Crafted, Rare, Remarkable: The Clubs That Define True Golf Artistry

Photos courtesy of Honma

Words: Michael LoRé

Golf isn’t just a game. It’s a passion. It’s a never-ending pursuit for perfection. It’s quality time with family and friends. It’s a respite from the grind. It’s a breath of fresh air.

For high-end, luxury equipment manufacturers like Honma and Miura, golf is a form of art.

These Takumi or expert craftsmen express their appreciation for the game through meticulous attention to detail, Samurai-like discipline, steady hands and an unwavering dedication to their craft.

“Honma has always been unique because of how it’s positioned at the intersection of true craftsmanship and modern performance,” said Taylor Hull, Honma North America Director of Sales. “Every club is still designed and built in Sakata, Japan by master artisans who treat clubmaking as an art, not a production line.”

“That level of precision and attention to detail is very rare today in golf club production.”

Honma traces its roots to 1959 when Yukihiro and Hiro Honma opened a driving range and repair centre in Yokohama, Japan. Viewing golf clubs as Picasso would an empty canvas or Beethoven a blank sheet music, the Honma brothers developed a reputation for engineering and crafting luxury golf clubs, balancing beauty and performance. These products were as much a work of art to be preserved as they were equipment to be used to play a game.

As they started manufacturing the first sets of Honma-branded clubs in 1963, another aspiring Takumi, early 600 miles away in Himeji, Japan began his journey to launch an equally respected and successful luxury golf club manufacturer. Born in 1942, Katsuhiro Miura started his career as a club craftsman when he was 15. He founded Miura Manufacturing Co Ltd. in February 1977.

 Today, these Japanese brands are like the Rolls-Royce and Bentley of the luxury golf club industry. Popular in Japan and Asia, both have gone global over the last decade with their eyes fixated on the North American market where golf is more popular than ever, especially in the United States.

More than 47 million Americans age 6+ played both on- and off-course golf in 2024, according to the National Golf Foundation. Because of the game’s skyrocketing popularity as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the North American golf club market was responsible for 45.1 percent of the $4.05 billion global golf club market in 2024. The global market is expected to reach $4.83 billion by 2030, according to a Grand View Research report.

While popular industry-leading OEMs like Callaway, Ping, TaylorMade and Titleist continue to mass produce new equipment on a yearly basis in a golf club arms race to meet unprecedented demand, Honma and Miura maintain their own pace, practising patience and discipline as they blend beauty and performance. Like a master craftsman painstakingly going over every detail of a forged iron Samurai sword, the club-making process can typically take between two to five years from concept to final production. A single set of clubs may pass through the hands of dozens of experts, each responsible for a precise stage of production from forging and shaping to weighting.

Using premium soft carbon steel (S20C) as raw material for their irons, Miura craftsmen heat the measured billet to 1,200 degrees before a first strike compresses the billet into a flat shape, which allows the material to be placed easily in a die. A proprietary Miura process forges the club head without a hosel attached, allowing craftsmen to manipulate grain structure and create the iconic Miura look and feel.

Materials for Honma products are driven by performance and feel, whether it’s ultra-premium titanium, specialised carbon or advanced alloys. Complemented by 14-carat gold and platinum like in the 5-Star Men’s Beres 09 set, Honma clubs balance beauty and performance like a luxury sportscar.

“The engineering and design process behind a set of Honma clubs is measured in years, not months,” Hull said. Balancing beauty and performance is central to Honma’s philosophy. A club must inspire confidence at address while delivering consistency and feel at impact.

“For Honma, aesthetics is not decoration, it’s performance engineering executed at the highest level.”

That’s why Honma and Miura clubs are some of the most expensive on the market today. The Honma Beres 7 Star Fuji Limited Edition - Masterpiece Collection costs $399,800 while the Beres 08’ Aizu Limited Edition Series costs $236,800. Miura irons like the KM-700 go for $400 each with small batches upwards of $450 apiece.

Despite the eye-dropping prices, demand for luxury golf clubs remains strong, especially in the U.S. and Asia. Approximately 65-70 percent of all Beres sales are women’s clubs, reflecting the demand for ultra-premium, lightweight, high-performance equipment blending luxury and performance.

“Across both markets the luxury segment continues to outperform expectations, driven by golfers who view equipment not just as tools, but as an extension of personal style,” Hull said.