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It is the construction of the new TR20 drivers from Honma that first turns heads. That’s because these clubs employ a full carbon clamshell body (crown and sole) and a titanium frame that allows engineers from the equipment maker to maximize weight distribution.
According to Chris McGinley, general manager of Honma North America, its design puts metal only where it is absolutely needed and makes the TR20 “speed efficient,” an attribute that translates into greater distance on tee shots.
In addition, company technicians say they have strategically located three adjustable weights in the back, front and heel of the TR20 to optimize the center of gravity for three different types of performance: high moment of inertia, low spin or draw bias.
“It’s like we have created three different drivers in one because we can create three individual ball flights with one clubhead,” said McGinley.
Another feature of the Honma are the Vizard shafts that it manufactures in Japan – and that boast a precisely oriented spine for “impact repeatability.” In other clubs, these components might command upcharges of as much $300. But they come standard in the TR20s.
The TR20 is offered in two versions – a full-profile, 460cc clubhead that is deeper front-to-back with a swept crown, and a 440cc model that has a more compact shape and sits higher in the back. Each driver has base lofts of 8.5, 9.5 and 10.5 degrees that can be manipulated up or down by 1 degree through a patented, non-rotating hosel system.