Best fairway woods | ClubTest 2025
If you're in search of the best fairway woods on the market, look no further.
Photos: Courtesy; Design: Tanya DeSelm
Equipment is constantly changing in golf, but the importance of playing a fairway wood you trust remains essential. For ClubTest 2025, we reviewed all the best fairway woods on the market, then put them through player testing at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Ariz., to determine which woods excel for specific types of golfers.
Our experts grouped the top new fairway woods into four categories: the best fairway woods for speed, forgiveness, slower swing speeds and low spin. Keep scrolling to learn about the best fairway woods for 2025 in each category type.
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MORE CLUBTEST: BEST FAIRWAY WOODS FOR FORGIVENESS | BEST FAIRWAY WOODS FOR SPEED | BEST FAIRWAY WOODS FOR LOW SPIN | BEST FAIRWAY WOODS FOR SLOW SWING SPEEDS
MORE CLUBTEST: BEST DRIVERS | BEST IRONS | BEST HYBRIDS
Best fairway woods for forgiveness
Ping G440 SFT
*Ping’s G440 SFT fairway wood was awarded ClubTest 2025 Game Changer status for its outstanding performance in the fairway wood forgiveness category.
PING G440 SFT Custom Fairway Wood
$349
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THE BASICS: For players who need some help correcting a slice, Ping’s G440 SFT fairway wood features a draw-inducing CG location that helps direct shots back into the fairway. The face is taller to give players more confidence when hitting the club off the tee, while the CG location enables high-launching performance off the ground too. According to ClubTester Paul McCombs, the G440 SFT is “an excellent club and a worthy upgrade.”
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF PING G440 FAIRWAY WOODS
Callaway Elyte
Callaway Elyte Custom Fairway Wood
$349.99
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THE BASICS: The Elyte fairway wood, like all of Callaway’s Elyte models, features the company’s new Step Sole design that comes from studying the success of the Callaway Apex UW line. The idea was to help golfers strike the ball more consistently in the center of the face and to help them avoid striking the ball low on the face. With Step Sole, Callaway says, 57 percent of the sole area has been moved down, minimizing turf interaction to help the golfers strike the ball more cleanly in the center of the club. Designed for better players and mid-level handicaps, the Elyte features mid-high launch and low spin. “I hit the club the most consistent and it was the easiest to get into the air,” said ClubTester Robert Resnick. “The look inspired confidence and distance was maintained on mishits.” Tester Greg Caster concurred. “The club doesn’t look too big at address and I like the matte finish,” he said. “Not intimidating to hit. Has a nice comfortable weight.”
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF CALLAWAY ELYTE FAIRWAY WOODS
Callaway Elyte X
Callaway Elyte X Custom Fairway Wood
$349.99
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THE BASICS: In addition to Callaway’s Step Sole technology describes above, the Elyte family of fairway woods also features another other piece of tech to help with low strikes is the all-new Tungsten SpeedWave, which is featured on all of the fairway woods up to 7-wood. The 35-gram weight positions mass low and forward, reducing spin and increasing ball speeds. The Elyte X offers the highest level of forgiveness in the Elyte family, with high launch, mid-level spin and a stretched-back profile. The Elyte X is designed for all players, including high handicappers. “I enjoyed hitting this club,” said ClubTester Paul McCombs. “Hit my longest shots of the day with it. It instills confidence with forgiveness, has an excellent look and distance was comparable or exceeded my current gamer.”
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF CALLAWAY ELYTE FAIRWAY WOODS
Cleveland Halo XL
Cleveland Launcher Halo XL Custom Fairway Wood
$249.99
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THE BASICS: A key attribute of the Halo XL woods line is the Glide Rails on the sole of the clubs to help lower the center of gravity by positioning extra mass on the sole and to help deliver more effective turf interaction to better maintain a square face through the impact zone. In essence, they act as rudders to help the club glide through the grass without digging and are especially effective from the rough. “I also like the shiny finish and alignment,” said ClubTester Heidi Dalton, 16-hdcp. “The feel was the best of the bunch.”
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF CLEVELAND HALO XL FAIRWAY WOODS
Cobra DS-Adapt Max
Cobra DS-Adapt Max Custom Fairway
$329
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THE BASICS: Cobra’s DS-Adapt line not only incorporates cutting-edge tech but also brings a renewed emphasis to precision tuning that’s both more robust and easier than ever to adjust. Each DS-Adapt model model features Cobra’s innovative FUTUREFIT33 adjustable hosel system, offering 33 unique loft and lie settings that can now be adjusted independently for the first time in a Cobra driver, providing golfers with a huge range of fitting options on the fly. The tech enables loft, lie and face angle to all be adjusted independently thanks to SMARTPAD technology, which keeps the clubface square. The MAX fairway wood also features two movable weights that allow players to customize stability or slice correction by positioning the heavier weight towards the back or heel. “Nice looking,” said ClubTester Glen Hamel. “Imapct was smooth and it’s easy to swing. Mishits went straight and far, with nice and high ball flight.”
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF COBRA DS-ADAPT FAIRWAY WOODS
Mizuno ST-Max 230
Mizuno ST-Max 230 Custom Fairway Wood
$180
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THE BASICS: The max forgiveness and geometry of the driver continue with the new ST-Max 230 fairway woods and hybrids by offering a larger footprint to help add MOI and stability around the entire head. Suitable for a wide range of players, Mizunos ST-Max 230 fairway woods utilize a high-strength MAS1C steel face for ball speed that matches up with the larger Cortech chamber on the sole. A composite-wrap crown covers the toe section of the fairway wood heads to reduce overall mass higher in the head. “Nice look, sleek, good weight and good size,” said ClubTester Mike Klonoski. “Was money when well struck, with forgiveness and distance.”
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF MIZUNO FAIRWAY WOODS
Srixon ZXi
Srixon ZXi Custom Fairway Wood
$329.99
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THE BASICS: The new Srixon ZXi fairway woods feature much of the same technology as the drivers, including the redesigned i-FLEX clubface and an adjustable hosel. But, on a fundamental level, certain models differ significantly. The 3- and 3+ fairway woods incorporate stepped carbon crowns to lower the CG for higher, longer shots — specifically, 4.6 more yards of carry compared to previous generations. The ZXi fairways also feature tweaks to the leading edge that make the toe area appear more grounded at address, and the new sole design is optimized for added forgiveness. “Best feel of the bunch, so solid. I didn’t hit any bad shots with this club,” said ClubTester Bryan Wiborg. “It’s a perfect fit for the gap I’m trying to fill in my bag. I want to buy this club immediately! Ball speed, distance, launch angle, all great.”
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF SRIXON FAIRWAY WOODS
TaylorMade Qi35 Max
TaylorMade Qi35 Max Custom Fairway Wood
$349.99
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THE BASICS: Many of the technologies found in the previous Qi10 fairway wood line are carried over into the Qi35, including Twist Face, Thru-Slot Speed Pocket, TSS weights and, this time, a Chromium Carbon Crown. The Qi35 introduces several new features as well, such as improved shaping, weight distribution and optimization across all of the new models. For the first time, TaylorMade is putting 4° loft sleeves in all 3- and 5-woods in the fairway wood line to allow for even greater options for fitting. Previously, adjustable loft sleeves were limited only to the Tour line. At 200cc, the Qi35 Max is the largest model in the line, designed for the highest moment of inertia (MOI) and a quicker, higher launch and slight draw bias. For context, 30 years ago “big” drivers topped out at 190-200cc. “Club felt good and I could get the ball where I wanted to,” said ClubTester Rob Hinderberger. “When I hit behind the ball, it stayed online. Absolutely would buy — looked and felt great.”
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF TAYLORMADE Qi35 FAIRWAY WOODS
Titleist GT2
Titleist GT2 Custom Fairway Wood
$399
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THE BASICS: The high launch, low spin GT2 is offered in five lofts (13.5, 15, 16.5, 18, 21 degrees) for golfers who want to consider the idea of going beyond the 5-wood into the ever-popular 7-wood. The shallower face profile on GT2 gives it a look that’s ideal for golfers with a sweeping delivery. Titleist’s L-Cup construction wraps around the leading edge and into the sole. It’s forged from high-strength 465 stainless steel, not cast. In this case, forging improves the overall durability and performance on low misses. Titleist also flattened out the sole radius from heel to toe. It’s a subtle change that allows it to sit flush on tight turf conditions.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF TITLEIST GT FAIRWAY WOODS
Wilson Dynapwr Max
Wilson 2025 Dynapwr Max Custom Fairway Wood
$279.99
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THE BASICS: With the Dynapwr Max fairway wood, a thin-cast steel crown helps take the CG low and back, as well as a 12g weight to help players launch the ball up in the air easier. Wilson used AI to create PKR-360, which increased the number of optimizable face and body locations unique to each driver’s design. This results in a larger sweet spot and faster ball speeds across the face of each driver. Also contributing to a larger sweet speed is a new Open Hosel construction, which strips away material from the heel side of the face, allowing the face to flex more. “Very stable-feeling head,” said ClubTester Robert Resnick. “Good distance, easy to get in the air with good ball flight. I’d buy!”
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF WILSON DYNAPWR FAIRWAY WOODS
Best fairway woods for speed
Cobra DS-Adapt X
*Cobra’s DS-Adapt X fairway wood was awarded ClubTest 2025 Game Changer status for its outstanding performance in the speed fairway wood category.
Cobra DS-Adapt X Custom Fairway
$329
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THE BASICS: The new DS-Adapt fairway woods feature the same FUTUREFIT33 adjustable hosel system, adaptive weighting with updated PWR-BRIDGE technology and H.O.T. face technology from the driver family. The Cobra DS-Adapt X is best suited to fit the widest range of golfers.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF COBRA DS-ADAPT FAIRWAY WOODS
PLAYER TESTING TAKEAWAYS: “Looks too round, but was solid, easy to hit, consistent on misses and the longest of the group. Felt buttery soft on impact. Need to get used to the shape but willing to adjust for these results. First Cobra I ever loved.” — Dave Carroll (7-handicap)
“Solid feel and a good sweet spot. Forgiveness was great. Club felt solid but didn’t love the look.” — Chris Storbeck (13.3 handicap)
Callaway Elyte Ti
Callaway Elyte Titanium Custom Fairway Wood
$449.99
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THE BASICS: With its fairway woods, Callaway is launching five new models with four models carrying over from the driver family. The outlier is the Elyte Ti fairway wood, which wasn’t necessarily intended for launch, but Callaway CEO Chip Brewer played with the prototype and liked it so much that he said, “We’re launching it.” The Elyte Ti is desinged for better players who want a balance between low-spin, high-speed performance and forgiveness.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF CALLAWAY ELYTE FAIRWAY WOODS
Mizuno ST-Z 230
Mizuno ST-Z 230 Custom Fairway Wood
$299.99
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THE BASICS: The ST-Z 230 fairway offers a ton of versatility with a higher launch and lower spin in a mid-sized club head, specifically developed alongside Mizuno’s tour advisors. The ST-Z incorporates the CORTech Chamber into a high-energy MAS1C steel face and body design that also used a carbon crown to lower the center of gravity and save precious weight to be positioned around the head for higher MOI.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF MIZUNO ST FAIRWAY WOODS
PLAYER TESTING TAKEAWAYS: “Good looking tech and shiny, clean and attractive. Steady feel, felt like I had control. Gave me confidence. Liked the feel coming off the face. Some high dispersion on mishits.” — Jerry Wenker (17.1 handicap)
Ping G440 Max
PING G440 Max Custom Fairway Wood
$349
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THE BASICS: With Ping G440 fairway woods, there are three models (MAX, LST and SFT) to complement the driver family. The Max fairway wood line will now have loft options ranging from a 15-degree 3-wood to a 24-degree 9-wood. The G440 Max model is best suited to fit the widest range of golfers.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF PING G440 FAIRWAY WOODS
PLAYER TESTING TAKEAWAYS: “Clean, didn’t even feel ball come off clubface. Tight dispersion and farthest yet. I’ll take this one home.” — David Carroll (7 handicap)
“Ball jumps off springy face. Great feel, club does the work.” — Michael Klonsoki (9.8 handicap)
PXG 0311 Black Ops
PXG 0311 Black Ops Custom Fairway Wood
$349.99
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THE BASICS: When it comes to the Black Ops fairway woods and hybrids, the story remains much the same as the drivers thanks to a proprietary high-strength steel face material that allows for a 12.5 percent thinner face construction to help boost ball speeds, increase launch, lower spin and save precious grams to help increase forgiveness. When speaking to the level of forgiveness built into the new Black Ops fairway woods (only one model option unlike the drivers), they have an MOI that is almost comparable to the previous game improvement Gen6 XF design while also being more compact.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF PXG 0311 BLACK OPS FAIRWAY WOODS
PLAYER TESTING TAKEAWAYS: “Corrected my mistakes, A little heavy feeling at impact. Clean shiny and attractive look.” — Jerry Wenker (17.1 handicap)
TaylorMade Qi35
TaylorMade Qi35 Custom Fairway Wood
$349.99
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THE BASICS: Similar to the new drivers from the TaylorMade Qi35 family, the new Qi35 fairway woods focus on two main characteristics: inertia and adjustability. Inertia refers to the clubhead’s ability to deliver an optimal combination of distance and forgiveness, while adjustability allows golfers to fine-tune their shot shapes and configurations, helping players of all skill levels lower their scores. The standard Qi35 model is best suited to fit the widest range of golfers.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF TAYLORMADE Qi35 FAIRWAY WOODS
PLAYER TESTING TAKEAWAYS: “Like sound and weight. The most consistent of the bunch, great dispersion and distance. Great on mishits.” — Greg Caster (15.1 handicap)
Titleist GT3
Titleist GT3 Custom Fairway Wood
$399
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THE BASICS: Long considered the Tour version, GT3 comes in three lofts (15, 16.5, 18 degrees) and boasts a reimagined SureFit CG Track system, which allows the sliding weight to be placed in five positions: H2 (Heel), H1, N (Neutral), T1 (Toe) and T2. With GT3, the face was raised to give it a deeper profile. In turn, the bigger face gives the fairway wood a higher CT.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF TITLEIST GT FAIRWAY WOODS
Wilson Dynapwr Carbon
Wilson 2025 Dynapwr Carbon Custom Fairway Wood
$329.99
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THE BASICS: The Dynapwr Carbon fairway wood, as the name implies, features a carbon crown to take the CG lower, along with a 30g fixed tungsten weight, which combines to help produce a penetrating ball flight. An adjustable 6-way hosel featuring Open Hosel construction carries over from the drivers to add customization and fitting options.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF WILSON DYNAPWR FAIRWAY WOODS
PLAYER TESTING TAKEAWAYS: “This is my second-favorite of the bunch — launch angle was too low to be my winner.” — Joe Kowalski (10.6 handicap)
Best fairway woods for slower swing speeds
Callaway Elyte Max Fast
*Callaway’s Elyte Max Fast fairway wood was awarded ClubTest 2025 Game Changer status for its outstanding performance in the slower swing speed fairway wood category.
Callaway Elyte Max Fast Custom Fairway Wood
$349.99
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THE BASICS: All of Callaway’s new fairway wood models feature the company’s new Step Sole design that comes from studying the success of the Callaway Apex UW line. The idea was to help golfers strike the ball more consistently in the center of the face and to help them avoid striking the ball low on the face. A premium lightweight construction and components will benefit players with moderate swing speeds.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF CALLAWAY ELYTE FAIRWAY WOODS
Cleveland Halo XL Lite
Cleveland Halo XL Custom Lite Fairway Wood
$229.99
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THE BASICS: A key attribute of the Halo XL woods line is the Glide Rails on the sole of the clubs to help lower the center of gravity by positioning extra mass on the sole and to help deliver more effective turf interaction to better maintain a square face through the impact zone. In essence, they act as rudders to help the club glide through the grass without digging and are especially effective from the rough. The Cleveland Halo XL Lite is best-suited for players with moderate swing speed.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF CLEVELAND HALO XL FAIRWAY WOODS
PLAYER TESTING TAKEAWAYS: “Feels good with good loft. I like the weight. Consistency was good. I like the overall look and dependability.” — Joanne Storbeck (34 handicap)
PXG Wildcat
PXG Wildcat Fairway Wood
THE BASICS: PXG’s Wildcat metal woods are geared to help players get the ball airborne, and it all starts with the lofts. There’s no 3-wood in this set, instead a 19-degree 5-wood. The lacking 3-wood is no oversight. Woods are typically the hardest clubs for beginners and infrequent golfers to wield. By giving players weaker lofts with a more confidence-inspiring look at address, the PXG Wildcats are easier to launch.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF PXG WILDCAT FAIRWAY WOODS
PLAYER TESTING TAKEAWAYS: “I like the glossy look and pronounced markings. Felt well balanced throughout. Excellent forgiveness. Good distance. Better performance than the rest and good forgiveness. Never tried PXG woods before and was pleasantly surprised.” — Ronald Hinderberger (19.4 handicap)
“Shiny, attractive, classic. Very solid and great impact through the ball. Jumped off the clubface. Not many misses. Excellent distance.” — Jerry Wenker (17.1 handicap)
TaylorMade Qi35 Max Lite
TaylorMade Qi35 Max Lite Custom Fairway Wood
$349.99
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THE BASICS: Similar to the new drivers from the TaylorMade Qi35 family, the new Qi35 fairway woods focus on two main characteristics: inertia and adjustability. Inertia refers to the clubhead’s ability to deliver an optimal combination of distance and forgiveness, while adjustability allows golfers to fine-tune their shot shapes and configurations, helping players of all skill levels lower their scores. The Qi35 Max Lite is an ultralight model designed for slow-swinging golfers looking to gain speed.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF TAYLORMADE Qi35 FAIRWAY WOODS
PLAYER TESTING TAKEAWAYS: “Feel, sound, forgiveness and distance were great. Like how the weight feels heavy on the back end. Squares up nicely. Forgiving, not much side movement.” — Anita Wallace (9.3 handicap)
“Love the carbon, very pretty. Shaft and finish is nice. Stable and well balanced feel. Best average distance of the bunch. Consistent and easier to swing than others.” — Carolyn Petersen (16-20+ handicap)
Titleist GT1
Titleist GT1 Custom Fairway Wood
$399
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THE BASICS: The Titleist GT1 fairway is the largest profile in the GT lineup at 180 cc, while also featuring the shallowest face height to help players launch the ball off the turf. With the weight distributed properly — GT1 has the deepest CG in the entire GT family — the shape was also refined to make it more aerodynamic, helping the slow-to-moderate clubhead speed player swing it faster.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF TITLEIST GT FAIRWAY WOODS
PLAYER TESTING TAKEAWAYS: “Very positive, the results I want. I’m looking forward to bringing this club to the course. Has a classic look at address. Love looking at it. Excellent smooth and solid contact through impact. Very consistent. Generous forgiveness for my type of player. Solid contact transformed my numbers.” — Jerry Wenker (17.1 handicap)
“Felt smooth and easy to hit, not clunky. Distance changed on mishits but they went straight.” — Carolyn Petersen (16-20+ handicap)
Best fairway woods for low spin
TaylorMade Qi35 Tour
*TaylorMade’s Qi35 Tour fairway wood was awarded ClubTest 2025 Game Changer status for its outstanding performance in the low-spin fairway wood category.
TaylorMade Qi35 Tour Custom Fairway Wood
$449.99
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THE BASICS: Similar to the new drivers from the TaylorMade Qi35 family, the new Qi35 fairway woods focus on two main characteristics: inertia and adjustability. Inertia refers to the clubhead’s ability to deliver an optimal combination of distance and forgiveness, while adjustability allows golfers to fine-tune their shot shapes and configurations, helping players of all skill levels lower their scores. Many of the technologies found in the previous Qi10 fairway wood line are carried over into the Qi35, including Twist Face, Thru-Slot Speed Pocket, TSS weights and, this time, a Chromium Carbon Crown. The Qi35 introduces several new features as well, such as improved shaping, weight distribution and optimization across all of the new models.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF TAYLORMADE Qi35 FAIRWAY WOODS
Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond
Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond Custom Fairway Wood
$399.99
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THE BASICS: The Elyte Triple Diamond is geared toward better players; the club is defined by a low, forward CG that promotes lower launch, less spin and fast ball speeds. The model comes in three options (3w, 5w and 7w). All of the Callaway Elyte fairway-wood models (there are five in all) feature the company’s new Step Sole design that comes from studying the success of the Callaway Apex UW line and promotes smoother turf interaction. The idea is to help golfers strike the ball more consistently in the center of the face and to help them avoid striking the ball low on the face. The other piece of tech to help with low strikes is the all-new Tungsten SpeedWave — a 35g suspended weight that keeps mass low and forward — which is on all of the fairway woods up to 7-wood.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF CALLAWAY ELYTE FAIRWAY WOODS
Cobra DS-Adapt LS
Cobra DS-Adapt LS TI Custom Fairway
$429
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THE BASICS: The DS-Adapt LS Ti is designed for better players looking for a low-spin option with a smaller profile. All the fairway woods in the DS-Adapt line feature the same FUTUREFIT33 adjustable hosel system, adaptive weighting with updated PWR-BRIDGE technology and H.O.T. face technology that you’ll find in the DS-Adapt driver line. The most eye-cactching tech is the innovative FutureFit33 adjustable hosel system, which offers 33 unique loft and lie settings that can now be adjusted independently, providing golfers with a huge range of fitting options on the fly. Of the DS-Adapt LS fairway wood, one of our low-handicap testers, Travis Okamoto, said, “Best looking of the bunch. I like the old-school compact head and low profile. Holding it feels good.”
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF COBRA DS-ADAPT FAIRWAY WOODS
Mizuno ST-G Ti
Mizuno ST-G 440 Custom Fairway Wood
$249.99
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THE BASICS: With its ST-G Titanium fairway woods, Mizuno has pulled out all the stops to deliver the most high-performance and ultra low-spin fairway wood it has ever built by incorporating titanium, steel and a new Cortech chamber into one club. From top to bottom, the club features an internal thin waffle design on the crown to save precious grams, and thanks to the titanium body and face, a high-density steel weight can be placed on the sole to drive the center of gravity even deeper. This means that both off the tee and from the fairway, the ST-G Titanium fairway woods will offer a flatter and more penetrating flight.
READ OUR FULL REVIEW OF MIZUNO ST-G FAIRWAY WOODS
Ping G440 LST
PING G440 LST Custom Fairway Wood
$549
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THE BASICS: Ping pushed the CG position low and back with the help from a high-density tungsten sole plate and Carbonfly Wrap crown, which reduce spin and increase ball speed. The titanium face, which blends into the crown and sole, also helps to boost speed. One nice bonus: The LST fairway wood family now offers a 19-degree 5-wood, whereas the previous generation offered only a 3-wood.
Ping fairway woods have always been successful at helping golfers launch the ball off the deck thanks to their shallow profiles. “The one complaint we have heard is, ‘I wish it was just a little taller. I want to hit it off the tee,’” said Travis Milleman, Ping’s design engineering manager. The issue was making a taller-faced fairway wood while still keeping the CG low to increase launch, which was difficult to do from an engineering standpoint. But just as the drivers were able to move weight back from the new Free Hosel design, Milleman said Ping used the weight saved in the fairway woods to grow the face at a one-for-one ratio.
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