Is this the most intriguing fairway wood on the market? | RoboTest

There’s a very good chance the driver if your bag has some form of adjustability. In the last two decades, adjustable loft sleeves and weights have become standard fare on modern-day drivers, making it a cinch to alter launch, spin and shot shape with the turn of a wrench. And with club fittings on the rise, golfers are actually using the adjustable settings to dial in one of the most important clubs in their bag.

But what about adjustable fairway woods? While not nearly as commonplace as the driver, adjustable fairway woods are a great option, particularly for golfers who want to fine-tune the performance characteristics of a club that typically serves multiple roles off the tee and from the fairway. When looking at the current crop of adjustable fairway woods, it could be debated that TaylorMade’s Stealth 2 Plus is the most interesting offering in the marketplace.

The 50-gram weight housed in the sole represents around 22 percent of the clubhead’s total mass. As GOLF.com senior equipment editor Ryan Barath learned during a recent testing session, a sizable adjustable weight can essentially give you three clubs in one, depending on where the mass is positioned.

TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus Fairway Woods

$450

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It’s a sample size of one, but here’s what Barath noticed during testing:

Far forward weight setting: 12 degrees (launch) | 2,900 RPMs (spin rate) | 262 yards (carry)

Far back weight setting: 15.7 degrees (launch) | 5,100 RPMs (spin rate) | 218 yards (carry)

The numbers got our gear crew wondering if the Golf Laboratories’ swing robot would produce similar numbers, or if they’d be a bit more subdued — so we put TaylorMade’s adjustable fairway wood to the test.

In the latest edition of GOLF’s RoboTest series, we tested the Stealth 2 Plus fairway to highlight the benefits an adjustable fairway wood can provide. Check out the video below to see the numbers for all three weight settings.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2023? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news and information, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast below.