If you need help in the fairway wood department, here are some of the most forgiving.
Most Forgiving Fairway Woods
There is a trend these days to give us all as much help as possible when it comes to fairway woods.
The manufacturers know what a large collection of club golfers do – hit it left to right and without enough loft – so the emphasis is on draw bias, offset and higher launch angles.
But, even if you’re a better and stronger player, there might be plenty of help at hand here.
Most Forgiving Fairway Woods
Titleist TSi2 Fairway Wood
(Image credit: Titleist)
+ Great off the deck, sounds good and produces a lovely flight
– The smallish head size might not be what you want for a bit of help
This is designed more for forgiveness and to get the ball in the air easier than the TSi3. And unlike its sibling it doesn’t feature the weight track – the flat weight at the back here gets the CG as far back and as low as possible to improve the launch.
There is speed and accuracy across the entire face rather than a specific strike position which will be music to many ears.
An interesting stat about the new TSi2 and TSi3 is that the discrepancy between the drivers on tour is about 85 per cent in favour of the TSi3 whereas in the fairway woods it’s almost 50-50 so don’t see this as the option for the mid to high-handicapper, it’s just a great sounding, looking and feeling club.
Titleist TSi2 Fairway Wood Review
US Pre-order at Worldwide Golf Shops for $299.99
UK Pre-order at Scottsdale Golf for £269
Cobra F-Max Airspeed Fairway Wood
+ Stylish looks for a club aimed at the higher handicapper
– This is aimed solely at the super game-improvement player
This is a fixed loft offering, with 3, 5 and 7 options, which is heel weighted and offset to help with the shot that goes right. Everything sets up to give you some help with an ultra-lite shaft and shallow profile there to help with your confidence. There is also some alignment help on the crown.
Cobra call this ‘the lightweight champion’ and this is the lightest range in the company’s history.
US Buy Now at Worldwide Golf Shops for $219.99
UK Buy Now at American Golf for £189
Wilson Launch Pad Fairway Wood
+ The mass appeal of this club is obvious
– There are only two options, 3 and 5, but they launch high anyway
This has been designed to help with what the majority of club golfers do, it’s not re-inventing the wheel but is a simple and easy way to attack the common fault. It came out at the start of 2020 and there is a 1.5˚ offset, which is not obvious to see at address, which promotes a closed face at impact and helps to straighten out your fade.
The shaft, face and grip all have lightweight components and this translates into more clubhead speed for greater distances.
US Buy Now at Worldwide Golf Shops for $199.99
UK Buy Now at Golf Support from £139
Ping G410 SFT Fairway Wood
+ Lots of options and lots of help for your left-to-right shot shape
– Some players still don’t like the ‘stigma’ of a draw bias
If you hit the ball with a left-to-right flight then you might want to consider the SFT – Straight Flight Technology. The weight here is more towards the heel so it should create enough draw to keep you on the straight and narrow. The forged face will help to increase your ball speed and there are the same wide range of loft and lie combinations.
The 3-wood here starts at 16˚ and there is also a 5 and 7-wood to choose from.
US Buy Now at Worldwide Golf Shops for $259.99
UK Buy Now at Scottsdale Golf for £239
Callaway Mavrik Max Fairway Wood
+ The 3-wood can be so hard to get right but there’s loads of help here
– Will only appeal to those who need that help
This has the largest and most forgiving head of the three Mavrik models and the sole weights come at the back and heel to promote easy launch and more of a draw. But the real kicker is how much forgiveness that this club offers with a significantly higher MOI than the Epic Flash fairway and the face has a wider radius at the bottom for when we catch the ball low in the toe or heel which will appeal to plenty.
The stigma of too many headcovers should be a thing of the past these days and there are bundles of options here with the 3+, 3, 5, Heavenwood, 7, 9 and 11-wood.
Callaway Mavrik Fairway Woods Review
US Buy Now at Worldwide Golf Shops for $299.99
UK Buy Now at Scottsdale Golf for £249
Mizuno ST200 X Fairway Wood
+ Is cheaper than the ST200 and great for more moderate swing speeds
– You won’t be able to add or take off a bit of loft if required
The X is a little bit lighter than the ST200 and has more draw bias but there’s no option for any adjustability. This extremely lightweight design will favour those who don’t swing it quickly and those who find the right rough a bit too often and it has a larger clubface and a wider body with more mass in the heel.
The face in the 3-wood has a driver-type construction while the 5 and 7-woods are designed for greater energy transfer.
UK Buy Now at Scottsdale Golf for £199
TaylorMade SIM Max Fairway Wood
+ If you struggle to launch your fairway woods then welcome to your new saviou
– With the fixed hosel there’s no going back once you’ve been fitted
This is the club that, as it sounds, offers maximum forgiveness with a higher launch than the SIM. It has the same design ethos with the V Steel sole, Speed Pocket and Twist Face technology but without the zatech titanium face or adjustability so, whatever you have in your hands, there’s no tinkering with.
This comes in the 3, 5, 7 and there’s also a 9 (24˚) which is becoming more popular as more of us realise that our longer irons might not be doing us too many favours. The idea is to play what’s right for you rather than worry about how many headcovers you have in the bag. Dustin Johnson has had both the 3 and 5-wood Max in the bag.
US Buy Now at Worldwide Golf Shops for $299.99
UK Buy Now at American Golf for £229
Honma XP-1 Fairway Wood
+ The ultra-lightweight shaft are designed to up your swing speed and launch it
– This is a premium brand, and a lot goes into the construction, but it’s not cheap
These were introduced in 2019 as a new range of game-improvement clubs. They are designed to help you square the club with a draw-biased design which will appeal to those who are looking for some help with their swing path.
Like the driver this fairway wood features the Double Slot sole across the clubhead, with a narrow slot in the centre, that helps to deliver more distance and reduce spin on those shots that come out the heel and toe.
US Buy Now at Fairway Golf USA for $299.99
UK Buy Now at American Golf for £309
Lynx Parallax Fairway Wood
+ You’ll like the price and look
– There are just two lofts with a 15˚ and 19˚
Initially the Parallax range was aimed more at the better player but, these days, there’s more playability and it will suit more of us. This fairway wood comes with an attractive glossy finish and is a very simple and classy looking offering. Underneath the bonnet there is a power channel and this is a two-piece cast head and features a BiTitaniun construction.
Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo Fairway Wood
+ Great value and easy to hit
– No adjustability and limited option on lofts
This focuses on what most of us need in a fairway wood and, as the name suggests, it really helps to launch the ball. The Hi-Bore crown lowers the centre of gravity and the cup face technology does the same as in the driver which is to deliver more speed across the entire face.
Another interesting aspect is that the ultra-light hosel and counter-balanced shaft design provides higher MOI and so more forgiveness. So there’s more weight in the hands for control.
US Buy Now at Worldwide Golf Shops for $229.99
UK Buy Now at Scottsdale Golf for £179
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