What Are the Best Japanese Golf Clubs and Brands?
Photo by Daxiao Productions
Are you looking to learn more about the best Japanese golf club brands? If so, you’re in the right spot.
Playing the right type of golf clubs for your game can make a massive difference in shooting your best scores. But do a quick search for a new driver, irons, wedges, or putters and it’s easy to get overwhelmed with the endless choices.
Some of the biggest names in golf include Callaway, Titleist, Ping, Cobra, and TaylorMade. But there are plenty of smaller brands — oftentimes Japanese brands — that make incredible equipment. Even if they don’t have the popularity of the Big Five I just mentioned, they can do wonders for your game.
After playing golf since the late 90s and becoming a plus handicap, one thing I can’t say enough is that clubs matter. You need to play clubs that are right for you, regardless of brand.
I’ll recap some of the best Japanese brands, showcasing their incredible craftsmanship and some top clubs from them to see how they can improve your game.
5 Best Japanese Golf Club Brands
The five brands mentioned above have the largest marketing budget, which is why you’ve probably heard of them more often. They run commercials all the time on TV and endorse the biggest names in the game.
But when you look past those five brands, you’ll find other Japanese brands that sometimes make superior equipment. Oftentimes, they develop a cult-like following among players — both amateurs and professionals.
One of those is Mizuno, which is a good place to start on this list.
1. Mizuno Golf
Photo by Mizuno Golf
Mizuno is arguably the most well-known Japanese brand of golf clubs and the gold standard for irons. As long as I’ve been playing golf, they’ve been synonymous with making incredible equipment — specifically, forged blade irons. However, they do make some incredible woods, wedges, and putters.
Mizuno Golf has a rich history in Japan and originally started out making baseball equipment in the early 1900s. In 1933, Mizuno opened a small factory near Osaka, Japan, and started producing golf equipment. Pretty quickly, they became known as a brand that produced high-quality golf clubs and shipped them to Europe in the 1970s.
What separated Mizuno from other golf brands was their impressive forging process, which provides greater consistency in the design. This results in more predictable shot patterns on the course — something all players want.
Mizuno’s grain flow forging process is one of the most extensive processes in golf. They use one piece of steel that gets heated to 1200°C before being stretched and forming the head/hosel. Then a master Mizuno operator (who must have at least three years of experience) will further control the thickness of the club. Operators have to work a total of eight years under the watch of a master operator before they are allowed to do this process alone.
Needless to say, a lot of thought goes into these clubs, and it is easy to see why Tiger played a Mizuno set early in his career. Now, they’re one of the most trusted names in golf and have expanded their product lineup for more options for amateur golfers.
Some of my favorite Mizuno products that I can’t recommend enough include:
Learn more about the best Mizuno Golf Gear now.
2. Honma Golf
Honma is another prominent Japanese golf company that has also developed a huge following in the last decade. But despite their relatively recent popularity, they’ve been making clubs for a long time. The company was founded inside a small workshop in Yokohama in 1959.
What makes them unique compared to other brands is that they control every step of the process, from design all the way to in-house production, for absolute quality control.
The first golf club from Honma was released in 1962 and started mass production the following year. In the 1970s, they introduced black carbon graphite and black shaft-installed woods for professional golfers (the first of their kind). In the 1980s they moved to Sakata, Japan, where they still produce equipment today.
After primarily making equipment for professionals, the brand became more mainstream in the last 20 years with the Honma Beres Series and Tour World Series. Like early Mizuno designs, they were geared toward more serious golfers, not everyday amateurs.
But in 2016 they released the Be Zeal Series, which appeals to entry-level golfers and younger players who want a premium design. They’re a lot more forgiving than previous models and still have the signature Honma look.
Unfortunately, they don’t have as big of a footprint in golf stores in the USA (but hopefully will soon), so I haven’t hit a ton of clubs. However, the irons I have seen in person and hit on the driving range are gorgeous and warrant the higher price tag. Some top picks include:
- Honma TW757 irons
- Honma Beres NX irons
3. XXIO Golf
Photo courtesy of XXIO
XXIO is another Japanese manufacturer and one you’ve probably heard about because of their recent surge in popularity. The name comes from the Roman numeral for 21 (XXI) and the letter O, which in Japanese means “King” and is short for “On” (referring to the term onward. According to their website, this translates to “Push Onward as the King of the 21st Century,” which I have to say is a pretty awesome name.
The company, which is pronounced ZEKS-E-OH, is a part of Dunlop, which produced early equipment including tennis and golf balls. Dunlop has been in business since the late 1800s, but XXIO didn’t get their start until 2000. They now own other popular brands including Cleveland Golf and Srixon. XXIO is known as the “brother brand” of Srixon.
What’s impressive about XXIO clubs is that despite being only 24 years old, they’ve dominated the Japanese market share. While your favorite PGA Tour pro might not be playing them, they’ve enjoyed a ton of success with amateurs and some pros across Europe and in Asia.
Like the other brands I’ve mentioned, they make premium clubs at a premium price. Some of their drivers cost $800, while a set of irons can cost $200 or more (for reference, this is 30%-50% higher than the Big Five brands mentioned in the intro). If you’re looking for budget clubs, these aren’t the ones for you.
However, like most things in golf and life, you get what you pay for. These premium golf clubs are now focused on amateur golfers who want lightweight, forgiving designs. A lot of their equipment targets the biggest issues golfers face, like hitting a slice and needing more distance.
A lot of their clubs have extremely lightweight designs, which can increase swing speed, and they are draw biased to help you hit it straighter and stay out of trouble on the golf course.
Some of my favorite designs include:
For a more in depth explanation of XXIO's golf gear, check out this guide.
4. Miura
Miura is another Japanese golf brand that had to make this list. Like others, I’ve mentioned, they are all about quality control and making premium golf clubs. They are known for making some of the best-looking and best-feeling golf clubs out there.
When Katsuhiro Miura started making clubs in the late 1950s, Miura clubs got their start as a family business. Like Mizuno, they have an extensive forging process. They originally started with irons but have also expanded to creating high-quality wedges and putters as well.
Each club is handmade. Their website states that they never set out with a goal to be the biggest golf club manufacturer in the world. They didn’t want to get into mass distribution or change their approach, as it could sacrifice the quality of their equipment.
They want to always honor their family name by bringing the highest-quality clubs to the market. Unfortunately, they do not make any drivers, fairway woods, or hybrids. But Miura irons and wedges are no doubt some of the best in the business.
Some of the top picks include:
- Miura CB-302 irons
- Miura K-Grind 2.0 wedges
5. VEGA Golf
VEGA is a Japanese brand with a rich history and was the first to produce a forged cavity back iron. According to their website, the brand is named after what is said to be the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra and is thought of as the most important star after the sun.
According to their website, the first golf course built in Japan was in Kobe, which was known for their impressive metal work. Specifically, the forging of Samurai swords, which has a similar process to their irons.
In 2011, VEGA was purchased by Professional Golf Europe LT, which has allowed them to grow their distribution while still maintaining their Japanese heritage. They make a wide range of irons but also make woods, wedges, putters, and hybrids.
While I’ve yet to hit these clubs yet, everything I've seen on social media and their website looks impressive. Especially their irons and wedges, which are some of the cleanest-looking clubs in golf.
Some of their most popular clubs include:
- VEGA VDC irons
- VEGA Mizar irons
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Photo by Daxiao Productions
As you can tell, there are tons of Japanese golf equipment brands that are emerging to help all types of golfers. After hitting a lot of these clubs myself and doing a lot of research for this article, one thing's for sure: These brands make quality equipment. They seem to control the design and manufacturing process to create more consistent equipment than other brands, resulting in higher price tags.
While I haven’t owned all the Japanese irons mentioned, I have had Mizuno irons in the past and can say they were incredibly pure. I also hit a lot of these new clubs at the 2024 PGA Show and was extremely impressed with the look/feel.
Hopefully, you can test these clubs out and see how a new set might help your game. Don’t be afraid to try out one of these boutique brands instead of the ones with the biggest budgets. Sometimes, it might be just what you need to add distance or hit it straighter than ever.
If you aren’t sure which equipment or brand is right for you or have more questions, don’t hesitate to contact a Curated Golf Expert today.
