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The fairway woods are a family of clubs that are designed for distance - kind of like a driver. In fact, the driver is actually classified as a type of fairway wood. For that reason, some golfers use the fairway wood off the tee since it offers better control despite the slightly shorter - however still reasonable - distance.
An essential in the golf bag of any self-respecting golfer, fairway woods are used, as you might have guessed, on the fairway, when a long-distance shot is necessary to bring you closer to the pin. However if you’re a beginner, you might find that the best fairway woods for high handicappers might make a good driver replacement, trading a little distance for better control and forgiveness.
Fairway woods are designed for long distance shots that aim to bring you closer to the pin, usually after the initial drive. On the other hand, irons are built for accuracy, helping you approach the hole with precision as you close in on the target. In an attempt to marry the best of both worlds, we have the hybrids.
A golfer can only carry so much in their bag. So it’s imperative that you choose the right clubs to include in your arsenal so you have something for every kind of situation. That said, the question remains - should you carry more woods or more hybrids? The answer lies in your specific context.
The fairway’s larger head makes it an ideal choice for long distance game. The specific anatomy of these clubs make it capable of launching your ball higher into the air and projecting it closer to the putting greens. On the other hand, hybrids come with shorter shafts that increase control. They’re not that great at distance shots, but they can be more accurate for short game. In many cases, their smaller heads can also help you get out of a bad lie more efficiently than a wood.
As a beginner, you might benefit from having at least one or two hybrids in your bag. And while they might become your go-to along with your beginner irons, at least one wood should find its way into your bag. This can replace your driver, giving you a more controlled shot for those long distance swings on and off the tee.
Just like any other club, the fairway wood has seen its fair share of alteration and variety. Even the slightest changes in material, make, and anatomy can significantly change the way the club performs on the course.
This refers to the angle of the club face against the ball at address. A higher loft equals a higher ball trajectory, so beginners don’t have to work so hard to get their ball airborne. There are several different kinds of woods, all referred to by specific numbers.
FAIRWAY WOOD | LOFT |
|---|---|
3-wood | 13 to 15 degrees |
5-wood | 17 to 19 degrees |
7-wood | 20 to 22 degrees |
9-wood | 23 to 26 degrees |
11-wood | 27 to 29 degrees |
Way back when adjustable loft was first introduced into the market, it was mostly reserved for drivers. But these days, there are a wealth of fairway wood options that incorporate an adjustable loft. This simply makes it possible for you to adapt your club to a variety of circumstances and your specific level of skill. For beginners, it’s mostly recommended to bring a 5 or 7-wood since their angle makes it easier to get the ball in the air without eating up too much of your forward propulsion.
Fairway woods used to be made from persimmon or maple wood, thus their name. But today, these clubs are manufactured from different types of metals - three to be exact. Each one brings unique performance to the table, and may impact your choice because of the prices they showcase.
METALS | CHARACTERISTICS |
|---|---|
Steel | |
Titanium | |
Composite |
Irons and hybrids will come with shorter shafts mainly because they allow more control for approach shots. But that’s not what the fairway wood is for. Designed for distance, fairway woods have longer shafts - reminiscent of drivers - because they allow higher swing speed for farther launch.
What you should be careful to consider when it comes to the shaft is flex. Softer, more flexible material will bend during the swing. This makes it ideal for players with slower swing speeds, like high handicappers and beginners. On the other hand, firmer, stiffer material will remain relatively straight throughout the course of the stroke, which also works to amplify feedback resonance - an important factor for more experienced golfers.
The center of gravity - or simply COG - is where most of the weight of the club sits. For a fairway wood, you’ll want something similar to a driver, which is low and back. This kind of weighting allows more lift, helping get your ball airborne even if you’re not necessarily the most skilled swinger. A lower and deeper center of gravity also increases the width of the sweet spot, so you get more viable surface area to produce a good shot.
When swinging a fairway wood, your club’s sole should be relatively parallel to the ground. Check the turf after you swing - are you leaving deep divots? Then your club’s lie angle might be causing you to swing with the heel. That indicates that your club might be too upright. Consider your height relative to your club. In any case, simply adjusting the shaft length with an extender or by having it professionally trimmed can help optimize lie angle.
This basically pertains to an object’s ability to transfer energy to another during collision. A club’s coefficient of restitution or simply COR tells you how well it would be able to lend its energy to the golf ball when struck. The higher the COR, the less energy is lost during the interaction between the two objects. This can be beneficial for you in that you get to maximize the amount of energy that translates from your swing to the launch.
There is no golf club that can demonstrate a perfect 100% COR, which means there will always be at least some energy lost during the exchange. But clubs with higher COR will undoubtedly produce faster speeds and longer distances.
Accurate and easy to hit, the Callaway Golf Rogue Fairway Wood is a premium investment for any beginner hoping to play like a pro. The complex design incorporates a variety of Callaway-brand technologies, helping to improve speed and accuracy for winning performance. Combining Jailbreak Technology and X-Face VFT Technology, the Rogue Fairway Wood produces high speed launch for long distance performance that can get you on the green from the tee on a short 4-par or a long 3-par.
Engineered with an ultra-low center of gravity, these woods scoop the ball up and over, launching it into the air to produce greater lift despite an unskilled swing. Its increased moment of inertia also helps keep your club face square on the target even if you don’t necessarily hit the ball dead on the sweet spot. Designed to be exceptionally light, the Callaway Rogue Fairway Wood can make you feel confident and capable, wherever on the course you might be.
The Orlimar Golf Escape Fairway Wood has one of the most shallow face heights seen on a fairway wood, and for good reason. The design was engineered to launch the ball high into the air and allow a softer landing with minimum roll and bounce. In effect, you get a ball that doesn’t stray too far away from the green once it makes landing.
At address, the Escape Fairway Wood showcases an enlarged footprint that makes it easier to fine-tune your aim. This allows more confidence on the fairway and improves the precision of each shot by letting you know exactly where on the face your swing will make impact. Made from premium, heavy duty yet lightweight materials, the Orlimar Golf Escape Fairway Wood incorporates a low and back center of gravity and high MOI that improves forgiveness and springs the golf ball far and fast even if you’re not necessarily the most skilled player.
The weight-saving build showcased by the Cleveland Golf Men’s Launcher HB Fairway Wood is a result of the various elements that come together to save up on grams and create a truly featherlight design. Incorporating a bonded hosel, the club opens the door for optimized center of gravity. This pushes the COG deep and low into the head, widening the sweet spot and allowing more forgiving performance for high handicappers.
But that’s not the only reason it is called the best fairway wood for beginners. Using a HiBore Crown, the design is able to decompress on impact. This flexible performance increases the club’s COR which in turn impacts distance and speed. As the club face adjusts during the transmission of energy, more momentum is transferred to the ball at rest for greater power and speed.
Combining a steel body and carbon crow, the SIX MAX Fairway Wood from TaylorMade showcases anatomy that promises explosive speed and distance. Its low and deep center of gravity enlarges the viable surface area on the club face, letting you hit the ball almost anywhere on the facet without sacrificing accuracy or speed. Producing high launch and low spin, this club can take you where you need to go without causing too much bounce or roll as it hits the ground.
Another thing that makes the SIX MAX particularly special is its attention to turf interaction. Minimizing the friction between the sole and the ground beneath, this club uses a V-Steel Sole Design that also improves performance on other sorts of terrain and rough. For you, that means the liberty to use your fairway wood for almost any course situation, providing you versatile performance that you can rely on off the tee, on the fairway, and even on the rough.
Another reliable design, the Cobra Golf F9 Speedback Fairway Wood is a sleek club that aims to minimize friction with both wind and turf so you can max out your swing speed. The lowered COG and smooth sole allow for minimized turf friction, and the lightweight shaft and head are streamlined to reduce drag during the swing. Moderately flexible, the shaft also works to bend ever so slightly as you move through the swing plane, allowing more energy transfer even for slower swing speeds.
And if that wasn’t enough to convince you, the Cobra F9 also features an adjustable loft. With 8 different settings to choose from, this club can easily adapt to the various conditions you might encounter on the course, addressing the ball under a variety of lie and turf conditions.
With a decent fairway wood, you stand the chance to master the fairway - and perhaps even every other area of the course. These long distance clubs have long found their place in the bags of beginners and high handicappers, thanks to their better accuracy yet substantial distance when compared to a driver. But there’s a lot more a fairway wood can do for you than simply launch your ball off the tee.
The best fairway woods for high handicappers can work on almost every kind of turf and lie, giving you a jack-of-all-trades kind of club that can meet your needs no matter where your ball might fly. With that, there’s no wonder how the woods have earned such popularity in the market, earning a permanent spot in many a golfer’s bag.
