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Honma is one of Japan's older golf brands and has at times had a tumultuous history in Japan's golf market. They have however remained true in providing premium golf gear at premium prices to some of the most demanding golfers in Japan. Many old school golfers have long supported Honma and it showed over the years as Honna developed a reputation as golf clubs for old people and bling bling gold clubs for the rich old folk. This however changed with the introduction of their Beres lineup which with cutting edge designs and performance and less bling, attracted more mainstream golfers.

Beres 6 Series for the Master...

The Beres line has several models aimed at different levels of players. The Beres 6 series which includes the MG613 Driver and MG603 iron are two new clubs I am going to look at today. The 6 Series is called the MASTER series, aimed at senior golfers with a smooth swing. The 6 series incorportates technology and designs with a focus on ease of use, forgiveness and distance performance for those with slower swing speeds.

The ARMRQ Shaft

Part of Honma's allure has always been their hand manufactured graphite shafts. They were one of the first brands in Japan to utilize a 4 axis (quadraxial) design and with their ARMRQ line of shafts have a stock shaft that rivals any top end shaft like Diamana, or Tour AD etc when it comes to stability and performance. There is a different model for every Series and the 6 Series uses the ARMRQ UD45 shaft. The UD45 is a lightweight shaft made for the slower swinger. Keep in mind that while this Series is for the senior golfer, there is no senior flex. The Regular flex UD45 is naturally softer than say the Regular Flex UD54 which is aimed at the Athlete/better golfer. So shafts are made to correspond with the target audience of each series.

Honma Star Grades

Honma also offers their shafts in several grades or stars from 2 stars to 5 stars. The difference in the stars is the quality of carbon used for each shaft. The more stars, the higher the quality of carbon. Higher grade carbon is made of more glass particles rather than rubber particles and what this means is the shaft returns to its original form more quickly with less rounding equalling more consistent rebound timing and less energy loss.  Honma themselves claim there is not much difference when it comes to "feel" of the different grades but for those who want the utmost in accuracy and dispersion a 5 star shaft vs a 2 star shaft is a world of difference. One can see the differences in grade as represented by Honma in its test using an MG713 driver and UD49 shaft above.

The MG613 Driver

So the shaft is a huge part of Honma clubs but what about the clubs themselves?  As I mentioned above, the 6 Series focuses on designs that provide ease of use and distance performance. The MG613 driver is rather good looking with its shallow back design and pearl like gradient crown. The head design leads to a low CG thanks to an ultra thin carbon crowm. This allows weight to be placed lower in the head which helps the player get the ball in the air for a high launch max carry type trajectory.  The head at address appears almost pointed which provides the player a method of alignment and confidence leading up to impact of the ball.

Thwack goes the MG613

There is also a tungsten weight in the heel of the sole which helps the player square the face and hit a much wanted draw. The face does appear ever so slightly closed at address and my guess is that it is closed 0.5 to 1.0* on this 10.5* Regular flex demo I had.  The first thing that I took note of when I tested the club at the driving range was the sound at impact. While many drivers today, especially models geared at the average golfer and distance oriented MOI drivers,  give a higher pitched crispy metallic tink at impact, the MG613 is more muted twack sound most likely thanks to its carbon crown (see video from Honma below).

Sound at impact video...

[See post to watch Flash video]

Goes pretty far

I took a relaxed first swing with the club and initially because of the sound I thought I missed the sweet spot but the ball carried out to 210 yards and rolled some 15 yards more. The driver is 45.25" which is manageable by todays longer length standards so I decided to go after the ball a bit and took a more aggressive swing. The shaft was very stable and my uptempo and more agressive transition resulted in a soft draw carrying about 220 and rolling out another 15.  I continued to throw aggressive swings mixed with smoother swings and I pretty much got straight to draw shots every time with good distance.  The MG613 is indeed forgiving and highly recommended for any player with a swing speed around 75-85mph looking for distance. The MG613 is available in 10.5 and 11.5* lofts and R flex UD45 shaft. Faster swingers may want to look at getting a heavier model like the UD49 or UD54 or stepping up to either the MG713 or MG813 models.

Beres MG603 Iron

I also received a demo of the new MG603 iron. This is of course also for the Senior or Master Series as mentioned above. This SUS630 soft cast iron has a head shape and design that differs through the set depending on which iron it is and for what purpose. The long irons 4 and 5 feature a wider sole, thicker top line and 2 x 4g of tungsten in the sole. The long irons are made to produce easy distance. The mid irons 6 and 7 also have wide sole but not as wide as the long irons, the weight is shifted to produce mid irons that focus on a balance of distance and accuracy.  The short irons 8-SW features a slightly thicker construction and no tungsten weighting bringing the CG higher for what Honma calculates as 12% more spin and a lower stable controlled trajectory for accuracy in attacking the greens.

Distance performer

The MG603 also has a pocket cavity for added forgiveness and rather high face height which I found to be an interesting shape. There is offset to help players square the club at impact and the MG603 comes with ARMRQ graphite shafts only for lightweight distance performance. In my testing, the wide sole helped prevent digging and the tall face also allows the player to tee the ball higher on those short par 3's and not lose much distance with a shot towards the heel. In testing the wider sole helped to prevent digging and the iron was pretty easy to hit though I must admit I was not that big a fan of its styling and shape (unlike the MG803 which is one great looking iron). This is definitely a distance iron as the lofts are strong (24* 5 iron) coupled with very lighweight shafts making this easy to swing faster.

The average golfer and slower swinger segment has a plethora of offerings when it comes to easy to hit distance irons. The Beres MG603 place itself in the thick of the competition but not quite ahead of the pack.

You can check out all the Honma Beres clubs in the Pro Shop and as always here are the pictures I took:

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.

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We thought the ViQ had left us...

Earlier this year when Tourstage announced 5 new X-Blade models in a one time release including newly designed and forgiving X-Blade GR models, many of us in the golf industry thought it signaled the end of the ViQ line. The largest segment of golfers in Japan is comprised of the "average golfer" or as players in the West call it the mid to high handicapper. The ViQ line has long been a mainstay at the top of the sales charts for the average golfer battling perennial rival XXIO.

However in the last few years of ViQ models, we saw more tweaking of models rather than new innovation and the ViQ line's popularity waned a bit as companies like ONOFF, Fourteen, PRGR and of course American brands like Taylormade and Callaway ate into the ViQ's average golfer market share with new designs and awesome performing clubs. Tourstage was quiet since its most previous ViQ launch back in early 2008 but it turns out they were in fact taking the time to completey revamp the lineup with a visual, technology, and design overhaul.

But it is back with a new look and purpose...

So I received the new ViQ iron which looks nothing like the 2008 model. This is a very flashy iron and Tourstage boasts a lot of performance from all the new featueres it has put into this design.  With the X-Blade GR C-1 and P-1 comfortably satisfying most mid handicap players in Japan, it looks to me as if the ViQ has shifted its focus toward the high handicapper head in the average golfer group. The 2010 ViQ is designed as an automatic iron for maximum forgiveness and maximum distance.  I don't mind high tech looks but I find the new ViQ a bit too shiney and a bit too busy for my eye. Let's see if this high tech pays off where it really counts, feel, performance and forgiveness.

Inverted co-- .... no it's Super Turbo Rubber.

The 2010 ViQ utilizes several features to improve feel and forgiveness including a badge like emblem in the center of the cavity right by the sweet spot. I cannot help but be reminded of Taylormade's Inverted Cone at least visually from the outside. On the inside it is different as that badge covers Tourstage's Super Turbo Rubber which is meant to increase ball speeds at impact through its rebound characteristics and also improve feel but dampening impact. Feel is subjective and some people might like this and some might say it takes away too much feedback.  For the high handicapper its probably a good thing to minimize vibrations on miss hits and create any extra ball speed.

In front of the Super Turbo Ruber is a 1.85mm thick (or you could say thin) Hyper Maraging Steel face. There has been a huge shift in Japan when it comes to use of materials in average golfer irons and fairway woods from Titanium faces to Maraging steel faces.  Many manufacturers are finding that Maraging steel provides great feel and performance results. Maraging steel is supposedly stronger than Ti so it can be made thinner for a more explosive impact. Makes me wonder when it will show up in a driver. Many of the top average golfer ions in Japan, including models from ONOFF and PRGR all use maraging faces now and the feel is excellent.  The 2010 ViQ also feels very good or should I say feels like almost nothing when you pure the sweet spot. The Super Turbo Rubber is at work here.

Automatic distance at your calling...

The new ViQ places a lot of weight down low in the sole for a very low CG helped by two tungsten weights, one in the toe and one in the heel of the sole. Both these weights also have Super Turbo Rubber under them to again help enhance, or for some take away feeling. There is a an undercut cavity here which progresses higher towards the toe and towards the heel to widen the sweet spot on typical average golfer misses towards the toe and heel. Because the tungsten weights are so big the number indicating the iron is actually right in the middle of the sole. So with all the new design features and a wide sole, mid size top line and definite offset, is this an easy iron to hit? Yes it is. It sure fits the bill as an automatic iron. The low CG and strong lofts (24* 5 iron and 44* PW) provide some serious distance and is very easy to hit straight. The ViQ is not a shovel like some GI irons in the West but it is definitely larger than other mid sized irons and will give that higher handicapper enough confidence at address. It's size does make it easy to hit.

Another thing that made the demo I had so forgiving is that it is shafted with a Tourstage graphite.  Tourstage uses ultra light 55g mid kicking graphite which really help those slower swingers pick a a few miles per hour. The 5 iron weighs only 357g total weight. Thanks to the strong lofts the shots do not balloon but climb steadily reaching an apex and finishing with a rather soft landing especially in the short irons.

It does what it supposed to do...

So in conclusion, while I am not thrilled with the iron's overall look and I'm not a fan of too much offset and bigger head, the truth is, looks aside, the ViQ does what it is supposed to do. Be an easy iron to hit and give the higher handicapper the automatic performance they are looking for. Many traditionalists and better players may doubt the use of the Super Turbo Rubber (especially those who are always playing forged irons) but I think for the higher handicapper which this iron targets, the rubber works.  So if you haven't been playing golf long or are stuck shooting in the 90's and 100's or simply need irons that can go very far very easily, then the 2010 ViQ is your calling. If you are an improving player who already is a decent ball striker and looking to add control to your game as you break into the 80's and lower go read the X-Blade 703 review.

I've got the new ViQ Driver here as well and boy it looks.... interesting.  Before that though here are the rest of the new 2010 ViQ pics:

Tario (aka gocchin) joined Tourspecgolf back in 2008 after spending over a decade in technology and business operation roles at a major Canadian financial institution. Before joining TSG and following his dream of moving to Japan, Tario and Chris (aka Tourspecgolfer) hit it off though their similar passions for Japanese culture. Chris hired Tario to manage TSG online operations, sales and marketing. While those are Tario's primary responsibilities, he has also taken up the role of blogger and custom club tester and fitter along the way. Tario's hobbies include golf (of course), gadgets and technology, cars, Japanese pop culture and idols, photography, sweets and walking the dog.