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Which Is The Best Fairway Wood Of 2025?
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Jul 4, 2025
Which are the best fairway woods on the market in 2025 and what are the particular models that will suit your needs on the course? Our club expert tester Sam De'Ath has tested everything on the market and broken each sector down to really help narrow your search should you be looking to upgrade this year.
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0:00
In this bag are the best fairway mode models released this year
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Now I'm going to put them head to head to determine which model deserves a place in your bag
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depending on what type of golfer you are. Now, I'm going to start with the looks because I think that's a really important place to start
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when it comes to choosing a golf club. Having the right looks both in your hand and something that
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you like down at address is really important to inspire confidence and help you execute your golf
0:46
shots. So, to start with, we're going to talk about the Strixen ZXI. Now, I think looks absolutely
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spectacular. It's kind of got this gloss tone on the bottom here, and that highlighted with some
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red accents and the kind of matte black finish around the rest of the head I think really gives
1:04
this golf club some shelf appeal and a really strong presence. It's got a two-stepped crown
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which I think may divide opinion but it's something that I'm actually quite a fan of. I kind of like
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this banner strip across the top. I feel like it frames the ball quite well and that's really
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important for alignment. The top of the crown as well has this matte carbon fiber finish which in
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the sunlight looks absolutely spectacular. It's a slightly more compact head and it's kind of
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triangular so it's not as symmetrical as some of the other heads on the market but I think this is
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a great place to start when it comes to kicking off the looks of the golf clubs. Now we're going
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to move into the Cobra DS Adapt LS head. Now there are multiple heads in the Cobra DS Adapt range
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but I think this one just stands out a bit. Yes it's the more compact head, again it's kind of
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got this triangular finish similar to the Shrixen and that isn't actually normally of my preference
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I normally like something a bit more rounded but I think this head just looks absolutely spectacular
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Again sticking with the matte black carbon crown as well again looks brilliant when the sun shines
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but on the underside I think this club just has some serious shelf appeal. Now it does have this
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QR code etched in here just below the adjustable hosel and the reason behind that is the Future
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fit 33 system that Cobra have implemented in this year range. Yes, there are 33 hosel settings that
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you can put this club on. It's slightly overwhelming. And so this QR code helps you
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realize which setting is going to be best for you and suit your game. I personally think it's a bit
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of an eyesore, but the rest of the club makes up for it. You've got the two portable weights
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at the front and one at the rear in order to bring the CG forward. And again, the gloss and
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satin tones of this club really help it stand out. It looks premium and that stealth outlook is
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something I really like. But if I was pushed to pick one fairway wood that I think looks absolutely
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mega, it would be the TaylorMade QI35 Torhead. This thing is just spectacular. This chromium
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carbon finish across the crown here looks absolutely spectacular, even on a slightly
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more cloudy day, but especially in the sunlight, it just really shines. It's kind of got a Sim 2-like
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look to the crown, although this time we don't have the banner strip across the top. The infinity
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head runs all the way over to the face and looks amazing. There is a silver line etched across the
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top of the face which I think helps with alignment but overall I think this head and the whole QI35
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range to be honest look absolutely insane. So the first club I want to talk about when it comes to
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sound and feel may come as a little surprise. Now this is the Tall Edge Exotics C725 and I'm just
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going to clip a few away here and hopefully you'll be able to pick up on the powerful thud-like sound
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that this makes through impact. Now it does have a carbon crown which I think really enhances and
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takes away the vibrations made on this club through impact. It really sounds like a crack of the whip
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It's powerful, it sounds fast, and like I said at 250 pound I think this club just offers so much bang for your buck Now the next club that I want to move on to when it comes to sound and feel is the TiteList GT Now there a new proprietary crown
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and face design in this club, and TiteList do a really good job at refining their golf clubs
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Now, this is the GT2 model. There are two models, the GT2 and GT3, but I just think the GT2 sounds
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and feels absolutely amazing, even on mishits. And the slightly larger head and slightly more swashed crown
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really help give you a confidence-inspiring look behind the ball as well. Let's clip this one away, hopefully get a good understanding here
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Again, it's slightly louder, I would say, than the Tor Edge, but if I was pushed to pick a model for the best sound and feel
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it would have to be the Shrixen ZXI. This thing just feels fast off the face
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and that's replicated by the extremely fast ball speed and generous distance that this club offers
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It's a slightly more loud sound than some of the other models on the market
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It sounds slightly more lively than the TaylorMade QI35 range and the Callaway Elite range
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and despite having a carbon crown, the rest of the head is made from titanium construction
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so it offers that higher frequency, that higher pitch sound through impact
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I'll clip one away here and hopefully you'll be able to pick up on that as well
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So it's slightly louder than the Tor Edge. It sounds much more similar to
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the Cobra DS Adapt range or the Ping G440, but for me the Shrixen ZXI takes the spoils
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when it comes to sound and feel. Now forgiveness is a key aspect when it comes to thinking about
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what fairway wood you're going to choose. And here at Golf Monthly in 2025, we have come up with a new
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way to measure forgiveness. We're going to take the furthest hit shot minus the shortest hit shot
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the furthest left hit shot minus the furthest right hit shot, and divide them by two. It's not
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as complicated as it sounds. There are three models that were absolute standouts when it came
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to forgiveness, and in third place, as it were, was the tailor-made QI35 core. Now, interestingly
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this wasn't the max model and I don't know if that's just because for me the max model I got
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quite a lot of variance between my furthest hit shot and my shortest hit shot due to the high
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spin rate and the fact that that model really just isn't built for me but the QI35 core model was
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excellent in producing consistent results. Then we move on to the Callaway Elite X. Now this is the
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most forgiving model in the range. It produced a nice high ball flight with plenty of time in the
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air and the dispersion was much tighter on this model. Now there was one standout when it came to
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performance and as you may have guessed it is the Ping G440 Max. This thing was absolutely
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exceptional when it came to front to back dispersion as well as side to side dispersion
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It was really really tight. It performed well out of a multitude of lies from the rough, off the tee
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and the fairway and particularly on mishit shots. Whenever I hit one slightly out the toe or out the
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hill, I really didn't see much fluctuation in distance. And for that reason, the Ping G440
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I'm crowning the most forgiving fairway wood of 2025. Now, apologies for interrupting the video
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but if you're enjoying the video so far, make sure you hit the like button and subscribe to
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Golf Monthly's YouTube channel. And of course, if you like any of the products you've seen in
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today's video, make sure you check out the description box below for all the links to
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the best prices for these models in your area. So as you can see by the simply stunning backdrop
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behind me, I am at the beautiful La Hacienda Links golf course here in Spain, but the data
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collection for my performance section of this video started back at Foresight Sports headquarters
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in Guildford. So let's nip back there and see how I went about collecting the data for this video
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Now, one of the further ways I have standardized my testing this year is by using the same shaft
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And thanks to Over the Top Golf, we got these universal adapters, which meant I could use the same shaft throughout all the Fairway Wood models
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So the shaft I use is the Fujikura Ventus Black 7X And I find by using this shaft with this universal fit system I really isolate the head performance and standardize our testing It provides really reliable data and that way
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I'm not relying on shafts that aren't custom fit for me. As you can see we're now back at the beautiful La Hacienda Lynx golf course
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Here is the data that I collected during my testing session at Foresight Sports. Feel free
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to pause this right now and have a look at the day to make your own comparisons but we're going
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to kick off the performance section with the highest launching fairway woods and which ones
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are easier to hit off the deck. So one of the first fairway woods that I noticed had exceptional
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launch was the Mizuno ST Max fairway wood. Now this is a carry-on model from last year
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but I found it to be absolutely exceptional when hitting particularly off tight lies and the fairway
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There's a speed bevel here at the bottom of the face, which really helps the face sit flush to the ground and inspires confidence and gets that ball launching up in the air
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It's one that feels amazing and you see nice high towering ball flights
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Now, the next fairway wood I want to talk about is the Callaway Elite X
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It's the most forgiving fairway wood in the Callaway Elite range. The Thermo Forge carbon fiber crown helps reduce weight and it has helped the CG be placed lower and further back in the head to increase launch
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I saw an average launch of 11.9, which is really high, had good spin and therefore produced a really high towering ball flight
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But the model that stood out to me was the TaylorMade QI35
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Now, this is the core model, not the MAX model. But for some reason, this just worked best for me
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it produced an average of 12 degrees of launch and that combined with a spin rate of 3200 rpm
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meant that I saw a high towering ball flight that stayed in the air for such a long time
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and actually meant that I could hold greens when I was playing into them on par fives
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so if you're a slightly shorter hitter and you hit your fairway woods into greens a lot
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this is a club that you should check out having an alternative club you can hit off the tee
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is very important, especially in competitive golf, and it has helped me through many rounds when the
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big stick is misbehaving. You're going to want a club that provides plenty of distance so that you
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don't make the whole play exceptionally long, but also you want something that's very accurate
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hence why you're not hitting driver in the first place. okay now this is the first option you should consider when it comes to an alternative club
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off the tee that is the cobra ds adapt x fairway wood it's a mid-size profile head and it will
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inspire confidence to those that need it behind the ball but it still provides plenty of power i
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was averaging around 156 mile per hour ball speed and that's just when hitting it off the deck
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When hitting it off the tee you're likely to see a touch faster ball speed. But the next model you
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should really consider is the Wilson Dynapower Carbon. I found this model is a great way of
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getting your hole off to a good start. I found that the predecessor to this model lacked a little
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oomph but this one certainly doesn't. It provides a really high penetrating ball flight that will get
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your hole off to a nice start and give you a better chance at hitting more greens in regulation
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from that. The performance was really solid it's a kind of it is a more smaller kind of
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compact looking head I would say but it sounds great and feels great through impact
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Straight down the middle there straight off the tee and just to top it off the gloss carbon crown
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looks absolutely spectacular. Now, the last model I want to talk about when it comes to performance
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off the tee is the Callaway Elite Triple Diamond. Now, as a fast ball speed and swing speed player
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I thought this might actually help me off the fairway, but I actually found it quite difficult to hit off the fairway, such as its low launch and penetrating ball fly. I didn't quite see the
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launch I wanted. However, the performance came with this club when I teed the ball up. I found
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absolutely immense when teeing the ball up. I was seeing a really fast flat ball
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flight which is something I like and especially as an alternative club to driver off the tee that kind of what you looking for to maximize distance Let give one a hit here see if we can hit the fairway
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A nice flat fading ball flight has put me in the fairway and gives me a great chance
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at making par or even maybe a birdie. If you're looking for more distance and an absolute rocket
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off the tee, then there are no better fairway woods than these three models right here. Now the
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first model I want to talk about is the Callaway Elite Fairway Wood. Now this may surprise you
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because the triple diamond variant of this model is the lower launching and lower spinning model
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that ultimately should produce more distance, but I found the slightly higher launch and spin
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actually gave me more carry and therefore more total distance with this model. The looks divided
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opinion but I think you can't argue with the ball speed on offer from this fairway wood. It produced
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the third longest carry out of all the models that I tested at 258 yards and so is a viable option
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when it comes to wanting more distance with your fairway woods. Now the second model that I found
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to be an absolute rocket was the Titleist GT2. Generational technology, these models have been
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refined and they definitely produce some fast ball speeds. 262 yards of carry on average I found
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with the GT2, slightly longer than the GT3 but there really wasn't much in it. Their centre of
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gravity has been lowered and brought slightly further forward in this mid-size head and that
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really helps produce high launch with low spin for maximum distance. when it comes to distance there was only one winner and that was the shrixen zx i fairway wood
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it produced 264 yards on average of carry and pushed the 280 yard mark when it came to total
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distance that was due to the combination of a slightly lower spinning ball flight but also
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with the high launch. It did come in slightly flat so if you're looking for something to hold greens
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then this may not be the fairway wood model for you but if you're just looking to maximize distance
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then the Shrixen ZXI fairway wood is definitely the way to go. Okay so if you are someone who is
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constantly missing the fairway, you find yourself playing from the rough frequently, you're going to
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want a fairway wood that either advances the ball down the hole on say longer par 4s or 5s
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or something that you can hit out the rough to greens and is still going to pop up in the air and produce a nice high launch
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Now, there are two models that stood out for me in particular. The first of those is the TaylorMade QI35
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It was the highest launching model upon test, as you've seen from the data table
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but the sleek, compact head really meant that I could sweep through the rough
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and it popped the ball up, producing a lovely high ball flight. There was generous amounts of spin in there as well, so it stayed in the air
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and produced a bit more spin out of the rough when obviously naturally that just knocks a bit of spin
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off. So for that reason I really liked this head when playing from the rough but there was one model
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that stood out in particular and that was the Ping G440. Now the triangular kind of smaller head
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than we've seen in the past seemed to just cut through the rough really really well. It's actually
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a slightly taller face than the previous G430 model but I found that this really helped when
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in the rough. I felt like the bottom of the head could get through the rough and I was actually
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finding the middle of the face more often when hitting out the rough. It produced good launch
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and coming out of a kind of trodden down lie in the rough, I found that it produced a nice
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high ball flight that would still stop on the greens. Pretty good there. Hopefully that would
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stop on the green and it has given you a good understanding as to which fairway wood you should
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use if you find yourself playing from the rough more often than not. So I hope you enjoyed this
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video and found it really useful. You've got a good understanding of which fairway wood may suit
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your game the best. If I had to pick an overall favourite it would be the Shrixen ZXI fairway wood
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The combination of its premium looks and aesthetics as well as its powerful performance
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led it to earning a spot in my bag for the 2025 season
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