Honma TR20 460 Driver Review
Honma TR20 460 driver.
The Honma TR20 460 driver — along with its smaller 440 cousin — gained a lot of notoriety in early 2020 that has continued into later months. Packing familiar tech in a name less common brand among American golfers, the Honma TR20 460 driver is an overall solid option for this spot in your bag.
Honma TR20 Driver Background and Tech
The main selling point of the Honma TR20 driver is their TiCarbon Fast Frame Technology; a combination of chassis and crown construction focused on generating clubhead and ball speed. This includes a titanium frame matched with a carbon body that allows Honma’s engineers more freedom with weight placement throughout the clubhead.
Three weight ports are present on the sole of the club, allowing you to fine-tune your launch conditions by moving mass where you need it most. While this is a feature common in similar products, Honma’s take is subtle yet effective as the weights blend nicely into the overall aesthetic of the design. Weights range from 3g to 9g in weight, with additional options available for purchase from the brand.
An internal vertical groove combines with variable face thickness to boost ball speed, even on off-center hits. The effectiveness of this tech, which is seen in competitors in some form or fashion, remains contingent on the quality of impact, in my opinion.
The most impressive — if not unique — feature is Honma’s non-rotating hosel. While not new to the brand by any means, this is a take on adjustability that I’ve not seen in competing drivers. There’s nothing more annoying than adjusting a driver setting to then find your grip out of alignment. Honma’s non-rotating hosel eliminates this annoyance, albeit in a function that will take some getting used to.
Thankfully, Honma includes an “owners manual” to explain the many different settings, which include open, closed, flat, and upright settings. Of course, a healthy range of loft options are a few clicks away as well.
Appearance, Performance and Feel
In terms of appearance at address, the Honma TR20 460 driver is gorgeous. There’s nothing more appealing to my eye than a clean, black driver crown with minimal (or no) graphics. The Honma offering features a blank appearance with no alignment markings, which is a subtle feature I have always preferred. Graphics on the sole are modern yet minimal, absent of annoying color choices that distract more than attract. Very well done.
At impact, the Honma TR20 460 produces a crisp, loud sound that changes in pitch depending on location of strike on the clubface. Drives hit on the sweet spot are pleasant and muted, while miss-hits offer the appropriate amount of feedback in your hands and to your ears.
Driver performance was more positive in terms of accuracy and launch than distance in my experience. While the Honma TR20 460 driver was no slouch in terms of carry yardage compared to my gamer, I did not notice anything earth-shattering in this category. Of course, keeping the ball on the fairway offers a ton of benefits (including more distance), and this driver was incredibly easy to hit consistently.
Honma’s Vizard stock shaft option gave me some trouble during my first few swings. An offering I’ve not tried before, the shaft is definitely different in terms of kick and flex than my gamer. It feels solid, by all means, and is available in three weight options (50g, 60g, and 70g); however a fair amount of tinkering was required to find the right club set-up for me.
Overall, the Honma TR20 460 driver is an option that holds its own in a highly competitive market. Forgiveness and accuracy were the highlights for me, and with a proper fitting and shaft profile I am confident I could squeeze a few more yards out of this driver.
For more information, visit the Honma Golf website here.
