Honma T//World TR20 Irons Review

Honma’s Japanese forged irons have always been lauded for their looks, feel and and performance – but how do the new Honma TR20 irons perform, and which model is right for your game? 

Over recent years Honma have benefitted from significant exposure on tour, so much so equipment free agent Sergio Garcia has put one of the best Honma iron sets (and a Honma driver) in his bag this year.

Three new iron models – TR20 B, V and P – now cover off every desire of decent players: The TR20 B (Sergio’s choice) is a one-piece muscleback blade; the V is a traditional players’ iron (one-piece forged), with a thin top edge, narrow sole and small cavity back; and the P is a multi-material iron with fast face technology to chase speed and distance in a player-shaped chassis.

And in a brand new step Honma are actively encouraging golfers to mix-and-match between all three to create their own perfect combo-set. This is how they compare against each other and some of our favourite leading forged iron models of 2020.

RELATED: Tested – Best Forged Irons 2020

Honma T//World TR20 P iron

7-iron loft: 30°

What you need to know about the Honma TR20 P iron

The Honma TR20 P is a multi-material iron with fast face technology to chase speed and distance in a player-shaped chassis.

If ball speed, carry and a forged feel are top of the list for your next set of irons, the Honma TR20 P should absolutely be screaming out to you. The Honma TR20 P is very much a match for the TaylorMade P790, Mizuno MP-20 HMB and Callaway Apex Pro 19. 

RELATED: Best Players’ Distance Irons 2020

What Honma say about the TR20 P iron 

The TR20 P are a true player’s distance iron with game improvement playability. Each head has a forged S35C steel body with an L-cup face for increased ball speeds and a tungsten weighted pocket cavity to create speed-enhancing forgiveness on off centre strikes. A low centre of gravity and high MOI gives a high launch and longer carries.

TR20 irons have been designed to allow golfers to build the perfect set by blending forgiving P long irons with the more compact V short irons.

Verdict: Honma TR20 P iron

This year, forged iron fans are spoilt for choice as high profile launches have appeared from all the major brands. It doesn’t matter if you want musclebacks, tour-level cavity backs or forged distance irons, there’s something for everyone in 2021. And credit where credit’s due – Honma have preached this sort of multi-pronged forged iron story for years.

The TR20s are the latest in a long line of lovely forged Honma irons. And if you’re the sort of golfer who swears fast face irons are inconsistent, the TR20 P will blow that thinking apart (see our drop-off data here).

The P dropped just 3.9% of ball speed (fourth best), 10.6% of backspin (third) and 10 yards of carry (sixth) between on- and off-centre hits, all from a really desirable head shape that was also our fifth-longest players distance iron. If you find yourself undecided between the TR20 P and the weaker lofted (no fast face) TR20 V, our pro carried the P 7-iron seven – eight yards further each time we’ve tested the pair.

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WATCH: Best 2022 Players’ Distance Iron video

Honma T//World TR20 P iron specs

Honma T//World TR20 V iron

7-iron loft: 32°

What you need to know about the Honma TR20 V iron

If you really are a decent ball striker who’s not overly concerned with maxing out distance, the Honma TR20 V are absolutely beautiful, our test pro loved the head shape, feel, feedback and sound, but they are likely to cost you around eight yards of carry with a 7-iron compared to the Honma TR20 P.

In our book, the simple, elegant design is timeless and will be just as desirable a decade from now.

RELATED: Should be playing the Honma TR21X iron?

What Honma say about the TR20 V iron 

Created for golfers seeking a better player preferred blade length (shorter), the TR20 V iron is forged from the finest soft S20C carbon steel and incorporates a modern cavity back design.

Built in strong but playable lofts, TR20 V irons feature a Honma mole logo in the cavity as an emblem of uncompromised forging heritage, something that Honma prides itself on.

WATCH: Best 2022 Players’ Iron video

Verdict: Honma TR20 V iron

Honma forged irons have turned our heads over the last few years. Not only have they always been really attractive and offered great feel, but there’s lots of options to choose from, as Honma never take a one-size-fits-all approach to forged irons.

We love how we can mix and match between the three TR20 sets (B; Blade, V; Player iron and P; Players Distance iron). It means a decent fitter can create your own perfect combo set. The V is a really simple and attractive head, there’s no fluffy tech story, just a great-shaped Japanese forging.

Pick your long and mid irons carefully as our test pro saw a 15 yard carry distance difference between the V and P 5-iron during testing.

Honma T//World TR20 V iron specs

Honma T//World TR20 B iron

7-iron loft: 34°

What you need to know about the Honma TR20 B iron

If you absolutely insist your game is only suited to musclebacks (only 10 percent of tour pros do), then blades don’t come much better than the Honma TR20 B.

Our pro loved the high toe shape and lack of offset (similar to what you’ll find on all three TR20 irons); they’re the traits very good players cherish.

There’s no escaping how small and intimidating the long irons are, though. Like a lot of tour pros, you might want to consider a combo set with a more forgiving long iron set up.

RELATED: How good is the Honma TR20 driver?

WATCH: Best 2021 Muscleback Blade video

Verdict: Honma TR20 B iron

Honma’s relationship with former world No.1 Justin Rose might be a distant memory, but we reckon the Englishman has left a chunk of himself behind in the type of iron shape he likes to look at in the TR20 B. The shaping means there’s a typical Japanese high toe/low heel shape which blade fans cherish, plus a S20C Japanese forged head (which isn’t a common material) to heighten feedback.   

There’s lots of talk around the blade length of decent player irons right now. The thinking is that longer toe-to-heel dimensions boost forgiveness a little, so while the TR20 B are a little longer, the difference in face height at the toe and heel is there to help create a little draw bias assistance, too.

If any part of you is thinking you need a set of musclebacks, our test session data with the TR20 reveals how tough they are to live with. The higher-lofted B gives up 3.2mph (2.6%) of ball speed to Honma’s players’ V model and 4.9mph (3.9%) to the more distance-orientated P (players’ distance).

And just because the B has the most loft doesn’t mean it flights shots highest, with the most backspin (stopping power) – it doesn’t. As beautifully crafted as the Bs are, you’d be giving up four yards and 10 yards of 7-iron carry to the V and P respectively.

For most of us that’s hard to justify for looks and increased workability alone.

Honma T//World TR20 B iron specs

How they compare to other leading forged iron models

Honma TR20 irons: Verdict

What stands out for us right now is how Honma’s forged irons (Honma have always positioned themselves as a premium brand) actually look like reasonable value for money when compared to the competition. We never thought we’d say it, but a set of any of the three TR20 irons will set you back £1,225, which is less than some major brands’ full-on forged alternatives.

Based on this performance, if you’re considering forged players’ irons in 2020 and beyond, turning a blind eye to Honma’s growing reputation and range, whether they’re used on Tour or not, means you will be missing out.

Read next: Best Irons 2020

Review written by: Simon Daddow   

Job title: Today’s Golfer – Equipment Editor

Details: Honma T//World TR20 P iron

RRP: £1,225

Availability: 5 - 10 (PW), 11 (GW)

Construction: S35C body (with tungsten weight), MS300 L-cup face

7-iron loft: 30°

Stock shaft: Nippon Modus3 / Nippon NS950GH Neo / Honma Vizard TR65

Stock grip: Golf Pride TR M60X

Details: Honma T//World TR20 V iron

RRP: £1,225

Availability: 4 - 10 (PW), 11 (GW)

Construction: One-piece forged S20C steel

7-iron loft: 32°

Stock shaft: Nippon Modus3 / Nippon NS950GH Neo / Honma Vizard IB-WF100

Stock grip: Golf Pride TR M60X

Details: Honma T//World TR20 B iron

RRP: £1,225

Availability: 3 - 10 (PW)

Construction: One-piece forged S20C steel

7-iron loft: 34°