Honma

This fairway-wood line is designed for golfers with average and slower swing speeds (what the company calls “improving golfers”). The GS stands for “gain speed”, and one way to increase ball speed is to have the face flex more. Cutting an opening in the front of the sole is one way to achieve that. The slot allows the sole to give at impact in concert with the face. That’s especially helpful for shots hit low on the face (precisely where most fairway-wood strikes occur). Honma does a good job of that here, but with a twist (or more specifically, with a “crank”). The slot is shaped somewhat like a crank rod in that it bends and gets wider at the heel and toe. In addition to helping those low-face shots launch with more speed, the idea is to contribute more flex at those weaker, off-centre spots that need an extra boost the most. The design also enhances the way the face’s curvature brings mis-hits back towards your target line. One more thing these fairway woods do to help average golfers: internal weighting is positioned more towards the rear for overall stability and towards the heel to help reduce the likelihood of a slice, which might be what average golfers need the most. 

LOFTS 15, 16.5, 18, 21