2018
TaylorMade M4 – £229
➤ www.taylormadegolf.com
➤ Review: TaylorMade M4
TECH: TaylorMade’s engineers know how to rinse ball speed and distance out of any swing, and they say the M4’s longer speed pocket and internal split pad weighting reduces twisting so even more energy is transferred to the ball.
WHY IT’S WON: Wow! We don’t often see a club stand head and shoulders above the competition nowadays, as the tech used by most brands is so good. But the M4 stole the show. Wind the clock back to our driver test and none of our testers quite got their best results using the M4’s stock Atmos shaft.
But the case was very different when it came to the fairway. We reckon it’s exactly why TaylorMade has chosen the Atmos, because more golfers get fitted for a driver, but few bother when it comes to fairways. The M4 was the only club our test pro reached 150mph ball speed with, and incredibly for him it was NINE YARDS further than the next longest fairway he hit, which is significant. M4 performed similarly well for the amateurs, too, posting an extra five yards carry on average. Brilliant.
Callaway Rogue – £269
➤ www.callawaygolf.com
➤ Review: Callaway Rogue
TECH: This is the first year Callaway has put “jailbreak” technology into its fairways and hybrids. They say it promotes higher ball speeds from a larger portion of the face. A carbon crown frees up weight to reposition to increase MOI as well as promote a high launch with low spin. A speed step crown improves air flow efficiency and you get a choice of shaft weights from 40g-70g.
WHY IT’S WON: Jailbreak was a big leap forward in terms of increasing and protecting ball speeds in Callaway’s Epic drivers last year. For 2018 the tech’s included in the fairways and hybrids, but we reckon it’s a much bigger ask getting heavy, steel woods to flex and rebound like a driver, particularly when you want golfers to see the gains on a launch monitor.
Our test pro’s 148mph ball speed was 2mph slower than the M4, but still good enough to make the top three fastest on test. A second longest average carry (236 yards) is impressive, and the appearance is a huge step forward over last year’s Epic.
Cobra King F8 £199
➤ www.cobragolf.co.uk
➤ Review: Cobra King F8
TECH: Baffler sole rails get deeper as lofts increase to help cut through rough and launch shots from more challenging lies. Aero trips on the crown and toe area improve aerodynamic performance, which is a theme running through Cobra’s 2018 woods.
WHY IT’S WON: How far you hit a 3-wood from the turf is really important. It can mean the difference between getting home in two on a par 5 or having to lay back and rely on your short game. So any fairway that rinses out every drop of juice from the next longest club to your driver should be grasped with both hands. Our test pro thought for him the F8 was a superb distance club from the fairway.
Averaged between three testers F8 posted our second highest fairway ball speed (just 1mph behind the M4) and it was only three yards down on the second longest. If like us you want to squeeze every last yard out of your 3-wood, a Cobra fitting is an excellent idea, as there’s 20g of difference between the two stock shafts. For that £200 RRP you also get a Cobra Connect shot tracker in the grip.
TG Readers’ Choice
TG Shortlist
| Fairway Wood | RRP | Club |
| Ping G400 SFT | £240 |  |
| Cleveland Launcher HB | £200 |  |
| Cobra F-Max | £169 |  |
| Cobra F8 | £199 |  |
| TaylorMade M3 | £279 |  |
| Wilson Staff C300 | £219 |  |
| Mizuno ST180 | £279 |  |
| Cobra King F8+ | £199 |  |
