If you are a beginner at any sport, then you know all too well that anything that improves your game is a blessing. And when it comes to high handicappers in golf, forgiveness is the name of the game. Fairway woods are some of the best clubs in your golf bag that come in a wide range of lofts.
In a Hurry? Here are Our Top Choices
Apart from using in the fairway, they are an excellent choice for when you are having trouble with your driver because they are packed with forgiveness and allow for soft landing balls. If you are a high handicapper or a beginner then we suggest using woods with 16 degrees of loft or higher. They will provide you with consistency and longer distances from your shots.
The 4 Best Fairway Woods for High Handicappers
Finding the right fairway woods can be tough will all the different options available these days. This is why we have researched the market and selected the best fairway woods for high handicappers.
1. Orlimar Golf Escape Fairway Wood
The Escape fairway wood from Orlimar is available in a wide range of lofts with Ladies, Regular and Stiff flex options.
We recommend the 5 wood with 19 degrees of loft and 42.4 inches of length for high handicappers. It has a Superlite 60 Graphite shaft and an Orlimar Custom Velvet grip.
The Shallow Face Height with a very low center of gravity (CG) allows you to launch the ball higher and land it softly on the green. Its large footprint promotes accuracy and confidence in your swings with plenty of forgiveness.
Because of its lightweight shaft, this fairway wood is great for beginners with slow to medium swing speeds.
2. Cleveland Golf Launcher HB Turbo Fairway Wood
The Launcher HB Turbo Fairway Wood comes with a graphite shaft and is available in regular stiff and senior flex options. Cleveland makes these in 3 wood and 5 wood lofts.
The Turbo Charged Cup Face feature is only available in the 3wood, it provides higher COR over a larger impact area for superior ball speeds and distance.
The HI Bore Crown is redesigned to lower the CG by 2.2 millimeters, which makes for an optimal launch.
The Deep Weighting significantly increases moment of inertia (MOI) that provides added speed, paired with the weight reduction being redistributed low and deep for better launch and more forgiveness.
The Miyazaki C. Kuma lightweight shaft specially designed for the HB Turbo Woods enables additional head mass for increased MOI.
High handicappers will have no issues launching with this fairway wood. Apart from the launch benefits, this club is also very forgiving.
If you can look past the high price of this premium club then it is an excellent option for beginners who slice the ball and are looking for better launch and more forgiveness.
3. Pinemeadow PGX Offset Golf Fairway Woods
The PGX Offset Golf Fairway Woods are available in 7 different loft options, all with Regular flex, graphite shafts and stainless steel club heads that are very forgiving.
Their Anti-Slice Technology is great for beginners who slice the ball too often. The offset club head gives players a little more time to square the face at impact allowing for straighter and longer shots.
The matte black finish makes sure there is no sun glare at address. This is a very pocket friendly club and perfect for beginners who do not want to spend a fortune on woods.
It is always good to remember that this is not a premium product and as such will not perform as well, but it is great value for money.
If you want a budget fairway wood that will ease out the horrid slices, is forgiving and provides accurate shots with fair distance, then this is the club for you.
4. TaylorMade M2 Men’s Fairway Wood
TaylorMade are a giant of golf that have been making quality golf products for a very long time. Their M2 Fairway Woods are no exception. These woods are extremely popular and come highly rated.
Available in Regular, Stiff, Extra Stiff and Senior flex options these woods have 4 variants of lofts, we recommend the 5 wood with 18 degrees of loft for high handicappers.
It has a graphite shaft, 450 stainless steel head with a 455 stainless steel face. This multi material head has a low CG with 6-layer carbon crown. The Inverted Cone Technology protects ball speed across the clubface makes a bigger sweet spot for exceptional forgiveness.
The Geocoustic Technology has advanced shaping with a two-tiered sole that provides added playability from all lies and sound ribs that have been externalized for extraordinary sound and feel.
Its longer and more flexible open-channel speed pocket with increased flexion provides higher ball speed on low-face shots and produces distance by decreasing backspin. The Fluted hosel makes for superior sound and feel without compromising distance or CG.
The M2 Fairway Wood motto reads ‘Fast. Far. Forgiving’ and it delivers on all those claims. Beginners can especially take advantage of these woods as they are tried and tested and come at a fair price for what they offer.
What to Look for When Buying a Fairway Wood
Here are a few key things to look for when purchasing fairway woods for high handicappers:
- Flex
High handicappers will usually have slow swing speeds, therefore they should opt for more flex to compensate for their slower speeds. - Forgiveness
A forgiving wood will have a larger sweet spot for high handicappers to make relatively straight and decent distance on off center strikes. Other factors like design, weighting, and head size also determine forgiveness - Distance
A high MOI and lower spin will allow high handicappers to increase distance even with their slower swing speeds. - Launch
Loft can impact launch, with many options available in woods, make sure you know which suits your swings best. Low and back CG in the club head will also allow for easier launch.
Our Final Thoughts
Any of the fairway woods in our list will help improve your game as a beginner. We suggest to get the one that better suits your needs and game. If launch is what you are looking for then we suggest the Cleveland Golf Launcher HB Turbo Fairway Wood.
If you want a pocket friendly option that is also very forgiving then you should definitely go for the Pinemeadow PGX Offset Golf Fairway Woods as it has great value for money.
For us, the overall best option and the clear winner of this list are the TaylorMade 2017 M2 Men’s Fairway Woods. They are exceptional clubs that will improve your game no matter your handicap level.
Because these are older models you can get them at a fair price, which is great for beginners, as they can experience the improvement premium clubs bring to their game without having to paying the full price. We hope you liked our selection of the best fairway woods for high handicappers and can find the perfect club for your bag.
