Maruman Golf Clubs Reviewed – Who Makes Them? Are They Any Good?
I’d be willing to bet that when most golfers think of premium Japanese clubs, brands like Mizuno and Honma come to mind.
But there is a lesser-known Japanese golf club brand that also makes high-end clubs: Maruman.
While Maruman clubs don’t have the market share that Honma and Mizuno have in the States, they are very popular in Asia.
But does their lack of US market penetration mean they make inferior clubs? Are Maruman clubs any good and if so, who are they for?
Get to know Maruman golf clubs in the following brand review.
A Brief History of Maruman Golf
The Maruman story begins in 1950. Back then, the company that would become maruman was actually called Nippon Gold Metal Industry Co. Limited.
The company specialized in making watches. In fact, the company didn’t start making golf clubs until 1971.
In that year, the company created a stand-alone brand and called it Maruman Golf Co. Limited. Since then, their clubs have been used by tour pros.
They have also made multiple innovations to golf club manufacturing like introducing the first metal woods to Japan.
Today, Maruman is mostly known for making extremely high-end golf clubs. In fact, some of their drivers cost as much as $2,000.
Who Makes Maruman Golf Clubs
Maruman still handles the production of all their golf clubs in-house.
They are made in a manufacturing plant in Japan and typically incorporate ultra-premium materials like maraging steel and high elasticity carbon.
Maruman Majesty Irons Review
The Maruman Majesty irons are loaded with advanced technology and premium specs.
For instance, they are ion plated to achieve a soft yet solid feel and consistent performance.
There is also gold plating in the cavity to go along with extremely thin maraging steel face inserts.
Selling Points
- Plasma welded
- 17-4 stainless steel body construction
- Gold plated cavity
Performance
Despite the fancy gold plating and premium appointments, the Maruman Majesty irons are at heart, solid game improvement irons.
They have obvious offset, a rather thick top line and long blades. The face is definitely shallower than typical GI irons but I think that’s what allows for the longer blades.
The cavity back design in tandem with the maraging steel face makes for excellent forgiveness from heel to toe.
My mis-hits were finding the middle of the fairway all while delivering a soft, premium feel.
The ball speeds were good but the carry was average – 146.6 yards with the 7-iron.
The launch is mid-high but straight the whole way. Feedback is clean and crisp. The offset allows for easy face alignment.
These irons look almost too good to play. I was actually a little worried about scuffing them.
Who Are They for?
The Maruman Majesty irons are for mid to high handicappers with deep pockets. These irons aren’t cheap; but they look great, are consistent and surprisingly forgiving.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- They’re beautiful
- Very consistent
- Soft feel
Cons:
- Average distance
Overall Score: 96/100
Check Out More Reviews Here:
Maruman Verity Irons Review
The Maruman Verity irons have a traditional cavity back design and come with high-end carbon shafts.
Selling Points
- Compact size
- Lightweight shafts
- Moderate sole width
Performance
The Maruman Verity are player’s cavities.
They have a short blade length and fairly small sweet spot.
It took me a while to get into a groove with these irons but when I did, I found that I was able to hit my normal draw and fades which are usually hard for me.
They produce a low, penetrating trajectory and low spin rates.
Who Are They for?
The Maruman Verity irons are definitely for accurate ball strikers seeking workability with just a touch of forgiveness.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Good workability
- Good for low handicappers
- Durable
Cons:
- Expensive
Overall Score: 95/100
Check Out More Reviews Here:
Maruman Titus X1 Irons Review
The Maruman Titus X1 irons are forged cavity backs and almost everything about them is progressive.
The blades start with deep cavities in the long irons but the cavity gets progressively shallower as you move to the mid and short irons. The offset is also progressive.
The soles however are of uniform width throughout the set.
They aren’t super wide but I wouldn’t call them narrow either – they’re somewhere between game improvement and player’s performance in terms of sole width.
Selling Points
- Progressive cavity depth
- Rounded toe area
- Forged construction
Performance
I should also mention that the stock Maruman Titus X1 irons come with carbon/graphite shafts.
It’s worth noting because the lighter weight shafts offset the weight of the rather bulky heads.
Just one look at these irons and you should be able to tell that they were designed for forgiveness first and all else second.
They loom large behind the ball and I was nailing the sweet spot consistently after only a couple of warm up swings.
The deep cavity backs in the long irons helped them play straight and produced good ball speed away from the sweet spot.
The launch was high throughout the set which made for excellent stopping power in the short irons.
The long irons have a more rounded, oversized head with a good amount of offset.
By the end of my testing, my average off-line divergence with the 4-iron was just 6.7 yards. The forged construction gives them a soft feel at impact as well.
The turf interaction wasn’t great; but I’m willing to make that sacrifice for near effortless accuracy.
Who is it for?
The Maruman Titus X1 irons would be a great choice for anyone looking for forgiving, game improvement irons.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Straight flight
- High launch
- Soft feel
Cons:
- Turf interaction isn’t great
Overall Score: 96/100
Check Out More Reviews Here:
Is Maruman A Good Brand? – Final Thoughts
Maruman is definitely a good brand…if you can afford it.
The Verity irons were the only Maruman clubs that didn’t “wow” me but even they had their good qualities.
The Majesty and Titus irons are excellent clubs for mid and high handicappers and they are built to last.
