Honma TW737 450 Driver Review

Honma is famous for selling some of the most expensive drivers you can buy.  Their gold-plated drivers sell for thousands of dollars.

That market is clearly for people with deep pockets.

The premium market for golf clubs is just coming into its own in the US.

While gold plated golf clubs are still pretty rare,  the $500+ driver widely accepted.

While that premium market isn’t for everyone, does a company like Honma offer more than just gold plating?

Now you can get that Premium name without that premium price.  But the real question is, does the Premium name equal Premium Performance?

Honma surprised me with more than just an exclusive name; I was really impressed by the on-course and FlightScope results. Honma offers 4 drivers in their new Tour World line.

They are organized by lowest spinning and “most demanding” drivers by size.  445, 450, 455, 460.

I went with the 450 based on the deep face and more neutral bias.

It has a very traditional pear shape which looks great behind the ball.

It has a relatively low and forward center of gravity.

It doesn’t have an adjustable hosel, which honestly I can’t say I use all that much on my drivers that have it, other than changing shafts.

The Honma TW737 450 driver is constructed with a cup-face and high density titanium for excellent feel off the face at impact.

It has very traditional crack at impact that is slightly muted.

I found it to be about as good of sounding driver as you can buy.

The “traditional” shape and design is really pleasing to the lower handicap golfer.

It doesn’t have a lot of bells and whistles.

There is a weight low and forward, but I believe the only way to change that is from the factory or with a fitter; there are no owners kits available.

It doesn’t have an adjustable hosel, but how often does anyone adjust that anyways?

The head sits very square behind the ball so unless you like a closed or open look, this driver is has a great look and feel without needing to adjust anything.

The Honma TW737 450 actually surprised me on the course.

It doesn’t have the radical looks of most drivers, or a whole bunch of fancy adjustments so I wasn’t sure what I’d get.

On my first round I was blown away by the consistency of straight drives.

It was tee after tee that I was able to step up and find the center of the fairway.

Even my playing partners commented on how straight the ball was flying.

That is not to say I didn’t hit a wide right and big hook left, those shot are still possible with this club, but decent swings got straight results.

Straight drives sometimes means shorter drives; but not with this driver.

I was really impressed by the length too.  I was at my normal distances; a couple were  as long as I’ve ever hit with a driver.

I cracked the 300 barrier a few times with this club.

I did notice on the FlightScope Xi Tour that my club head speed is up a little bit here in AZ.

The warm, dry weather seems to keep my muscles a little looser.

The Honma TW737 450 I received came with a Vizard Z 70 stiff flex shaft.

What is a Vizard?

Honma actually makes their own shafts in-house.

While “made for shafts” often get a bad name, it’s hard to argue with the quality of this shaft. It’s not a “made for” shaft, but a high quality “after market” type shaft that they have designed for their clubs. It feels as good as anything I’ve swung.

It is very smooth and has a moderate kick.

This certainly has something to do with the good results I am having with this driver.

Flightscope Xi Tour Launch Monitor

Honma TW737 450  Driver

• • Spin: 1957 rpms
  • Launch Angle: 14.4*
  • Dispersion: 6.8 yds
  • Club Head Speed: 104.8 mph
  • Ball Speed: 153.7 mph
  • Total Distance:  287.9 yds
  • Carry Distance:  269.1 yds

So if you think the Honma TW737 driver is just a non-gold plated club or something dumbed down, you are wrong.

Honma might be synonymous with expensive clubs, but you might want to think about the premium performance they offer.

It doesn’t hit the ball 50 yards further, but it certainly ranks up near the top of my list of drivers.

It has a great traditional look and feel, yet performs as well as any club without the radical looks or adjustments.

Premium name that also offers premium performance.

For more information: https://us.honmagolf.com/

–No adjustments