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2013 Best Fairway Woods

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600 fw best

Golfers love fairway woods that allow them to hit long, straight shots off the tee and off the ground. But fairway woods are not only some of the hardest clubs to hit consistently. They’re also some of the toughest to fit.

We surveyed six of the top-ranked clubfitters in North America to identify the best fairway woods on the planet, which are longer, straighter and better looking than the fairway woods of the past. Click here to read the specifics on the voting committee and how we picked the best.

Start with these five top-ranked fairway woods in your next fitting session and we guarantee that you’ll be on your way to hitting more fairways and greens in no time.

Winners

Callaway X Hot
RBZ Stage 2
Tour Edge Exotics XCG6
PING G25
Adams LS

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[one_fourth last=”no”]callaway x hot fairway[/one_fourth][three_fourth last=”yes”]Callaway X Hot: The X Hot Pro has a more forward CG than the standard model, giving it a flatter trajectory with less spin. Both models feature a modern version of Callaway’s warbird sole for enhanced turf interaction from less-than desirable lies.

[button color=”black” link=”http://www.golfwrx.com/97868/callaway-x-hot-fairway-woods-editor-review/”]Read Full Review[/button][/three_fourth][/colored_box]

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[one_fourth last=”no”]rbz review[/one_fourth][three_fourth last=”yes”]TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2: TaylorMade was the first major OEM to break ground into the high-COR fairway wood category with the original RocketBallz, and we applaud the company for making the second generation of those fairway woods longer and more playable.

[button color=”black” link=”http://www.golfwrx.com/88555/taylormade-rbz-stage-2-fairway-woods-editor-review/”]Read Full Review[/button][/three_fourth][/colored_box]

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[one_fourth last=”no”]tour-edge[/one_fourth][three_fourth last=”yes”]Exotics XCG6: The XCG6 is the longest Exotics fairway wood yet. It has a 15-3-3-3 beta titanium cup face, a high-density steel body and a tungsten sole plate that are combo-brazed for the ultimate in power and forgiveness.

[button color=”black” link=”http://www.golfwrx.com/101886/exotics-xcg6-fairway-woods-editor-review/”]Read Full Review[/button][/three_fourth][/colored_box]

 

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[one_fourth last=”no”]ping-g25[/one_fourth][three_fourth last=”yes”]PING G25: The G25 has more ball speed than the G20, with a higher launch, and more forgiveness. Their smaller size and matte black finish makes them look as good as they perform.

[button color=”black” link=”http://www.golfwrx.com/110054/ping-g25-fairway-woods-and-hybrids-editor-review/”]Read Full Review[/button][/three_fourth][/colored_box]

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[one_fourth last=”no”]adams ls fairway wood[/one_fourth][three_fourth last=”yes”]Adams LS: The titanium face and crown, combined with a stainless steel sole creates an exceptionally low center of gravity and thin, fast face. That means gains in speed and trajectory.

[button color=”black” link=”http://www.golfwrx.com/110416/adams-super-s-and-ls-fairways-editor-review/”]Read Full Review[/button][/three_fourth][/colored_box]

Click here to see the “Best of” winners for other club categories.

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GolfWRX is the world's largest and best online golf community. Expert editorial reviews, breaking golf tour and industry news, what to play, how to play and where to play. GolfWRX surrounds consumers throughout the buying, learning and enrichment process from original photographic and video content, to peer to peer advice and camaraderie, to technical how-tos, and more. As the largest online golf community we continue to protect the purity of our members opinions and the platform to voice them. We want to protect the interests of golfers by providing an unbiased platform to feel proud to contribute to for years to come. You can follow GolfWRX on Twitter @GolfWRX and on Facebook.

10 Comments

10 Comments

  1. tyler

    Jun 3, 2014 at 1:05 am

    The Callaway X Hot Pro is the real deal. I was a bit concerned about the lack of adjustability and initially I was hooking it pretty good, but after spending some time with it I have to say it is the best fairway I’ve ever owned. It feels and sounds perfect and the sole is perfect from any lie. The “compression channel” thingy on it is legit. It really does go so much farther than any fairway I’ve owned. My advice is not to be worried about going with a stiffer shaft in this because it gets the ball up no problem and the stiffer shaft is nice for control.

  2. Jon

    Nov 4, 2013 at 1:44 am

    Cobra amp cell should be on this list…

  3. spencjah

    Jul 28, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    How about the 3deep. I found it really good. Off the tee and off the deck. Best 3 wood I found. Club is for better players but the best I have tested.

  4. Frank

    Jun 5, 2013 at 12:32 pm

    g25?! i would think the anser beats them out their people playing the anser woods that arent even with ping

  5. Charles

    Jun 4, 2013 at 9:39 am

    Yes, what puts the covert outside the winner list. Really like the lofts’ choice on one club.

    • Ryu

      Jun 4, 2013 at 10:45 am

      The sound and feel of the covert is ridiculous! It’s just like hitting plastic golf clubs, The people also don’t like the ‘SWOOSH’ logo on the clubhead. For me the swoosh is okay but the sound and feel is just horrible.

  6. Kyle

    Jun 4, 2013 at 12:03 am

    Not sure how the covert didn’t make this list. Tested mine against everything and it came out on top

    • Steve

      Jun 4, 2013 at 8:26 am

      Clubs work different for everyone. I hate the Covert, but love the 913F. The club works for me, but not for everyone. Different strokes for different folks.

      • Rob

        Jun 5, 2013 at 1:27 pm

        Yeah, same here. Hated the Covert too, and the AMP Cell just flat outperformed for me over the Covert and the RBZ Stage 2.

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Whats in the Bag

Kevin Tway WITB 2024 (May)

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Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 80 TX

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth 2 (18 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ 90 TX

Irons: Wilson Staff Utility (2), Titleist T100 (4-9)
Shafts: Mitsubishi MMT 100 TX (2), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (4-9)

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F @51, 56-14F), SM7 (60-10S)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 (48-56), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 (60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron T-5 Proto
Grip: Scotty Cameron Black Baby T

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4

More photos of Kevin Tway’s WITB in the forums.

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Equipment

Did Rory McIlroy inspire Shane Lowry’s putter switch?

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Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from a piece our Andrew Tursky originally wrote for PGATour.com’s Equipment Report. Head over there for the full article.

The timing of Lowry’s putter changeup was curious: Was he just using a Spider putter because he was paired with McIlroy, who’s been using a Spider Tour X head throughout 2024? Was Lowry just being festive because it’s the Zurich Classic, and he wanted to match his teammate? Did McIlroy let Lowry try his putter, and he liked it so much he actually switched into it?

Well, as it turns out, McIlroy’s only influence was inspiring Lowry to make more putts.

When asked if McIlroy had an influence on the putter switch, Lowry had this to say: “No, it’s actually a different putter than what he uses. Maybe there was more pressure there because I needed to hole some more putts if we wanted to win,” he said with a laugh.

To Lowry’s point, McIlroy plays the Tour X model, whereas Lowry switched into the Tour Z model, which has a sleeker shape in comparison, and the two sole weights of the club are more towards the face.

Lowry’s Spider Tour Z has a white True Path Alignment channel on the crown of his putter, which is reminiscent of Lowry’s former 2-ball designs, thus helping to provide a comfort factor despite the departure from his norm. Instead of a double-bend hosel, which Lowry used in his 2-ball putters, his new Spider Tour Z is designed with a short slant neck.

“I’ve been struggling on the greens, and I just needed something with a fresh look,” Lowry told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship. “It has a different neck on it, as well, so it moves a bit differently, but it’s similar. It has a white line on the back of it [like my 2-ball], and it’s a mallet style. So it’s not too drastic of a change.

“I just picked it up on the putting green and I liked the look of it, so I was like, ‘Let’s give it a go.’”

Read the rest of the piece over at PGATour.com.

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Equipment

Webb Simpson equipment Q&A: Titleist’s new 2-wood, 680 blade irons, and switching to a broomstick Jailbird

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With seven career wins on the PGA Tour, including a U.S. Open victory, Webb Simpson is a certified veteran on the course. But he’s also a certified veteran in the equipment world, too. He’s a gearhead who truly knows his stuff, and he’s even worked closely with Titleist on making his own custom 682.WS irons.

On Wednesday at the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship, I caught up with Simpson to hear about his experience with Titleist’s new prototype 2-wood, how Titleist’s 680 Forged irons from 2003 ended up back in his bag, and why he’s switching into an Odyssey Ai-One Jailbird Cruiser broomstick putter this week for the first time.

Click here to read our full story about Simpson’s putter switch on PGATOUR.com’s Equipment Report, or continue reading below for my full Q&A with Simpson at Quail Hollow Club on Wednesday.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

GolfWRX: It seems like you’ve been a little all over the place with your irons in the past six months or so, and now going back to the 680’s. Is that just a comfort thing? What’s been going on with the irons?

Webb Simpson: Titleist has been so great at working with me, and R&D, on trying to get an iron that kind of modernizes the 680. And so the 682.WS took the T100 grooves, but kinda took the look and the bulk and the build of the 680’s into one club. They’re beautiful, and awesome looking. I just never hit them that well for a consistent period of time. It was probably me, but then I went to T100’s and loved them. I loved the spin, the trajectory, the yardage, but again, I never went on good runs. Going through the ground, I couldn’t feel the club as well as with the blade. So last week, I’m like, ‘Alright. I’m gonna go back more for…comfort, and see if I can get on a nice little run of ball striking.’

So that’s why I went back.

 

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OK, that makes sense. I know you had done some 2-wood testing recently. Is that in the bag right now?

It’s like day-by-day. I used it at Hilton Head every day. Valero, I used it one round. And this week, me and my caddie will do the book every morning, and if it’s a day where we think we need it, we’ll just put it in and take the 3-wood out. I love it because it’s a super simple swap. Like, it doesn’t really change much.

Yeah, can you tell me about that club? I mean, we don’t really know anything about it yet. You know? I haven’t hit it or anything, obviously.

It has grooves like a 3-wood. Spin is perfect. And it’s honestly, like, everything is in the middle of a 3-wood and driver number. Trajectory, spin, carry, all of it. So, a Hilton Head golf course is almost too easy to talk about because, you know, there, so many holes are driver 3-wood.

Valero, our thinking was we had two par-5’s into the wind, and we knew that it would take two great shots to get there in two. So instead of hitting driver-driver, we just put it in. And I used it on those holes.

Hilton was a little easier because it was off-the-tee kind of questions. But Colonial will be a golf course where, you know, there’s a lot of driver or 3-woods. It’s kind of like a backup putter or driver for me now. I’ll bring it to every tournament.

So it’s, like, in your locker right now, probably?

Well, it would be. It’s in my house [because Webb lives near by Quail Hollow Club, and is a member at the course.] It’s in the garage.

Oh, yeah, that’s right. Do you know what holes you might use it out here if it goes in play? 

Potentially 15, depending on the wind. Second shot on 10. Could be 14 off the tee. The chances here are pretty low (that he’ll use the 2-wood). But, like, Greensboro would be an awesome club all day. I’m trying to think of any other golf courses.

There’s plenty that it’ll be a nice weapon to have.

It’s interesting, the wave of 2-woods and mini drivers. Like, it’s just really taken off on Tour, and all the companies have seemed to embrace it.

Yeah. The thing I had to learn, it took me, like, at least a week to learn about it is you gotta tee it up lower than you think. I kept teeing it up too high. You need it low, like barely higher than a 3-wood. And that was where I got optimal spin and carry. If you tee it up too high, you just don’t get as much spin and lose distance, I don’t know if that’s just a mini driver thing.

And you obviously have a Jailbird putter this week. What spurred that on?

Inconsistent putting. I’m stubborn in a lot of ways when it comes to my equipment, but I have to be open minded – I just hadn’t putted consistently well in a while. And I’m like, ‘Man, I feel my ball-striking coming along. Like I feel better; for real, better.’

If I can just get something in my hands that I’m consistent with. Being on Tour, you see it every year, guys get on little runs. I can put together four to five tournaments where I’m all the sudden back in the majors, or in the FedExCup Playoffs. You can turn things around quick out here. I’m like, ‘Man, whatever’s going to get me there, great.’

My caddie, David Cook, caddied for Akshay at the Houston Open and he putted beautifully. Then, I watched Akshay on TV at Valero, and he putted beautifully. And, I’m like, ‘I’m just going to try it.’

I’ve never tried it for more than a putt or two, and I just ordered what Akshay uses. It was pretty awkward at first, but the more I used it, the more I’m like, ‘Man, it’s pretty easy.’ And a buddy of mine who’s a rep out here, John Tyler Griffin, he helped me with some setup stuff. And he said at Hilton Head, he wasn’t putting well, then tried it, and now he makes everything. He was very confident. So I’m like, ‘Alright, I’ll try it.’”

And you’re going with it this week?

Hundred percent.

Alright, I love it. Thank you, I always love talking gear with you. Play well this week. 

Thanks, man.

See Webb Simpson’s full WITB from the 2024 Wells Fargo Championship here

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