8 Best Fairway Woods for Women in 2022
The right fairway wood can be one of the most important clubs in the bag. If you are confident with your fairway wood, you will be surprised how often you could use it throughout a round.
A fairway wood can act as a worthy backup when your driver is going astray. It is perfect for trying to reach those gettable par 5s. Plus, they are really useful for hitting long towering approach shots into the green.
Women can sometimes lack the natural swing speed required to easily launch the ball with a fairway wood. Nowadays though there are lots of options with modern game improvement technology to help produce a higher launch angle and faster ball speeds.
We will take a look at the best fairway woods for women on the market and discuss what you should be looking for in your next purchase.
Table of Contents
- 1. Cleveland Women’s Launcher HB Turbo
- 2. Callaway Big Bertha REVA
- 3. TaylorMade Women’s SIM2 Max Fairway Wood
- 4. PING G Le2 Fairway Wood
- 5. Cobra Women’s King Radspeed
- 6. Wilson Staff Women’s Launch Pad
- 7. Yonex Ezone Elite 2
- What attributes should women look for in a fairway wood?
- Key consideration when buying a fairway wood
- Should I get custom fitted for a fairway wood?
- Conclusion
1. Cleveland Women’s Launcher HB Turbo
Distance: 95 | Feel: 90 | Forgiveness: 95 | Look: 90
Best for a range of handicaps
Cleveland Women’s Launcher HB Turbo fairway wood is almost identical to the men’s version, other than the standard ladies shaft. Perhaps that should be no surprise though given the Launch HB Turbo is designed for high launching forgiveness, which is exactly what most women are looking for in a fairway wood.
The Launcher HB Turbo has a HiBore Crown design that shifts the CG placement lower in the head for a higher MOI and an optimized launch angle. Turbocharged Cup Face technology uses variable thickness across the clubface for improved ball speeds, even on shots struck off-center. Adjustability on the hosel has been sacrificed in favor of reducing weight, which has been repositioned in the clubhead for maximum forgiveness. The stock ladies shaft is a counterbalanced Miyazaki C. Kua design that promotes improved clubhead speed and a higher launch angle.
Pros
Cons
2. Callaway Big Bertha REVA
Distance: 95 | Feel: 90 | Forgiveness: 95 | Look: 95
Best for ladies struggling with a slice
The Big Bertha range is one of most famous in golf and the new REVA fairway wood is designed to bring Callaway’s latest technology to its women’s equipment range. In terms of performance, the Big Bertha REVA is essentially a repackaged version of the men’s B21. This might sound lazy, but the B21 fairway wood was excellent so why change? It has all the components required to suit female golfers, with a larger and shallower profile that is both easy to hit and high launching.
Callaway Big Bertha REVA includes modern A.I. designed Flash Face SS21 for fast ball speeds even on off center strikes and Jailbreak bars for improved stability through impact. There is a strong noticeable offset to help reduce the effects of a slice and promote a drawing ball flight. The slight changes from the men’s B21 are that Callaway have adjusted the REVA fairway woods with higher lofts and added a lighter shaft. These are both worthwhile changes designed to help with a slower swing speed.
Pros
Cons
3. TaylorMade Women’s SIM2 Max Fairway Wood
Distance: 95 | Feel: 95 | Forgiveness: 95 | Look: 100
Best overall women’s fairway wood
TaylorMade has not changed anything from the men’s SIM2 Max minus the headcover. Instead they have chosen to highlight that it is not gender specific equipment and an excellent club for men or women. They are not wrong, because the SIM2 Max remains one of the top performing ladies fairway woods. The women’s version comes with a more flexible and lightweight shaft as standard designed for a higher launching ball flight.
The SIM2 Max features all the latest TaylorMade technology with Twist Face and Thru-Slot Speed Pocket both included to improve forgiveness on mishits. A V Steel sole has been reintroduced from previous fairway wood designs for improved turf interaction. The clubhead has been made slightly larger from the previous SIM Max model to create a lower CG placement for a higher launch and even more forgiveness.
Pros
Cons
4. PING G Le2 Fairway Wood
WDistance: 90 | Feel: 90 | Forgiveness: 90 | Look: 95
Best for high handicap women
PING are one of the leading brands at producing golf clubs specifically targeted towards women golfers and the G Le2 fairway wood is also available as part of an impressive women’s full set. As they are designed specifically for women this set comes with a more feminine colorway and all the clubs are lightweight for improved clubhead speed.
The fairway wood itself comes with a forged face made from C300 maraging steel for faster ball speeds. A deep CG placement creates a higher MOI for maximum forgiveness and distance. PING’s renowned turbulators feature on the crown for improved aerodynamics. The hosels all feature Trajectory Tuning 2.0 for up to 1.5 degrees of loft adjustment. Also, you get the fairway woods up to a 9W, which is 30 degrees of loft, ideal for ladies that prefer fairway woods to hybrids.
Pros
Cons
5. Cobra Women’s King Radspeed
Distance: 100 | Feel: 95 | Forgiveness: 90 | Look: 95
Best for low handicap women
Cobra is another manufacturer that has remarketed the technology in their men’s Radspeed fairway wood with a women’s model that features a different colorway and ladies shaft. Again, as we mentioned before, this is by no means a bad thing. Whilst the pink coloring may be a little stereotypical, it is another brilliant fairway wood with all the latest technology. The RadSpeed is possibly the longest women’s fairway wood on the market, but the lower spin characteristics are going to be more suited to more confident golfers.
Front-based radial weighting is the key to a lower spin rate whilst retaining a high launch angle for maximizing distance. A thin carbon fiber crown is designed to improve ball speeds, whilst a CNC milled infinity clubface retains these speeds even on mishits. Hollow Split Rails increase flex on the sole to promote a higher ball flight and also improve turf interaction. For women struggling with their slice there is also a Radspeed Draw model available.
Pros
Cons
6. Wilson Staff Women’s Launch Pad
Distance: 90 | Feel: 90 | Forgiveness: 90 | Look: 90
Best value for money
Wilson Staff Launch Pad fairway woods are best suited to golfers with a slow swing speed that prioritize a higher launch angle and forgiveness. All the components of the Launch Pad fairway wood have been made ultra-lightweight for improved clubhead speed and distance. With excellent overall performance and decent technology, this fairway wood definitely represents value for your money.
A premium Carpenter Custom 455 steel clubface ensures enhanced ball speeds and improved feel. The clubface has a moderate offset to help reduce the effects of a slice and promote a straighter or drawing ball flight. Alternatively, for ladies that can never choose between a fairway wood or hybrid you might want to look at the Launch Pad FYbrid, which sits halfway between.
Pros
Cons
7. Yonex Ezone Elite 2
Distance: 85 | Feel: 85 | Forgiveness: 90 | Look: 90
Best beginners or ladies with the slowest swing speeds
Yonex has been one of the most popular golf brands for recreational women golfers for several years now and a large part of their success has been by targeting the average lady golfer. Their ladies golf equipment is specifically designed for mid handicap to beginner ladies with a slow swing speed. The Ezone Elite 2 fairway wood is another example of Yonex knowing the target market, with plenty of game improvement support and at a reasonable price.
The Ezone Elite 2 fairway wood features Yonex’s Octaforce Neo technology has been combined with a Sole Thickness Flow design to create a larger sweet spot, deeper CG and higher launch angle. Slanted grooves have been used to prevent moisture and grass getting between the clubface and the ball for a more stable ball flight and reduced sidespin.
Pros
Cons
What attributes should women look for in a fairway wood?
Stereotypically, ladies tend to have slower swing speeds. This means that you should look for technology that enables faster ball speeds, a higher launch angle and a good level of forgiveness.
Many manufacturers release women specific models that have all these characteristics. Otherwise, there are several game improvement ‘men’s’ fairway woods that are equally suitable. Just remember to get an appropriate flexibility with your shaft.
On the LPGA Tour the average swing speed is 94mph. This is equivalent to the average recreational men’s swing, which highlights the general difference in clubhead speed.
Even the faster swinging, often lower handicap, ladies would still be wise to choose higher lofted fairway woods and avoid the lower spinning models. Unless your swing speed is 100mph or over, it is unlikely you will see any benefit from these models due to a reduction in carry distance.
Key consideration when buying a fairway wood
Material
Steel is most common for fairway woods. It is relatively inexpensive compared to alternative materials, but is still strong and forgiving.
Thanks to successful driver technology, titanium is now becoming more common in fairway woods as well. It is lightweight and durable, but the downside is it is expensive. Mizuno and TaylorMade have both experimented with titanium fairway woods in 2021. Tour players have been quick to put them in their bag, but the lower spinning and lower launching traits of these clubs is likely to limit their appeal for recreational female golfers.
A significant amount of fairway woods are now actually made from a combination of materials, referred to as composites. In addition to steel and titanium, carbon and tungsten are commonly used to alter the CG placement and increase the MOI of the club.
Favor a higher loft
When selecting your next fairway wood, you need to ensure you know what loft you want. Many modern fairway woods will offer some loft adjustability, but you will want to know a rough degree as a starting point.
Different manufacturers and models of fairway woods have varying lofts for their 3 or 5 woods, so it is not quite as simple as just picking a club. You should know what distance you hit the club to ensure good gapping and what loft is going to optimize your performance.
Many ladies fairway woods will favor higher lofts than standard. Slower swings will struggle to generate enough ball speed and spin to maximize carry distance with lower lofted fairway woods. This is the reason many recreational golfers often end up confused why they hit their 5 wood further than their 3 wood. The higher loft on the 5 wood gives more optimal launch and spin conditions, so the ball goes a longer distance.
Should I carry more fairway woods or hybrids?
This decision is a personal preference for each golfer. You should try fairway woods and hybrids out to find out which you prefer.
Hybrids might be preferable to fairway woods for the slower swing speed of female golfers. With a smaller clubhead and slightly shorter shaft a hybrid is easier to generate a higher launch angle from the ground and offers more versatility from different lies.
Most women will still prefer to carry at least one fairway wood though. A larger clubhead can sometimes inspire more confidence and the additional distance makes them a better back-up for a wayward driver.
Make sure you think about the shaft
A common mistake by recreational golfers when buying a new golf club is to forget about the shaft. If you are buying a new fairway wood, do not just assume the basic stock shaft will be the best one for you. The shaft plays a crucial role in the overall performance of the club.
The first consideration should be the flexibility. You want to check your swing speed and get the most suitable option. This might not be a ladies shaft.
You then need to consider the length, weight and kick point too. Each of these characteristics should be tailored to your personal traits and golf swing. Stereotypically, a lighter shaft with a mid-low kick point is most common for ladies to help with speed and launch.
Is adjustability important to you?
Adjustability is an interesting component of modern metalwood technology. Many leading golf manufacturers have been using adjustable tools for several years now, but the amount of adjustment varies. Several models are now opting to forgo some, or all, adjustability in favor of saving weight for redistribution to another area of the clubhead.
You should consider how much you are likely to tinker with your loft, lie and face angle set-up in between rounds. Some golfers love to change their lofts based on playing conditions and weather, whilst others rely on changing the face angle to save their slice through bad spells.
If you are not going to get custom fit for your fairway wood, it is worth considering a model with some adjustability. You can then tweak the standard set-up to find what suits you best.
Should I get custom fitted for a fairway wood?
Getting custom fit for a fairway wood is the only way to ensure you get the most from your new club. You can get the perfect clubhead and shaft set-up for your golf swing, plus you can see all of the performance data from the launch monitor. This way you know you are definitely making the right choice.
If a custom fit is not an option for you, then hopefully our article has helped to provide you with some useful guidance. Without a launch monitor it is more difficult, but by doing some research and considering the points we have discussed you should be able to find a great fairway wood.
Conclusion
Fairway woods can be intimidating clubs for female golfers, because with a slower swing speed they can be difficult to get in the air when hitting from the fairway. Luckily, there are plenty of great models that offer the technology and forgiveness to make them a crucial part of any ladies golf bag set-up.
Picking out the best fairway woods for women is difficult as the handicap range can be anything from plus handicappers to complete beginners. You are going to want a fairway wood that suits your ability and swing, but hopefully there should be an option on our list for any female golfer.
We picked out the TaylorMade SIM2 Max fairway wood as the best currently on the market because it has all the latest technology, looks amazing, performs good enough to be used by Tour Pros and still has enough forgiveness for higher handicappers. However, you cannot really go wrong with any of the choices on our list.
