Selecting your new fairway wood is an important step in completing your set of clubs. Fairway woods provide solutions and trajectories for a range of game situations, from escaping the largest bunker to hitting from the middle of the tee. Therefore, it’s useful to have a fairway wood available to keep you a step ahead of the game.
Snainton Golf supply a range of high-quality fairway woods from top brands including Taylormade, Callaway and Cobra. Whether you’re looking for a lower priced, yet impressive, Ben Sayers fairway wood or a top of the range Wilson club, we can help you find the best fairway wood for you.
It’s easy to spend far too much on a new club especially with little experience or research on what you should be looking for. Here at Snainton Golf we stock fairway woods in a range of prices, from £99 up to £329. Even if you have a lot of golfing experience be sure to find the best club that suits your need and play; a higher price doesn’t always mean it’s the best choice. There’s no doubt that latest advancements and most up to date fairway wood technologies never fail to offer the best playing opportunities, however, for excellent value for money, the previous year’s fairway wood ranges are a great option if you’re looking for excellent quality clubs at an affordable price.
A loft is the angle from the vertical of the clubface which determines the direction of your shot. There are many varying lofts to choose from which can make or break your game. Fairway woods usually start at #3 (15 degrees loft) and go up to #5 (18 degrees loft), to #7 (21 degrees loft) etc. Generally speaking, players usually carry either #3 fairway or a #5 fairway wood and a #4 hybrid together which adds versatility, especially when you’re stuck with a poor lie. Clubs that have loft sleeve technology enable the player to adjust the loft but 2 degrees either way.
Fairway woods have a similar construction to drivers, both utilising multi material composites, however fairway woods usually have a steel face which reduces the cost of the club and maintains striking distance consistency. If you’re looking for higher shots, a shallower face clubhead design would be suited as it will help with the initial launch. Whereas players who are looking to improve their left to right shape ball flight should invest in a fairway wood clubhead design that has movable weight technology or adjustable face ‘draw’ options to really help enhance their play.
All fairway wood shafts are made from graphite and usually increase in weight: there’s a 10-gram weight difference between the driver and the fairway wood and another 10-gram difference between the fairway wood and hybrid, therefore if you’re using a 60-gram driver shaft your fairway wood shaft should be 70-grams, for example. It’s important to match your shafts and grips across your set of clubs to maintain consistency in your play. As a guide, if you have a small size glove you should go for an undersized grip, a player with a medium sized glove should explore regular grips and any player with a large sized glove would benefit from an extra 2-3 wraps on a regular grip.
The common comparison: Fairway Woods Vs Hybrids. What is the difference?
Fairway woods have a longer shaft length which increases the speed, sending the golf ball further. When using a fairway wood, you should be concentrating on maximum distance rather than aiming for a controlled, more ‘careful’ shot. This is a great benefit in cases when playing into the wind and on a smooth green.
Fairway woods are also known to have a larger clubhead designs which send the golf ball higher in flight due to the centre of gravity being placed further back on the golf club. This is a benefit when it comes to distance and height however it means less versatility and lessens the ability to cope in troublesome lies. A hybrid is usually seen as the easier option in rougher areas and can even be used to chip the ball with almost the same technique as a putter.
Use a fairway wood if you’re playing into the wind, if you have a good lie and few hazards around the green you’re playing on. With a good stance and a wide swing, you can strike the ball extremely far with a fairway wood.
Although there’s minimal differences between the two, a hybrid club is usually preferred when players have a shorter swing and tend to use irons. A hybrid is most useful when you are playing with little wind, when you are playing from a bunker or rough, if you want to hit over a hazard or you want a higher trajectory and a softer landing. Explore our large selection of left hybrid golf clubs.