Equipment
Just like Tiger: Justin Rose-designed Rose Proto MB irons from Honma now available at retail
The Honma Tour World 747 Rose Proto MB irons, the muscleback blade irons built with Justin Rose’s input, are now available at retail.
It's the second set of irons designed exclusively for a top player to be introduced to the public in as many weeks, following TaylorMade's release last week of the Tiger Woods custom P7TW irons.
Rose, who signed with the Japan-based, high-end brand at the start of the year, won with the custom-designed blades at the Farmers Insurance Open in January and has used the irons in every event he’s played this year.
“The idea of having a hand in the collaborative design process for my set of clubs was extremely exciting,” Rose said. “Working with the Honma master craftsmen to create an iron that felt and looked great for me was one of the biggest thrills of my career.”
The Tour World 747 Rose Proto is what the company called a muscleback blade “with aggressive styling.” Honma is known for its craftsman approach to club shaping and design, and Rose worked closely with Honma’s in-house experts in forged iron design. Rose told Golf Digest earlier this year, “The collaborative process of making these irons was so much fun. I was able to make them look and feel like my own, which I think is awesome.”
According to Honma officials, Rose’s collaboration on the irons design “took several months of testing and modifying before coming to a final shape and construction.”
“Going into this, we knew how particular and discerning Justin is and we had a feeling he’d be interested in contributing to the design of his clubs,” said Honma’s chief marketing officer John Kawaja. “Justin and our craftsmen worked together seamlessly, and we’re thrilled for the golfing community to experience what Justin did.”
The Tour World 747 Rose Proto MBs feature distinctive shaping that includes an angled channel in the back that cuts from heel to toe across the back of the club, separating the thinner top section from the full muscleback shaping in the lower section. The heads feature progressive offset that ranges from less than one millimeter in the 10-iron (46-degree pitching wedge) to nearly three millimeters in the 3-iron (21 degrees). The Rose Proto MBs are forged from a single piece of S20C mild carbon steel. The irons’ centers of gravity vary subtly in height and distance from the hosel to provide Rose’s preferred control and trajectory.
The TW 747 Rose Proto MB irons come in a seven-club standard set (4- through 10-iron), with a 3-iron available for separate purchase ($175 per club).