Best Game Improvement/Forgiving Fairway Woods
Having a high-quality fairway wood in your bag is pretty much essential if you want to get around the course with a reasonable score. However, if you can get a wood that is also forgiving and capable of improving your game, then you are onto a real winner.
If this sounds like some sort of fantasy club, then no need to worry. Such fairway woods really do exist out there.
Not only that, but we are here to show you some of the best around, as well as explain why you really need to invest in this sort of club.
Table of Contents
- 1. Best Overall - Cobra Radspeed Fairway Wood
- 2. Best for Easy Launch - Callaway Mavrik Max
- 3. Best for Slow Swings - Titleist TS2 Fairway Wood
- 4. Best for Seniors - TaylorMade Sim Max Fairway Wood
- 5. Best for Ladies - Callaway Mavrik Fairway Wood
- Why You Need a Forgiving Wood
- What to Look for
- Choosing Your Club
- Overall Conclusion
1. Best Overall - Cobra Radspeed Fairway Wood
Contains radial weighting technology
CNC milled face for better all-round performance
Thin-ply carbon crown reduces weight
Club designed to optimize speed and control
Contains hollow split rails for more flex
First up, we have the Radspeed fairway wood by Cobra, and this is a great club to kick things off. It’s crammed full of technology that’s designed to really help you out with your fairway shots, and there’s no doubt that you will indeed see a significant difference to your game.
With this club, you have a thin-ply carbon crown, and that is going to knock some weight off. That means it flies through the air more easily, and this club is all about keeping things as light as possible.
At the same time, the milled face is really done to absolute perfection. This gives you a sense of consistency with your shots, and it lets you forget about the club and get on with thinking about other parts of your swing.
By optimizing speed and control, it should mean this wood is going to improve distance, and that’s great if you have a naturally slower swing speed. Add in the reduced weight, and this could easily push you on a few extra yards without you losing control of the shot.
But it’s the radial weighting technology that is going to make the biggest difference here. It means the COG is perfect in the club, and that increases the level of forgiveness that it can deliver.
Due to this weighting technology, you are able to feel confident that even a mishit will be pulled back into line and not send you off into deep trouble.
What they have done here is to increase the distance that exists between the front and back weights. That also reduces the spin the wood produces while it doesn’t sacrifice any of the forgiveness that you need from the club.
Pros
Cons
Overall Conclusion
This club is balanced, adds distance, and it does so in a controlled manner. Sure, it might not be too helpful to people with a super fast swing speed, but that’s in the minority overall.
That means that this fairway wood is pretty perfect for most people, and that’s why it has full marks.
2. Best for Easy Launch - Callaway Mavrik Max
Comes with their new Flash Face
Designed to maximise launch angle and ball speed
Looks to get maximum distance
Highly forgiving wood across the range
Gives different weighting options
The Callaway Mavrik Max fairway wood is going to help boost both launch angle as well as ball speed, and those are two major areas that people tend to need some help with.
However, with Callaway, you know that the clubs are going to be crammed full of technology, and this one is no different.
The Flash Face is where it all begins. This is crafted from different materials that is unique to each club in the set. Its aim is to increase the MOI with better launch angles, and faster ball speed.
This is going to clearly enhance your distances, but there’s something else that’s important with this club, and that’s how forgiving it is with your shots.
They have opened up the clubface, and that’s going to make a real difference when it comes to your shot. It means the sweet spot is bigger than normal, so even hitting off the middle of the face is not going to result in you being punished to the same extent.
Finally, this club comes with different weighting options, and this can also help you out. By playing around with the weighting, you can change the launch angle, as well as the spin level, and that may completely change your entire game.
Pros
Cons
Overall Conclusion
This club will help you out with being quite forgiving in nature, but it’s going to focus more on helping you to get the ball up off the ground and into the air. This means it’s the perfect fairway wood for anyone struggling in that area.
However, it can be quite complicated when it comes to getting the best out of it. Considering the people that generally struggle with height may be struggling with other areas, then it could have been simplified a bit. That’s why we have taken something off the score.
3. Best for Slow Swings - Titleist TS2 Fairway Wood
Has maximum forgiveness in the club
Made from graphite
Seeks to increase swing speed
Comes with an adjustable sweet spot
Easy to adjust to fit your needs
The Titleist TS2 fairway wood is designed to help those individuals with a slower swing speed. If your swing speed is lower, then you will lose out on distance due to the reduction in energy. However, this clubs is designed to counteract that very problem.
In this instance, you are looking at Titleist having tried to shave off some weight wherever possible, and they have sought to optimize the aerodynamics to make sure the club flows through the air with ease.
Also, Titleist has looked at providing you with maximum forgiveness with the club, and it also comes with an adjustable sweet spot that makes life so much easier for you. That should mean you are in a position to get the club to really work for you, no matter what it is that you are looking for.
Overall, this fairway wood is not only forgiving, but it goes out of its way to be as forgiving as it’s possible for a club to be. While it also swings well, and feels balanced, the fact it primarily focuses on just one area is actually a bonus in this instance.
Pros
Cons
Overall Conclusion
Titleist produce a number of good clubs, and if you have a slower swing speed, then this is the fairway wood that is going to be really capable of helping your game. It’s easy to use, and it also seeks to provide you with maximum forgiveness at all times.
However, it’s not an all-inclusive club. It’s not going to allow you to play around with spin as much, so if you are seeking a more advanced club, then this isn’t the one for you, so it drops a fraction of a point.
4. Best for Seniors - TaylorMade Sim Max Fairway Wood
Available in different loft degrees
Precision weighting for best COG
V Steel sole design offers better turf interaction
Twist Face technology leads to straighter shots
Speed pocket means you don’t lose speed with mishits
The TaylorMade Sim Max fairway wood is one seriously good club. To say it’s packed full of technology designed to help you out would be an understatement.
First, it comes with different loft degree options, and that means you can play around with different potential clubs to add to your bag. Then, there’s the fact the weight distribution is precise, and that’s going to mean you have an ultra-low COG leading to more power and speed.
But that’s not all.
It also has Twist Face technology, and that’s going to help correct those mishits and make sure things go straighter rather than ending up way off line.
You should also expect this fairway wood to be exceptionally forgiving as it’s clear that the club works hard on your behalf to correct those shots that would have otherwise been off. That gives you more confidence in your shots resulting in being able to just let go with your swing.
Finally, the fact it doesn’t allow you to drop ball speed even with mishits means your distances will be as good as they could possibly be. Couple that with reduced weight in the club resulting in faster swing speeds, and you have a powerful club capable of doing so much.
Pros
Cons
Overall Conclusion
TaylorMade rarely produce a bad club, and this is another one to add to the list of excellent clubs to come off their production line. It does help you out with your swing, and the size of the sweet spot on the face is another huge bonus.
However, it can come across as overthinking how it will help you out. That can be a problem for some, and especially those starting out in the game.
5. Best for Ladies - Callaway Mavrik Fairway Wood
Offers greater distance through a faster face
Leading edge geometry provides better launch angle
Different weighting options available
Designed to counteract bias in the swing
Perfect flex for slower swing speeds
For us, the best fairway wood for the female golfer has to be this Callaway Mavrik fairway wood. Now, we have covered a slightly different version earlier, but don’t think that this model is second best, as it’s not.
What you get here is a fairway wood that is not only forgiving, but it helps you to add on a few extra yards to your shot, and that can make a world of a difference.
It primarily achieves this through the face of the club. They state how they use exotic materials, but the key is in that it is optimized in such a way so as it can provide you with the perfect launch angle, and less of a drop in ball speed as that energy is transferred.
Also, they have opened up the club face to a certain extent, and with the ability to change the perimeter weighting, it does mean you can have a larger than normal sweet spot to play around with as well.
It’s clear that Callaway has thought of everything in this club. The geometry has indeed been worked out to perfection, and that allows you to know that the ball is going to get up off the ground with ease, and that applies even with those mishits.
Basically, it would take a lot to go wrong for you to end up skimming the ball along the ground with this club.
Pros
Cons
Overall Conclusion
This club is a wonderful fairway wood for any female player to have in their bag. It does make a difference with launch and getting the ball up off the deck. Also, it’s highly forgiving, so it will allow you to get away with the mishits.
To be honest, there’s little wrong with this club, and that is why we have given it full marks.
Why You Need a Forgiving Wood
Let’s be honest here, when you are starting out with golf, you find pretty much every shot to be difficult. It feels as if every single thing you do is tough, and the shots are out of control.
The problem is that using a fairway wood, or even if you plan on using a wood off the tee, is a difficult shot to master. You use a wood less often than a number of other types of clubs, so you cant’ work on the shot as much as you may like.
That is why you need to have a wood that is going to be capable of not only improving your game, but also building in a huge amount of forgiveness for you. By doing that, you will tend to see that your game is going to generally improve.
What to Look for
So what should you be looking for when it comes to this type of wood? Well, it comes down to your own game and where you feel you are struggling.
For example, if you are struggling to get the ball up off the deck with your fairway wood, then you need something that is going to change that. At the same time, others may find that they get too much height and lose distance, so that needs to be corrected.
But this is what we recommend you look for when wanting to buy a new fairway wood.
How it Works with Distance
If you are struggling with loss of distance, due to ball speed or swing speed, then you need a fairway wood that’s going to correct this. It often means there’s less energy lost in the transfer between club and ball.
Look for a more lightweight club that allows you to swing faster, and check the flex as well. Also, most pros will be able to tell you the optimum swing speed for a particular club and how it fits in with your own game.
The Trajectory
You also need to pay attention to the trajectory aspect as you may be struggling with your launch angle and simply getting the ball up off the ground. At the same time, others may hit too high, and that’s going to lead to a loss in distance.
Look to see how the fairway wood deals with the launch angle. Pay close attention to the loft as well since that clearly has an impact.
Dealing with Mishits
But as we are looking at woods that are designed to help your game, then understanding how they deal with mishits is going to be important.
In this instance, it’s all about the positioning of the sweet spot and how big it is. Ideally, you pretty much want it to cover the majority of the face of the club as that does mean you are going to be able to hit hard knowing the club is there to help.
It’s also important to know that the club is going to potentially help you if you have either a draw or fade bias in your shot. By working with you to bring things back onto a straight line, it does mean you will largely avoid ending up in serious trouble, and that’s a good thing.
Choosing Your Club
Make sure you know the correct length of club for your own stance. Of course, the clubs we have covered can be adjusted to fit your needs, and that may be something you need to do.
Also, be aware of that swing speed. This has been mentioned several times, but it does make a huge difference to your overall game. It can completely change the shots you play, and the outcome.
With a fairway wood, there’s slightly less emphasis on the spin on the ball. For high handicap players, we would recommend not paying too much attention to spin and focus entirely on how it helps you to keep the ball either on the fairway, or being able to approach the green.
At this moment in time, the key is in being able to get the ball to land in the kind of area you were aiming for rather than being sidetracked by so many other aspects.
So, when choosing your club, focus on these key points.
Understand the swing speed the club is aimed at
Be aware of the size of the sweet spot and how forgiving it is on the course
Look to see how it helps with the launch angle to get the ball off the ground
Know the length, loft angle, and weight of the club
Seek advice from your local pro if unsure as to which option is best
If you keep those points in mind, then it should be relatively easy and straightforward for you to then go ahead and be able to get the best fairway wood that is going to be beneficial to your game.
Overall Conclusion
The best fairway wood for us that’s going to improve your game, or give you that level of forgiveness, has to be the Cobra Radspeed. It just comes across as being more open to pretty much any level of player, and it does all of the right things at the right time for you.
However, the Ladies version of the Callaway Mavrik is also worth a mention. It goes big on balance and providing you with ease of launch, and that should also make a huge difference when it comes to your shots.
