Callaway
gbb epic/sub zero/star
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Look/sound/feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★
VERDICT These fairway woods adopt the strong yet lightweight carbon-composite structure from the successful Epic drivers. The saved weight is pushed low on the standard and Star versions to help launch the ball high, and reallocated as front and back adjustable weights on the Sub Zero model. Power comes from Callaway’s cupface design, a thin rim extending the face around the crown and sole to create more consistent flexing across the face.
COMMENTS (L) It’s a party coming off the face. I had total control over the trajectory. (M) Powerful is the only way I can describe this club. It launched the ball out there without a lot of effort. (H) The ball springs off the face. Even my worst swings had decent distance.
Callaway
Rogue/sub zero
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★★
Look/sound/feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★★
VERDICT This is the first fairway wood to have the “jailbreak” technology that made the company’s Epic drivers so popular. Two bars behind the face brace the crown and sole, stiffening the body so the face takes on more of the load. This concentrates the flexing in the face to help mis-hits fly like the centre-face hits. The bars also work with the company’s cupface technology, where the face wraps around the body, to boost distance. Meanwhile, tungsten-infused weighting is used to control spin.
COMMENTS (H) I love how this sits. I’m as confident off the fairway as on a tee. (M) There’s some secret sauce with this one. (H) Firm off the face, but in a powerful way. There’s no ballooning.
Cobra
King f8/f8+
Performance ★★★★★
Innovation ★★★★½
Look/sound/feel★★★★
Demand★★★½
VERDICT To get the picture here, you’ve got to turn these fairway woods over to see the parallel sole rails. You’ve seen this from Cobra fairway woods before to improve turf interaction, but the rails are now closer together and centred to improve stability. They get progressively taller the higher the loft, to better align with how your angle of attack gets steeper with higher-lofted woods. The F8 and F8+ have high-strength steel face inserts and sole weights (back in the F8 for higher flight; forward in the F8+ for a flatter trajectory).
COMMENTS (L) Flight off the tee is high without flaring. (M) I don’t like crown graphics, but this has a cool edge to it. (H) You feel the rails working. It cuts through the turf and leaves you with clean impact.
Ping
g400/sft/stretch 3
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★½
Look/sound/feel ★★★★
Demand ★★★★★
VERDICT Ping realises that off-centre hits are a part of your game, so the G400 addresses this through new materials and shapes, including an ultra-thin crown. The face insert is made of C300 maraging steel, the same type of steel used in landing gear for light aircraft. That makes for a thinner, more flexible face, which provides more ball speed and helps launch the ball higher.
COMMENTS (L) I love how square it sets up. It gives me confidence. Also, it’s really loud, in a good way. (M) This was easy to hit off the fairway, and you can pound it off the tee. Great pop off that face. (H) I didn’t launch this the highest, but the distance was great. I like how the turbulators become a subtle alignment aid.
PXG
0341x
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★
Look/sound/feel ★★★★
Demand ★★★½
VERDICT Built to be lower-spinning than the 0341, it uses a carbon-fibre crown to lower the centre of gravity. A thermoplastic-elastomer insert inside the club is designed to control sound and save weight. The sole features nine adjustable weight screws. The silver ones are made of tungsten, and the black ones are titanium. You can move them around to get the fade or draw ball flight you desire. The adjustable hosel lets you change loft by plus or minus 1.5 degrees.
COMMENTS (L) You can work the ball and maintain good distance. (M) It doesn’t have the highest forgiveness, but if you put a good swing on it, you won’t be disappointed. (H) I love the dark finish and the contrasting white scoring lines.
TaylorMade
M3
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★★
Look/sound/feel ★★★★
Demand ★★★★
VERDICT We’ve seen sliding sole weights on TaylorMade fairway woods that can be set to promote a draw or fade. But now a sleeker design of the weight track, with lighter carbon-composite panels in the crown and sole, moves the centre of gravity forward and low to help reduce spin. No less important, that curved slot in the sole is longer than in last year’s M1 to make those low-face impacts hotter.
COMMENTS (L) This is the perfect shape and size, small without being intimidating. It felt easy, and I was able to work it how I wanted to. (M) The way the club sounds and feels at impact is perfect. It felt easy to hit, but still powerful. (H) I like the simplicity of the adjustability. The trajectory was good and aggressive. It gets up and goes.
TaylorMade
M4
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★½
Look/sound/feel ★★★★
Demand ★★★★★
VERDICT The more forgiving of TaylorMade’s fairway woods might be larger, but its real improvements are hidden. Last year’s M2 used a single internal weight low and towards the rear that ran almost the entire length of the face. But in the new M4, it’s larger and split. That creates higher stability on off-centre hits. The channel on the sole is also longer than on the M2 to improve how much of the face flexes.
COMMENTS (L) It’s a tad bigger, but the sound is pleasing. It’s easy to hit, and the distance is good. The trajectory stays where you want it. (M) It goes as straight as you want, but you can still hit the draw. It gives a powerful crack like a major-league baseball home run. (H) It was easy to get in the air – even when I didn’t hit it flush.
Titleist
917f2/f3
Performance ★★★★½
Innovation ★★★★★
Look/sound/feel ★★★★★
Demand ★★★★
VERDICT The speed on these fairway woods comes from an improved, flexing sole channel and a variable face insert. The face design increases ball speed in the sweet spot and adds forgiveness away from the centre. The F2 is larger, making it more forgiving, and the F3 is smaller, so it’s more workable. The face is wider and deeper on the F3, which has strong lofts designed for better players.
COMMENTS (L) I could do whatever I wanted with this one. Off the tee, off the ground – it didn’t matter. I like the depth of the face. (M) Beautiful head, very clean. It’s stable throughout impact: you can feel how your shot is going to turn out. (H) This handled like a dream, even off the deck. It launches consistently, and my dispersion was great.
Mizuno
st180
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★
Look/sound/feel ★★★★
Demand ★★½
VERDICT An internal waffle pattern thins out the crown. The weight saved goes into the wave structure on the sole. The purpose of the waves is to improve how the thin, high-strength steel face insert flexes. Notice the first large wave, the one closest to the face? It’s designed for better energy transfer while letting the smaller waves behind it absorb shock. The 4-degree adjustable hosel means these two fairway woods cover a loft range from 13 to 20 degrees.
COMMENTS (L) The weighting and balance felt good. It was easy to get the ball in the air and was remarkably consistent. (M) Good on low strikes: I still got good distance. Dispersion was narrow. (H) It cuts through the turf to get you smooth contact.
Tour Edge
exotics cbx
Performance ★★★★
Innovation ★★★★
Look/sound/feel ★★★★
Demand ★★½
VERDICT The CB stands for “combo brazing”, the technique that made Exotics fairway woods a cult favourite in 2004. The technique fuses the face to the rest of the club without welding to save weight and allow the marriage of a flexible, lightweight titanium cupface and a stability-enhancing steel body. The carbon-composite panel near the back of the sole moves the centre of gravity level with the centre of the face and forward to lower spin.
COMMENTS (H) This club will let you hit any kind of shot. (M) It supports your mis-hits nicely. No distractions in look, and feedback on mis-hits is helpful. (H) I like the cleaner sole. It provides a powerful hit. Loved it off tight lies.
