5 Wood recommendations - what’s the best/easiest to hit off the fairway?

[newyorker]

I’m looking to invest in a 5 wood that can help me get to those par 5’s in two. I’m not really going to be using it off the tee (maybe a 200+ par 3 in the wind).

 

I had a Callaway Epic Max that I loved but like a true WRX’er got rid in search of something “better”. I’ve had a look on eBay but can’t seem to find one in decent condition.

 

For info 51 year old, 7 handicap, upper 90’s SS with driver and reasonable ish ball striker on my day. 

 

So come on, what’s the easiest fairway wood to hit off the turf? I’ve tried Stealth 2 which I found the face to be a little deep and Rogue ST Max that I didn’t like the feel of. It’s got to feel, look and sound good (not much eh) 😄

 

The TSR2 is currently catching my eye but open to suggestions.

 

Cheers

[belh22]

I am about to experiment with a zx mkii 5 wood at 3 wood length.  reviews and insights have all been tremendous.  and can be done cheaply

[lazyjc4]

Tour Edge.  Pretty much any "E" model is going to fit the bill.  My 5-wood has become my go to whenever I need 200-220, regardless of lie. 

[newyorker]

4 minutes ago, lazyjc4 said:

Tour Edge.  Pretty much any "E" model is going to fit the bill.  My 5-wood has become my go to whenever I need 200-220, regardless of lie. 

 Almost impossible to find in the UK mate 😣

[Sean124]

The G430 Max is worth a look if you like a shallower face. 

[J. Breeze]

any Ping g4XX model and its not even close as far as forgiveness is concerned.   

[caniac6]

I have always like Ping fairways.

[dalillama47]

Another vote for the Ping.  If not the most forgiving, certainly 1 of the most.  

[jholz]

Another Ping recommendation. Find the one that fits your price point from anything in the last 10 years or so. 

 

But, lots of good options out there. Have you tried any of the recent Mizunos?

 

I played F-50 and F-60 FWs forever. Mizuno does make a good (but widely underrated) fairway. 

[YankeesChiefsMizzou]

I've recently tried the Cobra Speedzone fairway woods in the 3w and 5w. I love them, easy to hit, great turf interaction with the "speed rails". I've got a steeper swing (use Srixon irons with V sole) and think these just kinda fit me better than the Rogue ST Max 3w I was using previously. Another benefit: since they're a few years old, they're pretty cheap, about $100 each. 

[rkillian]

I'd be surprised if you can't find another Epic Max on callaway pre-owned if you really liked the last one Don't know what flex you need but there are several on the site now. The Mavrik or Mavrik Max line is maybe worth a look too. The Epic Max and Mavrik Max look way to closed at address for me. The standard Mavrik line was maybe my favorite fairway wood. I went back to it twice and would consider doing so again haha.

 

I don't get along with Fairway woods that have shallow faces. The Rogue ST Max wasn't great for me. I really like my Rogue ST LS 3HL, about as much as standard mavrik I kept going back to and feels better than the Max version. I have since picked up a Sim Max 7 wood that works really well for me too. But if you though Stealth was too deep faced you will probably feel the same about ST LS or older TM woods.

[machosallad]

Ping easily, I game a G425 Max 5 wood and it's really easy to hit off turf. Never tee it up when using it from the tee either.

 

If you're not a fan of Ping, I tried a mates Cobra LTDx 7w a couple of weeks ago and it felt really solid, perhaps due to increased loft. I've also tried Tsi2 fairway woods and relative to my Ping I'd choose my G425 every time - not sure how Tsi2 compares to Tsr2 but I'd imagine that they're pretty similar. 

[bellken]

Off the fairway, another vote for Ping from me. I have G425 5 wood.

[Streuner]

I have had a PING G425 and I could really not hit a good ball with it. I like the Cobra Woods, Taylormade woods and Srixon woods. 

[kwcsports]

Ping G410, 425, 430 is the ticket 👍

[newyorker]

Plenty of Ping recommendations, they must be doing something right. I’m not really a fan of the turbulators (is that right?) on the crown but if it works I’m sure I could get over that.

 

I seem to remember the Ping sounding harsh, does this translate to feel or has that been improved in the 430 line?

[runningblind11]

No turbulators on G425 or G430, and the G430 also has improved sound.  Like you, I keep looking around at other fairways, but have come back to PING because they are just so flipping good.

[Kenny Lee Puckett]

1 hour ago, newyorker said:

Plenty of Ping recommendations, they must be doing something right. I’m not really a fan of the turbulators (is that right?) on the crown but if it works I’m sure I could get over that.

 

I seem to remember the Ping sounding harsh, does this translate to feel or has that been improved in the 430 line?

no longer turbulators on either G425 or G430 series fairway. just nice, appropriate looking, matte black crowns. grab yourself either one and go. 👍

[gavinski91]

2 hours ago, YankeesChiefsMizzou said:

I've recently tried the Cobra Speedzone fairway woods in the 3w and 5w. I love them, easy to hit, great turf interaction with the "speed rails". I've got a steeper swing (use Srixon irons with V sole) and think these just kinda fit me better than the Rogue ST Max 3w I was using previously. Another benefit: since they're a few years old, they're pretty cheap, about $100 each. 

I'll add a recommendation for Cobra - I have a RadSpeed 5wood and it's great off the turf. Note to anyone considering one, LTD was the last generation with speed rails in the 5/7 woods.

[Chunkitgood]

If you need to the exact 5 wood that’s easiest to hit of the deck to go for par 5’s in two….

[Albatross Dreamer]

If you don't like deep FWs then Ping is going to be a good first shot. By all reports the G430 has better sound then previous lines. If you want something a tad deeper the TSR2 is gonna be a good option though. Play it myself and it's been good to me so far.

[PARETO]

Ping G425/430 5w. Adjust as required.

I play my G425 17.5 5w short at 7w length but at a strong 16.5 degrees and flat on the adaptor setting. I couldn't miss left if I tried. Its my "short par4 off the tee and into long par5's if I'm feeling spicy" tool. 

[DE-ILLINI]

As many others have previously said, Ping fairway woods are hard to beat.  My G430 5W is my favorite club, and this is coming from someone who struggled for years with fairway woods.

[DE-ILLINI]

3 minutes ago, PARETO said:

Ping G425/430 5w. Adjust as required.

I play my G425 17.5 5w short at 7w length but at a strong 16.5 degrees and flat on the adaptor setting. I couldn't miss left if I tried. Its my "short par4 off the tee and into long par5's if I'm feeling spicy" tool. 

This is my exact set up!

[Tanner25]

How about a Hy-Wood in place of a 5 wood? The new Halo XL is at 17 degrees. 

[MMB1500]

Lots of good options out there.

 

I will say that ditching the 3 for a 5 wood was one of the best equipment decisions I've made in recent years. So much easier to hit off the deck, which means I can now attack par 5s with confidence. 

Edited February 2 by MMB1500

[doctorjedi]

Have a radspeed 5 wood.  I find its much better on grass than on range turf.

[POKeefe]

It depends on your definition of easy. The Ping's are all known to be great/easy. I have to throw in a vote for the Callaway Big Bertha line too. I've owned the Rogue ST and the Big Bertha is a lot easier to hit. As others have mentioned, the Cleveland's are also designed to be easy to hit.

[PuffyC]

I never carried a FW at all before because they were like kryptonite to me but then I found my Callaway Epic Flash 5W. Not sure how different the Flash is from the Max but that thing is so good that when I went for a long game fitting last month my guy said he wouldn't be able to build anything better and to just keep it (he did not say that about my other clubs). Probably not the answer you're looking for at this point but as mentioned above, you can find some great deals on used Callaway clubs at CPO. FWs are finicky so if you mesh with one I'd stick with it. But I'm sure all the clubs mentioned already are great too, the real key is finding a shaft you're compatible with. If you're looking at new and have a place close by where you can go for a fitting, you can try lots of heads and lots of shafts and know for sure you're getting something that looks good, feels good, and works best for you and your swing.

[NZ315]

Had both g430 and TSR2. I am leaning more towards the TSR2 mainly because of the deeper face. Both are forgiving but I liked the TSR2 more