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If you’ve been following the golf club scene, then you might have caught wind of Japanese golf clubs. Known for their razor sharp precision and extreme attention to detail, the Japanese have pierced through the global golf gear industry with clubs that claim to be a cut above the rest. Although there might be a few skeptics out there, the vast patronage that Japanese domestic market (JDM) golf products has accumulated proves that there’s truth to the Asian manufacturers’ claims.
Slightly pricier than the average USDM club, Japanese golf clubs showcase precision anatomy that promises to improve your game. Today, the best Japanese golf clubs are considered no less than a premium investment for any dedicated golfer’s growing arsenal of world-class gear.
The Japanese culture is one that ties in closely with traditional forging technique. Demonstrating their capacity and skill in the arena of metalwork, Japan’s forging process dates back to ancient times when samurai swords were still a thing. Able to produce precise clubs that are fabricated for optimal loft, lie, and everything in between, JDM golf clubs work to max out your performance through the most minute changes.
But what specifically makes Japanese golf clubs particularly impressive?
Most USDM golf clubs are made by a process of casting. This involves injecting molten material into molds, creating the desired shape of both club head and shaft. On the other hand, JDM golf gear is mainly produced through the process of forging. Material is subject to heat and mechanical energy to shape the ingots in their solid state.
Well, it’s definitely a nice little bit of trivia. But what does that mean in a practical sense? The golf club hosel will typically use a material that can’t be subject to high pressure. During the process of casting, the hosel and club head need to be fabricated at the same time. Because of how this affects the resilience of the material, there’s no way to fine tune the shape of the head or face post-casting since the process would require high pressure which the hosel wouldn’t be able to sustain.
This is opposed to forging which allows Japanese manufacturers to optimize the shape, size, and curves of the club face under high heat and pressure while detached from the hosel. As forging lets workers fabricate the head and hosel separately, there’s more room to create more precise curves and contours through high pressure and heat after which the fragile hosel can be attached.
Any golfer knows that the resonating pang of a ball against a club head can make up a large chunk of the satisfaction of using a club. It’s this feedback that provides a player the vital information they need in order to learn and improve their swing, allowing more precise, fine-tuned performance the next time they make address.
Japanese golf clubs are made from soft steel shafts and high carbon heads that readily flex yet resonate with amplified feedback during the hit. The stronger sound and more palpable feel can strike well with more advanced players who appreciate their club communicating with them during the hit.
With the typical USDM golf clubs, you would have to go to a fitter to find out the kind of loft and lie that would suit your play. But with a Japanese golf club, that’s not the case. These are forged clubs, which means that they can be adjusted and adapted to new specifications anytime you deem it necessary. So if a golf club arrives on your doorstep and it turns out not to match your play, you can have it adjusted for loft and lie as necessary.
Letting you adapt your club to your ever changing skills, Japanese golf clubs can change and evolve with your level of expertise. So as you outgrow more forgiving specifics in favor of professional level design, you can just take your Japanese golf clubs to a specialist that can adjust its anatomy.
Step onto the golf club market and you’ll find that most USDM club manufacturers will release a new club every few months or so. That said, whatever club you might have in your possession will easily lose its value over time. In fact, a brand new club might easily lose about 50% of its initial cost just a half a year into its use. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles with US golf gear.
The same can’t be said for Japanese clubs, however. There’s a particular artisan quality to Japanese golf clubs, and they’re not so easily replaced by newer models. On the contrary, they’re given even greater value as they age, which also answers the question ‘why are Japanese golf clubs so expensive?’ They’re treated as collectibles and investments, earning greater value over time. So while a typical club might be doomed for the dumpsite; expensive Japanese golf clubs deserve to be mounted on a wall.
Just as there are standout USDM golf club brands, so too are there Japanese names that light up the golf club market. The most prominent would have to be Miura. Creator of elite forged golf clubs, the Miura brand is one of the few manufacturers that’s capable of forging club heads and hosels separately. They place each distinct part through carefully calculated production phases that aim for precision golf club anatomy.
Honma is another worthy mention, prominent as a premium golf club manufacturer based in Sakata, Japan. Producing nothing short of the finest golf clubs in the industry, many golfers will typically tag Honma as the Rolex of golf club brands. Their custom-made clubs are some of the finest performers on the course. Also they have been known to incorporate premium materials like gold into their clubs, explaining their steep price tag.
Forged to perfection, the Miura Tour Series Chrome Wedges were designed not for distance, but precision. The carefully fabricated head and face are contoured and shaped to allow accurate spin control. Milling on the face and grooves in combination with a hollow back head, it will cup the ball and launch in forward with supreme control and exactness. Inside the club head, these clubs are equipped with the tightest grain in the industry. The result is centered impact each and every time, correcting mishits and allowing even the least experienced of beginners to enjoy professional level play.
Impeccably shaped, the Miura Tour Series Chrome Wedge was intended to hit your ball at any lie without sacrificing accuracy and control. Forged through Miura’s distinct spin forge technique - that binds together head and hosel through friction. This one of a kind club works hard to deserve its eye popping price tag.
Intended to launch your ball far and fast, the Mizuno JPX919 Forged Golf Iron Set touts an oversized area of minimum face thickness compared to many other irons on the market. For you, this means faster ball speeds on a much wider sweet spot, working to thrust your ball towards the putting green with far lower risk of mishits. At the heel, the clubs demonstrate an open design that improves ball stability during impact and launch. This nifty little design addition also works wonders to enhance the sound and feel of the collision for better feedback.
Using a similar technology to Miura, the Mizuno JPX919 uses grain flow forging that increases the density of the material in the head. This tight grain works to max out the power of the impact area, increasing the club’s coefficient of restitution. Or simply its ability to impart energy on the golf ball during collision. Beautifully done in a pearl brush finish, these clubs are as good at performing on the course as they look and feel in the hand.
Often dubbed the best Japanese golf driver, the Mizuno MP-650 Driver steps onto the scene with beautiful symmetry and powerful anatomy that commands attention. Its polished 450cc head is slightly open, and equipped with a deeper center of gravity that launches the ball far and fast, flying at a low yet workable trajectory. Inside the head, two intuitively positioned weights create neutral to slight fade trajectory even without the skill behind the club.
The Mizuno MP-650 Driver features a 5-layer multi thickness face that provides impeccable feedback during the strike. Its oversized, massive sweet spot corrects mishits for straight, steady, and consistent flight regardless of your level of expertise. All together, these features work for your benefit, giving you both control and distance straight off of the tee.
To the Japanese, there’s beauty in artisan clubs that are forged with careful thought and precision. Unlike mass produced, cast golf clubs, these designs showcase the power, speed, and accuracy of a carefully crafted club, helping players step up their game through thoughtful and deliberate club forging technique.
There are lots of models out there that claim to be the best of the best Japanese golf clubs, but our research has found the Miura Tour Series Chrome Wedges to be the cream of the crop. Marrying beautiful design with high level performance, these wedges don’t only make suitable companions for the course, but ingenious investments for many years down the line.
