When you look into the bags of golfers, the ‘old trusty’ in the bag tends to be a fairway wood that has seen better days. I’m a big believer in the expression ‘don’t try and fix what isn’t broken’ but when you’re rocking 10-20 year old technology, there’s no doubt you’re missing out on some performance gains. Yes, the slightly more modern head design may take some getting used to, but trust me, you’ll thank me when you make the switch.
I honestly believe the best fairway woods can have such a huge impact on how well you score throughout a season and so having the right ones for you can do wonders for your golf game. Much like selecting the best golf driver for your bag, there is plenty of choice when it comes to type of head and loft, which are key considerations before deciding which fairway woods you are going to put in play.
What Shots Will You Use Your Fairway Wood For?
There are a few factors that will often determine when exactly during a round of golf you use your fairway woods. For the slower swingers and shorter hitters, fairway woods will be used to hit into greens on longer par 4s and will be struck frequently from the deck. Because of this, having more loft or a lighter fairway wood will provide greater launch and more carry, helping the ball land softly when hitting into greens. Some brands offer HL (High Launch) options in their fairway woods to provide more height, which comes in handy if it head isn't adjustable for loft. This type of club is actually suitable for all levels of golfer. As well as amateur players, many professional golfers are using HL three-woods to meet the correct gapping distances with their club set-up, including five-time major champion Brooks Koepka.
The Ping G430 range also goes all the way up to a 9-wood at 24° and golfers also have the option of the High Launch (HL) build, which incorporates a lighter shaft and grip to make launch and speed easier to achieve for force-limited players. While they may balloon up too high in the wind for some players, the extra height could be useful and a club like a 9-wood can also be used for chipping around the green when there's only short grass between you and the hole.
For the golfer with more speed who can be slightly erratic from the tee with the driver, having a fairway wood that acts as a driver replacement may be something worth considering. Most major manufacturers will release a lower-spinning fairway wood option with an adjustable hosel where the loft can be lowered from the customary 15° to a powerful 13°. The TaylorMade Qi10 Tour or Ping G430 LST fairway woods are two examples along with the Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond. These fairway woods may be a better option for those who do battle more frequently in windy conditions as the lower lofted and spinning fairway will allow for a much more penetrating, lower ball flight, much the same as the low spinning drivers.
The other alternative club to use from the tee is a Mini Driver, which is a cross between a driver and 3-wood. The TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver has been put in play over the last year from the likes of Adam Scott, Bryson DeChambeau and Tommy Fleetwood, offering more control from the tee than a typical driver but more distance and forgiveness than a three wood.
Favour Forgiveness Over Looks
As a former mini-tour professional and now returning amateur, I have seen so many good golfers make hitting their fairway woods look particularly hard. This is largely down to poor choice in clubhead and shaft but there is certainly a strong correlation in golf between a handicap dropping and ego rising, which often leaves players choosing equipment they think looks good in their bag as opposed to actually being complementary to their game. Hitting fairway woods consistently well off the fairway is one of the hardest skills to master in golf and so golfers should choose a model that will help relieve the stress of executing these shots on the course.
Golfers less confident with their ball striking or who typically struggle with their fairway woods should consider looking at what we consider to be one of the best fairway woods for higher handicappers or the most forgiving fairway woods. The Cobra Darkspeed Max and TaylorMade Qi10 Max were two of the most forgiving and easy-to-hit fairway woods I have tested this year, both offering plenty of forgiveness on miss-hit shots.
Having adjustability through the hosel or moveable weight is a great way of dialing in certain ball flights and altering the trajectory of the shot. The Titleist TSR3 fairway wood, for example, boasts a timeless looking head with an abundance of tech on the sole including a SureFit adjustable weight track to help promote a draw or fade. If you’re a confident ball striker yet suffer from over-working a certain shot-shape, then having this level of adjustability can certainly make hitting your target a lot easier.
There are also plenty of draw-biased fairway woods on the market for those that suffer with a slice. With additional weight in the heel to counteract an open face, producing a more neutral flight should also help generate more total distance.
How Many Fairway Woods Should I Carry?
In truth there is no right or wrong answer to this question and every golfer is different. The number of fairway woods in the bag should be based on factors such as ball-striking confidence, course conditions and how many irons and wedges they carry. You still want to have even loft gaps between them just like you do on your wedges to cover off distances evenly between your driver and your longest iron.
For those that struggle with striking their long irons but don't like the look of a hybrid, additional fairway woods can do an excellent job. The larger footprint at address can inspire more confidence, they are generally more forgiving and also don't get snagged up as easily when hitting out of thick rough.
If you only carry three wedges including a pitching wedge, you could conceivably carry three fairway woods but most golfers tend to carry one or two, depending on the course set up or conditions.
Hopefully the above information is helpful upon your quest for updating or adding to your current fairway woods. Having a custom fitting or consulting your PGA Professional remain the best ways of gaining a good understanding of exactly what fairway woods you should be carrying in your bag and what shafts will match your unique swing DNA.
