In this video, Neil Tappin is joined by staff writer Sam De'Ath to look at the fairway wood market in 2023. They discuss the leading contenders in four key categories: looks, feel, forgiveness, versatility and then Sam offers his all-important overall verdict. If you are in the market for a new fairway wood this year, this video will provide you with a view on what you can expect and which one might be right for you.
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00:00 Finding a fairway wood that you can hit consistently well can be tricky,
00:03 but the manufacturers have been working hard to make the offerings in 2023 as playable as possible.
00:10 And so in this video, we are going to take a look at the best fairway woods of 2023.
00:14 My colleague Sam Diath has tested 16 different models from 10 different brands,
00:20 and we're going to split this video up into five key sections.
00:23 Looks, feel, forgiveness and versatility.
00:27 Sam's going to talk to you about which ones he thinks excel in each of those different categories.
00:31 And then at the end of the video, we're going to look at the overall winner of the best fairway woods 2023.
00:37 Right. We're here at Black Bear Golf Club. Let's get started.
00:40 Right, so we're starting with the looks, which is really important when it comes to fairway woods.
00:47 And for those golfers that struggle with their fairway woods, which is a lot of people,
00:50 because ultimately you're trying to hit them off the ground a lot of the time.
00:53 It's a long shaft. It's hard to get the strike right.
00:55 Which of these, Sam, do you think is the sort of most generous looking behind the ball?
01:00 Probably the most confidence inspiring.
01:01 Yeah, so I would say the Yonex E-Zone Elite 4 series, their newest offering.
01:08 It's designed towards more beginner golfers, those looking for more forgiveness from a fairway wood.
01:15 It's definitely the largest profile head we've seen released this year.
01:18 And one of the key features that I'd like to just bring to everyone's attention are the diagonal grooves on the face.
01:23 Yeah, it's a totally different look to anything you'll see, isn't it?
01:26 Completely unique. We've got a unique crown with it as well.
01:29 They've gone for this blue gloss glow, I like to call it.
01:33 It's got a few kind of track marks on the back, which do help with alignment,
01:36 as well as the two arrows that we see on most Yonex woods.
01:40 So alignment's not an issue. Large, large head. And it's quite shallow as well.
01:45 And so I think that really inspires confidence, especially when hitting off the deck.
01:49 Go on then, Sam, hit one for us.
01:50 Now, what I'll say about this, I was next to you when you hit it on the launch monitor and it performed really well.
01:55 It's fair to say it's not aimed at you. Sam's a pro, so it's not aimed at you, but it performed well.
01:59 Yeah, I was really impressed.
02:01 And I just quickly would like to point out, actually, that the graphite shafts that Yonex are producing,
02:07 even from their stock models, so they produce all their own shafts made up of 85% plus graphite.
02:12 Yeah, really stable.
02:13 And this is a regular flex shaft.
02:15 And it was more than capable of just keeping up with what I was giving to it.
02:19 I was putting it through its paces, like we said, indoors at Foresight.
02:23 And yeah, the performance really shone.
02:25 It was pretty good. Go on then.
02:27 I want to see how it goes.
02:29 Yeah, very good. Very good.
02:35 So if at the other end of the spectrum, you're looking for something that's more compact,
02:39 so maybe more confident ball strikers wanting something that has a smaller footprint down behind the ball,
02:44 which one would you be leaning towards?
02:46 So there's a few that stand out to be slightly more compact.
02:49 The tight list is probably the most compact head out there.
02:52 TSR3, that one.
02:53 Yeah, that's the TSR3.
02:54 So they've released that as well as the TSR2, which is slightly larger.
02:59 But this one, we do have the adjustable track system in the bottom, as well as a sure-fit hosel.
03:05 So you can completely dial in ball flight.
03:07 It's not designed for the higher handicapper.
03:10 I wouldn't say the TSR3.
03:12 It's quite a small looking head and particularly deep, especially when put on the ground.
03:16 And that makes the ball seem quite low.
03:19 And it does look like you potentially could hit them out the bottom of the face.
03:22 So, yeah, it's perfect for some, but it's not designed for the majority of golfers.
03:29 OK, so if you were picking just one of them based on the looks, which one would you go for, Sam?
03:33 So me personally, I quite like a triangular shaped head.
03:37 So we've seen a lot of heads this year have gone for a more rounded look behind the ball at address.
03:43 Ping have kind of stuck with their triangular look that featured on the G425 model as well.
03:48 OK, yeah.
03:49 What I really like about the looks of this as well is just those hints of neon yellow accents.
03:55 That to go with the matte black finish, this carbon look on the crown.
03:59 I just think it looks spectacular.
04:00 It's got a shallow depth to it as well.
04:03 Super inspiring to be able to hit off the deck.
04:07 It performs really well off the tee as well.
04:09 And we can see a very similar head in the Shrixen as well.
04:12 Yeah, they're the only two models this year that have really gone for that triangular look as opposed to a more rounded look.
04:17 And they've kind of diverted away from that tradition of going.
04:21 Everyone's reverting back to a gloss crown this year.
04:24 Yeah, Shrixen, Ping and Wilson are the only three that have stuck with that matte finish.
04:29 So there you have it.
04:30 If you're looking for a fairway wood based on the looks, you've got plenty of really good choices here.
04:34 But Sam has gone for the Ping G430.
04:40 OK, so when it comes to choosing a fairway wood, you're going to want something that feels great when you strike it.
04:46 Sam, which one would you pick for feel?
04:48 So for me, the TaylorMade Stealth 2 was a really high anticipated launch this year.
04:54 The face itself, they've stuck with a titanium face.
04:58 As we've seen, you know, they've gone into carbon now in the drivers, but they've stuck with titanium twist face technology.
05:05 That really helped with miss hits.
05:07 And it feels really forgiving just the whole way across the face.
05:10 Yeah, it's interesting because you get that same sound no matter where you hit it on the face.
05:13 I think it's one of the things you notice.
05:15 I want to hit that out of the toe.
05:16 But did I? Because it didn't feel any different.
05:18 Exactly. And, you know, when going through the turf, they've still got V-Steel technology.
05:23 Yeah. You know, that's been around for ages now with TaylorMade fairway woods.
05:27 And it sounds really powerful, feels really soft and compressed, a feeling I really like.
05:33 But yeah, the sound itself is quite muted for a fairway wood.
05:36 Again, something I like sounds a bit thuddish, sounds really compressed and powerful.
05:40 I think we need to hear what it sounds like through the ball.
05:42 Yeah, of course.
05:42 Hit a shot for us.
05:44 It's got very sleek, very classic head gloss finish to it.
05:47 There you go.
05:51 That is a very good shot, Sam.
05:53 Thank you.
05:54 So for those people watching this, they might want to go for something that feels a little higher pitched,
06:00 has that higher pitched sound, louder sound.
06:02 So, yeah, that sense that you can just make a nice easy swing and get the ball away.
06:05 Yeah. What should they be looking out for amongst this group?
06:08 So I think amongst the group that we've got, I would go with the PXG.
06:12 OK. 0-11.
06:14 Yeah. Hit one for us so we can get a sense for the difference between those two.
06:18 Yeah, you'll notice the difference straight away.
06:20 Complete opposite end of the spectrum to the TaylorMade.
06:23 A lot higher pitch.
06:24 But it's one of those that I think does inspire confidence as well.
06:27 It sounds a bit more tinny, a bit more driver like, but it sounds powerful in its own right.
06:32 It launches the ball quite high and it's a nice ball flight that comes out of it.
06:35 It's that sense of maximum bang for your buck.
06:37 Yeah, absolutely.
06:38 That's how I'd probably describe it.
06:39 There you go.
06:41 It's a very, very different sound.
06:45 Everyone out there will have their own preference when it comes to the sound they want, the feel they want.
06:49 There's some good options here.
06:51 Obviously, Sam likes that slightly duller, more powerful sensation through the ball.
06:55 And that's why he's gone for the TaylorMade Stealth 2.
07:01 OK, so moving on to forgiveness, which is obviously an incredibly important category,
07:05 no matter what golf club you're looking to buy, but particularly in fairway woods.
07:10 It's fair to say we've seen some really big improvements in terms of forgiveness over the last few years.
07:15 Sam, which one are you picking as the most forgiving and the one that you were most in control of while you were testing it?
07:20 Yeah, so I'm going to go with the Mizuno STZ230 fairway woods.
07:25 This one probably surprised me a little, I would say, in terms of how forgiving it was.
07:30 Due to the fact it's quite a compact, traditional looking head, I think it looks really smart behind the ball.
07:34 It's got this carbon gloss black head to it.
07:37 Yeah, it is quite deep, which is why I think I was surprised with how forgiving it was as well.
07:43 It sits quite high up against the ball, but ultimately it just performs so well on miss hits.
07:50 This Cortec chamber on the bottom here, kind of stood out by the Mizuno blue look we've got going over the top of it,
07:57 really helped with varying the face thickness.
08:00 Miss hits were just superb with it.
08:02 In testing inside on GC Quad, we saw I think I hit five shots and the furthest left was just under six yards offline,
08:11 which I didn't see from any other model, to be honest.
08:13 Yeah, and it's been a similar story where we've been out here on the range.
08:15 Hit one for us, Sam, so we can take a look.
08:17 It's a beautiful looking golf club.
08:20 It's one that's certainly going to stand out if you see it.
08:22 It's very traditional in terms of its shape, very classic.
08:27 And interestingly, I don't know, it didn't look like you hit it far.
08:31 It just sounded perfect, beautiful through the ball.
08:34 Yeah, it interacts with the turf really well, which I think is really important,
08:37 especially when hitting from the rough as well.
08:39 Yeah.
08:39 You know, we're not robots.
08:41 We don't hit every fairway out there.
08:42 So advancing it up fairways on longer holes, but also due to the forgiveness and the lower CG, it launches quite well.
08:49 So when hitting off the turf coming into greens, it provides really high launch and good stopping power as well.
08:53 So if you are looking for a fairway wood to hit off the tee and off the fairway,
08:57 that's going to be really forgiving, then it seems that the Mizuno STZ is well worth adding to your test list.
09:03 OK, so our next category is versatility.
09:09 Now, there'll be some people out there that want a fairway wood as a second driving option.
09:13 But for those players who want a fairway wood to be able to use in a whole host of different scenarios out on the golf course, Sam,
09:19 what are the best options do you think amongst what we've got here?
09:22 Yeah, so we've touched upon on other fairway woods today that have been really good through the turf.
09:28 I think we mentioned it with the Stealth 2, that V-Steel technology, really good through turf interaction.
09:33 And again, with the Mizuno, it's got the deeper face.
09:37 It's quite versatile.
09:38 We can use it from a load of different lies.
09:39 It was good out of the rough.
09:41 But ultimately, I'm going to pick the Titleist TSR3.
09:44 OK.
09:44 So the reason I'm going to choose this is A, because we've got the Sure-Fit track system on the bottom.
09:49 We can move the weight around to influence ball flight.
09:53 And along with that, they've got the Sure-Fit Hossel.
09:55 So you can change loft, lie and really dial in the ball flight that you're looking for.
09:59 Yes. And it's also, it is one of the more compact heads.
10:02 So if you're looking for something that's going to maybe get through the turf a little bit,
10:06 then maybe one of those compact heads is more likely to do that.
10:08 Is that fair?
10:09 Yeah, absolutely.
10:10 Especially out the rough.
10:11 Yeah.
10:11 You know, we can hit one out the first cut and it really does tear through the rough very well.
10:17 Yeah. OK, so hit one for us.
10:18 Now, what you get with this fairway wood is probably,
10:21 I mean, it's up there with the most classic looking fairway woods.
10:24 You can find very simple.
10:26 Sounds good too. Strong ball flight on that one, Sam, for sure.
10:31 Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Really strong ball flight.
10:33 And that's probably due to the deeper face with kind of targeting.
10:37 It's definitely a lower, more penetrating ball flight.
10:40 And I think that's really handy for versatility, being able to hit this off the tee,
10:44 maybe on holes where it's slightly tight to hit driver.
10:47 You're just looking to find the fairway.
10:49 Yeah, the Titleist TSR3 is really good for that.
10:52 Yeah. So you get versatility, a really important part of the overall chemistry
10:55 that you're going to have with a fairway wood.
10:57 Finding the right one for you. Really important.
10:59 OK, so on to the all important overall verdict,
11:07 and it's important to stress here before Sam picks an overall winner,
11:11 that Sam is a pro. He's a very good ball striker.
11:14 So what suits his eye and suits his game might be very different
11:17 to what suits your eye and your game.
11:19 But Sam, I'm going to put you on the spot now and ask you to pick an overall winner
11:22 amongst this lot. Yeah, absolutely.
11:24 So like we've talked about in this video so far, there's there's lots of versatility
11:28 in the range this year, different head shapes and sizes,
11:31 promoting different ball flights.
11:33 We've got the likes of the Aerojet LS,
11:36 Stealth Plus Titanium, designed slightly smaller heads, lower flight,
11:41 more penetrating, faster ball flights.
11:43 Yeah. And then at the other end, you've got the HD version,
11:45 like for instance, the Stealth 2 HD, the bigger looking heads.
11:48 We've got those, we've got Yonex, much larger profiles, easier to launch,
11:51 easier to hit. Yeah.
11:53 But ultimately, I'm going to pick the Callaway Paradigm fairway wood.
11:56 Now, that's interesting to say that because you didn't actually pick it
12:00 as the winner in each of the categories that we've looked at.
12:02 Yeah, no. So the reason being behind that is I didn't think it necessarily
12:06 excelled in one area, whereas a lot of the others did.
12:09 But I did think it performed really well just across the board.
12:13 So really strong all rounder. Yeah, absolutely.
12:15 Yeah, it performed really well out of different lies.
12:18 We've got the adjustable hosel.
12:19 You can build in a certain ball flight and ultimately really forgiving and long.
12:23 Now, what did you make of the deep blue finish on it? Yeah, loved it.
12:26 I thought it slightly different.
12:27 Some people may like it. Some people may not.
12:29 For me personally, I loved it.
12:31 You can see the blue crushed carbon on the crown and the sole.
12:34 And yeah, I thought it sat really well behind the ball.
12:36 So there you have it.
12:38 That's our look at the best fairway woods of 2023.
12:41 Some fantastic options out there for people.
12:43 And I do think that if you haven't upgraded your fairway woods for a few years,
12:46 there's no doubt about it.
12:48 There's more performance to be had that could really help your game.
12:51 I hope you found this video helpful.
12:53 If you have any comments, please do post them below.
12:55 We'd love to hear what you have to say.
12:57 But for now, from Black Bear Golf Club, it's goodbye.
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