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Best Fairway Woods For High Handicappers

If you are a just getting into golf or are a high handicapper, the chances are you will always go for a driver when looking for something to get you off the tee. But, for most high handicapper a driver is not easy to hit because despite having a large head it also has a low loft. And since you can also not use the driver to strike balls off the ground the best alternative for high handicappers is the fairway wood.

With fairway woods, high handicappers and beginners can hit the ball both off the ground and from the tee. These clubs will also provide some long distances and do it consistently which is just what a high handicapper need when still trying to understand the beautiful game and lower their handicap. If you choose the right fairway woods, you can be sure of getting just the right amount of distance, loft, and accuracy.

Even with all the benefits that come with fairways woods choosing the right one can be a difficult task. And this is not only for the high handicapper’s but also the intermediate and professional players will have some difficulties. Things can be a little confusing since there are many brands out there. But, once you understand why beginners need a specific fairway wood types and the thing to consider when choosing the best fairways woods for high handicappers you should get something that works well for your game.

Top 3 Best Fairway Woods For High Handicappers

TaylorMade Men's M2 Fairway Wood
  • TaylorMade Men's M2 Fairway Wood
  • Shallow Face Design
    Speed Pocket
  • Editor Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Callaway Men's XR 16 Fairway Wood
  • Callaway Men's XR 16 Fairway Wood
  • Bigger Head
    Hot Face Cup
    Aerodynamic Head
  • Editor Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars
Callaway Men's Great Big Bertha Fairway Wood
  • Callaway Men's Great Big Bertha Fairway Wood
  • Optifit Adjustability
    Hyper Speed Cup
    Playability and Control
  • Editor Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Why Do Beginners Need Specific Fairway Woods?

best fairway woods

The main reason why beginners will need to use specific fairway woods is that they are still not able to hit well with the regular ones. Since they are new to the game, there are many things like their swing and speed that will not allow them to use the same clubs as the intermediate and professional golfers.

Fairway woods for high handicappers and beginners will emphasize on two key things which are forgiveness and distances to help the players improve their game and learn fast. Although different golf manufactures will take different approaches to achieve them, the most important thing is for beginners is to make sure whatever fairway wood that they pick guarantees both.

In most cases, the head size is what determines the level of forgiveness. Most beginner fairway wood will come with larger heads than the regular ones to accommodate more significant MOI (moment of inertia) and hence provide more forgiveness. But the head should also have proper placement of the center of gravity and weight distribution.

There are many other technologies that fairway wood manufacturers will use to improve forgiveness for the high handicappers. One of them entails manipulating the center of gravity placement to make the face flex more to create a larger sweet spot. Beginners also need specific fairway woods to get more distance, and the manufacturers will manipulate the center of gravity and give the club a light overall build to achieve this.

Things To Consider When Choosing The Best Fairway Woods For High Handicappers

Now that you know that you need particular fairways woods as a high handicapper or beginner the other important thing to understand is how to make your pick. With the many brands out there things can be a little overwhelming. But to get the best fairways woods for high handicappers, you should consider the following vital points.

#1 Materials

The material is always the first factor to consider when shopping for a fairway wood. And this is because it will determine both the performance of these golf clubs and also their durability. You will need to consider both the clubhead and shaft materials since there are various options available.

  • Club Head Material

In the past, the fairways woods would come with wooden heads, and this is where they get their name. But with the advancements in golf equipment technology and various other changes in the game you can now get fairway woods with different clubhead materials. However, the most common are steel, titanium, and composite (multi-material). The various clubhead materials have some merits and demerits which a high handicapper should know before deciding on what to buy.

Steel club heads are inexpensive but still very durable and give the fairway wood a forgiving and robust element. And steel also ensures that the head does not have to be very large to provide great distances and forgiveness.

Titanium club heads are about half as light as steel, and the lightweight makes it possible for the club manufacturers to push the center of gravity as back as possible. And this, in turn, makes it easy to get the ball airborne quickly and to get maximum distances.

The multi-material club head will combine several materials like carbon, steel, and titanium and their aim is to utilize the best elements of these materials. What makes multi-material club heads a good choice is that they provide better launch and also minimize twisting when you make off-center contact.

  • Shaft Material

For the fairways shaft, you will need to pick between graphite and steel. However, graphite shafts are the best option for the high handicappers and beginners. With a longer and more flexible graphite shaft, high handicappers will get more distance consistently. Although they will also have less control, the long distance is the primary purpose of a fairways wood.

#2 Loft

The fairway wood loft is what determines distances and trajectory. And so as you pick your fairway woods it should be one of the crucial factors that you consider. Generally, the lower wood numbers such as the 3 and 4 will have small loft angles. These woods will have lofts that range between 13 and 18 degrees. The 5 to 7 will have mid-loft degrees, but for beginners, the best ones when it comes to the loft are 3, 4 and 5.

#3 Adjustability

Loft adjustability is also an essential factor to take into account as you shop for your fairway wood. An adjustable loft means that you can use one club as a 3, 4 or 5 by changing the loft angle. This feature is very convenient and also saves you cash since you will not need to buy several fairways wood clubs.

#4 Moveable Weights

Moveable weights are a favorite feature on many modern drivers, but some fairways woods will also come with this design. The movable loads are on the sole of the wood’s clubhead, and they allow you to alter the weight distribution to increase the ball speed and distance. Fairway woods with moveable weights are suitable for use by both high handicappers and pro golfers.

#5 Brands

There are many brands out there that offer some high-quality fairway woods. But, there are still those that manage to stand out, and they are famous for making clubs that cater for all types of players including the high handicappers. Some of these brands include Cobra, Callaway, and TaylorMade.

If you cannot find a fairway wood that works well for you from one of these brands, there are still many other reputable ones bout there, and you only need to do some thorough search and read customer reviews. However, a simple rule should always be to buy from the reputable companies rather than going for the small startups that you cannot be sure about the quality of their fairway woods.

#6 Price

As a high handicapper, you cannot be sure how long you will use the fairway wood before you need to change it. And so it is vital as a beginner to make sure that you do not end up spending a fortune on something that you will not need a couple of months later. But, as much as you will want to save cash it is still necessary to choose something that adds value to your game by making it easy for you to make shots and providing long distances and consistency. And so the right idea is to go for a high-performing fairway wood that is within a reasonable price range.

Top 3 Fairway Wood For High Handicapers Reviews

TaylorMade Men's M2 Fairway Wood

TaylorMade Men’s M2 Fairway Wood

TaylorMade designs the M2 to ensure that golfers always get maximum forgiveness and some impressive distances. The large sweet spot will ensure that you still get high ball speeds and remarkable distances and it will be an excellent driver replacement, especially for the beginners. This fairway wood also features a shallow face design and carbon composite crown that optimizes the launch conditions and spin. The M2 also comes with a graphite shaft that is available in X-stiff, stiff, regular and senior flexes and it is easy to hit

TaylorMade Men's M2 Fairway Wood

Via https://www.amazon.com/

Features and Design

  • Shallow Face Design: TaylorMade gives the M2 a shallow face design and a carbon composite crown to improve the launch conditions and spin.
  • Speed Pocket: The longer and more flexible speed pocket will combine with a high-strength steel face to provide some impressive ball speeds.
  • Shaft: This fairways wood has a durable TM REAX graphite shaft that is available in X-stiff, stiff, regular and senior flexes to ensure that it caters to all golfers.
  • Look and Feel: The bold look of the M2 is a projection of the power that it holds within. It also has some lines on the crown to draw attention to its sweet spot. This fairway wood will catch your attention without being too showy. For the feel, you will get an impressive balance throughout the swing and a rubber-mallet response.

Pros

  • The carbon composite crown provides optimal launch and spin.
  • It has a shallow face to provide excellent playability for all lies.
  • This fairway wood is available in all the four main flex options.
  • It is a very forgiving club that always guarantees some impressive distances.
  • The large sweet spot will keep the ball speed high even on off-center strikes.
  • You will enjoy swinging it as it is remarkably easy to hit.
  • Plenty of carrying and roll off the tee makes it an excellent driver replacement.

Cons

  • It does not have the adjustable weights and loft sleeve.
  • More feedback on off-center hits would be better.
  • The two-tone design can be distracting for some players.
Callaway Men's XR 16 Fairway Wood

Callaway Men’s XR 16 Fairway Wood

Callaway is famous for making very forgiving and accurate fairway woods and their Men’s XR 16 also lives up to this reputation. It is a bigger, easier to hit and more forgiving club than many of their previous ones and it also features a forged hyper speed face cup, an aerodynamic head shape, and a graphite shaft. The shaft comes in stiff, senior and regular flexes to provide more options for golfers. And the fairway wood also has a comfortable pear shape with an attractive matte finish and some crown alignment aids.

Callaway Men's XR 16 Fairway Wood

Via https://www.amazon.com/

Features and Design

  • Bigger Head: The head in this fairway wood is large, more forgiving and also easier to hit than many other fairway woods in the market.
  • Hot Face Cup: Callaway gives the XR 16 hotter face cup to ensure that you always get higher ball speeds. The forged hyper speed cup also creates a large sweet spot that is hard to miss.
  • Aerodynamic Head: The aerodynamic head shape helps to provide more head speed to go along with the high ball speeds.
  • Shaft: Like many other fairway woods, the XR 16 comes with a durable and high performing graphite shaft. And it is available in stiff, senior and regular flexes.
  • Look and Feel: The XR 16 has a comfortable pear shape and a striking matte finishing for reducing glare. It also has some crown air alignment to help you make accurate shots. It feels a little weighty when swinging due to the large head, but it is still easy to swing. Also, mis-hits produce light vibrations and twists to help the player identify errors.

Pros

  • The head is bigger and more forgiving than its predecessors.
  • Callaway’s XR 16 has a hotter face cup to provide more ball speeds.
  • The aerodynamic head shape will also help to improve the ball speeds.
  • It is a beautiful fairway wood with some attractive graphics and color combination on the club head.
  • This fairway wood is very easy to hit, and even beginners will not have any difficulties.
  • It is a very versatile club that will be handy in different situations and lies.

Cons

  • The visual aids on the head still need some improvement to make them more pronounced.
  • A head cover would have been a nice addition.
Callaway Men's Great Big Bertha Fairway Wood

Callaway Men’s Great Big Bertha Fairway Wood

The Men’s Great Big Bertha is one of the best performing fairway woods that you can get out there. It makes use of different technologies to ensure that you always get some impressive balls speeds, playability, and maximum forgiveness. They include OptiFit Adjustability, Hyper Speed Cup, and a higher MOI design. The graphite Mitsubishi Fubuki shaft is also a great addition to the fairway wood, and it is available in three flex options which are senior, regular and stiff.

Callaway Men's Great Big Bertha Fairway Wood

Via https://www.amazon.com/

Features and Design

  • Optifit Adjustability: The OptiFit Adjustability makes it possible to tune the fairway wood to the settings that you desire.  This 8-way adjustability makes it easy to increase or decrease the loft angle to customize your shots.
  • Hyper Speed Cup: Callaway aims at giving you maximum distances with every shot, and they do this by giving the Great Big Bertha a forged hyper speed face cup to provide high speed and ensure that the balls go further even on off-center hits.
  • Playability and Control: The head on this fairway is larger than typical ones, and the extra surface creates higher MOI and also makes it more forgiving.
  • Shaft: The graphite Mitsubishi Fubuki shaft is lightweight and high performing. It will increase the transfer of energy so that you always get some impressive ball speeds and it is available in senior, regular and stiff flexes.

Pros

  • Great Big Bertha is a very forgiving club that also allows for better playability.
  • It is an ultra long club and one of the most consistent fairway woods.
  • You always get maximum ball speeds across the face thanks to the forged hyper speed cup.
  • This fairway wood is adjustable to ensure that you get ideal loft and lie angles.
  • The large and stable head gives this fairway an incredible feel.
  • It feels fantastic on the center strikes, and it provides sufficient feedback.
  • This fairway wood has an attractive overall look that will make you stand out on the course.

Cons

  • The contact sound will not impress some golfers.
  • Some golfers might also find the grip smaller than they would want.
  • There are a few complaints about the head denting easily.

Conclusion

Fairway woods are some of the most important clubs for high handicappers, and they will be a great addition to their golf club set. Whether you are hitting off the tee or ground, you can always trust a fairway wood to give you some impressive and consistent distances. But, all this is only true if you get the best fairways woods for high handicappers. And with our buying guide above picking from the many brands and fairway wood types in the market should be easy for every high handicapper.