Best Fairway Woods Models Tested

  • 3 months ago
Joel Tadman and Sam De'Ath from Golf Monthly pick the best fairway woods.
Transcript
00:00With so many fairway wood models on the market,
00:02it can be really challenging to find the right one for you.
00:05But I've tested 16 models from nine different brands,
00:09analysing performance, feel, looks,
00:11to find out which one's right for your game.
00:17Right, Sam, so I've come to join you here
00:18on the seventh hole of Deserter's course, Santo de Serra.
00:21Incredible views in Madeira.
00:23I would recommend it if you are planning a golf trip.
00:26But we're talking about the looks of these fairways,
00:28and it's very important with a fairway wood
00:29that you get one that you like the look of
00:30down behind the ball,
00:31because they can be quite intimidating,
00:33especially off the deck, tight lies.
00:35You want something that's going to give you
00:36a lot of confidence.
00:37Which ones have really stood out to you
00:38in terms of the looks?
00:40Well, the first one I'd like to highlight
00:41is the Mizuno STG.
00:43Now, I'm a better player,
00:45I'm a more confident ball striker,
00:47and so having a smaller, more compact head behind the ball
00:49is something that I look for.
00:51This is a, like I said, a more compact head.
00:53It's a more pear-shaped head
00:55than some of the others we've seen released this year.
00:57But the simple alignment on top,
00:59the gloss black crown, it's really classic,
01:01it's really simple,
01:03and it's one that I think looks great.
01:05I agree, I think lots going on with Mizuno.
01:08They're making some really good metal woods at the moment,
01:10especially in drivers.
01:10They've had a win on tour recently,
01:12and it's got an adjustable hosel and everything.
01:14So yeah, for the better player, I agree,
01:15looks really nice.
01:17But not everyone is a better player,
01:18Sam, who's watching this video.
01:19If you want something that's going to give you
01:20a bit more confidence, maybe a bit more forgiveness,
01:23a bit more meat behind the ball,
01:24is there one that really stands out?
01:25Yeah, absolutely, yeah.
01:26Tailor-made QI10.
01:28Now, this is one that isn't necessarily built
01:32for higher handicappers.
01:34This is one that will appeal to the masses.
01:35This has just gone in the bag of Rory McIlroy this season,
01:38so he's actually opted for this over the Tour model.
01:41It is a slightly larger head.
01:42It's actually got a shallow face, though,
01:44so it looks really easy to launch off the deck.
01:48It's much more symmetrical than the Mizuno,
01:50much more rounded, but again,
01:52the carbon infinity crown on the top
01:53goes all the way to the end,
01:54and then they've touched on this laser etch treatment
01:57on top, the silver lining really helps you
02:00square that face up to your target.
02:01Agree, I think a very user-friendly option,
02:03I think, for that one.
02:05But, I mean, I'm looking at all the Fairwoods here.
02:07They're all relatively similar,
02:08apart from this one here,
02:09which is really standing out to me.
02:10I think it stood out to you as well.
02:12Talk about your favorite overall
02:14for looks in this Fairwood category.
02:15Yeah, so if you were to walk into a golf store,
02:17this is definitely the one that you're going to
02:19walk straight up to and pick up to inspect,
02:21and that is the Callaway Paradigm AI Max.
02:25Yeah, I agree, there we go, looks amazing.
02:26So, this is named AI Smoke,
02:29and that's pretty obvious,
02:30it's because of the crushed carbon on the sole.
02:32It's given this smoky effect,
02:33black and gray kind of tones to it.
02:37It looks great behind the ball.
02:38They've gone for the carbon crown
02:39with the satin gray banner on top.
02:42Again, a really symmetrical looking head,
02:44but the face lines on it really help with alignment,
02:49and this is just one that I think everyone will love.
02:52There we go, plenty to enjoy with the Fairwoods.
02:55Lots of variety on offer,
02:56but those are our three favorites.
03:01Right, Sam, we're moving on to feel now.
03:02I think it's important that Fairwood feels good
03:04off the face and in your hands,
03:06and there's a few that have really stood out to you.
03:08One of them is the PING G430 we're going to start with.
03:11Talk to us about why you like the feel
03:13of this particular model.
03:14Yeah, so this one carries on from last year,
03:16so PING work on a biannual basis.
03:18So, this one came out at the start of 2023,
03:20but it's still one of the best feeling models on the market.
03:23Now, the titanium face just feels super hot,
03:26super springy, and that's relevant
03:28to wherever you strike it,
03:29and that's what everyone loves about a PING.
03:31They're known for their forgiveness.
03:32This is the max model.
03:33They do have the LST model as well,
03:35which is a slightly hotter.
03:37Oh my God, incredible.
03:38Yeah, it produces very low ball flight, very low spinning,
03:41but this one just feels great
03:43no matter where you hit it on the face.
03:45Come on then, let's see.
03:45Well, we've got this beautiful hat on down there.
03:47You know, first thing of the day,
03:48so it's probably going to come off the bottom,
03:49which is a really good test for this club.
03:51And you know, first thing of the day,
03:52you're going to want a PING club, don't you?
03:53Something a bit more forgiving.
03:55Absolutely.
03:56Let's see.
04:00Beautiful.
04:00It's still got a little bit of a tinny sound to it,
04:02but I'm guessing it feels pretty stable.
04:05Absolutely, yeah.
04:06Well, it's the tinny sound that's synonymous with PING.
04:08You know when you've hit a PING,
04:09and that's relevant to the feel as well.
04:12It feels great off the face, very easy to hit.
04:15Right, let's move on to another one,
04:17which I think you liked in terms of the feel.
04:20I believe it was this one,
04:22which is the Cobra Dark Speed X.
04:26Talk us about that one.
04:27Yeah, so this is one of three models released this year.
04:30So you've got the Dark Speed X,
04:32the Dark Speed Max,
04:35and the Dark Speed LS.
04:37This is the, I guess, the standard model of the range.
04:40This is the one that will benefit most players.
04:43And the reason why I love the feel of this
04:45is because it feels so hot off the face.
04:48They do have hot face technology in there.
04:51They've got this power bridge system,
04:52which really helps boost ball speeds as well.
04:55It's really forgiving.
04:57It sounds good.
04:59I've always thought Cobra sounds sometimes
05:02more on the tinny side of things.
05:03They're a louder sound, which is an acquired taste.
05:05I'm someone who prefers a more muted sound.
05:08But just the feel off the face of this,
05:09especially when struck out the middle,
05:10is just next to none.
05:12Well, let's see it in action then.
05:13Oh yeah.
05:20I mean, how good does that sound?
05:21Really hear that reverberating around the trees.
05:23Yeah, there's a lot of presence in that fairway.
05:25Yeah.
05:26Very good.
05:27Awesome.
05:28But it's not your favorite.
05:29It's not my favorite.
05:30There's one that really stood out to you.
05:31Which one was that?
05:32And that is the PXG Black Ops.
05:34Brand new.
05:35Brand new.
05:37Here for 2024.
05:39Now, the last PXG fairway wood I hit was the O211.
05:44And they're slightly different fairway woods
05:47in terms of where they come into the market.
05:49Yeah, more of an entry level that.
05:50Exactly.
05:51And this one is ultra premium, premium materials.
05:54This face is actually 12 and a half percent thinner
05:58than the previous generation,
06:00which has helped provide flexion in the face,
06:03faster ball speeds.
06:04And that's something you really notice
06:05when you strike this.
06:07The carbon crown on top
06:09actually mutes the sound quite a lot as well.
06:10Okay.
06:11Which produces that more thud-like sound.
06:13It'd be interesting to hear that
06:14compared to the ping, wouldn't it?
06:16Let's see if we can hear that.
06:20Okay.
06:21Yeah, it's a little bit of a metallic sound to it,
06:23but it's quite deep as well.
06:25It's a metallic sound,
06:26but it's an improvement on previous generations.
06:29And that's something I really picked up upon.
06:31There you go.
06:32Those are our three favorites in the feel category.
06:35Right, so we're moving on to the all important performance.
06:40Remember, if you do like this video,
06:41make sure you click the like button
06:42and subscribe to the Golf Monthly YouTube channel.
06:45But let's splash up the data on the screen,
06:46because Sam, you've tested all these fairway woods indoors,
06:49on a launch monitor with premium golf balls.
06:50So you know exactly how they compare, how they perform.
06:54So which ones really stood out to you
06:55in terms of the performance
06:56that you got on the launch monitor?
06:57Yeah, so I think the first one that stood out to me
07:00was the TaylorMade QI10 Tour.
07:03Now, the reason this stood out
07:05is mainly because of the tech
07:07that's been implemented in it.
07:08Now, it's something we did see in the Stealth 2
07:10with this track system.
07:11That really helps dial in a certain ball flight
07:13in terms of your height.
07:14You then have the adjustable hosel as well.
07:16But the smaller, more compact head
07:18made it really easy to work the ball.
07:20And that's something I particularly like to do.
07:22So depending on the dogleg of the hole,
07:24I like to shape it one way or the other.
07:26And again, coming into par fives,
07:27this is super helpful being able to launch the ball
07:29in certain windows.
07:30So for that reason, this one I really like.
07:33Yeah, I think with that lower spinning head,
07:35you've probably got a lot of distance
07:36out of this one as well.
07:37Yeah, absolutely.
07:38Yeah, so that was up there
07:39with one of the longest that we tested this year.
07:42So I actually averaged about 262 yards of distance
07:46on launch monitor.
07:47Alongside this one?
07:48Alongside this one, this was actually the longest.
07:50So the Titleist TSR3.
07:51Now again, this is a carryover model from last year,
07:55but still performs excellently.
07:57It feels amazing off the face.
07:58Again, you've got a short track system on the bottom
08:01and their sure fit hosel,
08:02which allows you to dial in multiple different ball flights
08:04or fight against a certain ball flight,
08:06but produce really good distance.
08:08It beat the QI10 Tour by a yard in my testing.
08:11So there's not much between them.
08:12We're splitting hairs, but this one performs excellently.
08:15Yeah, I think movable weight
08:16and underrated characteristic info was, as you say,
08:18being able to dial in that ball flight
08:20and get some versatility out of the club
08:22is really important.
08:23Obviously you get that with this and the TaylorMade.
08:24So that's a big plus point for those two.
08:27Any others that really stood out for performance?
08:29Yeah, so, well, my winner of the performance category,
08:32and it's a slightly different model
08:34compared to the two we've just talked about.
08:36They're very much aimed
08:37at the more confident ball striker, the better player.
08:39This one, it has to be said,
08:40is aimed at the higher handicapper,
08:41one looking for more forgiveness,
08:43the Callaway Paradigm AI Smoke Max D.
08:46There it is.
08:47It's a long name, but it's worth it.
08:48It's a surprise pick.
08:49Talk us through it.
08:50It's a surprise pick.
08:51And so the reason behind my choice
08:54is you still get the adjustable hosel.
08:56It's a draw bias head.
08:58Now, upon testing,
08:59I'm someone who draws the ball naturally.
09:01It did turn my draws into hooks,
09:03which I can't really complain about
09:05because that's exactly what it's designed to do.
09:07It's designed to promote that draw bias shape,
09:09fight against a slice,
09:10and this is a club that someone who fades the ball
09:14or over-slices the ball will love.
09:16Yeah, but also you get a lot of height out of this club,
09:18which I think is a really underrated area of performance.
09:20You know, you're attacking long par fours, par fives.
09:23The greens are quite firm.
09:24You want it to stop relatively quickly,
09:27but this is going to give you the height
09:28that you need to do that, right?
09:29Absolutely, and that's one of the reasons
09:30why it won this category.
09:31Off the fairway, striking a fairway wood off the fairway
09:34is one of the hardest skills in golf.
09:36This achieved an apex average of 116 feet,
09:39which is stupidly high,
09:42but it meant that hitting into par fours or long par fives,
09:46you can hold the green even in the summer.
09:47Okay, so there you have it.
09:49That was kind of the comparative performance
09:51of all the fairwoods.
09:51Not much in it from kind of shortest to longest.
09:54There's a lot of nuance there,
09:55but hopefully we've picked out some areas
09:57that will get you thinking about
09:58which one might suit your game the best.
10:00Okay, so the last category, Sam, is value for money.
10:05I think every golfer wants a bit more bang for their buck,
10:07and we've got a couple here that really stood out to you
10:10in this particular area.
10:11I've got one, you've got one.
10:12Which one have you got and why, please?
10:14So I have the Shrixen ZX Mark II model.
10:17Now, this retailed at 249 pounds,
10:19but was released at the start of last year,
10:21so a carry-on product that you can probably get
10:23even cheaper than that now.
10:25Small, compact-looking heads
10:27produce a low-penetrative ball flight.
10:29Okay, let's see one.
10:32Yeah, I think performed pretty well in testing.
10:35And that kind of flatter ball flight
10:37is really going to help someone
10:37who maybe spins up their fairwoods a bit too much.
10:39Yeah, absolutely.
10:40Ideal for someone who plays in the wind or on Lynx courses,
10:43and at that price point, a superb product.
10:46Okay, and at the other end of the spectrum,
10:47I think we've got this Wilson DynaPower,
10:49which comes in a bit lower
10:51and offers slightly different performance.
10:52Is that right?
10:53Slightly different performance characteristics.
10:56Very easy to launch off the fairway,
10:58which is, you know, it's a hard thing to do.
11:01But retailing at 220 pounds,
11:04again, a carry-on product from last year,
11:05so you can probably pick this up even cheaper,
11:07get even more bang for your buck.
11:09If you can get a fairway wood for around 200 pounds,
11:11then that's perfect.
11:12Let's see it then, because as you say,
11:14it's maybe not going to give you the distance
11:16of some of the others in this test.
11:19We've dug off you a little bit more height,
11:20so if you do tend to hit the ball quite low
11:22and you want to get a bit more stopping power into greens
11:24and save a bit of money,
11:26that Wilson could be a good option.
11:28Now, I hope you really enjoyed this video
11:30and it's given you a really good insight
11:31as to the best fairway woods in 2024
11:33and which one will suit your game the best.
11:36But now it's time for me to pick my top three.
11:38In third place, I'm choosing
11:40the PXG Black Ops fairway wood.
11:42It's made major strides on last year's model.
11:45It provides really good performance,
11:46fast ball speeds, feels great off the face.
11:49In second place, I've cheated a little here.
11:52I've gone for a tied second between the Titleist TSR3,
11:55offering superb performance, plenty of adjustability,
11:58and the TainerMade QI 10 Tour,
12:00which falls in a similar category.
12:02Loads of adjustment, easy to flight down,
12:05movable in the wind, ideal for the better player.
12:08But when it comes to a winner, there was a standout.
12:11It looks superb on the shelf, will look superb in your bag,
12:14feels amazing off the face, and is easy to control.
12:17That's the Callaway Paradigm AI Smoke Max.