Earlier last month, Honma announced their latest line of game improvement golf gear, the XP-1 series respectively. This is great news for the fans of the brand, because what we’re dealing with here is a full line of products, an entire family of sorts, which includes XP-1 drivers, fairway woods, and hybrids. According to Honma’s press release, the XP-1 line of clubs is holistically designed (their own words) to help golfers get the most of their games using one set of clubs and one set only, due to the XP-1’s focus on forgiveness. In case you didn't know, Honma is a premium Japanese manufacturer, which seeks to bring together (in a holistic way, right?) high performance with ultimate craftsmanship, and that’s how the XP-1 line was born.

The highlight feature of the new Honma XP-1 line is the fact that they were designed and engineered from top to bottom to be the ultimate set of golf-gear to deliver maximum performance with minimum effort. It’s worth mentioning that the technology in the metal woods literally flows from the XP-1 driver to the hybrids via a seamless transition, which in real life translates into good looks for the player and consistency for amazing feel.

The XP-1 club heads were designed by Honma’s legendary master craftsmen in Sakata, Japan, the land of the rising sun and holistically designed heads and shafts, and truth be told, holistic or not, the entire club looks absolutely stunning, and on top of that, it’s engineered to perfection, as Honma is well-known for its OC-level craftsmanship and manic attention to detail.

All clubs are engineered to deliver improved forgiveness and distance more consistently, and they’re built with a draw bias, as expected from game improvement gear aimed at helping higher handicap golfers. Also, the XP-1 series arrives with Vizard shafts, an ultra-light variety respectively, which are also designed to deliver a high launch trajectory, as well as more swing speed and responsive feel. The general manager of Honma Europe, Mr. Alejandro Sanchez, commented on his company’s latest product:

The new T//World XP-1 range looks and performs like no other game improvement set of clubs on the market. Recreational golfers who want to up their game should take a serious look at these clubs, as they represent the latest entry level into the premium quality that stands behind the Honma brand.

Moreover, Honma’s Vice President of Global Product Chris McGinley was quoted as saying that:

“We are thrilled to bring the many decades of club-making knowledge and shaping talent of Honma’s master craftsmen to game-improvement golfers with XP-1. This product line is incredibly beautiful and exceptionally playable and will help golfers with a wide range of skill levels enjoy the game even more”

To begin with the most important piece, the Honma XP-1 driver is developed (just like every part of the new XP-1 family to be honest) with the player in mind, i.e. to perform to the highest standards while looking very appealing, as the Japanese company is famous for its dedication to impeccable craftsmanship and quality. The new driver from Honma is a very classic looking club which packs a lot of heat under its belt (read a ton of technology): in this particular case, we must mention the ultra-light carbon fiber crown. But speaking about classic design, we must tell you that the XP-1 driver features a tour inspired look from address, which works wonders in regard to boosting confidence, for any level of golfer. But beauty is more than skin deep in this driver, i.e. if you “dig” under the gloss black crown, you’ll discover cutting edge technology aimed at generating ludicrous amounts of ball speeds all across the face, which will also help you get you properly dialed in with the right setting.

And speaking of ultra-light crowns and cutting edge materials, the XP-1 driver boasts a carbon fiber made crown made from ET-40, which in layman's terms means this baby is among the lightest in the industry. Using this specific variety of carbon fiber allowed Honma’s engineers to save weight, and thus to relocate approximately fifteen grams of mass around the head towards the heel. Doing so resulted in a club with increased moment of inertia (MOI) and improved ability to help golfers close the club-face effortlessly.

If you flip the XP-1 driver upside down, you’ll see that there’s even more than meets the eye, i.e. there’s more going on with the sole due to the introduction of the new double slot which is aimed at improving ball speed across the face (a much larger area respectively). The improved moment of inertia and the new slots work in tandem for maintaining ball speeds, while the wider parts of the club’s face are also increasing the gear effect as they flex around the middle.

Another key technology worth mentioning in the XP-1 driver head is a special adjustable hosel, exclusive to Honma that is, and this baby works by changing the face angle, loft and lie but not the orientation of the shaft. Basically, the new adjustable hosel gives you the ability to dial in hosel settings without changing the grip orientation, and also keeps the shaft spine in the perfect location for improved/consistent performance. It’s worth mentioning that Honma is the only golf-gear manufacturer that builds its own shafts in-house, one hundred percent, from start to finish that is, which means the XP-1 driver comes with its own/perfectly custom designed and built shaft, which works in harmony (holistically, ok?) with the cutting edge technology built into the heads. The ultra-light Vizard stock shafts are built to deliver a buttery soft and smooth feel, and that will definitely promote faster speeds while making zero compromises in terms of stability. The XP-1 driver from Honma comes with matching Vizard shafts in weights of 43g, 53g, and 63g, and flexes from senior to stiff.

Moving along with our story, next in line we have the Honma XP-1 fairway woods, which are also crafted to perfection and meticulous attention to detail as their driver-brethren, and are designed for use both off the fairway and off the tee. In order to save weight, Honma’s Research and Development department chose the same ET-40 crown, the ultra-light variety, in order to promote the best possible launch and also spin consistency. By using carbon crown and saving weight, Honma’s engineers managed to achieve everything they wished for from the other technologies (the thin fast face and the double slot sole) but without having to make compromises in terms to overall design, and we’re speaking about the entire club, not just the head. As excpeted, the nex XP-1 fairway woods boast made-in-Sakata, Japan 43g, 53g, and 63g Vizard shaft options, and due to the holistic approach of designing the entire club (from head to grip) in house, the new fairway woods from Honma come with an obvious advantage compared to other OEMs, which is also a big benefit for the customers looking to get the most out of their gear.

The Honma XP-1 hybrid is everything about out-of-this-world forgiveness and flow, featuring a low-as-possible center of gravity and a wood-like shape for higher launch and approach shots that land incredibly softer and fly higher; needless to say, the wood like shape works great in terms of boosting confidence, and that’s a big advantage if you consider the target-customer for the XP-1 line.

And here’s the best news for our readers: starting with October 1st, the XP-1 line is available for purchasing online and in-store as it follows: the drivers retail for $599.99 MSRP, the fairway woods for $299.99, the hybrids for $249.99, and, finally, the irons cost $199.99 and $174.99 per club in graphite/steel respectively. The standard configuration for men is 5-11 and for women 6-SW.