After the conclusion of World War II, the United States and Japan became political allies and international trading partners. Previously being a mostly agricultural society, Japan rapidly moved toward becoming an industrial economy and was eager to sell its products to American consumers.
Many of us will recall the ‘made in Japan’ tin toys and transistor radios from the 1950’s and 60’s. We were also captivated by black-and-white Japanese monster movies like ‘Godzilla’ and ‘Gamera’. Fast forward several decades and Americans were purchasing Seiko watches, Nikon cameras, the Sony Walkman, and Toyota Coronas.
Continuing on this trend line, it was only a matter of time until a Japanese golf ball would be exported to the United States. Founded in 1959, Honma is Asia’s prestigious and iconic golf brand. Honma began as manufacturer of golf clubs inside a small Yokohama workshop six decades ago. Now a 21st century lifestyle brand that designs and builds all of its products in Sakata, Japan, Honma has added its own line of golf balls to its product showcase.
Coming available in the spring of 2024, Honma Golf proudly introduces an innovative trio of golf ball models to the North American market. The new TW-X and TW-S golf balls deliver top-tier ball speed, spin and overall performance while the D1 ball packs distance, forgiveness and durability at a price point and reliability that has helped make it one of the best-selling balls in the Asian market.
The TW-X and TW-S both sport a premium cast urethane cover that provides amazing spin performance on short iron shots, while maintaining increased durability and an extremely scratch-resistant surface. The cast urethane cover provides a soft feel with surprising durability, creating a ball that retains its resilience after rigorous use, from iron shots to bunker escapes.
The TW-X and TW-S deliver exceptional feel shot after shot. The cast urethane cover bites into the grooves of the club face during shots at low clubhead speeds, increasing ground contact time and achieving high spin performance. Honma’s 326 Dimple construction was developed over a rigorous three-year design process.
The 326 dimples are intentionally aligned with a certain size to withstand strong winds with mid/high trajectory. This provides a highly stable trajectory for any shot. A simple yet sophisticated alignment design enhances player concentration. PRICING $36 dozen.
The Honma D1 model, which has been the No. 1 sales volume ball in the Japanese market, has now been improved and updated for 2024 for the demands of the North American market. Designed for golfers who desire straight ball flight, solid feel and premium distance, the D1 ball showcases advanced performance with advanced raw material formulation.
The newly formulated RM Soft Core creates high initial velocity that is achieved by a larger, softer core. The unique Ionomer cover, provides a combination of high-resilience with high durability, while the 368 dimple design produces a strong yet stable trajectory generating incredible distance. PRICING $27 dozen.
With sales in approximately 50 countries worldwide, Honma operates as the only company that handles every step in-house from design to final production in order to create the highest-quality golf products on the market today.