SPOTTED: Honma TR20 Premium, Forged Irons

So now that we’ve covered the Honma TR20 440 and 460 Drivers in-depth, it’s time to give the irons their due diligence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Honma Golf (@honmagolf) on Jun 11, 2020 at 5:17pm PDT

For those unfamiliar with Honma Golf, the company was founded in 1958 and has established itself as a premium golf club manufacturer. After starting inside a small Yokohama workshop six decades ago, Honma now holistically designs all products in Sakata, Japan and handles every step from design to final production in-house to create the highest-quality products on the market today.

Most recently, Honma has released its TR20 (“Tour Release 2020”) iron line with its new TR20 P and TR20 V iron sets. Despite the differences unique to each model, the TR20 P and V irons showcase modern player-preferred profiles with sleek lines and shaping, while also being built to be fast and forgiving so that golfers can achieve desirable distance and accuracy, even on misses.

Starting with the TR20 P, Honma has constructed a players distance iron that incorporates game improvement-like playability with beautifully-crafted performance and hand-shaped profile. The S35C forged steel body and thin L-cup face help generate ball speed, while the generous sole width and tungsten-weighted pocket cavity (the P in TR20 P stands for Pocket) on the rear of the club head help create speed-enhancing forgiveness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The pocket cavity puts weight around the perimeter of the iron and also in the back of the club head. “The 3D pocket cavity allows us to create a strong lofted iron that launches fast and high without excess spin,” McGinley said.

The low center of gravity, created by the optimized position (heel-to-toe and front-to-back) of the high-density tungsten weight, promotes higher MOI, higher launch and longer carry distance. Honma’s experienced Takumi combine a traditional blade shape with modern topline and sole proportions and high-performance back designs to pack versatile playability into the TR20 P.

“The blade length on the TR20 P is small enough to be accepted by a tour pro, but large enough to be forgiving and market-playable,” said Honma Vice President of Global Product Chris McGinley. “We used CAD to position the tungsten weight in the ideal spot to create speed on both on- and off-center hits as well as the right amount of launch for the TR 20 P’s strong lofts. This iron hits a wide target audience from competitive golfers and low handicaps, all the way up to mid-teen handicaps.”

The TR20 V is a true players iron that delivers impressive distance. The beautiful, traditional one-piece cavity back head design is matched by the feel of the forged, soft S20C carbon steel that has been designed to launch shots quick and high, but with ample control. The TR20 V features a slightly shorter blade length and thinner topline that better golfers often prefer, as well as a recessed electroform Honma mole logo in the cavity as a nod to the great forged irons of the company’s past.

The responsive feel in the TR20 V comes from the combination of material, construction and design. S20C carbon steel delivers preferred feel, while the blade size, shape and cavity design—including the ideal combination of face thickness and perimeter weighting—create the soft, but solid, feel.

“The TR20 V also has players distance lofts, which are one degree weaker than on the TR20 P. This is a really good, traditional forged cavity iron,” said McGinley. “A slightly narrower sole width helps yield good overall playability. It’s an ideal iron for competitive golfers and low handicaps, yet suitable for higher single-digit handicaps, as well.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The common design language between the TR20 V and TR20 P irons allows golfers to consider a combo set with TR20 Ps in the mid/long and TR20 Vs in the mid/short irons.

“In both iron sets, the confluence of Honma hand-crafted looks with tour level performance, modern constructions and expert designs provide the sound and feel that golfers will love,” said Chris McGinley. “In Honma Experience fittings, we’re seeing a lot of golfers opting for a blended set of TR20 P and TR 20 V for optimal feel, trust and performance.”

And with the TR20 Bs, a classic blade-style iron for skilled players, launching in the coming weeks, there’s nothing stopping golfers from mixing and matching all three sets for the perfect combination of forged glory.

With respect to shafts, the Honma TR20 V and TR20 P irons are both available with VIZARD TR20-85 graphite and Nippon Modus 105 shafts as a standard option. The VIZARD TR20 graphite shafts are designed with a stiffer tip section for trajectory control and are built with ascending weight to increase speed with longer irons and increase control with shorter irons.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Honma Golf (@honmagolf) on Apr 27, 2020 at 6:37pm PDT

TR20 P and TR 20 V irons ($199.99 per club with graphite shaft, or $174.99 with steel) are currently available in stores and online as well as by appointment at a Honma Mobile Experience custom fitter.

Cover Image Via Instagram