TourSpecGolfer

I posted the 460 driver and now the iron set that would match it: Today we will dive deep into the Tour World TW727P Forged Iron, It's the most forgiving of the TW727 line up designed for more distance and to be easier to hit. It's got a thicker top line than the rest not to mention a larger head size So there are 4 models of irons in the TW727 series and as the most forgiving of the bunch it's still not an iron I would put in the Game Improvement category which is usually reserved for the larger headed multi piece distance focused irons, this TW727P is still a forgiving players iron that I consider full mid sized. If you need sharp looks with lots of carry and forgiveness and generally play to a mid to low handicap with an eye for a bit more heft in your cavity back these are an option you should consider. A little bigger than the 717 version they have also enlarged the sweet spot, the offset has also been increased slightly making it even more easy to hit, it's two piece cavity features a nice deep undercut unlike the rest of it's 727 family. Long irons have a thinner face for more carry and the design is made to send the ball with a higher launch to cover more distance. the mid irons are 2.7mm face thick for better spin performance and as you move into the #11 and SW those don't have any undercut yet still have the forgiveness factor. Honma has revised the sole grind on the 727 series and describes it as clean-cutting, it's more curved with slightly wider form across all models this helps the player in so many ways from sliding through the turf easier to making cleaner contact. the semi gooseneck is evident and it helps square the face for straighter shots, looking at the design and it's materials it's made fantastically It's a 2 piece structure head the body is Soft Forged while the face is high strength maraging stainless steel. They CNC milled the cavity into the Forged Body creating it's pocket and increasing the MOI while lowering the CG I need to get to my impressions as I have hit this iron: It's really nice! about 2 clubs longer than my traditionally lofted players CB's but also it has a different type of feel, the vibration that runs up your hands is dense while the sound at impact has a little click to it due to the stainless face. so dense clicky is how I would sum up feel and distance + 2 clubs over my current irons, the launch is not all that high it's still for the better player actually this one is easy to suggest to a female athlete player or a low handicap senior player as there is a lot of accuracy that comes from this design. Forgivness was almost point and shoot, it's not automatic like game improvement irons but it's getting near so it's a nice blend of both worlds. I found the #3 iron to be a gem off the tee box, I don't think a driving iron is necessary here as if you like to hit long irons off the tee these are so much fun and reliable, I'm not used to hitting clubs this forgiving so these were a pleasant surprise and they don't look gaudy or massive either, right at the edge for me I think this is the biggest I could game. Also TSG can add a pretty intense look to it with Honma Sakata Factory Black Nickel Finish added to it. I could only imagine what that would look like shafted up with the Vizard IB105 Carbon + Metal fiber shafts. TW727P:

That's all you! who else has that kind of great taste and style?

Best way is Golf Classic Magazine. The stuff on that link is pretty outdated.

ARMRQ8 is an eight-axis carbon fabric to resist stress in the direction of torsion. This yields improved torsion stiffness and improved directionality at the point of impact and has made it possible to develop shafts that resist wobbling. So it's 2 more 45* weaves than ARMRQ6 was, the more you go up in star ratings for honma the materials improve also the options on the head become custom. So in theory 3 star has more directional stability than 2 and 4 more than 3.

This makes me want to try a set of OT95 in my iron heads.

Like hand pick specs? Maybe .5 open If you require 1.5* open for sure go JBeam.

So I believe the 435 is longer because so many TSG'ers say it is BUT based on MY results my Modart MA01D at 46.75"w/TRPX...lol without any doubt I have had longer drives. I'm sure the shaft plays a major role but still. I play the same course at least 3 times a week, not always 18 sometimes just 3-4 holes and most often the same 3-4 holes so I know them very very well. MA01D is still the only driver that has allowed me the chance to drive one of the greens on a short par 4 and I'm not a long hitter. That said I'm waiting for 7D shafts on a black out and ZY-11 both distance options and based on what our clients say about the "distance option" 7D shafts it should be longer. MA01DS with a square face is still considered slightly anti left by Suda-san, actually all Modart woods are. In my bag I also can't shake the MA01F or MA01H and in that case I know those aren't the longest but for me with Crazy UT Black and Crazy FW80 it's the best feeling, cleanest contact, most reliable woods I have hit. P.S Crazy has the new FW80 Regensis coming soon, It's better than the original, I hit them side by side on the LM at Crazy Tokyo last month very similar, smoother feel in the new and just a hair higher with the same head, loft, build.

I asked JBeams lead designer why the deep hosel depth? he told me how deep do you install yours? I told him all the way and he said we don't have to and if we use a cork for the gap we can install less for a more active tip. Jbeams have a very deep hosel compared to other drivers and that's why a lot of powerful players like it, helps them keep straight and low. So basically not inserted full length you get a more active tip which leads to a stronger kick but a little less control.

I'll be posting the other Honma drivers this week, I think it's best you look at all of them before comparing against the Glorious. For now, the custom options from Honma make it a pretty close battle as we can order them matte black, with lie/loft/face angle adjustments. The only drawback is Honma takes time 4-6 weeks for custom. We can also do custom shaft colors with Honma. Glorious VS Honma "460" Honma will have a little more spin, the launch a little higher but still not game improvement like the Beres S-03. Sound and feel I give to the Honma, I think overall distance it's too close to call, maybe Jbeam but I've had a dozen or more rounds with it where the Honma just 2-3 shared with others and no shaft changes so it's not really fair for me to say. Next up I will post the Honma TW727 455S Driver

You explained it better than I do, thanks for this :)

Yes that is correct only the 455 model in the 717 line.

Not sure if anyone is aware but you can install your shaft not fully inserted and use a cork in the gap to have your shaft play different. This goes for all Jbeam hosels.

TW717 is made of totally different materials, doesn't look like Endo made that one.

TW727 460 Driver - Naturally the most forgiving model in the line Honma has designed it around straight and higher launching shots with mid spin. So figure mid spin/higher launch, It features a lower and further back center of gravity compared to the other Honma TW727 drivers, it's got a shallow back which stabilizes spin for a tighter dispersion the MOI is also higher than the smaller four heads as well. I will be posting brief impressions on all of Honma's new products over the coming weeks. So first thing to note is that each of the TW727 series drivers are unique from each other, each shape and shape and weight location is different they are not simply the same driver in different sizes. As you can see in the above photo it's still a fairly deep face but the 460 extends further heel to toe than the others it also tapers quickly near the sole making it the most shallow of the bunch. This was evident in our testing where compared against the others ( 430/455/455S ) it had the higher launch, the feel was slightly more hallow but the more rounded shape and the size made you feel like you could swing harder. Just remember harder hitters who have swings that produce more swing should look at some of the lower spin versions, while the TW727 460 is the biggest remember it's still a Tour World Product, this is by no means for high handicappers although they could use it, it's still for Tour World type player which is what Honma would consider athlete, If you look on the JPGA tour many females and senior players have the 460 on Tour. The face is square but our players who are excellent a couple of them are golf pro's (instructors) felt there was indeed a draw bias and while it's not mentioned in any descriptions I believed that true myself because of the heel weight and on the topics of weight you will notice this 460 has the weight furthest back of all the models which tells you a lot about how it will play, higher, more MOI and more forgiving. So for the tech, I've explained it before these are made by Endo then completed at Honma's amazing Sakata Studio where via TSG we can also offer face angle, lie, and even matte black finish adjustments but bottom line is that it's new manufacturing process in the 455/455S/460 has improved significantly with Honma's proprietary process called W-Forged, The goal was to make a firmer face feel very soft and they did this through variable face thickness and a new forging method which in the end has a tighter material fiber across the face so the face is stronger, the sweet spot is larger and it feels more pure at impact. So after 2 rounds and 3 range sessions all of us walked away with similar feedback, It's definitely quality, it feels really good, the spin isn't too much it's mid range and the launch is high, for a smooth powerful swing it should do the trick very well. Distance depends on the player and conditions of course but for me it's as long as anything out there, the sound is slightly hollow but the face vibrates very nicely, all around an easy choice for a good player with a less aggressive tempo. I could easily play this one in a heartbeat and it would help my score BUT I'm not a smooth swinger so I think one of the others could do my game better.

+1 this is where something got lost in translation, only the white logo version was supposed to have the red trim, the black was supposed to be all stealth, Only producing 4 bags is silly expensive these are more for promotional use but I can sell 2 of them and they are already in the states. I think it's also a little busy, almost too Japanese looking with that giant Kanji, the next version should be better.

Show us that link RL.

First edition only 4pcs made. Not entirely happy with the way they came out but the quality is top notch.

Endo makes the base driver & irons and Sakata finishes it. It is widely known inside the Japan Golf Industry that Endo drivers don't have the best distance and it's because the face is too soft, so Honma has a proprietary process they have Endo manufacture called W-Forged which is basically a firmer version of ELF Ti. The 455/455S/460 are made by Endo but the pro's want firmer so the 430 is made at Sakata. They also work with other makers in Japan then finish the clubs in house. Shafts as well, i.e for some but not all Quadra buys prepreg, collaborates with honma on the axis weave then Honma finishes the process and hand rolls the shaft themselves in Sakata.

If you want Endo's best go with the new TW727 Honma Drivers.

Only trackman for about 20 minutes which isn't my norm for testing. I need to play it on my home track at my range to get a better idea.

+1 on control shaft, heavy, boardy if not in the right flex, likes to go straight.

Modart heads have no problems finding the right shaft, have tried many and results great across the board. I loved the S, but everyone orders the D.

I talk to them almost daily, they design and make the shafts in house also they are not a shaft painting company. Put all bamboo & frills aside they are doing a good thing using 50T reinforced by 80T in particular areas to make a shaft that flexes yet has stability that imo is better than just making a full length 80T shaft. Yes they mean Grams not KG..lol that would be pretty heavy wouldn't it.

I'm with you Craig and find it so strange I hit some of my longest ever with it but at the same time it got me in a lot of trouble and consistently yet as you mentioned there are some people that find it forgiving, long, and straight.

If it sits in the bank I will spend it so it's safer here ;)