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REVIEW: Honma TR21 X Irons

Max Everything

Irons tend to be labeled in 3 categories: player irons, game improvement irons and super game improvement. These categories tend to have their positives and negatives. If you want something small and “difficult” to hit, you use players irons. If you are just trying to make the ball go forward you might find yourself with super game improvement irons. While many irons fall into distinct categories, there have been some crossover models that bride the gap between players irons and game improvement irons called players distance irons. These irons look to blend the looks of a players iron, with the forgiveness and distance of a game improvement iron. The Honma TR21 X are certainly players distance irons that are maxed out in every category. They are LONG, Super forgiving, Soft forged feel and very clean and easy to look at. If you want more out of your irons, these are pretty much max everything.

Honma has made a name for themselves over the years with their high end clubs. Over the last number of years, they have also been making high quality clubs that fit the normal market range of price. The TW, TR and XP lines have all targeted the golfer looking for awesome performance at the same price as other brands. I’ve been impressed over the last few years with the performance of Honma clubs. The TR21 X irons most impressive on the course.

The Honma TR21 X irons almost look like a “blade” irons from the back. They have no real visible cavity but are a hollow multi-material head. They have a slightly beefy sole and some moderate offset, but are visually very appealing. They have an internal tungsten weight and foam which fills the head while hiding all the performance. There is a toe screw which gives you a hint there is something inside, but otherwise they look like a big “blade” iron. They have really nice combo of detail yet not too much. They are about as classy an iron as you are going to find. They have two stock shaft options Vizard graphite or Nippon NS 950 Neo Pro steel. I went with the steel shafts which are lightweight, but still offer excellent feel and launch.

The Honma TR21 X irons are really extreme performance irons. It starts with strong lofts. They are almost a club stronger than traditional lofts, but pretty much standard for players distance irons. But strong lofts don’t really mean a lot if you don’t get height and stopping power. The stronger lofts pairs with the tungsten and hollow body means high launch but holding power. While the lofts are a club stronger, they are even longer in play. Almost 2 clubs longer in many cases. I was hitting the Honma 10-iron (yes they use 10-iron instead of PW) 145 which is between my 8 and 9-iron. This does create some interesting wedge decisions trying to fill some gapping. But after multiple rounds I figured it out and almost never found myself short of the flag.

The Honma TR21 X irons fill the bag nicely but do create some new yardage decisions. The 4-iron is basically as long as my utility iron and the 10-iron left a little gap before my gap wedge. I just adjusted what I had in my normal bag to adjust to the distances I need with partial swings or “juiced” swings, but long term I’d rethink my wedges and woods. I think distance irons are cool, but you still need to fill the gaps properly. If you always come up short with your irons, these will change that.

The Honma TR21 X irons aren’t only distance clubs, but are also maxed in forgiveness. I was impressed with how poor swings were rewarded with good results. I had a few “bladed” shots and few toe shots that all ended up in pretty good shape. Sure not as good as a well struck shot, but still on the green in most cases. It is one giant sweet spot that will keep the majority of iron shots in play and even rewarded with birdie looks. I was also happy that I wasn’t running shots constantly through greens, because of the height and enough spin hold, shots were kept near where they landed.

Flightscope Xi Tour Launch Monitor

Honma TR21 X – 8-iron

Spin: 6968 rpms
Launch Angle: 33.5*
Dispersion: 3.0 yds
Club Head Speed: 86.9 mph
Ball Speed: 116.7 mph
Total Distance: 168.4 yds
Carry Distance: 164.1 yds

If you look at any shot tracking data you will find the majority of golfers leave approach shots shorts. That is highly unlikely with the Honma TR21 X irons. I was almost always putting from the back of the green with these irons in the bag. They are maxed out in every category, distance, feel, forgiveness, launch and looks. Plus you get to put a 10-iron in your bag (which just makes me smile every time I hit it) If you want to impress with your iron game, check out the Honma TR21 X irons.

Check the price online here

For more information: us.honmagolf.com/products/tr21-x-iron

Quick Hits:
+LONG
+Great looking
+Excellent feel
+10-iron
+Very forgiving
+Easy launching