Search for the holy grail fairway woods

[serveitup911]

Yep, saw that a few times haha. I think I’ve consumed every review article, discussion, and video on the internet. I have decided on the Cobra big tour 3 wood. Just thinking about shaft now. Fujikura Speeder 757 Evo IV or VI, or Ventus Blue or Black 7S.

[aewon]

I´ve had a lot of great 3 woods in my days, but i personally think that my present Titleist 917 f2 is the best of them all.. So easy to hit from the deck and really goes from the tee. Great feel and sound as well. I never had any real luck with Titleist drivers, but their fairway woods are as good as it gets in my mind.

[serveitup911]

I ordered a Cobra Big Tour 3 wood with Ventus Blue 7X. Should have in a couple weeks to report back. It will be 98% off tee. I need it mostly for holes at my club where I need to be 20-25 yards short of driver for placement in the fairway before bunkering or extreme narrowing.

I like the EI profile of the Ventus for a fairway wood. The fast loss of stiffness in the butt along with the big drop in the mid should make it easy to load and launch. I’m hoping for increased accuracy and low spin with With VeloCore and stiff tip.

[KiwiNick]

On 5/18/2020 at 3:11 PM, serveitup911 said:

I have space for 2 clubs between my driver and 21 degree hybrid. Driver is a G410 LST 10.5 with a Fuji Speeder 661 Evo IV X. I love absolutely everything about this combo and it’s probably the best club in my bag. I’m around a 160 ball speed guy, so most drives end up in the 280 range, but I will have a few each round that roll to over 300. There are only 5 holes on my course where it is safe to hit driver those distances due to the fairway becoming a ribbon or extensive fairway bunkering. My ideal 3 wood would be almost exclusively a tee club. I am a solid player, but if I miss with a wood, it will be toward the toe and hooking. I’m thinking a 5 wood for my next club down because I haven’t gotten along well with hitting low lofted hybrids high enough to hit them a repeatable distance that’s not dictated by roll. 5 wood would be a par 5 attacking club exclusively with some tee off duty on short par 4s. My 21 degree hybrid is a Titleist TS3 with a Fuji Atmos TS Blue HB 8X. Normal shot would be 220 carry.

I cannot stand clubs that look closed at address. 

I need some forgiveness, mostly toe side.  I don’t like tiny heads.

The 3 wood will be used mostly from the tee and 5 wood will be used mostly from the fairway. 

I have hit the F9 5 wood and found it easy to hit, but spinny and hard not to hook. I imagine the Speedzone is very similar.  Not interested in the Speedzone tour due to the small footprint Big tour has me interested, though I wish the loft was a bit higher.

The shallow face on the G410 concerns me a little bit on the 3 wood, but is an advantage on the 5 wood. I have some concerns about the G410 sitting closed at address and having to loft down to open the face , then having the 5 wood go too far. I do like the forgiveness though. 

The upright lie angle and possibly getting a head that sits closed concerns me with the SIM Max 3 wood. Is there any way to bend it flatter or open? The deep face on the SIM Ti 5 wood concerns me unless the V sole really helps. 

The TS2 is a bit of a sleeper that I don’t know as much about. I like the overall shape and adjustability. I like matte black, so I’m not a fan of the glossy crown. I feel like it is maybe a bit shorter than the others with slightly higher spin. 

I don’t like the shape of the face on the Mizuno.

The Mavrik sub zero is too compact and the standard Mavrik sits closed to my eye.

For shaft, I’m thinking the Fuji Speeder 757 EVO IV or VI in S flex since Fujis get stiffer as the weight class increases. I hear the EVO VI is based off the EVO IV I love in my driver, but slightly easier to load.

Thanks for listening.

Boy did you ever explain my search for the last couple of years! I agree on the high launch 3W or lower lofted 5wood. I’ve recently dropped my Epic Flash SZ 3 wood that I played open at 14* for the Epic Flash SZ 5W that lofted down is 17*. With the weight forward, a Prov1x and a Tensei Blue X 75gm shaft I may have found the holy grail of fairway woods. Like you I have similar driving distance and the same miss out to the toe, especially on fairways. I ended up with this club despite it being 15-20m shorter than the 3 wood primarily because it’s surprisingly long off a very low tee and is super reliable off the fairway. Crucially, I don’t lose any Noticeable distance off the fairway and has plenty of spin to hold the fast and firm greens I play mostly. 
 

the pick of the ones you’ve described is the Mavrik which I’ve hit and didn’t really see a lot of difference from my EFSZ so no need to update but is an exceptional feeling club. Agree the TS2 is a sleeper, I tried the 16.5 but just didn’t gel with it somehow? It did feel good though. I had an F7 Cobra which I liked but didn’t love. It sat closed and upright for me. A bit busy on the top also. 
 

good luck with your search!

[Rambler1277]

I hit my Diablo Octane Tour 13 degree about 270 off the deck the other day and I think I paid $30 for it. My other 3 wood is a 2016 M2 5 wood (18*) which is as automatic as anything in my bag. 

[James the Hogan Fan]

I would go with Callaway Razr X black or X Hot as the tee club; long and strong. And for the 5 wood I'd get a Wilson FG tour F5 or C300. The FG if you want buttery feel and the C300 for more distance. 

[bigkidneys]

My holy grails have been some G410 fairway woods. I've always struggled with deeper faces woods from the fairway and these just make me so much more confident with the shallow face. Wish they had the feel of a flushed M5 head but I'll take them regardless...

[Lemonde]

On 5/19/2020 at 12:44 PM, sailfishchris said:

Wasn't it Duffner's Waggle who went and had an epic 3 wood search a couple of years ago? All I remember was how many he tested and sold on BST

Yup. And he’s back now and using a 4 wood. 

[uglande]

I've hit just about everything. Titleist TS3 is my favorite for looks but TS2 for the combination of looks and performance. I'm playing TS2 15.0 and 21.0 after first starting with TS3.

 

I also loved the Callaway Mavrik fairways. Great shape and feel, but never found the right shaft match. 

 

Love the look of the Mizuno and could play them.

 

Cobra aren't the top of my list but I would have no problem bagging them. They perform well.

 

No-go for me ... Ping (still with the turbulators?), TaylorMade (never worked consistently for me and harsh compared to others), Srixon (nah). 

[wam78]

Two of my favorites have been 915fd and cobra f8+.  Currently playing the ts3 and am hitting it really well.  I’m always drawn to Cobra for fairway woods.  They look so damn good by ball and have great performance.

[JDennis]

3 woods have been a love/hate thing with me. Always have been a Taylormade fan for the driver and 3 wood. Should have never sold my 16 M2 driver..... Anyways, been playing a Aeroburner TP 3 wood, and it has stuck with me for 5 years. This year I needed a Driver and went for a Cobra F9 when they dropped the price to 249.00 on left over stock. It was like we were meant to be! I naturally picked up the F9 3 wood and it is not going anywhere. The club is straight up amazing. I swing shallow and with the rails on the bottom, if I fat it a bit I love that I am not punished for it! 

[nitram]

On 5/27/2020 at 8:52 AM, serveitup911 said:

I ordered a Cobra Big Tour 3 wood with Ventus Blue 7X. Should have in a couple weeks to report back. It will be 98% off tee. I need it mostly for holes at my club where I need to be 20-25 yards short of driver for placement in the fairway before bunkering or extreme narrowing.

I like the EI profile of the Ventus for a fairway wood. The fast loss of stiffness in the butt along with the big drop in the mid should make it easy to load and launch. I’m hoping for increased accuracy and low spin with With VeloCore and stiff tip.

 

How did the Cobra work out for you?

[NoTalentLefty]

I had one Ping G15 but gave it away. Hoping the Callaway B21 can be that club

[GBBM]

PRGR Egg fairway will blow your mind. Seriously try one. They are on yahoo japan for peanuts. 

[threefortheshow]

Probably get bashed for this but look at the Tommy Armour Atomic. I found a used one cheap, I mean real cheap. Bought it just for the shaft. Hit it and I swear it’s as good as anything I’ve ever hit. Don’t see it leaving the bag soon. 

[cj4501]

Hopefully I found mine. Epic flash SZ tour head 16.8 loft 1* open, 54.8 lie with tz6 m4.   Might finally take the hook out 

[Warrick]

Had been playing F9 Tour 3/5 since release, upgrade to Radspeed 3/5 this year, easier to hit and launch, amazing woods.

[AndersonGT]

Best 3W I've ever experienced is Mizzy ST190 TS. I enjoy my standard Speedzone 3W but that ST190 TS was ridiculous. 15 yards longer than my SZ, easy to hit, and accurate. Heck, I think I just talked myself into buying by just posting this, haha. 

[ccorrada]

I'm gaming an XHot Pro 3deep now because it beat out all of my more modern 3 woods on trackman.  It's the perfect 3 wood off the tee.  

[Judge Smails]

I wanted to share some feedback on my own search.  For me, it's the TS2.  

 

This is a result I was not expecting because I really don't care for the look of the club!  The TS3 fairways are some of the best looking clubs at address I've seen in a while and I wanted to make it work, but the TS2 is just much more playable for my particular swing.  It's a modern low spin head but not too low that I hit occasional dead ducks off the tee or struggle from the fairway (which was the case with the TS3 for me.)  Great feel from either TS head.  I've played most of the Titleist heads over the years.  The 915f was great and I still have a 5 and 7 wood in the back up bag.  The 917 has super feel, very traditional.  But the TS line just goes that much further because of the hotter face...  

 

I've also had some recent experience with the Mizuno St-z and I see what the buzz is about.  Really nice looking head (yes, a bit large), great feel, and hot without being too low spin.  The Motore F3 is a nice shaft too.  However, I'm so deep into it with the Titleist line and have a variety of shafts, weights, etc. that I have built up over the years.  If I had 5 different options I could put in the Mizuno and could adjust the head weight, it very well might be the winner.  That's what broke the tie with the TS2 rather than anything about the Mizuno head.

 

 

[nlinneman20]

Exotics E8 Beta 😍

[Mych]

Not sure it's a holy grail, but I love the Ping Anser 4w. I have similar driver speed (maybe a touch less), and my 4w is great for 240-250yds, 260 if I step on it. 

 

I'm not a fan of looking down at turbulators so my next fairway might be a G425, but I'm in no rush to change the Anser. 

[bopper53]

Ping 425 fairway woods are point and shoot.

 

The 3 wood is a beast, long and straight.

[azgreg]

TM V-Steel

 

[uglande]

16 hours ago, azgreg said:

TM V-Steel

 

I played with a guy the other day who was talking about how he has been hitting his crappy old TaylorMade 3 wood off of most tees and how he's hitting every fairway with it. He showed me the club a little sheepishly, and I'm like, "Dude, that's a Taylor V Steel, it's an all-time classic that still has a huge cult following." He had no idea. He just knew it worked. I still regret selling mine.

Edited August 5, 2021 by uglande

[Valtiel]

On 8/4/2021 at 10:39 AM, Mych said:

Not sure it's a holy grail, but I love the Ping Anser 4w. I have similar driver speed (maybe a touch less), and my 4w is great for 240-250yds, 260 if I step on it. 

 

I'm not a fan of looking down at turbulators so my next fairway might be a G425, but I'm in no rush to change the Anser. 

 

I have one of those as well, lovely club that sits behind the ball perfectly. 

[Mych]

1 minute ago, Valtiel said:

 

I have one of those as well, lovely club that sits behind the ball perfectly. 

Agree... I set mine to the flat setting and never looked back. It even has a shaft flex that shouldn't fit me but it works so well that I'm not touching it. It definitely looks perfect behind the ball. 

[dgarland]

I go 3 wood / 2hybrid in that range. They’re titleist TS2’s. 3 wood at 15° (Stock)  and 2h at 17.75° (1 click up). That gives me an aggressive option and a more conservative option that still gets out there.  

[PinkStripes]

Original TM SIM hands down is the best fairway wood IMO. And thats coming from someone who games mostly Titleist.

[even_steven]

5 hours ago, PinkStripes said:

Original TM SIM hands down is the best fairway wood IMO. And thats coming from someone who games mostly Titleist.

Agree. Always played pretty classical stuff like Titleist and Mizuno. Been a Srixon guy for quite a few years now, love their irons but while the woods was good, nothing could compare to when I tried the SIMs. For me, the performance was too good not to make the switch. Play a SIM driver and both 3w and 5w in the SIM Ti, best woods I've owned hands down..performance wise anyway. Titleist wins in the looks department but that hasn't helped me before 🙂