Best Fairway Woods 2020

Best Fairway Woods 2020: We bring you the best fairway woods of 2020 – with every golf club tried, tested and compared head-to-head.

You’ve just bought one of the year’s best drivers and know you want a shiny new fairway wood in the bag, too. You could go for one of this year’s best fairway woods, or you could select a slightly older model and still see plenty of performance benefits while saving a bit of cash.

Best Fairway Woods 2020

Callaway Mavrik fairway wood

RRP: £269
Lofts: 3+ (13.5°) / 3 (15°) / 5 (18°) / HW (20°) / 7 (21°) / 9 (23°) / 11 (25°)
Stock shafts: UST Helium Black 40g/50g / Project X Evenflow Riptide 60g / Aldila Rogue White 130 MSI
Adjustable hosel: No

Callaway Mavrik fairway wood review: 

It took lots of number crunching to find out if the Callaway Mavrik driver actually controlled side and backspin differences better as Callaway promise (which makes the driver more accurate even though MOI drops), so we naturally wanted to see if the Callaway Mavrik fairway wood performed in the same way.

And, to our amazement, it did. By a single yard the Callaway Mavrik was the second best fairway wood when it came to protecting carry distance (12 yards to the Cobra SZ Tour’s 11) and it was just 172rpm of spin (which is nothing) from being among our top-three fairway woods for side and backspin drop-off, too.

RELATED: Callaway’s 2021 Epic woods revealed and tested

What does it mean to you? Let’s just say the Callaway Mavrik is one of the most forgiving fairway woods in golf.

We love its compact footprint and head shape, but less confident fairway players will find the larger, high-launching Mavrik Max an even more forgiving option.

Buy it now: Get the Callaway Mavrik fairway wood at Scottsdale Golf

TaylorMade SIM Max fairway wood

RRP: £269
Lofts: Rocket 3 (14°) / 3 (15°) / 5 (18°) / 7 (21°) / 9 (24°)
Stock shafts: Fujikura Ventus Blue 6 FW
Adjustable hosel: No

TaylorMade SIM Max fairway wood review: 

We’ve talked a lot over the last few years about low-spin drivers looking fast and long when getting fitted on a launch monitor, and for 2020 the phenomenon is true for fairway woods, too. Low-spinning, less forgiving models dominate the top of our test data charts.

We say that as a word of warning, so you’re not suckered in by numbers when getting fitted for a fairway wood. There was only one fairway wood among our longest five models of the year that wasn’t either a low spin or lightweight model – TaylorMade’s SIM Max. And thanks to seeing just 15 yards of carry drop-off between on and off-centre hits, the TaylorMade SIM Max was also one of the top-three most forgiving fairway woods of 2020.

That means the TaylorMade SIM Max fairway wood gets a “Best of 2020” stamp of approval from us. If you struggle launching a fairway wood from the deck, or predominantly hit shots down the right side of the course, have a look at the higher-lofted, draw-biased SIM Max D instead.

Buy it now: Get the TaylorMade SIM Max fairway wood at Scottsdale Golf

Related: Best Hybrid 2020

Ping G410 fairway wood

RRP: £275
Lofts: 3 (14.5°) / 5 (17.5°) / 7 (20.5°) / 9 (23.5°)
Stock shafts: Ping Alta CB 65 Red
Adjustable hosel: Yes, loft can be increased or decreased by up to 1.5°

Ping G410 fairway wood review:

Don’t be put off by Ping’s insistence that a 3-wood needs 14.5° of loft. Admittedly the lack of loft, and Ping’s squashed fairway wood head design might not inspire confidence for everyone, but thanks to some very clever tech they really do work, and they’re just as capable of launching shots from the turf as slightly higher lofted models.

Related: Revealed and tested – Ping’s G425 range!

Our launch data has the Ping G410 fairway wood among the higher-launching fairways, which ties in perfectly with how our test pro felt shots launched high and fast, making them an excellent choice for flying hazards and getting the ball to stop.

Like others, Ping’s G410 fairway wood line is extensive, there are plenty of lofts to choose from, plus there’s a lower-spinning LST model as well as a lighter, more draw biased SFT design, which means there’s a solution for everyone.

Buy it now: Get the Ping G410 fairway wood at Scottsdale Golf

Related: Which golf ball suits your game?

PXG 0341 X Gen 2 fairway wood

RRP: £425
Lofts: 13° / 15° / 18° / 21°
Stock shafts: Custom fit only
Adjustable hosel: Yes, loft can be increased or decreased by up to 2°

PXG 0341 X Gen 2 fairway wood review:

Fairway woods, like wedges, putters and hybrids, are really personal pieces of kit, and our choice between leading models often comes down to how particular designs best suit how we attack the ball. So while the PXG wasn’t our longest or fastest fairway wood, we can’t hide how our test pro, just like last year, loved the 0341’s compact but friendly head. The PXG fairway wood was good at protecting carry between on and off-centre hits;

16g of weight can be positioned (by PXG) forwards in the head to lower spin or out towards the extremities to improve stability and forgiveness; and to make sure you get your perfect set-up it’s also possible to dial in shot bias, too. At address the PXG 0341 X looks really clean with two very simple ridges focusing attention on the impact zone, making it the least fussy fairway wood you’ll see this year. If you baulk at the price, though, it’s not for you.

Buy it now: Get the PXG 0341 X fairway wood at Scottsdale Golf

Related: Which forged iron is best for your game

Best Fairway Wood 2020 – How they compare in data

Fairway Woods 2020 – Best of the rest 

TaylorMade SIM Ti fairway wood

RRP: £369

2019 was a breakthrough year for titanium fairways. Tiger, Rory, Jon Rahm and DJ all won with a titanium M5 in their bags, which shows how a lightweight titanium chassis and a carbon crown really are the best ways to make fairways in a perfect world.

The problem is that they come with hefty price tags, as they’re made from the same expensive materials as a driver. Our pro felt the TaylorMade SIM had a fraction flatter lie than SIM Max, which helps reduce left bias for faster swing speeds.

The TaylorMade SIM also launched more than a degree lower and peaked shots out a couple of yards less than the SIM Max, which says everything you need to know about how it launches the ball into the air, and who it will perform best for – reasonably strong and powerful golfers.

Buy it now: Get the TaylorMade SIM Ti fairway wood at Scottsdale Golf

Related: Best 2020 Spikeless golf shoes

Cobra King Speedzone Big Tour fairway wood

RRP: £229

We rarely recommend low lofted fairway woods here at TG, as most club golfers find they’re difficult to launch successfully. But, on this occasion, we couldn’t turn a blind eye to the numbers. Don’t get us wrong, these are not for everyone. But we reckon for golfers with well above average swing speeds and players who hit a lot of fairway woods from the tee, the Cobra Big Tour fairway wood could be a solid option.

RELATED: Cobra’s RADSPEED 2021 range unveiled

Thanks to generating less backspin than any other fairway, the Cobra Big Tour fairway wood posted our second longest carry (249 yards). For all that speed and distance our data has the Big Tour giving up seven yards of carry drop-off to Cobra’s standard Speedzone fairway.

Buy it now: Get the Cobra King Speedzone Big Tour fairway wood at Scottsdale Golf

Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero fairway wood

RRP: £269

If our test was based on data alone, the Callaway Sub Zero fairway wood would be our hands-down winner, as by two yards it was our longest fairway wood of 2020 (251 yards). But data doesn’t tell the whole story. When we look at drop-offs for off-centre hits, the Callaway Sub Zero fairway wood gave up 27 yards to the standard Mavrik’s 12 yards – a 125% increase. For the right players, Callaway Sub Zero drivers and fairway woods can unlock extra ball speed and carry. Just remember, they’re less forgiving.

Buy it now: Get the Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero fairway wood at Scottsdale Golf

Callaway Mavrik Max fairway wood

RRP: £269

The Callaway Mavrik Max fairway wood has a bigger, wider head with a weight port at the back and heel, so you can create either a maximum forgiveness or draw-biased fairway wood. Our data has it launching over a degree higher, while adding an extra 300rpm of backspin, and peaking shots out four yards higher than the standard Callaway Mavrik fairway wood, which at “normal” swing speeds will keep shots in the air longer.

Buy it now: Get the Callaway Mavrik Max fairway wood at Scottsdale Golf

Honma T//World XP-1 fairway wood

RRP: £309

After seeing the Honma T//World XP-1 driver perform so well it’s not a big surprise to see the Honma fairway wood right up there as one of only four to break the 151mph ball speed barrier in our test. But, before we get too carried away, it’s worth remembering at least some of that speed comes from the very lightweight shaft.

All in, the Honma is a really good looking fairway wood; there’s no alignment aid, and the head does a brilliant job of disguising the hidden draw bias tech inside. Moderate swing speed players will feel a real difference in how the shaft loads and releases energy and “pops” shots up.

Buy it now: Get the Honma XP-1 fairway wood at Scottsdale Golf

Related: Best Game Improvement Irons 2020

Titleist TS3 fairway wood

RRP: £299

The Titleist TS3 might be 18 months old, but we wouldn’t be doing our job if we didn’t highlight its low spin numbers in our fairway woods test. The TS3 (using a stock shaft) was one of only two fairway woods to break the 152mph ball speed barrier.

Buy it now: Get the Titleist TS3 fairway wood at Scottsdale Golf

RELATED: Titleist TSi2 and TSi3 fairway woods reviewed

How forgiving is each Fairway Wood on mishits?

Our drop off data shows the difference between our test pro’s fastest and slowest Ball Speeds. Highest to lowest Back and Side spin rates and longest to shortest Carry Distances. Giving essentially a guide to forgiveness.

RELATED: Ping G425 fairway woods review