Fairway woods: The stand-out models in our TrackMan test
By NCG
BENROSS RIP SPEED
TESTERS’ COMMENTS
JaW: I sell a lot of these and it’s not hard to see why – it looks good, is cheap as chips, and performs as well as anything. What more can you ask for? Benross have really hit the nail on the head with this.
RR: This is a proper club. The shaft is really strong and it flies off the face like a rocket. Serious distance and a gorgeous flight. You can feel the head much easier than most other budget clubs. I can’t see why most professionals couldn’t use this.
JoW: A very solid club. Feels fast yet consistent out of the middle. Not fiery by any means but more than enough to give you a nice gap with a driver. The shape is nice and the standard shaft is proper. Superb value for money. Performance-wise for me, it was narrowly inferior to the Titleist, but pound-for-pound there is nothing better.
PC: It feels good and looks fine, very conventional. It spins very low due to the shaft, which brought me a lot of distance.
TITLEIST 913F/F.D
TESTERS’ COMMENTS
913F
JaW: I hit proper shots with this, it went a long way and right down the middle. Loads of control and superb consistency. I was fitted for the shaft and the flight was unreal.
RR: A really good club. Solid, stable and went a long way consistently. I would put this in my bag in a flash.
JoW: Undoubtedly beautiful to look at but at address it is quite intimidating. However, confidence is quickly clawed back when you see the gorgeous flight, hear the brilliantly solid sound, and see the numbers on TrackMan.
Indeed, both dispersion and distance were extremely consistent – long but not too long to close down the gap between my driver. Expensive but worth it if you can afford – if it was more accessible price-wise this would be comfortably the best on the market for me.
PC: Easily one of the best fairway woods I’ve ever used. Quick off the face and long. I didn’t think I would be able to hit this properly but forgiveness wasn’t an issue.
913F.d
JoW: As a high-spin player, this was right up my street as it dramatically lowered the rpm and improved distance.
Additionally, I found the larger head to be more forgiving than the standard and thus gave me more confidence. Although bigger, it can still be used effectively off the deck.
CALLAWAY X HOT/X HOT PRO
TESTERS’ COMMENTS
JaW: It is certainly all about distance with this club, and if that’s what you’re after it’s hard to look past it. It fires off the face like a rocket and is easy to hit. This has definitely put Callaway back on the map.
RR: This felt really good off the face and went very high and long, almost like another driver.
JoW: The head is a bit too large and deep to be versatile from all lies. Indeed, it is certainly most effective off the tee.
PC: I like the head shape and the feel. It doesn’t seem hard to hit and was among the longest on test for me.
ABOUT THE TEST
We are dedicated to providing unbiased and accurate tests, thus offering readers a trustworthy guide on golf equipment. We use TrackMan launch monitors and a team of enthusiastic and skilled golfers.
OUR TEST TEAM: James Whitaker (pro), Ryan Rastall (pro), Dan Murphy (4hcp), Joe Whitley (7), Pete Chippindale (12)
