Honma

Founded 1959 · Sakata, Japan

Clubs & Balls

#71

Global Rank

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Honma Golf has represented the pinnacle of Japanese clubmaking since its founding in Sakata in 1959. The brand built its reputation on hand-crafted clubs made with painstaking attention to detail, often featuring exotic materials like persimmon woods, premium forged irons, and shafts wrapped in gold or platinum finishes. For decades, Honma operated almost exclusively in Japan, where its clubs commanded five-figure price tags and became status symbols among wealthy golfers. The brand's Beres line remains one of the most expensive production club sets in the world, with certain configurations exceeding $50,000. Each club undergoes extensive hand-finishing by master craftsmen, a process Honma still emphasizes in its marketing and manufacturing. In the 2000s, Honma began expanding internationally, opening retail locations in major golf markets and signing tour players to raise visibility outside Japan. The brand has changed ownership several times, most recently operating under Honma Golf Ltd., which went public on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2016. Tour presence includes partnerships with players like Justin Rose, who has used Honma irons and woods at various points in his career. The brand also produces more accessible lines like the TR and XP series, which bring Honma's engineering to lower price points without the hand-finishing or precious metal accents. Still, Honma's identity remains tied to luxury and craftsmanship. It occupies a unique space in the equipment market, neither a mainstream OEM like Callaway nor a boutique putter brand, but a legacy manufacturer where heritage and exclusivity drive as much appeal as performance data.