The Rundown:
Best Overall: TaylorMade M4 Fairway Wood
“The M4 Fairway Wood is the best performing 3-wood today. Thanks to its solid forgiveness and ultra-hot face, it is perfect for high handicappers.”
Best Value For Money: TaylorMade RBZ Fairway Wood
“The TaylorMade RBZ is an affordable option from a top manufacturer, perfect for players who want high quality, great forgiveness and design.”
If You Want The Very Best: Callaway Epic Flash Fairway Wood
“With Flash Face technology to increase ball speed, super lightweight club, and extra forgiveness, the Epic Flash is for those who want the very best out there.”
Fairway woods are often overlooked by players today, especially beginners and high handicappers. They are actually really important not only to cover long distances from the fairway but also to add versatility to your overall gameplay.
The Winner: TaylorMade M4, Great Distance & Forgiveness
The TaylorMade M4 3-wood is the top performing driver in my tests this year thanks to its ultra-hot face and solid forgiveness. While it doesn’t have the adjustability options you may find in other TaylorMade woods, it’s a great option for high handicappers who are just looking for something they can get off the ground.
We recommend it.




Our Top Picks
- Our Top Choice: TaylorMade M4
- Most Popular & Excellent Value: TaylorMade Men’s RBZ Fairway Wood
- Premium Option: Callaway Epic Flash Fairway Wood
Yet, buying one fairway wood or two for beginners can be a confusing task. With so many options and different features out there, it is hard to find the right fairway woods that can complement your driver and other clubs.
In this buying guide, we will have an in-depth discussion for game improvement fairway woods, as well as several products we will recommend.
Featured Recommendations
Last updated on 2021-02-25. The links are affiliate links. Product images are served from Amazon Product Advertising API.
Without further ado, let us first begin with our product reviews.
Table of Contents
- The Rundown:
- Our Top Picks
- Featured Recommendations
- Best Fairway Woods For High Handicappers
- TaylorMade M4 Fairway Wood
- TaylorMade Mens RBZ Fairway Wood
- Callaway Epic Flash Fairway Wood
- Cobra Golf Men’s King F8 Fairway
- Cobra F9 Speedback Fairway Wood
- MW8 Moon Wood Fairway Wood
- Callaway Men’s Rogue Fairway Wood
- TaylorMade Golf M6 Fairway Wood
- Cobra Men’s 2018 F-Max Fairway Wood
- Orlimar Golf Escape Fairway Wood
- TaylorMade Men’s AeroBurner Fairway Wood
- Pinemeadow PGX Offset Golf Fairway Wood
- TaylorMade M4 Fairway Wood
- Things to Consider When Buying the Best Fairway Woods for High Handicappers
- Questions & Answers
- Why should I use fairway woods if I already have several hybrids?
- How do I choose the right fairway wood for me?
- What are the key benefits of fairway woods for high handicap golfers?
- With adjustability being the trend of golf club designs nowadays, what forms of adjustability should I look for in a fairway wood?
- Are there things to look for that differentiate fairway woods for high handicappers?
- Can a beginner golfer use fairway woods?
- Are there any particular brands I should look for?
- How many fairway woods should I carry in my bag?
- Why should I use fairway woods if I already have several hybrids?
Best Fairway Woods For High Handicappers
Here are our top picks for the best fairway woods for high handicappers:
- Best Overall: TaylorMade M4 Fairway Wood
- Best Value for Money: TaylorMade Mens RBZ Fairway Wood
- Premium Option: Callaway Epic Flash Fairway Wood
- Exceptional Fairway Club for High Handicappers: Cobra Golf Men’s King F8 Fairway
- Excellent Fairway Wood for Mid Handicappers: Cobra F9 Speedback Fairway Wood
- Best High Lofts: MW8 Moon Wood Fairway Wood
- Most Technologically Advanced Wood: Callaway Men’s Rogue Fairway Wood
- Another Premium Option: TaylorMade Golf M6 Fairway Wood
- Our Top Draw Bias Model: Cobra Men’s 2018 F-Max Fairway Wood
- Best for Slow-Swingers: Orlimar Golf Escape Fairway Wood
- Deep Speed Pocket and a Great Alignment Aid: TaylorMade Men’s AeroBurner Fairway Wood
- Best for Slice Correction: Pinemeadow PGX Offset Golf Fairway Wood
TaylorMade M4 Fairway Wood
Best overall: Great performance from a top manufacturer
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KEY FEATURES
- Great feel
- Good distance on off-center hits
- Lifts the ball off the ground nicely
- Useful from tough lies
The TaylorMade M4 3-wood is the top performing driver in my tests this year thanks to its ultra-hot face and solid forgiveness.
While it doesn’t have the adjustability options you may find in other TaylorMade woods, it’s a great option for high handicappers who are just looking for something they can get off the ground.
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TaylorMade Mens RBZ Fairway Wood
Best value for money: Sleek look and low profile inspires confidence
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KEY FEATURES
- Long and forgiving
- Looks great at address
- Excellent value
The TaylorMade RBZ fairway wood is a sleek, all-black design with a very low profile that looks like its primed to scoop the ball up off the ground and launch it at your target.
An affordable option from a top manufacturer, it’s a great option for players who want to use the best equipment but don’t want to pay the premium price that TaylorMade’s fanciest models command.
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Callaway Epic Flash Fairway Wood
Premium option: best for low handicappers & serious golfers
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KEY FEATURES
- Flash Face technology for maximum ball speed
- Jailbreak technology for more energy to golf ball
- Incredibly lightweight
Callaway’s celebrated club line, the Epic Flash series, has added another winner to the group with the release of the Epic Flash Fairway Wood.
With a host of innovative features, the Epic Flash Fairway is a straight-up monster, delivering unreal distance with remarkable forgiveness.
Highlighted by the club’s adjustable loft sleeve and rear weight, the Callaway club allows the golfer plenty of options to choose from when crafting the shot shape that is ideal for their game.
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Cobra Golf Men’s King F8 Fairway
Exceptional Fairway Club for High Handicappers
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KEY FEATURES
- Baffler Rail System creates a shallow and sweeping swing for better contact
- Adjustable loft sleeve help creates the flight path you want
- Carbon fiber crown is lightweight and durable for long-lasting performance
Another well-made fairway wood from Cobra that checks a lot of boxes is the King F8 Fairway.
With its low profile, the F8 Fairway is a club that instills a lot of confidence for high handicappers looking to make the jump to clubs that are better made and considered high-level.
Featuring the company’s patented Baffler Rail System on the sole of the club, the F8 provides the golfer with an exceptional feel and response after each swing.
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Cobra F9 Speedback Fairway Wood
Excellent Fairway Wood for Mid Handicappers
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KEY FEATURES
- Available in three different options from 3-wood through 8-wood
- Adjustable loft sleeve and rear weighting gives golfer total control
- Lightweight body makes F9 one of the fastest fairway woods available
One of the most affordable, first-rate fairway woods on the market is the Cobra King F9 Speedback Fairway wood.
The wood is a combination of the company’s most celebrated innovations as the Speedback and Baffler technologies drive Cobra’s thinnest and hottest CMC milled club face for an exceptional fairway wood that is long and forgiving.
Throw in an adjustable loft sleeve and interchangeable rear weight and the F9 Fairway becomes an unmistakable powerhouse in the fairway wood category.
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MW8 Moon Wood Fairway Wood
High lofts make it easy to get the ball airborne
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KEY FEATURES
- Easy to get the ball up the air
- Low profile wood
- Perfect if you have trouble hitting fairway woods
The MW8 Moon Wood is a love-it-or-hate-it type club that has some slower-swinging high handicappers jumping for joy.
With very high lofts that are more typically found in hybrids, the Moon Woods are designed to be easy to hit high up in the air. However, if you have a fast swing or are already pretty good with your fairway woods, you may find these only hit mostly useless popups.
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Callaway Men’s Rogue Fairway Wood
Most technologically advanced wood: Great deal on a top performer
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KEY FEATURES
- Very long
- Boeing technology for great clubhead speed
- Comes with headcover and full 1-year warranty
The Callaway Rogue Fairway Wood has quickly developed a reputation as one of the hottest clubs on the market since its release in 2018.
With that buzz comes a price tag to match, that still comes with the full 1-year warranty.
Featuring collaborative aerodynamics from Boeing, the Rogue Fairway Wood is one of the longest fairway woods on the market.
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TaylorMade Golf M6 Fairway Wood
Premium option: The best keep getting better
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KEY FEATURES
- Packed with latest technology
- Refined version of award-winning M5 and M4
- Simply the best fairway wood
TaylorMade makes some of the best-selling, most advanced drivers and woods on the market.
Each year it seems like they’re touting a newly-developed technology that’ll guarantee more yards, straighter shots, and lower scores. But each year they deliver a top-notch product that really does seem to outperform its peers. The TaylorMade M6 is one of the best clubs we’ve tested for golfers at any level.
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Cobra Men’s 2018 F-Max Fairway Wood
Our top draw bias model: low profile and slight offset for slice correction
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KEY FEATURES
- Offset provides draw bias to help correct slices
- Good distance
- Back/heel CG weight helps get ball airborne
The Cobra F-Max Fairway Wood is designed with one primary goal in mind: help the high handicapper who tends to slice the ball.
Its center of gravity placement and hosel design will both help the golfer square the clubface through impact, and will impart right-to-left sidespin to encourage a high, right-to-left ball flight.
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Orlimar Golf Escape Fairway Wood
Best for slow-swingers: Extra loft and low profile for high flight
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KEY FEATURES
- Extra loft provides extra lift
- Shallow profile helps club get under ball
- Available in super high lofts
The Orlimar Escape Fairway Woods are designed for slow-swinging high handicappers to help them dig the ball up off the ground and get them in the air.
They produce a ball flight more akin to a lofted iron and feature very little roll-out after landing.
They’re available from 3-wood through 15-wood, so if you like it you can essentially carry seven Orlimar woods to cover most of your distances.
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TaylorMade Men’s AeroBurner Fairway Wood
Deep Speed Pocket and a great alignment aid
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KEY FEATURES
- Long
- Great lines and alignment aid
- Large sweet spot
TaylorMade has yet another entry on our list of top fairway woods with their Aeroburner model.
A distinctive white clubhead design together with a deep Speed Pocket and raised channel on the crown make for a unique-looking fairway wood.
The alignment aid is one of the best ones tested, and the distance when you hit the large sweet spot is certainly satisfying.
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Pinemeadow PGX Offset Golf Fairway Wood
Best for slice correction: Dramatic slice correction
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KEY FEATURES
- Extreme offset offers dramatic slice correction
- Low price
The Pinemeadow PGX Offset fairway woods are flat-out the most offset woods I’ve ever come across.
If you’ve tried mild offsets like the Cobra F-Max and you’re still hitting banana slices, you may want to look into this extremely offset offering from Pinemeadow.
They’re high-loft, high-spin clubs designed to get the ball in the air and help high handicappers stop slicing.
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Things to Consider When Buying the Best Fairway Woods for High Handicappers
Forgiveness
Even pros don’t hit the sweet spot every time, and high handicappers are going to hit the ball all over the club face. With the technology and materials available in clubs today, even mis-hits should be playable.
I’m looking for a fairway wood that’ll turn a slice into a fade and will still provide useful distance on a poor swing. While no club can fix a chunk, some are better than others at turning bad shots into “that’ll work” and “just ok” shots into good ones.
Distance
No matter how forgiving a club is, it also needs to be long. Golf courses are getting longer and longer every day, so you don’t want to be stuck using a club that can’t keep up with the demands of the modern game.
You want a fairway wood with a thin, lively face that launches it as far as possible down the fairway. Par 5s should be scoring opportunities instead of scary monsters. Distance has never been more important in the game of golf.
Durability
Golf clubs get more and more expensive every year. With hand-crafted graphite shafts and carbon fiber compound clubheads becoming ever more common, the manufacturing (and marketing) costs are reflected in the retail price tag.
So when you pay that much for a golf club, you want it to last. Durability is reflected in the craftsmanship and build quality. A club should be well-made enough to last you several years, if not decades.
Value
If a fairway wood costs twice as much as the one next to it, shouldn’t it hit it twice as far and twice as straight? You’d hope so, but of course that’s not the case.
One club might eke a few more yards out of a mediocre swing than another, but if it costs exorbitantly more, it might not be worth the extra bucks.
Desirability
Is this the hot new fairway wood everyone’s talking about? Does it feature space-age materials to help the ball fly higher and longer? Is it from the same brand that all the pros use?
A more desirable club will have features you may not find in other fairway woods, and it’ll retain its value better if you ever try to re-sell it. More recognizable brands will be more desirable for good reason: they’re usually on the cutting edge of technology, with tons of money poured into research and development each year.
Questions & Answers

Why should I use fairway woods if I already have several hybrids?
Hybrids are hugely popular nowadays for all skill levels of golfers. High handicappers especially can benefit from their use, but a smartly laid out golf bag will include both fairway woods and hybrids.
Hybrids are designed to incorporate the best qualities of fairway woods into a replacement for hard-to-hit long irons. They were never intended to replace the 3-wood or the 5-wood, only to augment an iron set for someone who finds it easier to hit woods than long irons. Fairway woods have stronger lofts and are designed to hit the ball farther than hybrids. They should be used for long shots off the fairway or for tee shots when a driver might get you in trouble. (If you’re interested in hybrid clubs, we have reviewed them here).

Due to the head shape and design, a fairway wood will fly and roll out further than a similarly lofted hybrid. The fairway woods generally have longer shafts and generate more ball speed. Ultimately, fairway woods have different purposes and characteristics compared to hybrids, and there’s room for both in your golf bag.

How do I choose the right fairway wood for me?
There are several important factors you should understand before purchasing a fairway wood. They are:
LOFT
Loft dictates flight trajectory and distance. The higher the loft, the higher the flight trajectory and the shorter the ball will travel. Higher lofts are also easier to hit than stronger ones. Fairway woods have higher lofts than drivers, with the standard 3-wood loft coming in between 14 and 16 degrees. The higher the number, the higher the loft: 5-woods have lofts between 17 and 20 degrees. Higher lofted woods (7-, 9-, 11-, etc) are often called utility or specialty woods.
SHAFT LENGTH
The higher the club number and the loft, the shorter the shaft length. 3-woods need long shafts in order to generate enough clubhead speed to drive the ball into the air. 5-woods have more loft and thus shorter shafts for the perfect clubhead speed and launch angle.
MATERIALS
Fairway woods are usually made from three different materials, which also often dictate size.
Stainless Steel
Stainless steel is the most common and most affordable material used. It’s quite strong but relatively heavy compared to other materials. Because of its weight, clubhead size is limited. Some golfers like the compact profile of steel wood heads, but most high handicappers will benefit from more modern materials.
Titanium
Titanium is a material commonly used to make drivers or larger fairway woods for hitting from the tee. Titanium is relatively light compared to stainless steel, yet also very strong. With titanium, manufacturers can push the center of gravity (CG) deeper in the club head, which translates to higher natural flight trajectory. Titanium faces can also be made really thin, providing better distance.
Multi-Material Composite
Recent advancements in technology have allowed manufacturers to combine materials such as carbon with titanium or steel to create ultra-lightweight, ultra strong heads. As a result, we get larger, more forgiving heads without sacrificing performance. The light weight also prevents twisting on mis-hits by allowing greater distribution of weight to the perimeter of the head. Multi-material clubs are generally the most expensive, but deliver the best results.
On top of these factors, there are other considerations when choosing your fairway wood. It ultimately depends on what you are looking to achieve:
You may want to use fairway wood off the tee, as a 3- or 4- wood is easier to hit than driver. They won’t travel as far, but many golfers find that they’re easier to control; hitting the fairway more often is an acceptable trade-off for the distance lost by not hitting driver. Pros like Henrik Stenson feel so much more comfortable with their 3-woods that you’ll only see them hitting driver on the longest holes.
We all know that long irons can be really difficult to hit well.
Higher lofted fairway woods can be good alternatives to long irons and hybrids with their larger club heads, increased forgiveness, and lower center-of-gravity. As a general rule, a 5-wood can replace a 2-iron, a 7-wood for 3- or 4- iron, and 9-wood can replace the 5-iron.

Ever wanted to reach the par 5 in two? Some holes are simply too long to reach with a hybrid or long irons. In these cases, a 3- or 4- wood with a lively clubface can often do the job from the fairway.

What are the key benefits of fairway woods for high handicap golfers?
High handicappers’ clubs are commonly designed with two things in mind: more forgiveness and distance on off-center strikes. With fairway woods, it is no different.

Fairway woods for high handicappers are designed to be as forgiving as possible. This is mainly achieved by making the head bigger and moving weight to the perimeter, giving you a bigger sweet spot to hit the ball. Other approaches in design can also be used, such as manipulating the center of gravity (CG) position or thinning the face to flex more during impact.

With adjustability being the trend of golf club designs nowadays, what forms of adjustability should I look for in a fairway wood?
Although not as prominent as in drivers, some manufacturers do offer some forms of adjustability in their fairway woods. There are generally three forms of adjustability/customization offered in fairway woods:
Adjustable Loft
By using adjustable hosel, players can modify the loft of the fairway wood. Usually achieved with a removable screw in the heel, the player removes the head and re-positions it on the shaft in the desired loft setting. Usually, this method allows the loft to be increased or decreased by 1-3 degrees.
However, it is not only the loft that is changed with this method, as the lie may also be affected. ‘Lie’ is the angle of the shaft in relation to the ground at address, which will affect the horizontal flight of the ball. Some adjustable hosels allow us to change loft angle without affecting the lie, which is worth considering when purchasing a club with adjustable hosel.
In the end, adjustable hosels are designed to optimize your ball flight, trajectory, and distance. Hitting several balls at each available setting with a launch monitor and a trained professional interpreting the numbers is the best way to determine which setting is best for you.
Face Angle
Face angle, as the name suggests, is the angle of the face at address. We call the face angle ‘squared’ when it is totally perpendicular to the ball. Some fairway woods have soles that cause the club to naturally sit square behind the ball, which can help the golfer align the clubhead precisely.
Adjusting the face angle can have a quite significant impact on ball flight: a closed clubface (“draw” setting) can help players who have a tendency to slice the ball, while an open clubface (“fade” setting) can help with hook tendencies.
Movable Weights
Having an adjustable weight feature has essentially become the norm in drivers to manipulate center of gravity positioning. It is less prevalent in fairway woods, but some manufacturers do offer it. Manipulating the weight position will affect the center of gravity, which will, in turn, affect forgiveness, flight trajectory, and distance.

Are there things to look for that differentiate fairway woods for high handicappers?
High handicappers should be looking for two traits in their fairway woods: high launch and maximum forgiveness.
Those qualities can come in different forms, as different manufacturers have different approaches to achieve them. As a general rule, here are some features you should look for:

HEAD SIZE
Fairway woods for high handicappers come in relatively large head sizes. This is due to the fact that larger heads can accommodate bigger moment of inertia (MOI), which will increase forgiveness.

FORGIVENESS FEATURES/TECHNOLOGIES
There are other technological approaches that can increase forgiveness, which will vary greatly between manufacturers. Most of them will have similar principles: manipulating the center of gravity position or enabling the face to flex more for an even bigger sweet spot. Before purchasing your fairway wood, it is important to consider how forgiving it is on mis-hits.

DISTANCE-FOCUSED TECHNOLOGIES
Every golfer wants to get as much yardage as possible out of their equipment. Different manufacturers can use different technologies to achieve more distance. The more adjustability options presented, the better the chance you’ll have of optimizing your distance. A light clubhead with a springy clubface will provide the most distance to a high handicapper.

Can a beginner golfer use fairway woods?
Yes! In fact, fairway woods are among the easiest clubs to use because they are light enough to generate good clubhead speed, and the size of the wood makes it more forgiving than an iron.

The beginner often finds the low center of gravity very helpful in getting the ball airborne.
Fairway woods are an invaluable tool at every level of golf.

Are there any particular brands I should look for?
A very difficult question, as there are many brands offering excellent fairway woods for beginners and high handicappers. The right club will come down to personal preference; the club that feels the best and inspires confidence is usually the right one for you. That said, there are three particular brands we recommend:

TaylorMade
TaylorMade is the most popular manufacturer of drivers and fairway woods. Many of their top notch technologies and designs for their drivers are also implemented in their fairway woods. TaylorMade woods and drivers are known for their distance and forgiveness, two key qualities we are looking for.

Callaway
It’s hard to mention TaylorMade without mentioning Callaway, arguably their biggest rival in the world of golf equipment. Callaway is known for integrating modern technology into classic designs. If you want great looks and feel, it’s hard to go wrong with Callaway.

Cobra
Cobra is a fast-rising brand in the world of drivers and woods. After peaking in the 90s when Tiger Woods used a King Cobra driver to bomb it past his fellow pros, Cobra’s market share slowly declined until recently. It’s seen a resurgence in popularity recently with Rickie Fowler’s use of Cobra woods and irons, and they’re offering truly cutting edge technology and some of the best adjustability features we’ve seen in fairway woods.

How many fairway woods should I carry in my bag?
Ultimately the composition of your bag is a personal choice. You should only have clubs in your bag that you feel confident about hitting, so if you have a 3-wood you almost never hit well, get rid of it!
But traditionally, most golfers carry a 3-wood and a 5-wood to provide for the most options on par 5s and long par 4s. High handicappers will often find themselves needing a good, long second shot to get to the green and having multiple fairway woods in your bag will provide you with those options.
Once you start getting better, you may want to add a lob wedge or gap wedge to improve your scoring game close to the green. At that point you may want to consider merging your 5-wood and 4-iron into, say, a 3-hybrid, or just carrying a 4-wood instead of both a 3 and 5 wood.
But overall, my advice is to make sure you love every club in your bag. Experiment with different make-ups until you find yourself constantly saying “I’ve got the club for this shot!” instead of “if only I had the right club.”