Distance remains the biggest draw at the top of the bag. If a driver or 3-wood can help you gain 10 yards or more, it’s generally going to receive a hard look during the testing process. But what recreational golfers fail to consider at times is where accuracy fits into the equation.
We all want to be longer, but not when it comes with a wider dispersion pattern than what’s currently in the bag.
The ultimate goal is to find something that’s longer and more accurate. In our most recent robotic insight reports, Golf Laboratories’ swing robot highlighted 3-woods that boast heel-toe consistency (forgiveness) and ball speed. Now we’re shifting the focus to 3-woods offering the tightest dispersion on off-center misses.
If you’re in the market for a secondary option off the tee that finds the fairway with regularity, keep the models below in mind as you prepare to conduct testing.
(How we calculate: Each 15-degree 3-wood is robot-tested using a 3-point face mapping. Golf Laboratories’ swing robot hit 6 balls at 95 mph from each location on the face — toe, heel and geometric center — to determine how far the ball deviated from the center line. The smaller the number, the tighter the dispersion pattern.)
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PXG 0311 Black Ops | 3.95 yards
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.
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Insights: Toe and heel misses deviated less than 5 yards from the center line. Delta between the two locations was less than 2 yards — an impressive figure that puts PXG at the top of the dispersion heap.
Cobra Darkspeed LS | 4.65 yards
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.
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Insights: Heel hits barely deviated from the center line (0.3 yards), while toe strikes ended up less than 10 yards from center. It’s a strong combo, particularly if your miss is heelward.
Mizuno ST-G 440 Titanium | 5.8 yards
Mizuno ST-G 440 Custom Fairway Wood
CORTECH CHAMBER
A chamber located on the sole adjacent to the face, filled with an elastomeric material with inserted weight provides: Larger CORAREA, improved spin performance, and tuned impact sound.
ULTRA LOW CG CONSTRUCTION
Lighter density 811 Ti body combined with 88g higher density steel along the sole provides the lowest CG construction.
MULTI-THICKNESS CORTECH FACE
Refined to maximize CORAREA combined with the SAT2041 Beta Titanium face material.
WAFFLE CROWN
Extremely thin lightweight crown portion.
MODERN PLAYER’S PEAR SHAPE
An inviting, compact, head that sits perfectly square at address.
HIT TUNED IMPACT SOUND
Strategically placed internal sound ribs tune the impact sound to the appropriate frequency and sound pressure
QUICK SWITCH ADJUSTABILITY
4 degrees of loft adjustability to fine-tune address look and trajectory.
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Insights: Tight heel-toe delta is PXG-esque at just 2.4 yards. Toe misses ended less than 5 yards from the center line, while heel misses finished at an impressive 7 yards.
Cobra Darkspeed Max | 9.7 yards
Cobra DarkSpeed Max Custom Fairway Wood
The MAX model features tunable draw-bias and unrivaled stability to inspire maximum confidence from the fairway or off the tee.
MORE LAUNCH. MORE BALL SPEED.
The PWRSHELL insert and suspended weight PWR-BRIDGE design create a more flexible face and sole to maximize launch and ball speed.
SPEED & SPIN OPTIMIZATION
An A.I. designed H.O.T. Face features an optimized variable thickness pattern that delivers more efficient speed & spin across the clubface.
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Insight: Similar to the LS, heel strikes produced a tighter dispersion (5.4 yards) when compared to toe misses. One of only four 3-woods to produce a sub-10 yard dispersion number.
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max | 10.3 yards
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Custom Fairway Wood
Ai SMOKE MAX FAIRWAY
The new Paradym Ai Smoke fairway represents a quantum leap forward in Callaway’s Ai journey. This new family of fairway woods feature the most sophisticated face in Callaway history, the Ai Smart Face.
Breakthrough Fairway Performance Powered by Ai Smart Face™
Ai Smoke fairway woods utilize Ai Smart Face; a breakthrough technology in face design that utilizes thousands of actual player swings. Every Ai Smart Face is designed to optimize launch and spin, creating sweet spots across the face.
Refined Shaping with Adjustability for More Versatility
With progressive shaping and the most extensive offering, Ai Smoke Max Fairway Woods will be the optimal choice for players who want consistent launch and a neutral ball flight. An adjustable hosel in the 3W and 3HL models gives players additional control to dial in loft and shot shape.
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Insights: Heel number was less than 6 yards from the center line. Both the Max and Max D had nearly identical dispersion numbers (10.3 yards vs. 10.4 yards).
Want to overhaul your bag for 2024? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf.
Jonathan Wall
Golf.com Editor
Jonathan Wall is GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com’s Managing Editor for Equipment. Prior to joining the staff at the end of 2018, he spent 6 years covering equipment for the PGA Tour. He can be reached at jonathan.wall@golf.com.
