Honma Golf Clubs: Play Like Royalty

The world’s priciest golf clubs are a made by a brand most people have never heard of and will probably never play.
Some of the premium irons and woods made by Honma Golf Company Ltd. are inlayed with platinum and 24-karat gold. But that is not why players pay $25,000 or more for a set plus $2,000 or so for the accompanying bag.
Each Honma club is hand-crafted from precious woods, titanium, steel, graphite or composites, depending on the club type. Each may take six months to build at the company plant in Yamagata, which is north of  Tokyo, Japan. Supposedly 50 craftsmen work on each club in a process involving more than 150 steps. The results speak for themselves. Purportedly, Honma drivers can add 20, 30 or 50 yards to any golfer’s tee shot. Thin, wide-faced irons hit true and long. And the putters are venerated for their lethal accuracy.
Given such performance, it may be surprising that Honma is not well known in the U.S. That’s because Honma marketing is practically non-existent, except for a few appearances at golf events and tradeshows.
Word-of-mouth at country clubs combined with limited availability and sky-high price tags have been enough to position Honma as the brand for people who can afford the very best. Actor Jack Nicholson, retired baseball player Roger Clemens, pop star Marc Anthony and tycoon Donald Trump reportedly are devotees. In Japan, Honma golf clubs are perhaps the most prestigious gifts that top business executives can give or receive. According to Travel + Leisure magazine, the Japanese appreciate Honma’s attention to detail in the same way they would a sand garden or a perfectly pruned bonsai tree. This year, Honma celebrates its 50th anniversary with a limited edition set of its “Five Star” woods, irons and a persimmon mallet putter, complete with leather caddy bag and club covers for only $27,500. …source