These 2024 fairway woods impressed us the most during robot testing

The 3-wood remains one of the most important clubs in the bag for a weekend golfer. Even if you’re one of the lucky souls with a semi-reliable driver, it’s imperative to have a strong secondary option off the tee that also provides consistency from the fairway.

The second-longest club in the bag for most golfers — in some cases, it could be the longest — the 3-wood can truly do it all, provided you’re using one built to accentuate your strengths. Think of it as the Swiss Army knife in your bag.

As GOLF’s Fully Equipped co-hosts found out recently, there’s a plethora of worthy 3-woods in the marketplace. But which ones stood out? Here’s a look at several standouts during robotic testing with Golf Laboratories’ swing robot.

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TaylorMade Qi10

Kris McCormack (True Spec VP of Tour and Education): From what I’m seeing in the [hitting bay], for a majority of people out there, the TaylorMade Qi10 core head has been really solid in the fairway wood category. That’s going anywhere between a Tour player and some of the amateur and collegiate players. Even the higher-handicap players I work with come in and Qi10 has been successful for them.

Cobra Darkspeed LS and TaylorMade Qi10 Tour

Ryan Barath (GOLF’s senior equipment editor): I really like the Cobra Darkspeed LS. It has a smaller shape, really hot. My misses correlate with what the data shows. It explains why that 3-wood lines up so well for my game.

The other would be the TaylorMade Qi10 Tour. They took the Stealth 2 Plus, which was a really good product, and they said: What are the ways we can create a better option here? They shallowed the weight port and adjusted the head shape. As the data shows, it’s a little rocket. So you can build this rocket, but you still have 2 degrees of adjustability, so you can make yourself a strong 2-wood or a little 4-wood. It gives you that option that’s very unique.

Cobra DarkSpeed LS Custom Fairway Wood

The LS model features our first ever Titanium fairway construction for driver-like performance in a refined clubhead shape tailored for precise shot shaping. TOUR INSPIRED SHAPING Subdued clubhead styling inspires a Tour-validated look and feel at address. TITANIUM CONSTRUCTION A multi-material construction blends a lightweight 8-1-1 Titanium body and face, and a carbon crown to improve weight distribution for more distance.

$429.99 $249.00 from Fairway Jockey

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TaylorMade Qi10 Tour Custom Fairway Wood

Introducing the Qi10 Tour fairway. Experience TaylorMade speed with Qi10 forgiveness…off the tee and off the deck. MAXIMUM ADJUSTABILITY A lower profile moveable weight system features a 50g sliding weight and a 2° loft sleeve for a wide range of flight options. Golfers can shift the weight back for higher launch and stability, center it for all-around performance or move it forward for a low-spin ball flight with maximum distance. NEW INFINITY CARBON CROWN An Infinity Crown provides a clean, uninterrupted view at address while also optimizing performance.

$449.99 $349.99 from Fairway Jockey

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PXG 0311 Black Ops and Mizuno ST-G

Gene Parente (Golf Laboratories founder): From a pure data standpoint, it was the PXG 0311 Black Ops if you want a solid 3-wood that’s going to hit it straight and not penalize you on misses. The 1A would be the Mizuno ST-G. It was at the top of the class as far as equal weighting and performance characteristics. But those were the two that jumped out to me in an overall category.

PXG 0311 Black Ops Custom Fairway Wood

High-Strength Carbon Fiber Crown Crown made entirely from high-grade carbon fiber. This lightweight material saves mass in the crown, allowing it to be redistributed low and to the perimeter of the clubhead for optimal CG and addedforgiveness. Supported Weight Structure Innovative supported weight structure that delivers unbelievable sound and feel. High-Speed, Squared Face PXG 0311 Black Ops Fairways present a proprietary stainless steel face engineered to position the CG low for high launch, optimal spin performance, and insanely fast ball speeds.

$349.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Ping G430 LST and Mizuno ST-G

Jonathan Wall (GOLF’s managing equipment editor): I’ll go with the Ping G430 LST. It was high launch, low spin for golfers who struggle with the longer length of a driver. The length can make it difficult to square up the face, so going to the shorter length of a 3-wood with those launch and spin characteristics makes it a great secondary option off the tee.

The other would be the Mizuno ST-G. I think they absolutely nailed this one. It was second in ball speed and right there in terms of carry consistency [across the entire face].

Want to overhaul your bag for 2024? Find a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.