The 5 Best Fairway Woods for High Handicappers

Published on 01/20/2024 · 8 min readLooking to improve your long game? Explore the best fairway woods for high handicappers, designed for ease of use and consistent distance on the course.
Jacob Wetzel, Golf Expert
By Golf Expert Jacob Wetzel

Cassique - Kiawah Island. Photo by Jacob Wetzel

Hitting a fairway wood off the deck with a full swing can be an intimidating shot for a high-handicap golfer. The shaft of a fairway wood is longer than most clubs in your bag, meaning that the ball is farther away from your hands. Even for top players, the clubhead looks small, especially on one of the first swings of the day.

To give yourself the best chance at solid ball contact, high launch, and increased accuracy, you need a fairway wood that is loaded with forgiveness on mishits that interacts well with the turf when you do not make your best swing. Being able to confidently swing your fairway wood opens another option for you off the tee on days when the driver is letting you down and a greater chance to attack the par 5s in two for those that possess the power.

I have been around golf my entire life, playing competitively at the highest level in college and working in various industry positions. Over the years I have developed a growing passion for assisting others in developing their skills, and one of the most important pieces of the puzzle is playing with the right equipment for your game.

A golfer with a high handicap will benefit most from a fairway wood that is designed to assist their swing flaws. They rarely find the center of the club face and commonly strike the ball on the toe or heel. Conversely, a top player will find the best results from a fairway wood that is designed to maximize accuracy, distance, or workability on shots that are struck dead in the sweet spot as they find the center of the clubface with regularity.

In this article, I examine the best fairway woods for high handicappers to improve their game, add shots to the bag, and lower scores. If you still have questions at the end, please reach out to one of our Curated Golf Experts for assistance!

1. TaylorMade Stealth HD 2 Fairway Wood

The Stealth HD 2 Fairway Wood from TaylorMade is an exceptional option for less experienced players looking to launch the ball higher with greater distance. With its large 200cc club head, this fairway wood looks less like a pinhead as you set up to the ball. Its look alone provides added confidence to swing freely and let it rip.

TaylorMade designed the Stealth HD 2 fairway wood with high moment of inertia (MOI). This is the unit of measure for how much the clubface will twist when you strike the ball off center, which happens often for a high handicapper. The high levels of MOI within the Stealth HD 2 make it one of the best fairway woods for players struggling to make solid contact.

Draw bias is a feature of this fairway wood that aims to assist players who battle a weak and slicing shot shape. For a right-handed player, the clubface is angled in such a way that the ball will come off the face farther left at impact. Conversely, for a lefty, the ball will come off the face farther right to turn the slice into a playable fade.

Available in different loft options for 3W, 5W, and 7W, this fairway wood can take the place of hybrids in your bag. The 5W and 7W produce insanely high launch and a soft landing even for players with slow swing speeds.

One of the best golf clubs available, the Stealth HD 2 is long from the turf and highly forgiving. This is a game improvement wood that will benefit high handicappers who are looking to take the next step on their journey to lower scores.

2. Cleveland Launcher XL Halo Fairway Wood

Cleveland’s Launcher XL Halo fairway wood is jam-packed with forgiveness for off-center strikes. For high-handicap players who need help keeping the ball in play, this is a trustworthy option to improve proximity to the target.

Featuring a 190cc clubhead, this fairway wood is larger than most, providing added feel and assurance as you set up to the ball. Size matters greatly for high handicappers, especially when playing shots off the turf rather than off a tee.

Cleveland’s signature Hibore Crown clubhead design includes a low center of gravity (CG) that contributes to its high launch. The sole of the club features double glide rails that interact well with the turf, especially on lies in the rough.

Designed as a game improvement fairway wood, the Cleveland Launcher XL Halo comes in 3W, 5W, 7W, and even a 9W for slow-swinging players looking for more distance and higher ball speeds. One of the most forgiving fairway woods, this club will improve your carry distances and add to the types of shots that you are able to play into the green.

3. Callaway Rogue ST Max D Fairway Wood

For beginners and high handicappers searching for a correction to their slicing shot shape, the Rogue ST Max D fairway wood from Callaway offers a draw-biased design that can help decrease side spin and keep your shot closer to the fairway or green.

Callaway’s Jailbreak and Batwing Technology are part of this club’s makeup to increase ball speeds across the clubface, which has fantastic flex. I found the 3-wood in this group to be long, high launching, and extremely forgiving on shots struck off the toe or heel.

Golfers who already play a draw may hit this fairway wood too far left, as it is designed to assist the opposite natural ball flight. For a drawer of the ball, Callaway has options that include the Paradym fairway wood, which is highly forgiving, does not include a draw increase, and promotes neutral ball flight.

Overall, the Rogue ST Max D is one of the best slice fighters available. High handicappers will see immediate results and improved play from the fairway.

4. Titleist TSR1 Fairway Wood

Titleist’s TSR1 fairway wood is extremely lightweight and easy to swing for golfers who are low on speed. High handicappers looking to increase distance and carry yardages can benefit from its deep center of gravity and high launch.

When you strike the TSR1 off center, its high MOI contributes to less volatility within the clubface, which produces a straighter ball flight that will end up closer to your intended target. For new players trying to lower the lost ball count, this fairway wood will improve your overall accuracy.

The TSR1 comes with a 180cc clubhead that is larger than the previous year’s model. I noticed a significant difference between it and the 200cc clubhead of the TaylorMade Stealth HD 2, but the 180cc clubhead is still larger than many others on the market today.

A high-handicap golfer who is looking for adjustability can benefit from Titleist’s SureFit Technology. This fairway wood includes a wrench that will allow you to adjust the club to fit your desired ball flight and launch angle. Overall, this is a versatile fairway wood that will increase the types of shots that a high handicapper can play while improving swing speed, distance, and accuracy.

5. Cobra LTDx MAX Fairway Wood

Cobra’s LTDx MAX fairway wood is another worthy slice fighter and forgiving fairway wood that aims to prevent your ball from drifting off into the right rough or, even worse, out of bounds. For players who start every shot left of the target only to watch the ball slice all the way back across the fairway and into the trees, this fairway wood provides the assistance needed to straighten out your line.

Most high handicappers need all the help that they can find in getting the ball airborne. The LTDx Max fairway wood from Cobra offers a high-launch angle and faster ball speeds off the face to get the ball in the air with the ability to stop on the green.

For golfers looking for adjustability, this group of fairway woods includes adjustable weights that can be set to promote a variety of shot shapes depending on swing tendencies. As ball contact improves, the adjustability feature will play a greater factor in how your golf ball performs under different conditions.

This fairway wood interacts well with the turf, whether it be in the short grass, rough, or even a flat fairway bunker. The 5W and 7W include rails on the sole of the club that allow it to penetrate through the thicker rough, while the 3W’s smaller rails let it glide with precision over the short fairway grass.

For players who struggle with ball contact on different ground conditions, the LTDx MAX fairway wood is a sturdy option to compress the ball with greater precision. High handicappers will see improved ball contact, which will provide the ability to make pars, complete golf holes, and post scores.

Finding the Right Fairway Wood for You

The Plantation Course - Edisto Beach. Photo by Jacob Wetzel

Finding the right fairway wood for your swing is essential for keeping the ball in play, attacking the par 5s in two, and taking the next step in your game. While the market offers many different options from top golf manufacturers, high handicappers need the benefits of added forgiveness, higher launch, and improved turf interaction to realize results and improve scoring.

I hope that this article helped you narrow down your choices. For free and personalized advice tailored to your game, please contact a Curated Golf Expert today!

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TaylorMade Stealth HD 2 Fairway Wood
$174.99$349.99
Cleveland Launcher XL Halo Fairway Wood
$119.97$229.99
Callaway Rogue ST Max D Fairway Wood
$154.97$229.99

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Titleist TSR1 Fairway
$299.99$349.00
Cobra LTDx MAX Fairway Wood
$149.99$299.00
Callaway 2024 Rogue ST Max Irons
$549.97$699.99
TaylorMade RBZ Speedlite 11-Piece Complete Set
$899.97$1,199.99
TaylorMade Golf Qi Irons
$848.56$942.84
Callaway XR Packaged Complete Golf Set
$1,199.97$1,399.99
Wilson Profile SGI Complete Set
$359.99$399.99

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