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Hiro Honma hand-built his first persimmon wood over 50 years ago, and over the years Honma’s Japanese craftsmen and women have perfected the art of making golf clubs, and the carbon graphite shafts which power them. A GOOD FIT Honma Showroom Opens At St Andrews Golf CompanyScotland’s oldest clubmaker has opened a Honma showroom at its store in St Andrews. The St Andrews Golf Company will market a full range of the Japanese brand’s golf equipment at its 8 Golf Place store in the historic town, close to The Old Course, and will offer a complete Honma custom fit & assembly service from its nearby Largoward facility. In the new showroom, golfers will find a display containing Honma’s latest S-03 range of woods and irons, plus the Tour World series of clubs and a selection of Honma bags, wedges and putters. UK distributor, Vincent Thibault. “Ewan and his team at St Andrews Golf Company are highly impressive, and are world-class when it comes to dealing with golfers who demand the very best. “Located just a few steps from the final green on the world’s most famous golf course, our new Honma showroom is in the perfect location, and we anticipate great interest in our ultrahigh-performance Honma equipment from golfers from all parts of the world, when they make their pilgrimage to St Andrews. “Of course, the St Andrews Golf Company is also a long-term and highly trusted supplier for many golfers who live in the region, and “Honma and St Andrews Golf Co are a this is an important new location for good fit together” said St Andrews Golf Honma in the domestic market too” he Company CEO, Ewan Glen. “We have said. both been around a very long time – in our case 134 years, in Honma’s 56 years To see the Honma showroom at St Andrews Golf Company, visit the – and we both have a passion for the store at 8 Golf Place, St Andrews, old and the new. Fife KY16 9JA, Scotland, or call +44 “Just like Honma, our experts hand(0)1334 840860. There is a website craft golf equipment to exacting at www.standrewsgolfco.com and standards to ensure that our customers the contact email address is info@ walk away with the absolute best that standrewsgolfco.com. Golfers can money can buy. I see a great future for also visit the company’s customthis exciting new partnership”. fitting facility at 20 St Andrews Road, Largoward, Fife KY9 1HZ, Scotland. “We could not be happier that there is now a significant presence for Honma at the Home of Golf ” said the firm’s Golfer Magazine | Page 36 Honma’s meticulous approach is illustrated in every stage of a golf club’s life. No compromise is made at any stage, from initial design, through a manufacturing process in which at least 100 Honma craftsmen and women handle each club, to final checking and testing. Every single club is inspected by eye before it leaves Honma’s giant Sakata facility in northern Japan. Using state-of-the-art clubmaking technology, and the finest highperformance materials available, Honma Master Craftsmen add a uniquely human factor – decades of experience in the fine art of the golf club – to every piece of equipment the company produces. When you pick up a Honma golf club, you can be secure in the knowledge that skilled Japanese clubmakers have worked at length to craft it into the optimal piece of golf equipment. Honma golf equipment sells throughout the UK at a select group of expert custom-fitters and clubmakers. Honma wedges and individual irons are available from £225, with putters from £325, utility clubs from £375 and fairway woods from £505. Drivers start at £910 and sets of Honma irons are available from £1,275. Honma’s Star grading system enables golfers to select their preferred grade of carbon graphite shaft along with additional customisation options including head colour, shaft colour and the addition of 24 Karat gold and PT1000 platinum detailing and weights. 5-Star Honma drivers and fairway woods retail for £5,095 per club, with 5-Star Honma irons starting at £26,995 for a set of six clubs. www.honma.co.uk Golfer Magazine | Page 37