Choosing the right fairway wood for your game isn’t as simple as you might think.
When it comes to golf, selecting the appropriate fairway wood for your game is a challenging issue that the majority of us do not take seriously enough.
Many of us have items that have been in our possession for a considerable amount of time. When it comes to fairways, many of us simply get the same model as our driver. However, the fact that Callaway, Ping, and TaylorMade each have three alternatives in their ranges demonstrates that not all woods are created equal. It is extremely beneficial to locate the wood that is most suited to your swing, which is why we have compiled this guide to the best fairway woods.
While players with faster, more aggressive swing speeds who frequently have no trouble launching shots into the air would wish to limit spin in order to increase distance, those with slower, more moderate swing rates might benefit from additional spin in order to help hold shots in the air for longer.
Therefore, something that is beneficial for one player could be hurtful for another. Because of this, modern fairway families typically come in groups of three: models with low spin, models with regular spin, and models with lightweight and draw-biased spin.
After conducting tests on all of the leading fairway woods this year, it seemed like the ideal moment to assist you in determining which fairway wood setup will be the most effective for you in 2020. In order to assist you in selecting the appropriate model, the following are the questions that you should ask yourself:
Should I get the fairway wood that matches my driver?
This is not always the case. It is a normal assumption to make that if you have been fitted with a low-spin driver, you will additionally want a low-spin fairway iron. Nevertheless, it is not the case at all. However, we frequently hit fairways from the deck, despite the fact that we use a driver. Therefore, the way in which your swing position the club in relation to the ball at impact might be vastly different between the two. This means that your recommendation for a driver can be extremely different from that of a fairway wood.
Does my game suit a standard or low-spin fairway wood?
Many golfers get this question wrong, despite the fact that it is an important one. The professional gives them a low-spin model, which is inherently faster off the face, and then asks them to hit shots with their own club during the fitting process. After that, the professional hands them the club. As soon as you take a few shots during the session, the launch monitor reveals that you have improved both the ball speed and the carry distance with the new model, and you are convinced that you have made the right decision.
Unfortunately, what the launch monitor does not tell you (like some unscrupulous fitters), is that a low-spin model is also less forgiving on mishits. This is something that must be taken into consideration. It is important to exercise caution if the fairway fitting numbers (and the fitter) direct you to purchase a model with a low spin. In addition to that, check your dispersion.
Will I mainly hit the club from the tee or fairway?
For those who mostly hit their fairway from the tee, there are powerful three-woods that are designed specifically for that purpose. The typical loft angle is between 13 and 14.5 degrees.
The SIM Max Rocket 3 is produced by TaylorMade, the Mavrik 3+ is manufactured by Callaway, the LST is manufactured by Ping, and the Big Tour and TS (Tour Spoon) variants are manufactured by Cobra and Mizuno, respectively. Every single one of them is an excellent alternative to driving.
It is important to ensure that you are able to launch any low-lofted model from the fairway as well as the tee in order to achieve optimum versatility. Alternately, you might pair a powerful and weaker-lofted fairway at the top of your bag, as a lot of tour players do. A number of tour players do this.
Do I struggle to launch fairway woods from the deck?
If you’ve ever wondered why fairway woods are more difficult to launch from the turf than they used to be, you can partially attribute this difficulty to the use of current balls. The manufacturers of balls have decreased the spin in an effort to increase the distance. Moreover, when it comes to launching fairways from the grass at ordinary swing speeds, it requires a significant amount of effort.
As a solution to the problem, a number of manufacturers have begun producing 3- or 4-woods with a degree of 16.5 degrees. These clubs are excellent for achieving sufficient height to maximise carry.
Am I battling a fade or slice?
In recent years, dialling in shot shape through fitting has become an extremely significant aspect of golf, and adjustable fairway woods are a tool that helps with this process.
The face can be closed a little bit by setting up a wood with an upright lie angle; therefore, the more upright you go, the more draw bias you will acquire through the process. Due to the fact that it is adjustable, you do not have to go with a full-on draw model in order to achieve the high draw that you are going for.
Footwear designers that are astute frequently take it upon themselves to incorporate pull bias into their designs by means of heel weighting, moveable weights, or an offset hosel. When you combine these properties with the additional one degree of loft that is typically found in lighter models, you get a number of important characteristics that assist shots launch higher and fly straighter, which in turn maximises carry.
Is there a best fairway wood for slower swing speeds?
The average age of golfers is gradually increasing, and it is common knowledge that players normally lose one mile per hour of club speed every two years after reaching the age of sixty. This is the reason why many firms market their products with swing speeds that are reasonable.
The TaylorMade SIM Max D and the Callaway Mavrik Max are two examples of golf clubs that are capable of doing this. Additionally, Wilson (Launch Pad), Honma (XP-1), and Cobra (F-Max Airspeed) are also capable of using modest swing speed ranges.
Lighter clubs allow you to swing at the same tempo, but the club goes faster thanks to some ingenious counterbalanced balancing technology that gets the head moving faster. This is the main theory behind lighter clubs.
If you glance at a spec sheet, it could appear that there is not much of a difference between lightweight/draw models and low spin alternatives. However, if you dig a little deeper, you will find that there is a lot more behind these two categories than meets the eye.
Take, for instance, the fact that the G410 SFT (Straight Flight Technology) fairway from Ping is only two swing weight points lighter than the low-spin LST model from the same company. This may not seem like a significant difference. However, the specification sheet does not take into account the fact that the SFT has a head size that is 18% larger than the standard model (with a shape that is considerably different and flatter), as well as up to 16% less weight in the shaft, and an additional 1.5 degrees of loft.
When you take all of this into consideration, it doesn’t take Einstein to know that the SFT will be easier to live with. This is precisely why, if you struggle for speed, lightweight and/or draw biassed models can perform wonders for your long game.
What shaft do you need?
When purchasing a new driver, the one and only option available to you was to select from a selection of shafts until quite recently. However, given that brands are producing three distinct ranges of fairway wood, each of these ranges can have shafts that are tailored to the specific player that is the focus of each range.
In most cases, fairways with low spin are equipped with shafts that are heavier and launch lower. The lighter, draw variants that are designed for slower speeds typically come with shafts that are lighter and have a higher launching point. There is a difference of 16 grammes between the SIM and SIM Max D shafts that are manufactured by TaylorMade. This does not take into account the fact that one shaft launches shots on a low to mid trajectory, while the other shaft targets far higher ball flights.
Is there much difference between models in the same family?
The results of our tests with Callaway’s three Mavrik fairway woods provide an excellent illustration of how different clubs are designed to produce different results. In comparison to the Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero, which has a lower spinning rate, the Mavrik Max, which has a lighter shaft, launched shots an average of 2.2 degrees higher and peaked shots an additional five yards higher.
After taking into account the additional spin that was produced, our professional’s swing speed resulted in a loss of eight yards of carry. The additional spin, on the other hand, would have a substantial impact on keeping shots flying for a longer period of time and increasing carry when the swing speed is reduced.
How many fairway woods do I need?
It is not possible to find a number that is perfect; the decision should be based on how comfortable you are playing particular numbers. When it comes to hybrids, you should determine which of your irons is the longest that you can hit with confidence, then fill the gap between it and your fairway wood that is the shortest. Similarly, you should determine the distance gap that exists between your longest hybrid and your driver, and then fill it.
In the event that you do not enjoy hybrids, there is no damage in substituting fairway woods for hybrid courses. Callaway manufactures a Mavrik 11-wood with a loft of 25 degrees, which is comparable to the loft of certain 6-irons.