Search for the holy grail fairway woods

[Mike Jamieson]

You cant go wrong with the Titleist fairways - the 917f3 can be adjusted so many ways and its longgg with lowered spin if you're worried about that (TS2/3 too same deal) - the only Titleists I have are the fairway woods - so good

[awtryau89]

The 3 wood is just something not to be messed with once you find the right one. It is the most personal club in the bag along with the putter. For me I discovered it last year. Previously the best fairway for me was an old Tour Edge Exotics CB1 with a Diamana Blueboard 73. I played that club for a long time. It developed cracks in the brazing. I sent it back to TEE and they sent me a new one but it was never the same. I've been through many since. I still have an RBZ Stage 2 that is good but not as good as my old TEE. Then I tried the Ping G410 LST. It will not leave the bag until it breaks. I never got along with Ping Fairways but this one does everything. Off the tee, off the ground, cuts, draws, you name it. It just works. I would say it is the closest thing for my game as the TEE. Better in some areas but I still have a soft spot for that old club. Maybe nostalgia but I am at the place with the Ping I don't search anymore.

[976-Evil]

Another M2 disciple here.

And you can pick them up for around $100 shipped. I'll play the M2 3W till I can't find them anymore.

[Mookieb10]

Id go:

3w: Epic Flash Sub Zero lofted down from 15* to 14*, which will sit 1* open; and

5w: Sim 5w, with a Taylormade Tour sleeve, loft it down all the way from 19 to 17.5*. That’ll sit 3* open. Should be nice.

[ericm007]

This^^^^^^^. I also added the 5 Epic SZ and it is awesome, though I did change shafts and put the Aldila Rouge shaft in both, because I didn't care much for the Smoke shafts. Of course this may have been due to the fact that I hadn't played much before I got the clubs.

[serveitup911]

I’m leaning toward G410s.

3 wood and delofted 7 wood. I don’t know if the 5 wood would be to close in distance to the 3 wood.

Would do hotmelt at low face of 7 wood to reduce spin.

Speeder 757 EVO VI in 3 wood and 757 EVO IV in delofted 7 wood. The EVO IV is a few grams heavier and slightly lower launching than the VI. The VI is supposed to be a slightly tweaked version of the IV that’s slightly lighter and higher launching.

The 661 EVO IV in my driver is just so good at helping me find the middle of the club face that I want to stay in the family.

[dekez]

I recently bought a Callaway FT-i Squareway 3W based on nothing other than Freddie still having one in the bag. USPS is completely dysfunctional in Michigan these days however. Two, three and four week delays are the norm. 3 weeks and still waiting.

[pingplayer]

Try the M1, you can open it, slide the weight and make fade biases do what ever you want with it. It's long, launch is high and forgiving, go get one cheap and try it with the shaft you prefer.

[GooseHook]

Personal bias here, but if you like flat lie angle and want a 4/5 wood as an all rounder, it's pretty damn hard to beat the Epic Flash Sub Zero. It's really easy to hit off the deck and the 5w is easily turned down to 17 degrees, which is traditional 4w loft. I think mine plays about 42".

Mine is neither high nor low spin, it's really well balanced. I replaced the light sole weight with a heavier one to balance it out and it's one of my favorite clubs.

[Nudga]

My curve ball choice would be Cobra Bio Cell, it's adjustable & good looking. I believe the + version is a smaller head footprint.

[Nudga]

[cav5]

I've had many. Really like the rogue subzero 5 wood

[Argonne69]

I put a 3 wood shaft in my 7 wood, turning it into a Frankenwood. The G410's can be custom ordered with a longer stock shaft at no extra charge. I'd consider adding an inch, or 1/2" at a minimum. With the ability to set the clubhead to a flatter lie, the added length shouldn't be an issue.

 

[VCGolfer79]

 

 

[Kale_m]

I am liking my m1 HL turned down to 15 degrees. Smaller head, sits square to open when dialed down. When I am swinging well it is great

 

mostly a tee club for me

[ex0dus]

Titleist and Ping 410 lst have flatter lie angles. Titleist also offers strong 3s with 13.5 loft . Just have to test them to find one with the launch/spin you prefer.

My guess is that the TS2 at 13.5 or the 410 lst will be the ticket.

 

[KARL M]

G410 5 or 7 wood with enenflow black shaft. If you like it the5 or 7 you might be tempted to try the 3 wood if you can stand the narrower face.

[Stinger83]

I'm a big believer in consistency over distance at this point. 4 or 5 wood is the way to go for most people. Most people who "can't find a good 3w" seem to really like a 4w.

For shorter hitters it helps them get the ball in the air and sometimes actually carries further than a 3 wood. For longer guys it creates a more usable club. Longer guys typically hit a 3w 280-300 and they'll never be that far out on a par 5 and it's rarely a layup yardage you'll get on the tee.

[BostonWRX]

Did you ever try this out, debating doing so with aTS3

[serveitup911]

I haven’t had great experiences with a G410 LST. Had it for a few weeks when it first came out and admittedly had the wrong shaft in it (Evenflow Black 85 6.5). It was too heavy, stiff, and lifeless. It sat shut at standard loft, so I had to lower it a degree to sit square. Then I could never get any real launch or distance out of it.

I briefly had a Mavrik sub zero 16.5 that I couldn’t hit at all. It sat incredibly flat and I must have had the wrong shaft because it had no pop and I could not get it up above 90 feet even off a tee.

 

I have been demoing the TS2 and TS3 the past 2 days. Had a chance to hit them on my home launch monitor and on course and outdoors. My club let me borrow the TS2 16.5 and the TS3 15. I had a HZRDOUS smoke 70 6.0 and an Evenflow White 75 6.5 to try in each.

Neither shaft was a great fit for me, but I had better success with the Evenflow white I think because it was a half inch shorter.

The TS2 16.5 hit total moon balls for me even at 15.75. I’m talking almost 4,000 spin. Off a low tee, I was getting shots apexing at almost 150 feet and dropping from the sky like a wedge. Ball speed was upper 140s off the ground and low 150s off a tee. My mat absolutely kills club head speed if you make even the slightest touch of the mat at the ball.

The TS3 did better for me in both ball speed and control due to lower spin. I tried many different settings and the best was 14.25 with standard lie angle. Ball speed was 150 off the mat and 155 off the tee. Spin in the low 3,000s. The head looks really curved and I had some issues aiming it with all the glossy black. Off the ground, I could get it apexing about 80 feet and about 110 feet off a tee.

My miss with a fairway wood seems to be heavy, so I worry about the sharp leading edge on the G410s.

I think I’m leaning toward SIM 15 and 19 now.

 

[Red4282]

Lots of people love them. How easy are they to yank left? I would like to try one but thats the one thing holding me back

[Red4282]

Im kinda in the same boat you are. I currently game a 915f and love it, but it loves to go left on me. The m1 and m3 seem to be the most anti left but they come in at 140-150ccs which is a bit small for my taste. So Ive narrowed it down to the epic flash SZ at 169cc. And the ts3 at 176. Dont know if i can commit to that ugly green tho ?

[Bamabowtie]

I went on the exact same quest as you did a year ago and ended up in a 2016 M2 3 wood and couldn’t be happier with it.

[serveitup911]

I’m only looking at 2019 and 2020 models that Will Peoples carries. I have some merchandise credit to spend there.

[ex0dus]

If high spin is a problem i certainly wouldn't be looking for a 16.5 4w, especially if you are looking to get a 5w as well.

I have seen some people ditch the 3 and 5 altogether and just game a 4w and then a hybrid. I have a friend who did that but he was a low spin player who didn't get much spin on his 3w.

[Jeff58]

As seen by the diversity of answers, the head is close to irrelevant as long as the lie angle is close to correct. The 410’s are flatter and adjustable, so they’re justifiably popular.

The correct shaft, as it’s far easier to get wrong. When you’re ripping away on the LM and hitting off a mat, you’re putting on a driver swing that isn’t realistic off the grass in many cases.

[serveitup911]

I had a chance to demo a 19 degree TS2 hybrid turned to 18 degrees and the numbers were very good, making me think a 17 degree TS2 hybrid will work great for me. I was almost at the gap I’m looking for to my 21 degree. There was some extra spin and height, making me think the 17 degree would be perfect especially with the extra half inch of length.

 

So I’m now just looking for a 3 wood for mostly tee and still leaning toward the SIM. I won’t be able to demo it though.

[NoTalentLefty]

This month? Epic Flash

[serveitup911]

Alright, I have it narrowed between SIM and Cobra Big Tour. Pros and cons?

[ex0dus]

Golf Monthly has a good review on 2020 fairways: