Fairway Wood Fitting
A fairway wood does double duty — off the tee on tight holes and off the deck when you need to cover real yardage. Few clubs in the bag get fit as an afterthought as often as this one.
We Test Both Lies Before Recommending Anything
A head that launches beautifully off a tee can behave completely differently once it has to sweep through short grass or a slightly downhill fairway lie. We hit every candidate off both a tee and a mat set to simulate turf contact, because the sole design that helps off one hurts off the other for some players.
Attack angle matters here nearly as much as it does with a driver. A steep, descending strike into a fairway wood usually needs more loft and a shallower sole than the same player would want for a tee shot.
Head, Loft, and Sole Design
Loft Selection
15° and 18° play very differently once real turf interaction enters the picture. We find the number that launches high enough to hold without ballooning in a crosswind.
Sole Width & Camber
A wider, rounder sole glides through firmer ground; a narrower sole suits players who take a cleaner, more descending pass through the ball.
Shaft Weight
Fairway wood shafts often get overlooked in favor of matching the driver. We test independently, since tempo through a sweeping strike isn't always the same as tempo off a tee.