When it comes to irons, any company that has a firm grasp on who they are knows they need to have something for everyone. Honma Golf has had that realization for some time now, they have shown no fear in thinking outside of the box while also paying attention to even the most minute details.
While all the newest technology and pushing the envelope has its place, so too do the classics, and given Honma Golf’s sixty-six year history, they know how to do them. The new Honma TW767 Tour V irons are the model showing exactly that, as these player’s cavity back irons put precision and detail above all else.
Quick Take
The true players cavity back lives on. Honma has created an iron that walks the line of art and performance, offering all of the things fans of one-piece forgings enjoy most. If you are looking for maximum forgiveness, look elsewhere as these are all about the ball-striker which demands workability and versatility above all else. The look, the sound, the ball-flight, it is all there for those with the confidence in their game to seek it out.
The Education Zone
Sure, an iron like the Tour V from Honma may not need the deepest dive into technology, but that doesn’t mean there still aren’t things that merit a bit of education. These irons are not the brands first foray into the player’s CB design space, there have actually been many of them over the years. Even then, they are not a simple copy and paste, there is much more nuance present than that.
Honma has forged each of the TW767 Tour V irons from one-piece of S20C soft carbon steel. Now, before some of you reading have the time to think “what, not 1020 carbon?”, allow me to tell you in the most simple of explanations, without getting into the carbon count weeds, this material is basically Japan’s version of our 1020 CS. So, you are dealing with a premier material which is all about form, function, and feel.
As for technology, you aren’t going to find any if you are looking for what has become the standard definition of that. Instead, Honma has put its master craftsmen to work designing a compact headshape with thin topline and low offset. More mass has been located into the center of the cavity and low to help get a little extra behind impact further adding to the solid feel.
Though the topline nor the sole are overly tiny, they are still on the small side of things. Because of that, the sole has what Honma calls a “C Sole Shape” that isn’t the rearward grind/shape you may be expecting, but instead a beveled leading edge shaping which aids entry into the turf. The irons also play off of a 32-degree 7i and 45-degree PW for reference, not weak, but also not overly strengthened by today’s trends.
Honma TW767 Tour V Irons
As the THP Staff’s resident compact iron loving lunatic, the excitement of getting these in hand was very real. Of course, the trepidation was as well coming off of playing more modern technology packed irons as of late. In the end though, they were exactly what we thought they would be, a full on party for a competent ball-striker.
The look is incredibly well done, there is a balance to the entire clubhead from the shaping to the lines/angles within the cavity. Although the combination of polished and brushed chrome is perhaps not seen as much today as a solid satin, you have to admit that it looks good on the overall profile. The toplines are thin, but not terrifying, and the overall length of the blade is in line with other irons of this type.
At impact, they are everything one would expect. There is a crisp denseness to them that is recognizable to anyone who has hit an iron like these, and if you have, then you know the more solidly you strike the ball, the better that feedback gets. Through the turf, the sole performed as you would expect, angle of attack matters and good shaft lean and a descending blow was rewarded the most.
The set comes paired standard with Nippon N.S.PRO MODUS3 Tour 115’s and are offered in only 5-PW, fortunately we were able to get the entire set in hand to work through the entire set. For the sake of keeping things simple where data goes however, it made sense to include the 5, 7, and 9 irons to give a good understanding of the overall design.
As you can see, there was some pretty solid performance packed into such a simple iron. Admittedly, this reviewer tends to hit the ball more consistently with irons of this type, so that plays a role in the data. The spin was definitely a bit lower than anticipated, but the speed off the face was also higher. In all it made for some very impressive carry numbers.
If you are a shaper of the golf ball, then that too is present in the Tour V irons, and they are extremely easy to turn over from right to left as well as vertically. On misses, the expectations should be set entering into using an iron like these. Strikes low spin up, while anything too high on the face will see a notable drop in speed and spin. Toe side the shaping allowed a little more leeway than expected, but again, these are not built around forgiveness. They are true shot makers irons.
The Details
While technology never sleeps, even in golf, it is always nice to take a step back and experience an iron like the Tour V’s, and though they may not sell as well as the more modern designs, there will always be a place for them. There is a level of what you see is what you get, and there is something pure to that.
The TW767 are available now and the 5-PW set is priced at $1050. For more information visit us.honmagolf.com.
