Most Forgiving Fairway Woods 2023 – Easy Launch And Straight

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Having a good fairway wood in your bag adds versatility and capability to your game. Whether you’re teeing off with a wood on a short par -4, trying to get to the pin in a couple strokes on par 5’s or simply want to get a smooth and towering strike towards the green, fairway woods can be your best friend.

Of course, that’s only if you choose a quality club. If you are a beginner, you may need to especially rely on your fairway wood. But what should you be looking for in a fairway wood as a high handicapper? The short answer is forgiveness.

The long answer is a fairway wood with a shallow enough face to help you strike it exactly in the middle. On top of that, a forgiving fairway wood will yield good apex height with minimal effort and keep your shots straight and true.

You want a large, flexible sweet spot for forgiveness and you want good turf interaction to actually get the ball airbourne in the first place.

It may sound like a lot to ask (and to find) of a fairway wood but that’s why we composed today’s review. Today we will be taking a look at some of the most forgiving fairway woods of 2021. Read on to find the fairway wood you need in your bag.

#1 – Callaway Rogue ST Max D Fairway Wood – Best Overall Choice

Selling Points:

  • Jailbreak internal ribbing
  • Variable Face Thickness
  • Face Cup technology

Key Features:

The Callaway Rogue St Max fairway wood has everything that you could want in a forgiving fairway wood.

The Face Cup architecture blends seamlessly into the crown/sole, creating a seemingly boundless sweet spot. The Face Cup works in tandem with the sweet spot weight to yield effortless launch.

The face is made from 455 Carpenter steel which, is very thin to promote flex and ball speed.

In order to reign the hot face in though, Callaway has incorporated their Jailbreak internal ribbing system which, stabilizes the head and the face so that it can flex freely.

This Os version is a great buy for beginners because it is super comfortable in the hands.

Pros:

  • Effortless launch
  • High MOI
  • Lightweight design

Cons:

  • Limited shaft options
  • Doesn’t sound great

Overall Rating: 95/100

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#2. Sim 2 Max D Fairway Woods – Best Premium Fairway Wood

Selling Points:

  • V Steel sole
  • C300 Steel Face design
  • Speed Pocket
  • More Offset To Stop A Slice

Key Features:

The speed pocket is a conduit placed low in the head that runs the length from heel to toe. This conduit is essentially a small cavity strategically placed to allow the face to hinge, generating ball speed. So what does all that translate to?

A wood that rockets the ball down the fairway. This is an extremely fast fairway wood and it’s available in 15, 16.5, 18, 21 and 24 degrees of loft. You have your choice of Ventus Blue 5 and Ventus Blue 6 stock shafts fitted with Taylormade standard Z600 grips.

The twist face technology powered by C300 steel ensures accuracy because it flexes at more points on the face.

This is the very latest technology from Taylormade and the D version has more offset which leads to more forgiveness and straighter shots, consistently

Pros:

  • Large heads
  • High launch
  • Comfortable CG

Cons:

  • No adjustable weight
  • Pricey

Overall Rating: 95/100

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#3 – TaylorMade Men’s RBZ Fairway – Best Budget Option

Selling Points:

  • Speed Pocket
  • Shallow face profile design
  • Mass pad
  • Well Priced

Key Features:

Last on our list is the Taylormade RBZ fairway wood. Like many Taylormade clubs on our list, the RBZ fairway wood features the Speed Pocket that allows the face to flex more at impact.

Make no mistake about it, the RBZ fairway woods were made for explosive distance.

This is also a remarkably comfortable wood to play off the turf. The shallow profile allows you to get under the ball while the mass pad pulls the CG down so you get great launch off the grass. The moderate offset of the Taylormade RBX fairway wood also helps you square up to the ball at impact.

This is a great wood for anyone who is working on their swing mechanics – especially from the fairway. It feels very comfortable from a variety of lies and provides the loft that a good, forgiving fairway wood should.

While this is not the latest Taylormade fairway wood, it still holds up against some of the later models and you can get it for a pretty decent price. You can get the Taylormade RBZ in 15 or 18 degrees of loft with a RocketFuel 65 graphite shaft.

Pros:

  • Comes at an affordable price
  • Good amount of offset
  • Easy to launch the ball high

Cons:

  • Not very accurate
  • Older Taylormade model

Overall Rating: 89/100

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#4 – Big Bertha B21 Fairway Woods

Selling Points:

  • SS21 face
  • Jailbreak internal ribbing
  • Flash Face technology

Key Features:

The Big Bertha fairway woods play long and are surprisingly accurate. The slight curvature of the face allows it to flex more even on off-center shots. This is a great fairway wood if what you really need at this point in your game is distance.

SS21 steel is pretty thin which, is great for ball speed but not so great for stability and feel. Luckily, Callaway has incorporated the stabilizing jailbreak bars into the Bog Bertha woods.

Big Bertha woods are available in 15, 18, 21 and 24 degrees of loft with Callaway RCH 45 graphite shafts.

The Callaway Big Bertha woods also come standard with Golf Pride Tour Velvet 360 soft grips. There are no adjustable weights, but that’s pretty standard for most fairway woods.

Even without the weights, the Big Bertha fairway woods should still match a variety of swing styles.

This was certainly one of the longer fairway woods we tested for this list and it performed great on par 5’s.

Pros:

  • Shallow face height to promote centered shots
  • Progressive shaft lengths
  • Moderate offset

Cons:

  • Pricey
  • A bit unwieldy

Overall Rating: 93/100

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#5 – Cobra Golf Men’s 2019 F-Max Superlite Fairway

Selling Points:

  • Stainless steel face insert
  • Very shallow face
  • Heel weight placement

Key Features:

The Cobra F-Max Superlite fairway woods saved weight everywhere they could. The standard shaft is ultra-light and even the grips are made of a softer, lighter rubber material.

All this saved weight went into a concentrated weight pad placed in the back of the head for higher and straighter launch.

It’s available in 16, 20 and 23 degrees of loft with Cobra Superlite shafts and Lamkin REL Midsize grips.

This is a great fairway wood for anyone struggling with the gap between woods and long irons. They don’t feel unwieldy like some of the larger fairway woods out there.

Whether you are a senior player with a diminishing swing speed or a neophyte just trying to get your swing speed up to snuff, this is a fairway wood that can help keep you competitive.

It swings ridiculously fast and the forged face insert gives it a nice feel on dead-center shots.

Pros:

  • Good amount of offset
  • Nice alignment features
  • Good ball speed

Cons:

  • Not great for fast swing speeds
  • Lacking feel

Overall Rating: 92/100

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#6 – TaylorMade Golf M6 D-Type Fairway

Selling Points:

  • Twist Face technology
  • Carbon crown
  • Speed Pocket

Key Features:

The M6 D-Type fairway woods see a lot of signature Taylormade technology converge. First we have the twist face technology which, is a gentle curvature of the face to promote accuracy and straighter shots off-center.

Then we have the speed pocket which, allows the face to hinge and produce more ball speed. The carbon crown allows more weight to be placed low in the heel to help high handicappers launch the ball high enough for soft approaches on par 5’s or to get over hazards.

The M6 D-Type woods are available in 16, 19 and 22 degrees of loft. The stock shaft is a Project X Evenflow Max Carry 50 and the stock grip is a Taylormade Dual Feel in standard.

Pros:

  • Strong lofts
  • Draw bias orientation
  • Smooth turf interaction

Cons:

  • Lacks stability
  • Not a very shallow profile

Overall Rating: 90/100

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#7 – Cleveland Golf Men’s Launcher HB Fairway Wood

Selling Points:

  • Strategic weight placement
  • Multi-material design
  • HiBore Crown

Key Features:

The HB Launcher fairway woods feature and interesting head construction that pairs strength with more flexible materials to help produce more flex. The HiBore crown is essentially a lower profile crown that lowers the overall weight of the head.

This is a great wood to use on the turf or off the tee. It holds its line very well and produces ball speeds you would expect from a driver. Again, if your emphasis at this point of your game is distance, this would be another great fairway wood for you.

The Launcher Cup Face technology creates a smooth transition from face to crown/sole so as to not interrupt the flow of the sweet spot. This means you can hit low-face shots without getting the same results as you would with lesser fairway woods.

The Cleveland Launcher HB fairway wood is available in 15 and 18 degrees of loft. It also comes with a premium Miyazaki C. Kau Shaft, which also saves on weight. Overall this is a very comfortable fairway wood – even in the hands of beginners.

Pros:

  • Very forgiving
  • Available in regular, senior and stiff flex
  • Available in right and left-handed

Cons:

  • Feels a bit unruly
  • Not the most workable fairway wood

Overall Rating: 88/100

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#8 – Callaway Men’s XR 16 Fairway Wood

Selling Points:

  • Oversized head
  • Lightweight crown
  • Face Cup technology

Key Features:

If you are having trouble getting your club head speed up to par, this may be a great fairway wood for you.

The head of the Callaway Men’s XR 16 Fairway Wood was designed to be aerodynamic. The shallow profile and lightweight material make this fairway wood a dream to swing.

It’s also a very forgiving fairway wood thanks in part to the Face Cup technology which, expands the sweet spot. This is one of Callaway’s older fairway woods but it still holds up in terms of accuracy.

You don’t have to be a seasoned veteran to get straight shots out of this club.

The Callaway Men’s XR 16 Fairway Wood is available in 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23 and 25 degrees of loft. You also get a standard Fujikura Speeder Evolution 565 Red Fairway shaft in graphite.

Pros:

  • Very affordable price
  • Good for getting your swing speed up
  • Satisfying feel

Cons:

  • Has some outdated tech
  • Ball flight is a little low

Overall Rating: 91/100

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#9 – Callaway Mavrik Max Fairway Woods

Selling Points:

  • Jailbreak internal ribbing system
  • Leading edge designed by Boeing
  • Triaxial carbon crown

Key Features:

Number 9 on the list is the Callaway Mavrik Max with the Boeing aerodynamic head design package for incredible forgiveness. Callaway took the award winning Mavrik Fairway wood and added even more forgiveness in the Max version for beginners and high handicappers.

The crown is made of a carbon composite material that offers the lightweight benefits of carbon in a sturdier, stronger package. To back up the performance of the crown, Callaway added their patented Jailbreak internal ribbing system and there is more offset in the large club head for straighter more consistent shots.

This is a perimeter weighted fairway wood which, is good news for any player struggling with accuracy. Overall this is a great buy if you are struggling with swing speed and accuracy. You can get this fairway wood in 9, 10.5 and 13.5 degrees of loft with a graphite shaft.

If all that wasn’t enough, this is also a very versatile fairway wood as you can adjust your loft up or down by 2 degrees.

Pros:

  • Really does help to improve swing speed
  • Looks great at point of address
  • Adjustable hosel

Cons:

  • The hosel is a bit tricky to adjust
  • Takes some time to warm up to

Overall Rating: 86/100

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#10 – Men’s Majek K-Series Fairway 3, 5 Wood Set – Best For Seniors

Selling Points:

  • Graphite shaft
  • Thin face
  • Attractive design

Key Features:

If you are a beginner looking to round out your bag with a pair of quality fairway woods, this would be a great choice for you.

The Majek #3 and #5 fairway woods pack a lot of value into an affordable package. Plus, you get both woods so you don’t have to make a choice between the two.

They produce fast ball speeds and the shallow head profiles make it easier to square up and hit the sweet spot more consistently.

So they would be perfect for any player struggling with accuracy. These are 15 and 18 degree lofted woods with par velvet grips.

From the tee, they perform well but on the turf is where they really shine. It’s very easy to get under the ball with these fairway woods and they pack enough punch to get you to the pin in a couple of strokes on par 5’s.

Pros:

  • Affordable set
  • Helps build swing speed
  • Good smash factor

Cons:

  • Poor turf interaction
  • Not the longest woods

Overall Rating: 93/100

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Final Thoughts

Choosing between fairway woods can be tricky. If we have any advice to impart on this front, it’s to keep the tendencies of your shot firmly in mind. Of course, you should get fitted for your wood if at all possible.

Still, no matter what the particular needs of your game are we think you will find the perfect fairway wood here on our list. We incorporated a wide variety of woods that address the needs of many different types of players.

As you may have already guessed, our overall recommendation would be the Callaway Rogue 2020. It provides all-around performance and enough forgiveness for high handicap players to make excellent use of. However, any of the fairway woods on our list would be a great choice so check them out soon!