc of the 3W is larger than most others out there. In fact, this 5W at 166cc is closer to the size of most 3-woods. While you might think that means these feel like mini-drivers, they are so shallow faced that it isn’t the case. The form and finish are quite solid as well. The matte crown flows well into the sole with accents, although, the alignment aid on the fairways is a bit abstract.
At impact both heads were enjoyable, but you can certainly tell that the 3W has the carbon crown. It is a bit more solid and crunchy where the 5W stays true to the crisp all-metal feedback, though it does not have any ‘tink’ to it. The feeling is pretty addictive, and when you catch one there is immediate feedback that it was hit well. Misses are recognizable, but the overall stability of both clubs when missing to the heel or toe was surprising, which is of course thanks to their larger footprint.
The Data – Honma TW767 Fairway Woods
As for data, both of the TW767 fairways were hit off of the turf and from the tee in order to better show what versatility potential there is. Both heads put up some very solid speed averages, even though the total distances were not as long as some other options we have tested. Clearly, a big part of that was the spin, with both heads being quite robust.
Quite honestly, it was nice to see such numbers. They reaffirmed what was seen on the course, that these are designed with the intent of higher trajectory with speed. Honma checked those boxes based on testing, they get up quickly and are incredibly playable thanks to the robustness of the spin. No, they won’t win long drive contests, but they will keep it in play much easier.
Good swings were rewarded, while poor swings were not punished as much as it felt like they should have been. Off the deck the shallow face shined and surprisingly the sole handled that situation well even with its oversized look, the middle of the sole shined there. On the other side of things, attention to tee height is important when hitting each club there, they are indeed shallow, but they inspire a free swing from the tee.
The Details – Honma TW767 Fairway Woods
Look, the TW767 fairway woods are not going to be the rockstar of the lineup, the drivers are going to do their best to take as much of that attention as possible. With that said, they are extremely well rounded clubs that the average golfer can have a lot of confidence with. These are definitely aimed at the all around golfer as opposed to those wholly focused on distance, and that type of club is very much needed as well.
The TW767 fairways are available now directly from Honma and at authorized retailers, all four lofts are priced at $350. For more information visit their website at us.honmagolf.com.
