Willy

I just saw them recently at a Tokyo golf store called Sports Road. They had irons, wedges and putters available and a few catalogs as well.

Before the formal launch, I had the chance to see the display 7 iron of the tc1000, and it looked so good! However, when the set was finally out on retail display, I didn't like the short irons, specifically the pw and 9 iron. The topline looked too thick, and the clubs a bit too midsized. The irons that impressed me from a purely optical perspective were the following: the royal collection cv blade, the srixon i701 tour irons (international model but in a JDM store), and the romaro pro irons. The size and shape of the 3 sets were just right, so to were the soles of the 3. The soles of the tc1000 look really promising as well.

Gocchin, thanks for the translation, much appreciated. Willy

Sugoi, I have hit a demo 7 iron of the xblade gr, and was also impressed by the softness of the club despite its undercut design. I have hit old honma tour world undercut irons and the callie xtours as well, and second Randy's comments as to the feel. In fact I had to ask the dealer if these irons were forged because they don't have the usual stamping. The ball flies high as anticipated. I may come into a deal for either the gr or the standard xblade cbs. If I pull the trigger on the gr, I will try to post my impressions asap. But they will be based on nspro950 s flex shafts.

I experienced exactly that hard snapper with the pt6//435 combo. It wasn't for me. The GR has a less muted sound/feel than the 435 but is still in keeping with X Drive acoustics. The GR has a slightly more 'tingy' sound whereas the 435 is muted. The only weak spot is that on mis**ts, the feel is absolutely brittle but only by xdrive stanards. I also hit the GR side by side with the XXio hard spec 9 degree tour black 27 stiff, and both were almost the same performance wise. I am in constant debate on which club will be my next purchase, argghhh!

Gyli, I have hit both the 435 and the GR (9.5, stock s60 stiff flex shaft) extensively, and have also hit the xdrive 460 (sparingly because I couldn't get it up in the air as it was way too much club, stock shaft). The 435 had the pt6 shaft and 10.5 loft. It would hook because the pt6 seemed to want to hit hard draws all the time (my impression is that the pt6 is a draw enhancing shaft with a soft butt/mid bend area). But back to the GR, and based on what little I understand from the website and from my own ocular comparison to the 435 and 460. It has a longer and slightly shallower face. It's almost like comparing the titleist 983E/983K or 905r/905t (did I get that right), deep/short face vs less deep/longer face. I probably average 45m/sec on my best driver swings but come down to 42m/sec on my bad swings. The GR is a very solid driver. It flies on a mid-high trajectory with very good feel. The shaft is lively without the draw/hook action I experienced with the pt6/435 combo. I don't see the real need to choose the upgrade to the fuji shaft (and I am avowed Fuji fan). For those who have once owned the rv10 series of tourstage, this driver is reminiscent of that series, wow! I highly recommend you try this driver with either the s/r or s flex option. The GR is a much more forgiving and easier to launch driver than the 460, hands down. To illustrate, I had two friends (swing speeds in excess of 110 mph) hit both side by side (one is a pro, the other is a low handicap amateur, scratch or so). Both had to really go at it to hit the 460 high enough! My pro friend preferred the gr because of ease of use in launching the ball. I honestly believe that the stock shaft in this driver is good enough. This model is impressive because it bridges the Viq and xdrive models very well. Not too hooky and balloony, not too slicy and worm burning for slightly higher than average amateur swing speeds.

The tc770 forged irons have minimal offset for a set of japanese irons, as described by xxio. If you check their website again, the description and design targets are spot on. Before I got the irons, I thought it was just a website sales pitch, they mean what they say. To add to Xxio's post, these irons have similar optics to mizuno mp irons.

I've just hit a demo 7 iron of the new Viq forged. The feel of the club is very good, as generally expected from 'premium forged' tourstage clubs. I tried the club with an nspro 950 stiff flex shaft. Shots have a slight draw bias. This club is like a spiffed up ping i5 iron. Its offset is more obvious than the fourteen tc770forged.

I currently use the fourteen irons. And I believe that what fourteen publish on their website with regard to the design goals of their irons are exactly as mentioned! I have not hit the Viq, but will be able to try them out soon. Having said that, the Viq and tc770 forged seem to have different golfers' ambitions in mind, with the Viq geared towards more game improvement and the tc770 are game enhancement biased. On my experience, the tc770forged are smack in between the xblade cb irons and viq forged irons.

I agree with the assessment that the original tc770 feel softer than the tc770 forged. My buddy owns the originals, and I own the forged. I've hit my buddy's set and they are definitely softer, with both our sets having the exact same shafts. One thing I can say is that if you check out the design objectives on the Fourteen website, they hit the nail on the head with these irons. Taking them out for a spin is critical to appreciating the design aesthetic. Fourteen seem to be the new Honma philosophy-wise. They propose designs specific to golfer aspirations. Refreshing.

Thanks for the info Blader.

Chris, Do you have information on the shaft option 'mv622' (which is a new option). In your pro shop, it's mentioned that it is an nspro product. Do you have the specs on this particular shaft? It seems to be positioned between the dg and nspro950 options. Thanks.

Naisu, I play the s flex. It plays true to flex, and isn't what I would call a soft s flex, usually associated with Japan market drivers. XXIO, 'Everybody Hurts Sometimes!' REM

Just add on information on the shaft (from the 2005 Honma catalog): 'Armrq 864: Athlete's model trusted by Honma's professional golfers. Four-directional carbon keeps the head on track while flexing the grip on the backswing, speeding up head. Head holds steady even for hard hitters, ensuring square impact and pinpoint accuracy. kickpoint: mid/high, torque: 4.6 (r flex) weight: r/64g, s/67.5g. Further to the catalog, the 864 is a Honma branded shaft. Beres shafts have a different number denomination (but as already mentioned, Beres is a brand within the Honma stable). Armrq is supposed to be the acronym of their armor quad technology for shafts. It's supposed to be a concept similar to fujikura rombax and mamiya axiv. For further reference, check out www. honmagolf.co.jp. They have an english section as well.

Just scanned the Beres website. I believe Honma is addressing a specific price range within the Japanese market with these offerings (more affordable line). I currently play with the tour world driver and irons with Armrq shafts, and just want to confirm what Lion Kim has heard. The Armrq 864 shafts (standard offer on Honma tour world model clubs) are TIGHT! For those familiar with honma products from about ten years ago, these shafts are similar to the pro special super ferrite carbon shafts. LionKim, you should try the iron shafts, I think you will enjoy them!