With the help of Golf Laboratories’ swing-robot, GOLF’s 2023 ClubTest continues to deliver robotic testing insights on the newest equipment releases. We continue our fairway wood insights with the 5 most consistent models in the marketplace. And click here to get the full rundown on every fairway wood for ’23.
Distance is nice to have through the bag. One less club on every approach shot? Sign us up. But all that newfound distance is worthless if you can’t keep the ball on the map. As Golf Laboratories founder Gene Parente once said, distance is the chocolate cake everyone craves.
If we stick with the food analogy, dispersion is the fruit and vegetables. You may not crave veggies like you do chocolate cake, but your body needs them for nutrients.
If you’re the kind of golfer who routinely finds the heel or toe, having a 3-wood that doesn’t overly penalize your mishits can be a total game-changer. For our most recent round of robotic testing with 15-degree 3-woods, we took a closer look at carry distance deltas — an average of the carry distance on high toe and low heel strikes versus geometric center — to determine the most consistent fairway woods in the marketplace.
The smaller the number, the less distance dropoff you’ll see on mishits. Below are five fairway woods that stood out in the consistency department during testing.
Cobra Aerojet (4.4 yards of distance dropoff)
Cobra Aerojet
Ping G430 Max (3.7 yards)
Ping G430 Max
Srixon ZX MKII (5.8 yards)
Srixon ZX MKII
TaylorMade Stealth 2 HD (4.3 yards)
TaylorMade Stealth 2 HD
Tour Edge E723 (4.9 yards)
