Best 3 Woods Of 2023 & Of All Time – Must Read Guide

#1 – Cobra Golf 2020 Speedzone Fairway Wood – Best Overall Choice

Key Features:

• Hollow rails
• Baffler rails
• Carbon fiber crown

Selling Points:

The Speedzone Fairway woods were designed for mid to high handicap players. It gets the ball in the air very easily and will work with you if you have a slower swing speed.

They glide very smoothly on thin lies with the baffler rails and the lightweight carbon crown makes it easy to swing.

Off the tee, the CNC milled face plays hot. It’s a thin face that provides plenty of flex for long drives. This would be a great 3 wood for anyone who is looking for great distance from the tee and off the deck.

The stock shafts include a MCA Tensei AV Blue 65 in stiff or regular flex and a UST Helium 4F2 in senior flex.

Pros:

• It sounds great on dead-center shots
• The hosel is adjustable
• Aerodynamic head shape helps get your swing speed up

Cons:

• No adjustable weighting

Overall Rating: 96/100

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#2 – TaylorMade SiM 2 Max Fairway – Best Premium

Key Features:

• Twist Face Technology
• V Steel Panel
• C300 steel face

Selling Points:

Taylormade thought of almost everything with this fairway wood. First of all, the V steel bottom panel helps pull the CG down on your swing to make it easier to get under the ball.

The same panel helps to smooth out turf interaction so it performs consistently on any lie.

The body is made from steel and the crown is made of carbon fiber which, helps keep the overall weight down while at the same time providing stability for the Speed Pocket.

The Speed Pocket allows the face to function like a hinge – pushing the ball with more flex.

This fairway wood will get your ball speed up from the deck or the tee. It’s a great option for anyone who is struggling with accuracy on their drives because the Twist Face curvature helps correct detrimental shot tendencies.

The Taylormade SIM 2 Max Fairway comes in a Fujikura Ventus Blue FW 5 and FW 6. You can choose form either regular, stiff or senior flex.

Pros:

• Consistent
• Forgiving
• Accurate on low-face shots

Cons:

• Doesn’t sound great

Overall Rating: 96/100

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#3 – Callaway Men’s Steelhead XR Fairway Wood – Best Budget

 

Key Features:

• Classic Steelhead shape
• Perimeter weighting
• Short hosel

Selling Points:

This is a highly forgiving fairway wood no matter where you play it. The carbon crown allows for extreme perimeter weighting – increasing MOI significantly. This means you get a vast sweet spot to work with.

High MOI works in tandem with a special Cup Face design which, essentially blends into the head to create an almost endless sweet spot. This is a great fairway wood for anyone looking for some major help with accuracy.

The Callaway Steelhead XR fairway wood is available in right and left-handed with graphite shafts and regular, senior, stiff and extra stiff flexes. It also comes stock with a Lamkin UTX grip. There is no adjustable weighting but you still get good versatility from the Hawkeye designed sole.

Pros:

• Great performance from the tee and the deck
• Comfortable stock grip
• Very little vibration from dead-center shots

Cons:

• It’s not the longest 3 wood

Overall Rating: 94/100

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#4 – Callaway Golf 2019 Epic Flash Fairway Wood – Best Off The Tee

 

Key Features:

• A.I. designed face
• 455 Carpenter steel construction
• Jailbreak bars

Selling Points:

The Callaway Epic Flash 2019 can take the place of your favorite driver. It was made for stability on opening drives. The Jailbreak bars keep everything in place while the Flash Face is free to flex and rebound at a high degree for insane ball speed.

The Epic Flash 2019 also sports a shortened adjustable hosel to keep things versatile and forgiving. While there is no adjustable weight, the Flash Face more than makes up for the lack of versatility and shot shaping.

This would be a very comfortable fairway wood in the hands of many players but especially those who prefer to play woods off the tee. The Epic Flash 2019 is available in a Project X Evenflow Green shaft, a Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue shaft or a Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black shaft.

Pros:

• Great replacement for a 7 iron
• Great for approaches under 100 yards
• Easy to hit

Cons:

• Not great off the deck

Overall Rating: 94/100

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#5 – TaylorMade 2017 M2 Men’s Fairway Wood – Best Of All Time

 

Key Features:

• Carbon composite crown
• Speed Pocket
• Inverted Cone sweet spot

Selling Points:

This is a blast from the past but it still holds up against modern fairway woods. The Taylormade M2 features a 6 layer carbon crown and a fluted hosel that help place more discretionary weight deep down in the head.

The spin rate off the tee is very low with this fairway wood too so you get comparable distance to most drivers. The Inverted Cone Technology also extends the sweet spot far and wide out to the toe and down to the sole.

This is a great fairway wood for anyone looking for a good mix of distance and forgiveness. You can get the M2 fairway wood with a Taylormade Reax 65 shaft and a Taylormade Dual Feel grip.

Pros:

• Affordable
• Launches high
• Great on approaches

Cons:

• Turf interaction isn’t the greatest

Overall Rating: 93/100

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#6 – Callaway Golf 2020 Mavrik Max Fairway Wood – Easiest To Hit

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Key Features:

• Split weights
• Oversized head
• T2C Carbon Crown

Selling Points:

While not the latest iteration of the A.I. designed flash face technology, the 2020 Mavrik Max fairway still delivers on ball speed. It features the SS20 Flash Face version which, still holds up to the newer SS21 version.

The 2020 Mavrik Max also features a progressive leading edge that helps get the ball high into the air from almost any lie. It’s a great fairway wood that cuts through all kinds of turf but still gives the feel of a beefy driver off the tee.

It doesn’t have adjustable weighting but it does have interchangeable weights in the front and rear. This allows for custom shot shaping, launch angles and biases.

You can choose from a UST Helium Black shaft or a Project X Evenflow Riptide shaft and a Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align grip.

Pros:

• The face plays incredibly hot
• Satisfying sound off the tee
• It spins enough for approaches on par 5’s

Cons:

• The weights are a little tricky to change

Overall Rating: 94/100

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#7 – TaylorMade Golf M6 D-Type Fairway – Best For A Slice

Key Features:

• Speed Pocket
• Twist Face technology
• Urethane inserts

Selling Points:

If you have been struggling to keep your drives straight, the Taylormade M6 D-Type 3 wood can be a big help. The Twist Face design is essentially a slight curvature of the face. This helps correct shots that should be complete slices.

This is a draw bias fairway wood ot say the least. All the weighting and face masking have been tuned to draw bias. The urethane inserts also help to smooth out harsh turf interaction.

There are no adjustable weights but so long as you are trying to correct your slice, this 3 wood will work just fine.

The Taylormade M6 D-Type Fairway wood comes stock with a Project X Evenflow Max Carry 50 shaft in stiff, regular and amateur flex. It also comes stock with a Taylormade Dual Feel grip.

Pros:

• Improves accuracy
• Great off the tee
• Very forgiving

Cons:

• Still a bit pricey

Overall Rating: 95/100

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#8 – TaylorMade SIM MAX Fairway – Best For High Handicappers

Key Features:

• V Steel panel
• Twist Face
• C300 Steel

Selling Points:

The original Taylormade SIM Max fairway wood is still a godsend for high handicappers. The Twist Face curvature is very effective for correcting slices.

The V steel panel makes turf interaction a breeze so it’s great from the deck too.

The C300 face plays incredibly hot and produces almost effortless ball speed. You can pick up the SIM Max fairway wood in a Fujikura Ventus Blue 5 or 6 shaft and a Taylormade Z600 grip.

Pros:

• Great for high handicappers
• Great combination of forgiveness and distance
• Produces a low CG

Cons:

• No adjustable weight
• Hard club to fault

Overall Rating: 94/100

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#9 – Callaway Golf 2018 Men’s Rogue Fairway 3 Wood – Best For Mid Handicappers

Key Features:

• Aerodynamic head design
• Jailbreak bars
• 455 Carpenter Steel construction

Selling Points:

The 2018 Rogue 3 wood broke a lot of ground in it’s day and it is still a favorite among mid to low handicappers.

455 Carpenter steel is incredibly thin and resilient so to support it, Rogue was one of the first fairway woods to incorporate the stabilizing Jailbreak bars.

The 2018 Rogue is also available in a variety of quality shafts such Aldila Synergy, Project X Evenflow 75, Project X HZRDUS Yellow and Aldila Quaranta.

Pros:

• Affordable
• Great for mid handicappers
• Good turf interaction

Cons:

• Doesn’t sound great

Overall Rating: 94/100

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#10 – Callaway Golf 2017 Great Big Bertha Men’s Epic Fairway – Best For Low Handicappers

Key Features:

• Oversized head
• Traxial carbon crown
• Hyper Speed face cup

Selling Points:

Last but certainly not least: the Great Big Bertha. The 2017 Epic Flash Great Big Bertha is still giving low handicappers the distance they need on all pars.

It plays as long as a driver off the tee and the adjustable hosel gives you the loft you need from any kind of lie.

The Epic Flash Great Big Bertha is available with a Project HZRDUS Green T800 stock shaft and is available in regular, senior and stiff flexes.

Pros:

• Plays incredibly long
• Very easy to hit
• Forgiving face

Cons:

• Not very accurate

Overall Rating: 94/100

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Final Thoughts

The most important thing for a 3 wood is that it reflects your needs as a player. Are you trying to attack pins on par 5’s? Are you trying to replace hybrids or longer irons? Do you need a higher CG for your slower swing speed?

These are all questions you must carefully consider before making your choice. Our list features 3 woods for all types of players though, so make your selection and take your game to the next level!