Best Fairway Woods 2025: Buyer's Guide and things you need to know

Whether you're trying to reach a par-5 in two or you need a fairway finder off the tee, the right fairway woods can add valuable versatility to your golf bag. 

With all the biggest brands in golf offering a wide variety of fairway woods to suit different swing speeds, tastes and budgets, we've selected the best of the bunch to help you decide which one you should spend your hard-earned cash on.

We've tested the newest models from Ping, Callaway, TaylorMade, and Cobra, as well as the 2024 models from PXG and Titleist, which we believe still provide outstanding levels of performance.

READ OUR FULL TESTING PROCESS HERE

Our mission, as always, is to help you get the most out of your game and shoot lower scores at a price that is right for you.

While the majority of brands promise added distance and forgiveness on top of improved looks, only a handful of them truly deliver it all. 

Let's take a look at the best fairway woods of 2025, starting with what we consider the best of the bunch: 

Callaway Elyte Fairway Wood

Key Features: 

• Tungsten Speed Wave is a 35g weight that positions mass low and forward to promote fast ball speeds
• New Step Sole for efficient turf interaction & improved centre-face contact
• Ai 10x Face for optimal launch and tight downrange dispersion

Price: £349

Pros:

• The noticeable uptick in speed from Ai Smoke
  Lovely head design
  Very easy to launch

Cons:

• Higher handicap players may be better suited to the X model

Callaway’s Elyte Fairway Woods take performance to new heights in 2025, building on the success of the Ai Smoke line. Featuring the innovative Tungsten Speed Wave, a 36-gram weight positioned low and forward, these woods deliver faster ball speeds, higher launch, and improved spin. The Ai Smart face, with 10x more control points, enhances consistency across the face.

In testing, the Elyte demonstrated significant gains in speed—averaging 5 mph faster than its predecessor—and slightly higher spin for increased carry and total distance. Its neutral flight bias and ease of launch make it versatile from the tee or fairway. Despite its advanced performance, the Elyte remains user-friendly, providing confidence and forgiveness even for mid to high-handicap players.

Aesthetically, Callaway has hit the mark with its sleek black-and-chrome design, subtle green accents, and a traditional profile that inspires confidence at address. The crown’s carbon overlay adds a polished touch, while the feel is hot, crisp, and rewarding—a hallmark of Callaway woods.

The Elyte fairway wood excels in speed, playability, and forgiveness, making it one of the standout clubs of 2025. Whether upgrading or seeking a reliable fairway option, this club is a must-try. Bravo, Callaway.

READ OUR FULL CALLAWAY ELYTE FAIRWAY WOOD REVIEW

Cobra Darkspeed X Fairway Wood

Key Features:

• A.I designed H.O.T Face: features an optimised variable thickness pattern that delivers more efficient speed & spin across the clubface
• Lightweight carbon crown: improves weight distribution to position the CG lower and further back, creating a more playable clubhead
• PWRSHELL insert and PWR BRIDGE weighting: create a more flexible face and sole to maximise launch and ball speed.

Price: £279

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Pros:

• Longest fairway wood of 2024
• Outstanding looks
• Low spinning ball flight

Cons:

• There are more forgiving fairway woods on the market

The longest fairway wood of 2024, and arguably the best looking too, Cobra's Darkspeed X is an absolute diamond of a club. 

The stealthy black-on-black design looks absolutely fantastic sitting behind the ball, and as soon as you hit it, you will understand why Cobra chose to incorporate speed into the name. This fairway wood is an absolute rocket. 

The triangular head shape and shallow head from top to bottom, allow this club to sit flush to the ground, providing not only excellent visuals at address, but also fantastic turf interaction. 

The PWR Bridge weighting and Ai-designed H.O.T face combine to deliver exceptional speed from across the face, which we believe will really appeal to players who want to eke out as much distance as possible from their fairway woods. 

Coming in at £279, this fairway wood is also one of the cheapest on this list, ensuring you get plenty of bang for your buck.

If we had to pick one negative about this club, it would be that it doesn't offer quite the same level of forgiveness that other woods on this list deliver. 

Our bad shots were noticeably worse than those of the TaylorMade Qi10 or Paradym Ai Smoke.

READ OUR FULL COBRA DARKSPEED X FAIRWAY WOOD REVIEW

TaylorMade Qi35 Fairway Wood

Key Features: 

• Multi-material construction featuring chromium carbon, steel, and aluminium
• Modified CG locations for improved energy transfer
• New TSS weighting system has been integrated in all lofts, allowing for precise swing weight adjustment

Price: £309

Pros:

• Delivers exceptional performance in every metric
• Feel and sound are once again spot on from TaylorMade
• Sole design is modern and very premium

Cons:

• Crown design not quite to my taste

TaylorMade's Qi10 fairway wood dominated the PGA Tour in 2024, with stars like Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy finding success, along with numerous non-contracted players. The Qi35 looks to build on this legacy with a modern design, optimised CG projection, high MOI, and proven features like Twist Face, Thru-Slot Speed Pocket, and an Infinity Carbon Crown.

The Qi35 suits a wide range of players, from elite professionals to mid-handicappers. However, high handicappers may find the more forgiving Qi35 Max a better fit. Aesthetically, the Qi35 departs from the classic gloss finish of its predecessor, opting for a bold, futuristic design with a light grey carbon crown and dynamic green-accented sole. While the visuals may not appeal to everyone, the club’s feel remains top-notch, offering a satisfying flash off the face and ample feedback.

Performance-wise, the Qi35 delivers exceptional speed, spin control, and workability. It excels off the tee with a penetrating flight and provides enough launch for soft landings from the fairway. The redesigned CG enhances ball speed, delivering impressive carry distance—averaging 8 yards more than the Qi35 Max.

If you're overdue for a wood upgrade, the Qi35 is versatile, powerful, and a standout option for 2025.

Titleist GT2 Fairway Wood

Key Features:

• Seamless Thermoform Crown: allows for redistribution of mass for optimised CG placement
• L-Cup Face: Improves performance on low impact shots
• Classic Titleist styling: delivers timeless good looks and a sleek and refined profile

Price: £349

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Pros:

• Stunning aesthetics
• Excellent sound and feel
• Produces hot ball speeds

Cons

• Definitely more forgiving fairway woods on the market

Delivering blistering ball speeds, superb aesthetics and classic Titleist feel and sound, the new GT2 Fairway Wood is a sight to behold.

Featuring a new seamless thermoform crown, constructed using a newly invented Proprietary Matrix Polymer, the GT2 retains the same crisp sound and feel we loved about the TRS line, but due to the reduced weight of the new material, weight has been redistributed in the head in order to improve performance.

Compared to TSR2, we noticed an uptick in ball speed from across the face, with shots from the heel or toe retaining both speed and spin remarkably well.

From the tee, this wood is an absolute rocket and it produces a neutral ball flight that is easy to work both ways. 

In terms of aesthetics, Titleist has stuck with the tried and tested clear black gloss crown that is so widely loved, and on the sole, a mix of gloss and matte panels frame the GT logo, which really hits the mark.

From the fairway, turf interaction is smooth and despite the compact head shape there is still a good amount of forgiveness on offer. 

Is the GT2 the most forgiving fairway wood we've tested so far in 2024? Probably not, but if you're an accomplished golfer who wants a ball strikers dream, then you are in the right place.

Coming in at £349, the GT2 is the most expensive wood on this list, but you certainly get a lot of bang for your buck. 

READ OUR FULL TITLEIST GT2 FAIRWAY WOOD REVIEW HERE

PING G430 Max Fairway Wood

• Carbonfly Wrap Technology: a lightweight composite material that covers the crown and wraps into the heel/toe sections of the skirt; this lighter structure dramatically saves 10g of weight and lowers the centre of gravity position for more ball speed performance
• FaceWrap Technology: variable-thickness, high-strength maraging steel face wraps into the sole and crown of the stainless steel head, generating more flexing for faster ball speed and a higher launch for greater distance
• Variable Role Radius with Spinsistency: improves performance across the face (especially on thin shots) by reducing spin to increase ball speed from the maraging steel face
• Tungsten Sole Weight: features a tungsten back weight that further expands perimeter weighting to ensure even more forgiveness for increased confidence in the tee box or on the fairway
• Trajectory Tuning 2.0 Hosel: adjusts to eight different positions to customise your trajectory for maximum distance and accuracy

Price: £329

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Pros: 

• Incredible forgiveness time and time again
• Very easy to hit off the deck 
• Far nicer sound than the G425
• Confidence inspiring look behind the ball

Cons

• Quite hard to flight down, but a custom fitting will help

The entire PING G430 range of fairway woods performed excellently in testing, but our favourite of the bunch was the PING G430 Max. One of the easiest three woods we've ever had the pleasure of hitting, it's biggest strength is its consistent forgiveness. 

Having admittedly hit some squiffy shots during testing, we were amazed at how often the G430 Max would manage to not only retain distance but also keep the ball flight high and relatively straight. 

One thing we particularly liked was that, due to the shallow profile of the club face, it sits fairly flush with the ground, which visually makes hitting it off the deck much less intimidating. 

We also noticed that the G430 Max was the best fairway wood we tested for hitting out of the first cut of rough.

Suited for players of all handicaps, the added forgiveness on offer makes it an ideal fit for high handicappers in search of assistance from both the tee and the fairway.

Probably the easiest fairway wood to hit out of all tested, the only thing to slightly let the club down was distance. While it's not especially short, compared to the Cobra Darkppeed  X there is certainly room for improvement.

READ OUR FULL PING G430 FAIRWAY WOOD REVIEW

PXG Black Ops Fairway Wood

• High-strength stainless steel face: 12.5% thinner and more flexible than the 0311 Gen 6
• Carbon fibre crown: saves mass, allowing it to be redistributed low and to the club's perimeter for optimal CG positioning
• Precision weighting technology: allows spin and bias settings to be adjusted
• Squared face design: shifts perimeter skirt more vertical to boost forgiveness and deliver faster ball speeds

Price: £319.99

Pros:

• Performance levels across the board matched up well with the biggest brands on the market
• Black and silver design oozes sophistication
• Excellent level of adjustability

Cons:

• Metallic sound at impact may take some getting used to

Another very impressive fairway wood from the class of 2024, PXG's Black Ops, is a formidable tool that delivered outstanding levels of speed and distance during testing. 

The wood features adjustable weighting, which allows weight to be tactically positioned to achieve ideal performance, while the carbon crown also allows weight to be redistributed to the head's perimeter for optimal CG positioning. 

Combined with a variable thickness face to optimise ball speeds, this design has been carefully calibrated to maximise performance. 

In terms of aesthetics, PXG has remained consistent with its traditional black, white and silver colour palette across the crown and sole, resulting in a very sophisticated overall design. 

While distance and speed are certainly where this wood excels, its only small weakness is the level of forgiveness it provides when compared to its competitors. 

READ OUR FULL PXG BLACK OPS FAIRWAY WOOD REVIEW

Things you need to consider when buying a new fairway wood

1. Club Head Size

Fairway woods come in a variety of different head sizes, with each suiting a different type of player and skill level. More compact woods tend to suit players who prefer to shape the ball, and a smaller profile behind the ball can often be considered more aesthetically pleasing,

Larger heads tend to offer increased forgiveness with a more confidence-inspiring look at address. 

Size matters, so be sure to find a head size that fits your game but also your eye.

2. Loft 

Loft refers to the angle of the face in relation to the vertical, and it's a key consideration when purchasing a new fairway wood, with the majority of brands offering a range that typically includes 3, 5 and 7 woods. Each will come with its own set of characteristics, so choosing the right one for your needs is vital. 

Ranging from a typical 3-wood loft of 15 degrees to 7-woods that come in around the 20-22 degree mark, the difference in distance and versatility on offer is broad. When choosing your fairway wood, it's always key to consider what type of shot you want to hit, as the loft will be of paramount importance to get the results you desire. 

A lower lofted club will produce a more piercing ball flight for more distance, while the increased loft of a 5 or 7-wood will help you get the ball airborne with greater ease, while typically landing a little softer at the same time. 

3. Adjustability

The two varieties of adjustability to consider when buying a fairway wood are weight and loft. 

Movable weights can be a handy tool to fine-tune both the centre of gravity and moment of inertia of your wood, with the PXG Black Ops being a perfect example of this. 

Moving weight forward in the club head will results in a more piercing ball flight and increased distance while adding weight to the back of the club will promote increased spin, higher launch and improved forgiveness.

Some clubs also offer weights that can be adjusted for ball shaping. Additional weight at the toe of a club will create more draw bias while moving weight closer to the heel will favour a fade. 

4. Shaft

Getting the correct shaft in your fairway wood is of equal importance to getting the right head. With a wide variety of weights and flexes available to suit different swing speeds, we highly recommend heading to your nearest fitting studio to ensure you have the correct setup to suit your swing. 

Using lighter, less stiff shafts will produce a higher, right-to-left biased ball flight, while heavier, stiff shafts will launch the ball lower with a higher tendency to shape the ball to the right.

Most manufacturers will offer drivers in regular (R), stiff (S) and extra stiff (XS) shaft flexes.

Other flexes include light or ladies flex (L), senior (A) and more extra stiff options (XXS, XXXS).

5. Shot Type

Fairway woods are versatile tools that can be used for a wide variety of different shot types. Whether you're looking for something to offer a little added accuracy off the tee, or a tool to help you reach long par-5s in two, the wide variety of fairway woods on the market can suit every golfers needs

3-wood: An ideal fall back for when the driver is misbehaving off the tee, with only a small drop off in distance it can often be a more accurate alternative for tight fairways and second shots into long par-5s.

5-wood: A higher launching, softer landing alternative to a long iron, 5-woods offer a larger club face which may benefit players who struggle to produce adequate ball-speed with a four or five iron.

7-wood: Becoming ever more popular on the PGA Tour, 7-woods offer excellent stopping power on greens thanks their high launch and increased spin. The large club head also provides plenty of forgiveness and makes them easy to hit from the tee, fairway or even the rough.

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