Honma will be a new name to many golfers as it returns to the UK market in 2005. But to a large number of golfers worldwide, particularly in the Far East and the USA, Honma represents the ultimate in golf equipment as regards both quality and price.
To understand Honma, which is 100% focused on golf, it is useful to know its history. The Honma Golf Co. Ltd is based in Sakata, on Japan’s west coast around 200 miles north of Tokyo.
Its factory there is the largest golf production facility in Japan. The Honma family, one of Japan’s most prominent, have played a large role in the growth of the traditional port of Sakata since the 16th century. They were not blue-bloods but merchants, working remarkably hard and generating great wealth and power, both commercial and political. During the 18th century, income from their shipping and banking businesses enabled them to become Japan’s wealthiest land-owners.
In 1813 the Honma family built a summer residence in Sakata. After the Second World War this was renovated and turned into a private museum, with many historic art treasures. It is now one of the City of Sakata’s main tourist attractions. Sakata itself grew to become a prominent commercial shipping port of 100,000 inhabitants at the mouth of the Sea Of Japan, and these days the Honma family – now focused on producing the world’s finest golf equipment – is the town’s biggest employer.
All Honma golf clubs are hand-crafted in Japan, to each customer’s individual order. Over 150 operations are involved in the build of every club, a process that ends with the stamping of the signature ‘Mole in the Hole‘ cloisonne that signifies achievement of an industry-leading quality control standard. Clubs are then shipped to order worldwide as fully-finished product.
In 2005 the full Honma range launches in the UK, including:
Drivers from RRP £745
Irons from RRP £1,256 per set
Fairway Woods from RRP £358
Golf Balls from RRP £34 per dozen
Wedges from RRP £159
Putters from RRP £159
A History of the brand plus a full description of Honma’s quality philosophy will shortly be available online at www.honmagolf.co.uk