Best Fairway Woods for Mid Handicappers 2024
The best of the best! We roundup the best fairway woods for mid handicappers in 2024
Fairway woods are an important part of any golfer’s bag, and mid-handicappers need clubs that provide both distance and accuracy.
In this article, we’ll be taking a closer look at some of the best fairway woods for mid-handicappers in 2024. These include new additions from TaylorMade, Cobra and Callaway for 2024.
Each fairway wood is designed with unique features to help mid-handicappers achieve greater distance, accuracy, and overall performance on the course.
Best Fairway Woods for Mid-Handicappers 2024
TaylorMade Qi10 Fairway Wood
Reviewed by Gillon Fabbroni
Many woods these days, while looking great, are not shy about displaying their futuristic technology. Not so the TaylorMade Qi10, which has a pleasing simplicity to its looks.
There is no adjustable hosel, which gives it a sleeker look and allows the freedom to optimise the weight distribution and lower the centre of gravity to deliver longer distances. The infinity crown, made from carbon, also contributes to this. This lower CG makes it easier to launch, giving a mid-high launch and mid-low spin.
Jumping straight to the data, my carry and overall distance were fairly similar to my current 3 wood. Behind the ball, it looked great, and TaylorMade described an advanced laser alignment feature that allows for precision aim. I certainly felt very confident that I had the club-face square at address.
Off the deck, it was relatively easy to hit and not intimidating. I found off-centre hits to be fairly forgiving, which one would expect given the technology. Off a tee, I gained about 5 yards or so. The flight was a standard trajectory for my 3 wood.
PROS
- Clean looks
- Wide appeal
- Forgiving
CONS
- Some may perceive the lack of adjustability as a negative
- RELATED: Read our full TaylorMade Qi10 Fairway Wood Review
RRP: £309
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue FW 6 (R, S, X)
Right-handed Lofts: 15°, 16.5°, 18°, 21° & 24°
Left-handed Lofts: 15°, 18° & 21°
More information:TaylorMade Website
Ping G430 Max Fairway Wood
The first thing I am looking for in a 3-wood is depth of face, and this sits really tight behind the ball. I instantly feel like this is something I am going to be able to launch easily due to the relatively low profile face. This suits me as someone who is primarily looking for a second shot club.
As with the driver the acoustics are hugely improved here. Ping say it is down to that carbon crown. Regardless of the reason they sound so sweet.
This is a massive tick in the box for me as in recent years this has been a negative for Ping versus some of the other manufacturers who have nailed their acoustics. This is well and truly put to bed throughout the G430 range of metals.
The head in the Ping G430 max fairway wood is adjustable by a significant 1.5 degrees. The 3-wood on test is 16 degrees and I can crank that to 14.5. I think this is really advantageous in a 3-wood where, depending on course or conditions, I can see myself using this functionality.
There is nothing worse than never taking your fairway out of your bag on a windy links for fear of losing it in a cross wind. This would allow you to knock the loft down on such a day and bring the club back into play.
PROS
- Really versatile with distance and forgiveness on offer
- Super forgiving, so ideal for high handicap golfers
- Massively improved acoustics
- Consistent spin rates
CONS
- Not the longest fairway on test
- RELATED: Read our full Ping G430 Max Fairway Wood review
RRP: £350
Right-handed lofts: 3 (15), 5 (19) 7 (22)
Shafts: ALTA CB Black 55 / 65 / 70 or ALTA QUICK 35 /75 or Ping Tour 2.0 Chrome 65 / 75 / 85 or Ping Tour 2.0 Black 65 / 75 or Project x HZDRUS Smoke Red RDX 50 / 60 / 70 or Mitsubusi KAI’Li White 60 / 70
More information: Ping website
Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fairway Wood
Reviewed by Gillon Fabbroni
As with most clubs these days, these look fantastic. The mix of carbon and metal gives a high-tech and attractive appearance. Callaway is utilising their Ai technology, which this year uses data from real-world golfers. They use advanced machine learning to produce sweet spots around the face and claim the max produces a consistent and neutral ball flight.
Jumping straight to the data, my carry and overall distance was a little behind my current 3 wood but this was almost certainly shaft-dependent as I was testing this with the supplied stock stiff shaft. Off the deck, it was confidence-inspiring and relatively consistent. Off the tee, being easier to launch it became more consistent and distance wise was pretty much equal to my current 3-wood. The flight was decent, if somewhat lowish. With a different shaft, it would have been higher.
Callaway, it seems to me, is describing this as the go-to three-wood, and I would agree with this. It will appeal to a wide range of handicaps. The head is a modern, classic shape. It has an adjustable hosel and therefore should give options for many golfers. I think this is definitely a great three-wood.
PROS
- Great looks
- Wide appeal
- Forgiving across the face
CONS
- None
- RELATED: Read our full Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Max Fairway Wood Review
RRP: £379
Shafts: Project X Cypher 2.0 40 G (LGT) D2 & 50G (LGT, REG) D2
MCA Tensei AV Blue 60 G (REG STF) D3 & 70 G (STF, X-STF ) D4
Right-handed Lofts: 15°, 16.5°, 18°, 21°, 24°, 27° & 20°
Left-handed Lofts: 15°, 18° & 21°
More information: Callaway website
Titleist TSR2 Fairway Wood
Reviewed by Hannah Holden
I’m not the biggest fan of fairway woods as I always feel they are going to be hard to launch. Straight away the ball flight I was getting on all my shots was excellent, even my mis-strikes had a really nice height on them. You can see across a range of strikes my launch angle stayed very consistent.
The club face was very efficient, I was getting great ball speeds and carry distances from my club head speed. My average carry distance came out at 213 yards, about 13 yards longer than my 5-wood which works really nicely in terms of gapping. It is easy to add or reduce loft with the adjustable hosel should you need to add or reduce some distance.
Compared to the TSR3, my off-centre strikes flew straighter, which is crucial for a larger section of club golfers. My spin also stayed high enough so the ball didn’t drop out of the air and lose crucial carry distance.
PROS
- Larger more confidence inspiring shape
- Fast ball speeds
- Easy to launch
CONS
- Bigger head isn’t as workable
- RELATED: Read our full Titleist TSR2 fairway wood review
RRP: £289 or £459 with premium shaft
Right handed lofts: 13.5°, 15.0°, 16.5°, 18.0°
Left handed lofts: 15.0°, 16.5° (13.5°& 18.0° Custom Only)
Titleist featured shafts: Hzrdus Red CB, Tensei AV Blue with XLink Tech, Hzrdus Black, Tensei 1K Black
Premium shafts: Graphite Design Tour AD UB, Tour AD DI, Tour AD IZ
More information: Titleist website
Wilson Dynapwr Fairway Wood
I hit the 3 wood 228 yards carry with wind removed, which isn’t too bad but to be honest with over 150mph golf ball speed I’d have liked to have seen a bit more.
Wilson have designed the Dynapwr fairway using artificial intelligence to calculate the variable thickness in the face to provide maximum speed and spin from all strike locations. It also features a weight on the rear of the sole which drags back the centre of gravity to increase MOI.
The result of this tech is an extremely forgiving fairway wood for high and mid handicap golfers. I made sure to hit plenty of shots from a wide variety of face locations and none of the shots were unplayable. Wilson have done a brilliant job building a fairway wood that players can actually use and rely on.
PROS
- Classic shape
- Golf ball speeds remained high on miss-hits
- Plenty of spin to keep the ball in the air
- Great price
CONS
- Not the longest fairway wood
- Not adjustable
- RELATED: Read our full Wilson Dynapwr Fairway Wood Review
RRP: £220
Right-handed lofts: 15°, 18°, 21°
Featured shafts: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Red
More information: Wilson Website
Cobra Darkspeed X Fairway Wood
Reviewed by Gillon Fabbroni
I say this will appeal to most golfers as it has some more forgiveness than the Darkspeed LS with an 8g weight in the rear of the sole, giving a higher launching ball flight. In my opinion, fairway woods are the hardest clubs to hit consistently, and anything that helps has got to be good. The Darkspeed X uses the Cobra PWR-BRIDGE and PWRSHELL H.O.T. face technology, which is used across the board in this range.
I say this will appeal to most golfers as it has some more forgiveness than the Darkspeed LS with an 8g weight in the rear of the sole, giving a higher launching ball flight. In my opinion, fairway woods are the hardest clubs to hit consistently, and anything that helps has got to be good. The Darkspeed X uses the Cobra PWR-BRIDGE and PWRSHELL H.O.T. face technology, which is used across the board in this range.
This provides increased ball speed through a low forward CG location. The crown is a carbon shell that removes weight from the clubhead’s upper part, contributing to the low CG and a better sound/feel. The technology in the face uses machine learning to provide a multitude of hotspots across the face, leading to even greater forgiveness with a mid-launch and mid-spin.
In summary, the Cobra Darkspeed X achieves its aim of playability and forgiveness with absolutely spectacular looks. It is their intermediate fairway wood, but I would check out both the Darkspeed LS and the Darkspeed Max as well, whatever your handicap. I suspect that this will be the go-to model for those choosing the Cobra Darkspeed, and I would highly recommend getting fitted.
PROS
- Gorgeous looks.
- Forgiving
- Performed well from tee and fairway
- Extremely adjustable to get a great fit.
CONS
- None
- RELATED: Read our full Cobra Darkspeed X Fairway Wood Review
RRP: £279
Loft: 3W 15˚ (13.5°-16.5°), 5W 18˚ (16.5°-19.5°), 7W 21° (19.5°-22.5°)
Shafts (Stock): UST MAMIYA LIN-Q M40X Blue R, S and X Flexes.
More information: Cobra Website
Best Fairway Woods for Mid-Handicappers 2024
Mid-handicappers require fairway woods that cater to their specific needs and skill level, and choosing the right fairway wood can make a significant difference in their game.
With top brands like Wilson, TaylorMade, Ping, and Callaway offering specialised fairway woods for mid-handicappers in 2024, there are plenty of options to consider.
If you’re looking to update your bag for the 2024 season, why not check out our other buying guides for mid-handicappers…
How do we test fairway woods?
At National Club Golfer, we are passionate about producing accurate and thorough reviews and making sure our testing process is rigorous so we get a good understanding of how each club performs.
Each iron is hit with Pro V1 golf balls to allow us to collect launch monitor data with our in-house TrackMan and FlightScope. After this it is time to head out onto the golf course and test the clubs in practice and competition play. We do test them at a variety of golf clubs in our base of Yorkshire.
What is important when buying a fairway wood?
When buying a new fairway wood it is important to know what you want from that club to help you improve.
Most people are looking for more distance, each model is optimised for different things. Depending on your swing and your impact conditions, you may not actually hit the model that is advertised as the longest, the furthest. So if you want more distance, it is always worth giving different models a hit before you make a decision.
For most golfers, especially high handicappers, something that is more forgiving is going to yield the best performance. Most forgiving golf fairway woods have a slightly bigger club head with perimeter weighting for high MOI, which means shots that miss the sweet spot hits still perform well. They also have a center of gravity that is further back to help players get a more high launching ball flight.
Do you want something that is draw bias? There are so many models out there to help with slice correction, it would be silly not to take a look if you see your golf ball disappearing into the right trees too often. A closed face and draw bias weighting can get you hitting straighter shots in no time at all.
Don’t forget about the shaft, either. Getting the correct shaft can help dial in your spin and launch angle and can also give you some extra distance. Having a club fitting or trying different options with your local pro can really improve the performance of your new fairway.
What brand produce fairway woods for mid-handicap golfers?
All of the products in this best fairway woods for mid-handicappers 2024 article are picked from the brands that offer the most fairway wood options catering for those players.
Do any pros use forgiving fairway woods on tour?
Contrary to popular belief, PGA & DP World tour players do often play a forgiving fairway wood. This will vary from player to player as golfers want different things from their fairway woods, but if you check out Hannah’s what’s in the bag pieces, you will see forgiving fairway woods in there.
Tour players will often have two fairway woods in the bag, one low spin model that they might use as a backup club from the tee and another more forgiving model that will launch higher and land softer, more used for second shots into par 5s. Tour players consider small details like turf interaction and larger vs smaller head designs to manipulate the ball flight to what’s required. Amateur players should also think more about this and have a proper custom fitting!
Nicola Slater
Nicola recently graduated from Stirling University where she studied Sports Studies, she wrote her dissertation on barriers to participation for women in golf.
Nicola plays her golf at Hickleton and she currently plays off +3. Having played for Yorkshire Ladies and has represented England at junior and senior level, she will soon be beginning her professional career on LETAS.
