of Honma The TW series has been a good low performer in MyGolfSpy testing for several years. of The Honma TW PX finished second overall in testing this year’s player distance iron and TW 767 driver ranked fourth overall in forgiveness.
No one, it seems, doubts Honma’s ability to make very good golf clubs. The problem, however, is that Honma’s performance hasn’t translated into North American market dominance.
Honma is not even bothered by the market.
That doesn’t mean you should skip the new Honma TW 777 line. Between three new drivers, two new fairway woods, a new line of utility woods (what the rest of us call “hybrids”) and a new set of irons, Honma is rolling out some compelling options.
It all depends on how you feel about moles.
Moles?
Honma TW 777: The Mystery of the Mole
Moles are fascinating little creatures. They are known for their underground lifestyle, but did you know that a single mole can dig up to 15 meters of tunnel in an hour? Did you also know that, through the miracle of evolution, moles smell separately through each nostril? It helps them target prey and avoid predators while underground.
Why are we telling you all this? Well, if you’re going to embrace the new Honma TW 777 line, you’re going to have to embrace the Honma mole.
The little bugger features prominently on the new TW 777 metallic wood sole as well as a bright blue logo on top of the new TW 777 PCG-Max irons. Believe it or not, moles hold a certain cultural symbolism in Japan. They are admired for their tireless and unprecedented burrowing underground in a straight line towards a goal. Honma uses that symbolism to show that its TW club line is built for serious players who dig it out of the dirt.
So now that we know the truth about the mole, we can review Honma’s new TW 777 series without making a mole mountain out of a mole hill.
Aw, come on, man. You knew it was coming.
TW 777 Drivers: Standard, Max and Mini
The big story of the TW 777 driver is carbon titanium, a composite material that combines carbon fiber with titanium alloys. Carbon titanium is used in aerospace, high-end automobile and bicycle frames, and, in the 1990s, golf shafts.
Honma uses carbon titanium as a three-piece body part for the TW 777 and TW 777 Max drivers. By combining a carbon titanium sole and a carbon ring with a carbon rear body, Honma says it’s improving the driver’s head flexural stiffness to provide higher ball speeds and greater stability.
Flexural stiffness is the ability of a material to resist bending or deflection under a load. In this case, it is in influence. When combined with Honma’s SJ221 forged titanium face, it serves as a ball speed lever.
The standard Honma TW777 driver is 460cc with front and rear pedal weights (3.5 grams front, 20.5 grams rear) to fine tune the trajectory.
The TW777 Max is the sorry model, though it doesn’t seem to be playing the 10K MOI game. It features rolled sole weights on the heel and toe, although both weights are as far from the perimeter and as far from the rear as they can be and still be considered heel and toe weights. There’s also a Honma-branded fixed rear weight designed to push the CG as far as possible, hence the “Max” moniker.
TW 777 360 Ti is Honma’s entry into the mini driver market. At 360cc, it’s the biggest mini ever which means only the bravest of you will be using it outside the deck. It’s all-titanium construction with three adjustable sole weights, including one on the extreme toe, to help those of us with duck hooks.
Streets and “utilities”
Honma is touting its two new TW 777 wood lines as successors to its legendary LB-GET palm woods.
Yeah, I had to watch that too.
It seems that, in the 80s, Honma made a name for itself with large palms with LB (Low-Balance) technology and a GET (Gravity Energy Transfer) sole designed to move low mass and provide smoother interaction on the ground. The general heading was a larger than normal head to push the CG down and back. The combination made the club more forgiving.
Both the standard TW 777 and its larger, more forgiving sibling, the TW 777 Max, continue this tradition. Both feature a carbon crown, tungsten and aluminum weight and a C300 titanium cup face supported by a SUS630 stainless steel body. It comes with two interchangeable sole weights with the heaviest 16 gram forward weight for lower spin and faster ball speed.
As the name suggests, the TW 777 Max fairways are bigger and more forgiving. The material construction is the same with permanent weight in the rear end bringing the CG low and back to increase forgiveness and encourage higher launch.
The usable TW 777 woods, which you and I call hybrids, also feature the GET sole and a C300 titanium cup face. Also, somewhat surprisingly for a hybrid, they have a carbon crown. Honma says the CG is deep and low (for a hybrid) and designed for mid- and high-handicappers who need help getting the ball in the air for more distance.
The standard TW 777 roads have an adjustable clutch. 777 Max Fairways and 777 forest services are connected.
Honma TW 777 PCB Max handcuffs: Word doc on a stick
There is no other way to say it: LOT is continuing with the new TW 777 PCB Max cuffs. It may be the first iron kit released this decade that needs spell checking.
Yes, there are many words that look back.
All kidding aside, the TW 777 PCB Max is a game improvement iron that pushes against the super limit of game improvement. The body is forged from S25C carbon steel (the Japanese equivalent of 1025). Honma uses two different steels for the variable thickness cup faces for the Max PCB. The faces of the 5 to 8 irons are made from a high strength AM355P stainless steel. AM355P is stronger than commonly used 17-4 stainless steel.
Near the scoring (9-iron through the sand wedge) contains a material Honma it is calling ES235. This appears to be a proprietary designation for a low to medium carbon steel designed for forging.
For those who are turned off by thick top lines, Honma is using something called the Honma CUT. It’s a precision-milled bevel across the top of the face, designed to make the topline look a little thinner.
What’s more, the TW 777 PCB Max doesn’t bother with this sharp nonsense. The iron set goes from a 5-iron to an 11-iron before transitioning to an approach wedge and sand wedge.
Honma TW 777 Features, Price and Availability
Like many Japanese brands, Honma it is owned by the catch at the top. Mainly. It is also right-wing. Exclusively.
The TW 777 and 777 Max drivers, the 777 360 Ti mini driver and the 777 standard trail come standard with the Vizard Blue shaft made by Honma (R- and S-bends only), the 777 Max and the 777 utility woods come with a lighter shaft for the TWso in77d.
Both TW 777 drivers come in at nine and 10.5 degrees of loft, while the 777 Max adds a 12-degree head to the mix. The TW 777 360Ti mini driver is 11.5 degrees. All three include Honma’s useful but not entirely intuitive adjustable basket.
The drivers sell for $650 while the mini costs $450.
Standard TW 777 fairways come in 3-, 4-, 5- and 7-wood models (15, 16.5, 18, 21 degrees) while the 777 Max only comes in 3-, 5- and 7-wood. Usable racks come in 3U to 6U models with lofts ranging from 19 to 28 degrees in three-step increments.
Freeways and utility forests cost $375 each.
The Honma TW 777 PCB Max irons also feature the lightweight Vizard graphite shaft for the TW 777 in R-flex. For the S-flex, the group switches to the Nippon NS PRO 950GH Neo steel shaft, designed for more spin with strong height bars.
The standard five-piece set (6- to 10-iron) costs $1,125 in graphite and even $1,000 in steel. The 5- and 11-irons, plus the approach wedge and sand wedge, can be ordered separately for $225 per set in graphite, $200 in steel.
Moles, of course, are included in that price.
Presale is now underway. For more information, visit Honma website.
Post The new Honma TW777 line: How do you feel about moles? appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
