Equipment

GolfWRX Members Choice presented by 2nd Swing: Best fairway wood of 2023

Published

8 months ago

Aug 8, 2023

We’re proud to partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2023! 2nd Swing has more than 100,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.

What is the best fairway wood in 2023? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. Needless to say, that extends to their views on the best fairway wood of 2023.

The bedrock of GolfWRX.com is the community of passionate and knowledgable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.

You can see the full results for the best fairway wood of 2023, as well as additional comments, in the forums.

Best fairway wood of 2023: The top 5

1. Titleist TSR2 (19.86%)

What Titleist says: “Go low to get more. Titleist TSR2 Fairways feature our lowest CG ever for speed and launch without creating excessive backspin. A new Open Hosel Construction contributes to a powerful new sound and feel that make TSR2 an instant favorite for many players.”

Here’s what GolfWRX members are saying

DJ07: “Have both a Paradym Heavenwood and TSR2 3W. I love both of them, but the TSR2 is far more consistent for me for a club that I historically have struggled to be consistent with. Upgraded from TSi2, and the subtle changes like full scorelines across the face and shape/weight changes have given me a noticeable increase in ball speed and distance.”

You can read what other golfers are saying about the fairway wood in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop Titleist TSR2 here.

2. Ping G430 Max (17.49%)

What Ping says: “You can size up long approach shots with 100% confidence that your G430 fairway will get you home. We’re introducing Carbonfly Wrap technology to deliver more distance by positioning the CG closer to the force line to maximize ball speed, resulting in higher, longer carries.”

Here’s what GolfWRX members are saying

eric61: “My confidence with the G430 Max 3 wood is really high right now. I’ve been reaching more par 5s in two than ever before. It is a spinnier head than many of its competitors — I’m around 3500 RPMs on a Trackman on good strikes. However, I wanted my 3 wood to be a club I really felt like I could trust and control off the tee, and this gives me that, while also being able to stop on greens — which I’m actually hitting with it sometimes! The 7 wood is just super straight and really versatile, good out of anything but the fluffiest of lies (where I feel like, because of the shallow face, I could slide it right under the ball).”

You can read what other golfers are saying about the fairway wood in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop Ping G430 Max here.

3. TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (13.92%)

What TaylorMade says: “Reachable par 5s. Tight par 4s. Long par 3s. Bring ’em on. With a massive 50g sliding weight that creates three fairway woods in one, the all-new Stealth 2 Plus Fairway is like a cheat code. Letting you control launch, spin and distance with a few twists of the wrench.”

Here’s what GolfWRX members are saying

halfsumo “Stealth 2 Plus. Best sound and feel on the market. Great shaping. Long. Easy to launch. Best adjustability on the market.”

You can read what other golfers are saying about the fairway wood in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus here.

4. Titleist TSR3 (8.83%)

What Titleist says: “Dial in your performance with the ultimate in adjustability. TSR3 Fairways feature a new, easier to adjust 5-position SureFit Adjustable CG Track System that offers both a wider adjustment range and greater precision. A deeper CG improves accuracy.”

Here’s what GolfWRX members are saying

g_nw: “TSR3 for me… shape, consistency, adjustability and sound… all amazing for me. My launch numbers are the same, every day. I own 3w and 5w and I’ll have these in the bag for a super long time. Ventus TR Black 7X and 8X respectively, loft turned down a bit.”

You can read what other golfers are saying about the fairway wood in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop Titleist TSR3 here.

5. Callaway Paradym (7.3%)

What Callaway says: “A total Paradym shift in distance and forgiveness, featuring progressive shaping, and our most robust offering that fits a wide range of player types. This is the model for golfers who want a high launching fairway wood with a neutral ball flight.”

You can read what other golfers are saying about the fairway wood in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop Callaway Paradym here.

Join the discussion about the best fairway wood of 2023 in the forums.

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Equipment

Why Rory McIlroy will likely use the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper at the RBC Heritage

Published

8 hours ago

Apr 17, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Although we spotted Rory McIlroy testing the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper last week during practice rounds at the Masters, he ultimately didn’t decide to use the club in competition.

It seems that will change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage, played at the short-and-tight Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head.

When asked on Wednesday following his morning Pro-Am if he’d be using the new, nostalgic BRNR Copper this week, McIlroy said, “I think so.”

“I like it,” McIlroy told GolfWRX.com on Tuesday regarding the BRNR. “This would be a good week for it.”

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According to Adrian Rietveld, the Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, the BRNR Mini Driver can help McIlroy position himself properly off the tee at the tight layout.

Here’s what Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday:

“For someone like Rory, who’s that long at the top end of the bag, and then you put him on a course like Harbour Town, it’s tough off the tee. It’s tight into the greens, and you have to put yourself in position off the tee to have a shot into the green. It kind of reminds me of Valderrama in Spain, where you can be in the fairway and have no shot into the green.

“I’m caddying for Tommy [Fleetwood] this week, so I was walking the course last night and looking at a few things. There’s just such a small margin for error. You can be standing in the fairway at 300 yards and have a shot, but at 320 you don’t. So if you don’t hit a perfect shot, you could be stuck behind a tree. And then if you’re back at 280, it might be a really tough shot into the small greens.

“So for Rory [with the BRNR], it’s a nice course-specific golf club for him. He’s got both shots with it; he can move it right-to-left or left-to-right. And the main thing about this club has been the accuracy and the dispersion with it. I mean, it’s been amazing for Tommy.

“This was the first event Tommy used a BRNR last year, and I remember talking to him about it, and he said he couldn’t wait to play it at Augusta next year. And he just never took it out of the bag because he’s so comfortable with it, and hitting it off the deck.

“So you look at Rory, and you want to have the tools working to your advantage out here, and the driver could hand-cuff him a bit with all of the shots you’d have to manufacture.”

So, although McIlroy might not be making a permanent switch into the new TaylorMade BRNR Mini Driver Copper, he’s likely to switch into it this week.

His version is lofted at 13.5 degrees, and equipped with a Fujikura Ventus Black 7X shaft.

See more photos of Rory testing the BRNR Mini here

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Equipment

Spotted: TaylorMade P-UDI driving iron

Published

9 hours ago

Apr 17, 2024

Brian Knudson

It seems like the RBC Heritage is full of new gear to be spotted, and you can add TaylorMade’s P-UDI utility irons to that list.

We spotted a 17-degree P-UDI 2-iron in Nick Dunlap’s bag yesterday, and now have some photos of both the 3- and 4-irons. Nick has his P-UDI 2-iron setup with a Project X HZRDUS Black 4th Gen 105g TX shaft.

From what we can tell, this new P-UDI utility iron looks to have some of the usual TaylorMade technology as we can see the Speed Slot on the sole of the club for additional face flexibility. A toe screw is usually used to close off the hollow body design that will probably be filled with a version of TaylorMade’s Speed Foam that is present in the current iron lineup. This hollow body, foam-filled design should offer additional ball speed, soft feel, and sound, as well as an optimized CG for ball flight.

“Forged” is etched into the hosel, so we can assume that either the face, body, or both are forged for a soft and responsive feel. The club looks good from behind and at address, where we can see just a little offset and a topline that I would consider medium thickness. We don’t have the full details on what is under the hood or how many loft options will be available yet.

TaylorMade P-UDI 3-iron – 20°

TaylorMade P-UDI 4-iron – 22°

Check out the rest of our photos from the 2024 RBC Heritage

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Whats in the Bag

Collin Morikawa WITB 2024 (April)

Published

10 hours ago

Apr 17, 2024

GolfWRX Staff

Collin Morikawa what’s in the bag accurate as of the RBC Heritage. More photos from the event here.

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 LS (9 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 60 TX (45 inches)

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX

Check out more in-hand photos Collin Morikawa’s clubs here.

5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ Limited 80 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (4), P7MC (5-6), P730 (7-PW)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue Mid 115 X100 (4-6), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (7-PW)