2020 Official Member Review: Honma TR20 driver

[StrokerAce]

Did you know that Honma has been making golf clubs since 1959?

Give this a quick read to learn all about them - https://mygolfspy.com/honma-north-america-and-the-quest-to-figure-it-all-out/

These 4 members will be testing the TR20 driver (top 5 in 2020 Most Wanted!) to learn exactly what makes Honma golf so special.

Testing the 440 model:
@golfingbrock
@DPattGolf

Testing the 460 model:
@Getoffmylawn
@Judge Smails

We are all excited to see what these clubs can do for you and look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Go get em fellas.
 

[golfingbrock]

Golfingbrock’s HONMA TR20 440 Review

Hello friends,

My name is Brock, and I am a 37 year old golf nut from Texas.  I tested the Honma TR20 440 Driver with a Vizard FP7-X Shaft.

I have been playing since I was a kid, and I walked onto my college team and got to play for 3 years with some great players. Though I now don’t play as much as I used to, between family and work, I still get out a few times a month, currently a +2 handicap, and obsess about golf daily.

By the way, HUUUGE thanks to MGS and Honma the testing opportunity, and a very understanding wife, as I have gotten out twice as much these last 6 weeks (for research purposes, of course).

I bought my current gamer, a Tour Edge XCG7 Beta with an X-Stiff Ozik Matrix Black Tie 44.5” shaft on the Used rack at PGA Tour Superstore in 2015. Before the Tour Edge, I had a Taylormade R7 425 Quad that I found on Ebay.  As you may have guessed, I wasn’t ‘fit’ for my gamer, but I did test it against the TM SLDR, Ping G30, Nike Covert, and a few others, and the Tour Edge gave me comparable results at a fraction of the cost, so I took a chance on it. As you can see, I found the center a lot.

I let my brother use my Tour Edge while in Utah, because he wasn't touching my Honma.  Here's his first swing!

My strength has always been my irons, and my driver has become more solid the last few years.  I prefer a low/mid flight with low spin since I play in a lot of wind. My normal carry distance is around 260-270 with roll out to 280-300. My go to shot is a draw, but I can miss it both ways if I need to avoid trouble.

First impressions:

I knew very little about Honma before the review process, other than that they made some really expensive gold-plated clubs (the Beres line), and that Justin Rose played Honma for a year before going back to TM.  When the TR20 came out he had some pretty great results immediately, including a 2^nd at the Singapore Open (where he averaged 323 yds on 7 measured drives) and a T5 at the Hero World Challenge. 

As I delved into the company, I learned about their history of over 60 years producing high quality craftsman clubs in Sakata, Japan, and that they build all the components from heads to Vizard (a combination of Victory and Wizard) shafts in house with the utmost quality control. Honma sought to provide the perfect blend of beauty and performance.

I hit a TR20 440 with a stock Stiff shaft a few times at PGA Tour Superstore before mine arrived, and it had a great sound and feel, but as it wasn’t tuned to me, it wasn’t any better than my current gamer.  For the TR20 to earn a spot in my bag, it would have to give me better distance while maintaining my accuracy, and be a club I can trust under pressure.

Grading:

Looks: 10/10

This driver has tons of tech inside, but the outside is all class. With several manufacturers going with a matte black finish, the Honma really stands out!  From the shiny black top and polished titanium face, to the tasteful gold accents on the carbon fiber woven sole, it almost looks too pretty to hit. The shape is a classic pear shape, and the top of the club has no markings, which I love! The club sits very nice and square at set up, and gives me confidence to swing away.

Honma starts the process by hand carving the shape of the head out of a block of Mississippi persimmon by the craftsmen in Japan. Once that was perfect, they built a very light titanium frame so that they could position the adjustable weights in the perfect spots, and added the ET40 carbon crown and the woven carbon sole.

The Headcover is also high quality, and not only protects the club, but makes the bag look really sharp!

Sound/Feel: 9/10

The sound is a nice THWACK when you hit it in the center.  It’s not too muted or too tinny. Mis-hits have a bit more reverb and a slightly deeper tone. One of my playing partners says it even sounds fast!

It feels smooth like a persimmon when you hit the center of the face, but it feels a heavy when you miss it high or on the toe. But you can feel exactly where on the face you missed it, so the feedback response is great.  It feels slightly worse than my gamer on mis-hits(-1), but the added feedback is nice.

 

Basic Characteristics: 19/20

Trajectory:  The TR20 has a good mid-ball flight when I have it set at 8.5.  I can flight it high or low as as needed, but normal launch is 14°

Workability: This driver is much more stable than what I had before, and while I can work it a bit, it is harder to curve with precision than my old gamer (-1)

Accuracy: I can tell a definite improvement in dispersion, and the results are repeatable with good swings.  I had several in a row on the simulator and range that were almost identical.  This is much harder to do on the course!

Distance:  On the course it seems to be at least 10-15 yards longer.  The simulator showed significant gains in clubhead and ball speed, carry distance, and total distance!

 

Forgiveness:  While you can definitely feel mis-hits, they aren’t overly penal and are still within 10-15 yards of good strikes. 

Adjustability: With the 3 sole weight adjustments that provide high MOI, low spin, or draw bias, and 4 hosel adjustment options to change the loft up or down 1 degree or lie up to 2 degrees upright, there are multiple options to fine tune to the best possible option.  There are two 3g weights, and 1 9g weight. I tried them all!

Under Pressure –If I know I need to carry a distance (up to around 270), I feel confident that will be no problem with a solid swing.  On a tight hole I trust my fairway finder swing to keep me in play. I now know I can hit driver off the deck if needed.

On Course Performance: (28/30)

 Overall, how did it Perform?

Overall, the Honma has performed exceptionally on the course. My first round, while playing with bruised ribs, but aided by elevation, ibuprofen and beer, I hit several over 300 (and a couple near 350) on a mountain course. 

 

When I got back to my home course,  the gains were still there, and even had a few wedges and short irons into par 5’s. I had 1 bad driving round, but dialed in the adjustments, and now this thing is money. This driver, like any driver can still miss big right or left with just the wrong swing!

In my last round, after laying up short of a creek with a 285 yard carry to clear, I pegged a 2^nd ball to see if I the Honma could clear, and when I arrived, it was sitting in the fairway 50 yards past the creek! 

How, if at all, did this product change your impression of the Honma?  I went from knowing next to nothing about Honma to a true believer in a few short weeks. Pure class from customer service to clubs. 

What feature would you change or eliminate from the next generation of this model?

The weight adjustments are nice and intuitive. I love that the shaft stays in the same alignment with all the loft and lie adjustments. But I wish extra weights came with the clubs, including 6g and 12g to provide more adjustability options. Then again, too many options might drive a tinkerer mad!

 Here's my videos with several swings and sounds.  My favorites are the reactions from partners when it's hit!

 

Miscellaneous: 10/10

Although we weren’t able to get fit in person, @PrestonAtHonma took the time with each of us to get us into a great driver.  We talked specs and our game for 40 minutes  @PMookie and perhaps others can speak to the premium fitting experience. Though I had wondered if any other shaft or loft option would have been chosen with a fitting, once I hit it I knew I had the right club. 

As I was travelling the week the driver was set to ship, Preston was able to get the driver sent to our Airbnb in Utah so that the package wasn’t left on the porch.  Throughout the process, Preston was available for feedback and adjustment help.

Also, it was comforting knowing that our clubs were assembled by Master club builder “Wedge Wizard” Jason Sanborn. The packaging, tooling and adjustment instructions were all included, and making adjustments is easy, though the Japanese to English translation in the instructions was a bit confusing at times.

 

Play it or Trade it? 19/20

 

I gifted my Tour Edge driver to my brother-in-law today, who just recently started playing. As much as I loved that club, it’s been replaced in the bag by Honma!

The Honma TR20 is made for the low to mid handicapper with refined taste. The ‘TR’ in the model number stands for ‘Tour Release’.  This club performs better than my current gamer by quite a good margin, so the Honma will definitely stay in my bag. If I had the option to keep the 440 or go with the 460, I'm fairly certain I would keep the 440.

As a budget conscious golfer who’s never been fit for clubs or purchased a brand-new driver, I’m not necessarily the target audience for $750 premium driver. However, as a low handicapper trying to get the most out my game, I feel confident that this will help me play my best golf.

Conclusion:

This is a serious club with great tech that should be strongly considered with the bigger name brands if you are in the market for a custom fit driver.  I have gained yards, have shorter clubs into greens on average, and am consistently in play. The fine-tuning loft and weight adjustments can also help really dial in the swing.

Although this club might not be for everyone, it is in my opinion the sexiest driver on the market. It’s a great conversation starter with playing partners, and it’s fun to see the awe on their face when it pops off the club face!

With their quality craftsmanship and now with the Honma House in Carlsbad, Ca and the Tour experience fitting vans available, I expect big things for Honma in the US and in a lot more bags over the next few years.

At the start of the process, before I talked with Preston, and before I swung the club, I expected my review to be much more critical, but here we are with an A+!

Disclaimer: When @PrestonAtHonmaasked why I chose the 440 over the 460, I told him that it improved my odds of being picked, because a majority of the applicants picked the 460 

FINAL SCORE: 95/100

[DPattGolf]

HONMA TR20 DRIVER – OFFICIAL MGS FORUM REVIEW by DPATTGOLF

Before I get started, like my fellow testers have already stated, a massive thank you to both the MyGolfSpy Team and Honma for this amazing opportunity to test the TR20 Driver.

 

INTRO


My name is David and I am an assistant golf professional from the golf paradise that is Central Oregon. While my game has progressed greatly over the years (especially since turning Pro), I have always leaned heavily on my distance off the tee and my play on and around the green. So I often employ a “pound driver” strategy to help create more birdie chances. Currently I have driver swing speed in the 115-120mph range (I have once touched 126mph). So if I have a driver that keeps the ball in or around the fairway I’m going to hit 9 iron or less into just about every par 4 and probably be able to reach every par 5 in 2. Currently in the bag is the Titleist TS3 with an Extra Stiff Diamana D+ Limited that has been cut 1” short and tipped 1/2”. I originally got fit for this as part of a pseudo Titleist staff deal I have with the course I work at. 
 
FIRST IMPRESSION

 

First off, my fitting conversation with @PrestonAtHonma was excellent. By the end of the call he ended up suggesting I go with the 8.5* head and start with the 9 gram weight forward. A touch of hot melt was also added. Shaft wise we settled on the Vizard FP-7X cut 1” short (44.5”) and tipped 1”. Once in hand the TR20 screamed of simple, efficient and effective design choices. Nothing about it was at all like the Beres line of clubs. From the box it showed up in to the headcover, everything shares a simple black look with some small tasteful hints of white and Honma’s signature gold. The movable weight system was also kept simple by going with just 3 ports. If there was one place that wasn’t so simple, it's the non-rotating hosel. The included manual is the main culprit since it didn’t include a full English adjustment graph like most major OEMs. With all of this being said, if the TR20 is going to stick in my bag it will need to be able to do 2 major things. 1) See less shots turn over hard left compared to my TS3. 2) See at least similar carry and spin numbers to my TS3. If it ends up getting better distance or spin control that is just a nice bonus to me. 

 
LOOKS (9 out of 10 points) 

 

Oh man is this a good looking driver. Honma absolutely nailed the shape of this head and it's totally understandable why they actively include the “Takumi Shaped” head in their advertising. I really can’t say it enough. I mean I have always loved the looks of Titleist drivers but the TR20 makes my TS3 look sharp and boxy. Graphics on the bottom of the head are clean and the Callaway-esque ghosted carbon fiber fits perfectly with the glossy black crown.

 

Now I have 2 “nitpick” items that keep me from giving looks a Perfect 10. 1) Even though the silver face has grown on me a lot, I really want to see this club with a dark face. 2) I really wish that there was some kind of alignment aide on the crown just to provide that extra bit of confidence. I mean this driver is just screaming to have something like a small silver Honma Mole logo on the crown.

SOUND & FEEL (10 out of 10 points)
Sound and feel were outstanding. Outside of the TR20’s looks at address, the sound was where it received the most of its compliments. Being a former baseball player, I have always been drawn to the louder and more explosive sounding drivers out there. Heck one of my favorites of All-Time was my Cleveland Hi-Bore XLS from high school that consistently would ring the ear drums of every golfer on the range. Now the TR20, especially with the Hot Melt in mine, is completely different. Think more muted but still powerful sounding like a wooden bat. Feel wise is along the same lines and actually reminds me a lot of hitting a fastball right on the sweet spot with a wood bat. It doesn’t feel hard like you are expecting but it instead almost feels springy and like the ball is coming off with less spin. Now this setup doesn’t make for a feel & sound that makes you think you just ripped one 400 yards but it doesn’t feel short either. 
 
BASIC CHARACTERISTICS (17 out of 20 points)
When I first had an opportunity to take it to the range, there were a few things that I noticed almost immediately compared to my TS3. First being the forgiveness off toe strikes. On the range I would hit a few shots off of the toe and would look up to find them not turning over as far left as I was expecting. Second would be the ball flight and spin control. Even during some windy sessions, the ball would still come out with a strong trajectory and not want to balloon on me. Both of these two factors were present from the very first swing and remained that way throughout the entirety of the testing process both indoors while using GCHawk and outdoors on the course and range. 
If there was a disappointment early on, it was that the TR20 seemed to be lacking some top end distance both on the range and indoors on the launch monitor. While it by no means was short, it seemed to lacked that bomb that my TS3 would occasionally produce. Unfortunately, it’s not reflected in the data from my GCHawk session below, but during the warm up with both clubs my TS3 uncorked one 360 yards. The longest the TR20 got during that entire session was 345 yards.

 

Everything else you would look for out of a driver (such as workability and confidence at address) was near indistinguishable from the TS3.
 
ON-COURSE PERFORMANCE (29 out of 30 points)
As good as it was on the range, the TR20 turned into an absolute beast once it stepped onto the course. This was no range paper tiger. Both in the original setup and the current setup I‘m using now (lofted down to 7.5* with the 9 gram weight in the rear) it was incredibly consistent and downright long! At home (3,500-4,500 feet of elevation) 330-355 yards has kind of become the norm and 360+ has been reached on multiple occasions. And when I have traveled across the mountains to play at or near sea level the story has been pretty similar with it settling in around 310-330 yards. And this wasn’t just practice round performance either. The TR20 went in the bag for the Washington Open, Northwest Open and Oregon Chapter Championship and it hit rockets everywhere and in all conditions. Probably the most impressive was a 370 yard bomb I launched in Walla Walla (roughly 900 feet of elevation) right down the middle of the fairway on a relatively calm winded day. This gave me a huge advantage as I was able to reach that 625 yard par 5 in 2 with a 4 iron and 2 putt for birdie while both of my playing partners were nearly 50 yards behind me and had to layup.

The craziest part of all is that I started hitting more fairways too. I mean I had my first ever round where I hit all 14 fairways and it wasn’t like I was laying back or hitting a bunch of irons off the tee. I was trying to hit the living crap out of the golf ball and didn’t miss a single fairway. 

Overall the TR20 performed on course like an absolute beast. And when I think about how this is Honma’s first driver launched in North America, I am all the more impressed 
 
MISCELLANEOUS (9 out of 10 points)
I am only deducting one point here purely because the user manual lacks a complete English translated adjustment chart. It wasn’t too difficult to determine what was what after looking at it for a while but, if Honma is really wanting to break into North America this needs to be included in the future.
 
PLAY IT or TRADE IT? (19 out of 20 points)
This will absolutely be staying in the bag. The performance is outstanding and will be very difficult for anything in the near future to come close to knocking it out of the bag. Period. Not only was this driver intriguing to every playing partner I had, it was also consistently longer (and in play) than everyone I played with.
Now about my setup’s $750 price tag. No way around it, that is a lot of money for most people. However, you can’t treat this as just a $750 driver head. You need to look at it like a $450 driver head with a $300 upcharge exotic shaft. Plain and simple, the shaft is that good and a similar quality shaft from a different manufacturer is going to run you at least $300 anyways.
 
CONCLUSION
If you're a high swing speed player like myself and you're looking for a new driver, you absolutely need to add the Honma TR20 to your fitting list. For me, this was an absolute beast as I saw good distance with improved forgiveness and consistency over my Titleist TS3. I have been so impressed with this offering from Honma I really want to try out more of their clubs. Who knows, maybe Honma will want to help out a young assistant pro from Central Oregon someday.
 
FINAL SCORE: (93 out of 100 points

[JudgeSmails]

 

HONMA TR20 (460cc) – Official MGS Forum Review by JudgeSmails

First off, A HUGE thank you to MGS and Honma for letting me test out and review this driver for the forums.  My real name is Scott, but most of you know me as JudgeSmails.   I was assisted in this review by my good golfin’ buddy and fellow MGS’er, Josmi15.   99% of the golf we play is together, so he was along for the ride helping me take pics/videos, etc…    

 

Here’s a little Q & A of me as a golfer, as it would relate to driver in hand

• What kind of golfer are you? I’m out here to have fun, but I’m pretty serious about the game, about improving and getting better.

• Handicap?  Fluctuating between 8 and 9, I only keep to track how I’m improving

• Swing tempo? Driver swing speed? Mid 90’s SwingSpeed, I think I have kind of a quick tempo, take it back and try to accelerate through the ball (you will see several videos later)

• Typical ball flight? Typical miss?  Hard to answer because I’m not super consistent, but I hit a lot of ‘line drives’ with driver (which can be good), I have always had a slice as my typical miss, but this year have been snap hooking the occasional ball, always good to have a 2 way miss

• Strengths/Weaknesses of your game?  Iron play has always been my strength, get me within 150yds and I’m pretty decent.  Putting has sucked last couple years, and consistency off the tee has held me back.  I can hit some great tee shots and some really bad ones to go with it.

• Current gamer and how did you choose it?  Were you fit?  Current Gamer is Callaway GBB Epic, with a Fujikura Pro Shaft.   I was fit for the shaft  (not the driver head because I already had it), the fitting made a big difference in my driving, both in distance and consistency.  It has been a great gamer and will be tough to beat out of the bag

• What is your #1 priority with driver in hand?  I’ll call it Playable Distance...Hitting fairways isn’t a huge priority, I keep some basic stats and that one doesn’t equate to better scores for me.  What does, is hitting the ball a long ways and not being in trouble...in other words, I’ll take 260 that ends up just into the rough and playable, over 240 in the fairway...but that’s just me

• Do you like taking chances with aggressive lines?  I probably take too many, yes I like to go for it

• How often can you reach par 5’s in 2?  Used to be never, now that I’ve gotten longer, I do occasionally...I don’t actually get on many in 2, but usually at least once a round, I’m next to the green in 2 I would say.

• What’s your typical club into par 4s?  Tough to answer, par 4’s vary in distance so much….always hoping to have an 8 iron or less I guess is my best answer.

 

First Impressions

Going into this test, I will admit to only knowing 3 things about Honma

1. Japanese

2. Pricey

3. Justin Rose

That’s it!   I mean, I had heard the name, but never swung a club or even seen one in person.  Also, I didn’t know what the little animal thing was on their logo (it’s a mole, I googled it).  I can’t say as I had any preconceived notions about what the performance of this club was going to be, but drivers are fun to test so I was very excited to get chosen.

First step in this process was that we did an over-the-phone fitting with a Honma rep.  I got a call from Preston and we spent about 30 minutes on the phone, going over what I’m currently playing, what’s my miss, my ball flight, swing speed, all that good stuff.  He was super nice and very knowledgeable, and we even just talked golf for a bit.   They will also be doing all the hosel adjustments specifically for my fitting ahead of time, so that when I get it, it’s ready to go out of the box, I thought this was a nice little extra touch.  Now, that doesn’t mean I can’t adjust it later of course, but at least I don’t have to make that the first thing I have to worry about.  

My Fitting:  Honma TR20 - 460cc model - 10.5*  - Vizard FD-7S Shaft

Vizard is Honma’s own, in-house, premium shaft brand.  These don’t appear to be like the ‘stock’ offerings of other manufacturers, they are hand-made in Japan, the rep and I talked extensively about these shafts and the process of making them.   Maybe a draw back to some people though, this is the ONLY brand of shaft available to order this driver with.  That may be a turn off for some.  I will not go into the ‘marketing’ type material here, if you want to read up on the Tech stuff, check this link out:  https://us.honmagolf.com/collections/tr20/products/copy-of-t-world-tr20-460-driver

 

Was very excited to come home to the big HONMA box on my doorstep, one fine sunny day.  I did like the touch of taking it out of the box and seeing my name and MyGolfSpy written on it, feeling like it was custom made for me (and it was).  

I’ve had my Callaway GBB Epic in the bag since 2017 (when I coincidentally tested it for MGS). I’m very comfortable with it and I’m pretty damn happy with it.  I’ve actually tried a couple other newer drivers out, including the Epic Flash, and none of them could beat the original Epic.  The Honma TR20 will have it’s work cut out for it, if it wants a permanent spot in my bag.  If it’s not Longer and/or More accurate, there’s no reason to replace my gamer.

 

Looks (9 out of 10 points) 

I’d call this driver a CLASSIC look.  It has the Silver face, which I can’t think of any manufacturer that still has that (maybe there is, just can’t think of them), all have gone to the black faces in the last few years.  The shape is more elongated than my Epic, I’m guessing to push weight further away from the face (what the hell do i know though, i just swing ‘em).  Top is shiny black, and doesn’t have the visible carbon fiber like many new drivers show.  One noticeable omission is an alignment marking.  Most drivers, and can’t remember the last one I had that didn’t, have some sort of indicator of where the middle of the face is from address.  I wondered if this would throw me off at setup since I was so used to having something there, but it didn’t seem to affect me too much.  I will say I would prefer to have something small there.  The bottom has a good simple, clean look, no super fancy graphics.  You see some of the carbon fiber here and of course the weights, a little graphic w/ the model # and nothing else.  Simple and clean.  The shaft I received is a bright red and looks really good.  It’s the loudest color i’ve had on a shaft and I wondered if it would be distracting at address, but it was not.   I will go ahead and include the headcover here, while that’s not something we would spend much time on in a review, I will note that it seems to be made of very high quality material, especially compared to most manufacturers stock offerings.

 

Sound & Feel (10 out of 10 points)

FEEL:  Feels good, damn good.  Seriously, has a very nice feel, both just holding it in the hands and when making contact.  Definitely forgiving, on off-center and bad strikes, nothing rattling your bones. I can tell I mishit the ball, but just barely.  I would say the head is slightly lighter than my epic, but that could be the shaft making it feel that way.

SOUND:  It’s more of a THWACK than a high pitched TING….does that make sense?  Best thing I can do is share this video with you, we got the camera as close as we safely could, to capture the sound...enjoy!

 

I’ll give it all 10 points here, I’m not sure where I would deduct anything and these are completely subjective.

I like the feel and I like the sound, you may not and that’s perfectly fine.  

 

Basic Characteristics (20 out of 20 points)

First Range Session:  First time swinging this driver was at the range.  I wanted to get some reps in with and see what we’re dealing with, before starting to get numbers from a launch monitor session.  Here is the result from the very first swing…

Not too shabby huh? Pretty damn close to a perfect strike and the ball took off like a rocket.  Having my first swing be that close to the sweet spot, gave me confidence that the fitting/setup was done properly and would be a good fit for my swing.   The rest of the range session brought similar results.  I was hitting good drive after good drive, and found it to be very forgiving on my mishits.  I hit a few near the toe and it seemed like the distance loss was minimal, they just pushed to the right a bit.  I felt like my trajectory was up as well, which is something we wanted to do during my fitting, get the ball up a bit.  It was working, the ball was really soaring.  

I let Josmi15 take a few pokes with it as well, he had similar results.  He banged some really nice drives out there with it, even though it wasn’t fit for him.  

 

Launch Monitor Test:  Now on to some launch monitor data and a little competition between Honma and my trusty Epic.  Let’s see who’s numbers are best…

This test was done on an indoor Trackman.  Using Titleist ProV1x Practice balls.  Each driver will get 15 swings, alternating every 3 swings and taking a few breaks, so that fatigue won’t be a factor.  Then we will compare the results.  

Conveniently, I had 1 REALLY BAD mishit with each driver, so I threw out the worst one with each (which were almost identical), since those 2 swings were in no way the fault of the driver (operator error).  So the results are based on 14 solid strikes with each driver.  I will say I feel like I was hitting the ball really well in there, so I feel these results should be pretty accurate.

As you can see, the HONMA TR20 wins in every category.  Carry Yards is a HUGE difference, due to getting the higher launch, almost 20 yards more carry.  At the same time, not launching too high where I’m not getting rollout, the total yards over Epic are just under 11.  The 2.5* Launch angle difference, both from a 10.5* head.  My guess is the difference being a combination of the shaft and hosel adjustments.  Perhaps I could tweak my Epic to get it launching a little higher.  Something else that really jumps at me, is BALL SPEED.  I’m no physics expert, but the Club Speed was only 0.6mph higher in the Honma, but the Ball Speed comes out 4 mph higher.  Is this due to a hotter face?  Maybe someone out there knows, whatever it is...I LIKE IT!

The Dispersion, measured in Yards Offline is fairly close, although Honma still gets the nod in that category as well.  I did take the data and do my own numbers on this, when Trackman averages this stat itself, It factors in whether it was Left or Right...the huge flaw in that for doing an average is, If I hit one 50 yards to the right, and the next one 50 yards to the left….my AVERAGE will be a perfectly straight drive.  So I did the average offline, independent of what direction it was.  You can See in the dispersion graph, what side was favored.

We just so happened to video the best drive of the day on the Trackman, enjoy this ROCKET, courtesy of Honma

I give it 20/20 points….I’m not sure where I would deduct any points here.  It was great on the range from the first ball it touched and it beat my Epic in every category on the Trackman.

 

On-Course / LM Performance (28 out of 30 points)

Decided to play my next round with the Honma driver and see if it translates to the course.  First drive on the first tee was a bomb right down the middle.  I didn’t hit a ton of fairways after that (4/14 on the day), BUT, as I mentioned earlier in the review, I don’t really concern myself too much if the ball ends up in the short grass.  If I’m hitting the ball well and they are in play with open looks at the green, that’s all I want.  And I was getting that with this driver, most of those missed fairways were balls that trickled off or that were no more than 10-15 yards offline. I was very happy with how it performed on Round #1.    The Honma driver really felt like Point and Shoot...and that’s exactly what I want.  The strength of my game is my iron play, the drivers job is to get me out there in play with the shortest iron I can to the green.  

 

2nd and 3rd Full rounds with it were much more of the same, although I did hit a few way offline, but who the hell doesn’t on here, I’m no pro.  When I struck the ball well, it goes for miles, my off-center strikes (mostly off the toe) were not penalized nearly as much as I probably deserved (thank you forgiveness).  A slight push to the right and a little loss of distance was generally the penalty for my toe strikes.  

Also, on the 3rd round with this driver, Josmi15 and I were playing a course we play a lot.  On the very difficult, 3 shot par 5 17th hole, I hit a tee shot further down the fairway than any of us had ever been.  I’ve played that hole probably 50 times, I’ve never been hitting my 2nd shot from that spot.  The hole is kind of a forced 3 shot par 5, the drive is pretty wide open, but then there’s a creek and landing area for your 2nd, and a pond in front of the green.  I’ve never even considered going for this one in 2….that day...I did think it over, but was still a little too far out.  I did the best to show it on this satellite image.

 

Miscellaneous (7 out of 10 points)

I’ll touch on 3 things for this category

Customer Service:  If the rep i worked with, Preston, is any indication of their customer service….they are doing a FANTASTIC job.  He was knowledgeable and personable.  He also responded to emails very quickly. 4/4 points

Adjustability:  I’m gonna knock a few points here, it’s a little confusing.  The booklet that comes with the adjustment tool, is a little hard to understand.  Appears to be written by someone who’s first language is not english, which I understand, they are a Japanese company, but really should be proofread better.  I was honestly afraid to adjust because I didn’t understand it very well, and the tool/hosel markings are not at all what I’m used to.  I did actually touch base with Preston on this issue, and it is something they are going to work on (again, awesome customer service).  2 / 4 points

 

(and as it turns out, it actually isn’t hard to adjust, the instructions are just confusing)

Price:  Ok, here ya go….this driver is Expensive.  Looking at their website, this driver as configured would be $750.  That is significantly more than most new drivers, 50% more in most cases. Does it feel like it should cost that much more?  Is it worth the price for the gains off the tee?  That’s tough to answer, and probably something you’ll need to decide for yourself.  To be completely honest, if it wasn’t given to me for this test, I probably never would have given it a shot in a golf shop, just given the price.  1 / 2 points

 

Play it or Trade it? (20 out of 20 points)

PLAY IT!!  It stays in the bag.  The Honma TR20 beat out my beloved Callaway EPIC fair and square. I can’t argue with the results from the Trackman and the course.  

Conclusion

I think if you are looking for a new driver, and the price tag doesn’t scare you off, you owe it to yourself to give this driver a chance.  Honma has something here, but they need to get it into golfers’ hands.  I don’t know any shops around here that carry their products, so that is definitely a challenge for them.  But the product is solid and the results undeniable (for me at least).  My improvement list for them is very short, I personally wouldn’t mind a small indicator on the crown and make a new booklet to go with the adjustment tool.   It’s a pleasure to swing and watch that ball get small.

Final Score: (94 out of 100 points)

 

Edited August 28, 2020 by JudgeSmails

[Getoffmylawn]

Getoffmylawn's Honma TR20 460 Review

First and foremost, let me start off by saying what an honor it is to have been selected by MyGolfSpy as a tester.  And, I want to thank the membership of this community. This really is a great place for a passionate golfer to come and learn, grow, and improve among other passionate golfers.

My name is Hayes and I was born and raised in upstate New York near Buffalo. I’m a Lieutenant Colonel on Active Duty in the Air Force with 19+ years in, and am currently stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska.

I started playing golf about 8 years ago while I was stationed in Texas, and while I can’t tell you the exact moment that I got hooked, I definitely did.  Put mildly, I am truly golf obsessed…you’d be hard-pressed to find someone with golf on the brain more than me.

Does my skill match my interest?  Not yet.  I play to a 6 handicap, and falling, but I’m very much a work in progress.  I consider myself an above average putter, above average around the greens, a decent iron player, and a struggling driver of the golf ball.

Case in point, here’s my driver swing:

My takeaway’s too inside, I’m across the line at the top of my backswing, I slide instead of turn…  Like I said, I’m a work in progress.  The point is, when it comes to the driver, I’m not sure I meet the standard of “better player” like the rest of my game.  I am by no means long and accept that I will never be a bomber.   That said, I really don’t need to be…I love wedging it more than any other aspect of the game, and so I’m most concerned with hitting fairways and having a wedge in my hand, rather than punching out sideways to get back in play.  Forgiveness and accuracy matter more to me than distance.  But, all that being said, yeah, I want to hit it longer.  Unless I’m in league play I usually play from the back tees, but that does often leave me in 3 wood, hybrid or long iron territory to get home in 2 on a par 5.  I typically hit a little draw, and very rarely overcook it, but I do block it right too often, leaving me in punch-out territory.

My previous driver experience is not terribly deep:  for a while I played a Cleveland Classic, then the Nike Covert, the Ping G30, and most recently the Callaway Great Big Bertha Epic from 2017, with the infamous “made for” Project X HZRDOUS T800 55g Stiff shaft.

My fitting for the Epic was hardly a fitting…I hit several drivers at a big box store, and the fitter basically told me what driver in their inventory hit me best.  I did see appreciable gains on their launch monitor, and I was desperate to get out of the “holy cow that’s loud” G30, so buying the Epic wasn’t exactly a hard sell for me, and truth be told it’s really not that far off from being a good fit.

Enter the Honma TR20 460.

First Impressions

My first impression of Honma came from a phone call from Preston Toulon, their Custom Fitting manager, who expressed his apologies for COVID’s impact on their ability to do an in-person fitting, but then spent 20 minutes on the phone asking me about my game, my current driver, my typical ball flight, my miss, and everything else necessary to land on a good setup.  Preston’s quality service and attention continued throughout this testing experience as well…after many phone calls and texts I can assure you, Honma will go the extra mile to see their products do well once they’re in a golfer’s hands.

Looks

Wow, what a beautiful golf club.

What immediately stood out to me is the premium feel and appearance of the TR20.  Honma claims to be highly weight-efficient through the use of more carbon fiber than anyone, and a look at the sole certainly attests to that.  The TR20 makes use of an interchangeable weight system in the sole for dialing the club in that blends in seamlessly.  The crown of the club is also extremely glossy, and clean, without any alignment marks.  The face of the club also frames the ball very nicely at address, with a very subtle Honma stamp on the toe adding to the premium look of the club.

Perhaps my favorite part of the aesthetics of the club is at the hosel.  Honma’s adapter system is unique, but one of the benefits is a hosel that looks almost glued…quiet, clean, and unobtrusive.

SCORE:  10/10

Sound/Feel

I recognize the sound and feel thing is highly subjective, but I have to say this is where this club really shined for me right from the start.

First, the sound:

Honestly, for me it’s absolutely the best sound from a driver I’ve heard, and I can’t tell you how many compliments and random “what club is that?” questions I’ve gotten on the range for the sound. I’m partial to more of a Callaway-like ting, which is the next closest sound I would compare the Honma to, but that comparison really doesn’t do the TR20 justice.  I’m not sure what else to say on this...it’s what it sounds like when dove’s cry, right after they hit a good drive.

Feel is even more impressive.  The term “jumps off the face” gets worn out in golf equipment, but I’m not sure I can better describe the sensation of a center-strike on the TR20.  More impressive to me was the way this club strikes a perfect balance between forgiving an off-center shot, and giving you enough feedback to let you know where you missed.  Toed, heeled, high or low on the face, I could tell immediately while still generating respectable shots.

Maybe the best anecdote I can give you on this came from my GolfTEC coach when I took it in to pull some numbers.  He’s a 5-time Nebraska PGA Teacher of the Year and owns & operates a GOLFTEC, so he’s seen and heard a lot of boom sticks.  I handed him the Honma and told him to hit a few.  He hit 3 shots and said “man, I like this.”

SCORE: 10/10

Basic Characteristics

So it looks and sounds great, but will this dog hunt?  Oh, yeah.

My TR20 came fitted with a stock Vizard 60g Stiff shaft, which is intended to produce a mid-flight and mid-spin ball and has a stiff tip and softer midsection. 

That “mid” flight is exactly the ball flight I got.  I am sometimes prone to missing high on the face and hitting some balloons, and the TR20 definitely helped bring those misses down.  The forgiveness of this club is probably the most surprising aspect of the TR20.  I was worried going into this test that I was receiving a “Better Players” driver that would punish my misses, and I might end up concluding a marginally capable driver like me shouldn’t be hitting it.  Wrong!  A bad swing still produces a bad shot, but the TR20 definitely reined in my misses and left me in a still-playable positions when my current gamer would have had me off the reservation.

From a workability standpoint, I’ll be honest, I’m more trying to hone a “go-to” shot than I am trying to bend my tee shots.  I did find myself in some situations on the course that required me to cut it, and the Honma helped me pull it off more often than not.

And, distance.  This club goes folks.  Honma’s stock Vizard shafts are a premium shaft on par with aftermarkets, and they’re spine aligned.  Coupled with Honma’s “Non-Rotating System”, the shaft spine stays in a neutral position regardless of your adjustments, and that in turn creates a more stable club at impact.  More stable at impact means more center strikes, and I absolutely experienced longer average drives in addition to hitting some individual record distances.

On Course/LM Performance

At the outset of this test I tracked 3 rounds of drives with my gamer:

As you can see, I averaged 46% FIR, 13 % missed to the left and 41% to the right, with an average distance of 256 yards.

Now here are 3 rounds on the same course with the TR20 460:

The TR20 delivered an FIR of 61%, with 19% missed to the left and 20% missed to the right, and an average distance of…256 yards.  Same as the Epic.

However, mediocre driver of the ball that I am, I assumed I would need the heavy weight back for maximum forgiveness, but when I got on a launch monitor at GolfTEC and showed some initial numbers to Preston at Honma later, he recommended I move the heavy weight forward to try and scrub off some spin.

First, admittedly a small sample size, but here are baseline numbers with the old gamer compared to the Honma TR20 460 at a max MOI weight setting::

Now here are the numbers with the TR20 with the heavy weight moved forward:

Taken altogether, the Honma TR20 460 gave me an average ball speed increase of 10 mph, an average carry increase of 15 yards, and an average total distance increase of 9 yards.

Granted, this isn’t a controlled lab environment, but there are two main takeaways here.  One, the Honma TR20 provides me with significant increases in ball speed, carry, and overall distance.  Two, the TR20’s movable weight system does generate appreciable differences in ball flight.

SCORE:  30/30

Miscellaneous

Clearly, this club is a better fit for me than my gamer.  But, I would offer that there are some aspects that may not be for everybody.  The high-gloss crown and lack of an alignment aid might be a concern for some, but a potentially polarizing feature is the hosel adapter.

Making adjustments is a two-handed process with the tool, and the manual even goes so far as to include warnings about not losing contact or parts of the adapter could fall and be lost.  If you’re one of those guys that shows up at the range and starts tinkering with your driver before the round, the TR20 might be slightly more tedious for that.  For me, not a problem…I get fit and don’t touch the settings until my coach tells me to.  But, it’s an aspect of the adapter to at least be cognizant of.

Once more…I like the adapter, and the Non-Rotating System brings with it the performance element of keeping the spine-aligned shaft in the neutral position.  Just something to think about.

SCORE:  8/10

Play it or Trade It?

This one’s obvious…the Honma TR20 460 is going to be in my bag for a long time.   My fairway percentage is up, my distance is up, and my scores are trending in the right direction, with my handicap on the cusp of breaking into the 5’s.

SCORE: 20/20

Conclusion

Is it for you?  Quite possibly.  I perceived this club to be targeted at a “Better Player,” but I can tell you there is plenty of forgiveness and an adjustability system that can really help dial it in.  At the same time, it’s forgiveness does not come at the expense of distance, so if you’re a big hitter this club should still get a look.

One more parting thought:  I don’t want to spend too much talking price, but I do want to give would-be buyers something to consider.  Right now, the TR20 retails for $650, certainly on the high end of the pricing spectrum.  However, the stock shafts coming from many OEMs are questionable when compared to the Honma Vizard, and Honma would encourage you to consider that they are giving you a driver with an aftermarket-quality shaft right out of the gate. My experience with the Vizard supports that claim, and should be something you consider when comparing to other clubs with “made-for” shafts with a paint job to match an aftermarket club.

Final Score:  98/100

 

[Getoffmylawn]

I am beyond thrilled to have this opportunity and can't wait to get testing.  My gamer is the first Epic, so I'm hopeful I'm in line for some big ball speed gains.  I only ask that if I'm missing something or not being comprehensive enough, let me know!  I want to do right by this group that I'm ecstatic to be a part of.

[MDGolfHacker]

28 minutes ago, GolfSpy Stroker said:

 

These 4 members will be testing the TR20 driver (top 5 in 2020 Most Wanted!) to learn exactly what makes Honma golf so special.

Testing the 440 model:
@golfingbrock
@DPattGolf

Testing the 460 model:
@Getoffmylawn
@Judge Smails

We are all excited to see what these clubs can do for you and look forward to hearing your thoughts!
Go get em fellas.
 

Congratulations guys.  Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the gonna driver!

 

MDGolfHacker

[golfingbrock]

I keep saying 2020 is the BEST YEAR EVER!    Really looking forward to testing and sharing my thoughts on the Honma TR20 440! 

My current gamer is a 7 year old Tour Edge XCG7 Beta w/ Ozik Black Tie X-Stiff shaft.  It is 44.75" which I think has helped w/ my dispersion and I have kept up with or beyond most of my playing partners as they've upgraded the last few years, but I think there is a really strong chance that the Honma will get me some extra yards and earn a spot in the bag! 

In the mean time, I'll be pounding 2 protein shakes a day til this sweet stick comes in.

[golfingbrock]

1 hour ago, MDGolfHacker said:

Congratulations guys.  Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the gonna driver!

 

MDGolfHacker

I love how every time I try to type Honma on my phone, it autocorrects to Gonna 

[golfingbrock]

I just got off a great call with Honma to get all my current specs.  Looks like I'll have my TR20 440 8.5 degree w/ Vizard FP-7 - X shaft some time late next week!

[Getoffmylawn]

14 minutes ago, golfingbrock said:

I just got off a great call with Honma to get all my current specs.  Looks like I'll have my TR20 440 8.5 degree w/ Vizard FP-7 - X shaft some time late next week!

Damn it @golfingbrock, you beat me to it.  I got the same call.

Not having a ton of familiarity or exposure to Honma, their rep just made a great first impression.  The first thing he did was apologize for COVID making a more traditional fitting difficult, and then followed that with a solid 15-20 Q&A about my game.  We chatted about my current gamer, what I tend to see on the course for typical flight, my big miss, etc.  I was fortunate in that I'd had a fitting session in March at GolfTec as well, so I was able to speak with some level of confidence to swing speed, spin numbers, launch, etc.  This guy was energetic, professional, and had all the time in the world to talk with me...great call.

So, a 460 TR20 with a 60g mid/mid Vizard shaft should be arriving next week.  Can't wait!

[golfingbrock]

19 hours ago, Getoffmylawn said:

Damn it @golfingbrock, you beat me to it.  I got the same call.

Not having a ton of familiarity or exposure to Honma, their rep just made a great first impression.  The first thing he did was apologize for COVID making a more traditional fitting difficult, and then followed that with a solid 15-20 Q&A about my game.  We chatted about my current gamer, what I tend to see on the course for typical flight, my big miss, etc.  I was fortunate in that I'd had a fitting session in March at GolfTec as well, so I was able to speak with some level of confidence to swing speed, spin numbers, launch, etc.  This guy was energetic, professional, and had all the time in the world to talk with me...great call.

So, a 460 TR20 with a 60g mid/mid Vizard shaft should be arriving next week.  Can't wait!

I haven't been fit before, so why start now?  I really wish we could have been able to do it in person, but I feel confident about the options we picked.  I play in a lot of wind, so went for the lowest loft option 8.5, which can be turned down to 7.5, then went to the low/mid flight FP-7 shaft which has a stiffer tip, or 'boardy' as like some like to say in golf forums.  

Also found this interesting tidbit from a MGS article when searching for info on the Vizard shafts:

[Getoffmylawn]

40 minutes ago, golfingbrock said:

I haven't been fit before, so why start now?  I really wish we could have been able to do it in person, but I feel confident about the options we picked.  I play in a lot of wind, so went for the lowest loft option 8.5, which can be turned down to 7.5, then went to the low/mid flight FP-7 shaft which has a stiffer tip, or 'boardy' as like some like to say in golf forums.  

Also found this interesting tidbit from a MGS article when searching for info on the Vizard shafts:

Yeah, I'm with you.  Would have been nice, but I'm confident what's coming is going to work for me.  I have thought about taking it to Club Champion here at some point (I verified they fit Honma) and seeing what impact a couple aftermarket shafts have.  We'll see.  I don't know about your phone call, but on mine he went on for quite some time about the quality and craftsmanship behind their shafts, so I'm very optimistic.  @PMookiehad some very positive feedback about them too.

I could do without knowing that my golf shaft is not unlike Brangelina though, thanks for that...

[JudgeSmails]

Had a great call with the rep today. Spent about a 1/2 hour of Q&A about my swing and just talkin a little golf in general. I'm getting the TR20 460 10.5, with....I cant remember the shaft
It's a stiff and 70g Vizard, but I dont remember exactly. Also, they are setting the hosel/head to the specs he thinks will work best for me, then I can tinker from there. I will definitely start out though, playing the setup how he recommends.

Sent from my SM-G973U using MyGolfSpy mobile app

[MattWillGolf]

On 6/26/2020 at 5:07 PM, golfingbrock said:

I love how every time I try to type Honma on my phone, it autocorrects to Gonna 

Cuz your phone knows your'e Gonna hit that Honma driver. 

[DPattGolf]

I also had a chance to speak with our Honma contact for about 30 minutes or so the other day. Like everyone else the call was great and provide a ton of information on both the driver and Honma’s in house Vizard shafts. 
 

In terms of the specs for the driver we settled in on an 8.5* head with the 9 gram weight starting up front and a little bit of hot meld in the head to bring the swing weight up a little over D4. Shaft wise it will be coming with the Vizard FP 70x cut 1” short (Build length of 44.5”) and also tipped 1”. Definitely getting excited to get this setup in hand.

[golfingbrock]

Just got word that my Honma TR20 440 is shipping today!  Haven't hit it yet, but can't say enough great things about the service and experience so far.  I'll be in Utah next week on vacation, and Honma was able to change shipping to the condo so I will have it on Monday!

[Getoffmylawn]

Just got my notification as well.  Honma's Custom Fitting Manager sent me an email with a FedEx tracking number.  TR20 460 to arrive early next week.

I have to say I'm already quite impressed with Honma from a service standpoint.  For example, from the email I received:  "This is my email address and my cell phone number is listed below.  As you start to tinker with the driver or think about any adjustments to make, I'm certainly available to you and at your disposal.  Would be happy to chat some more to help you dial it in further if it's required."

Top notch.  

One other little gem we found out last week too...these sticks are coming to us from Honma's tour builder, "Wedge Wizard" on Instagram.  I'm psyched to say the least...

[PMookie]

2 minutes ago, Getoffmylawn said:

Just got my notification as well.  Honma's Custom Fitting Manager sent me an email with a FedEx tracking number.  TR20 460 to arrive early next week.

I have to say I'm already quite impressed with Honma from a service standpoint.  For example, from the email I received:  "This is my email address and my cell phone number is listed below.  As you start to tinker with the driver or think about any adjustments to make, I'm certainly available to you and at your disposal.  Would be happy to chat some more to help you dial it in further if it's required."

Top notch.  

One other little gem we found out last week too...these sticks are coming to us from Honma's tour builder, "Wedge Wizard" on Instagram.  I'm psyched to say the least...

Turns out he built my irons for me! I sent him a message with a pic via Instagram when I found out. He replied immediately. Very cool!

[golfingbrock]

Still tracking for delivery tomorrow, 4 states away, where I'll be on Sunday.  I trust Fedex will handle it gently as they walk it into the UPS Store