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Updated on July 26th, 2021 at 11:18 am
A 3 wood is an essential club for a high handicapper. Although the 3 wood can be tough to hit from the fairway, it can be a lifesaver hitting from the tee box. For beginners and high handicappers who have not learned how to straighten out their drives, the 3 wood is a perfect way to learn and eventually work your way up to a driver.
Beginners and high handicappers need their 3 wood to be high launching, long and forgiving. We have put together our top five favorites across a few different categories.
Best Value
Best Overall
Best Feel
Best 3 Wood for High Handicappers
TaylorMade M6
The TaylorMade M6 fairway is not the latest release from TaylorMade, but it has some of the best technology for the higher handicap golfer. The M6 comes with lots of potential for distance and extreme forgiveness regardless of your swing speed.
One of the things we love the most about the M6 is the speed pocket technology. You can get lots of ball speed with this club regardless of your swing speed. Many people think that higher handicap players swing slower, but this is not always the case. Regardless of how hard you go after the ball, the M6 can accommodate you.
The multi-material construction of these 3 woods allows golfers a lightweight and consistent touch with a great feel. The pricing on the TaylorMade M6 has dropped considerably since its release, making now the best time to add one of these to your bag.
Pros
- Great turf interaction
- Easy to hit
- Lots of distance
- Fair pricing considering the technology
Cons
- Sound was improved with the new SIM Max fairway
Callaway Steelhead Fairway Wood
The Callaway Steelhead Fairway is the best value of 3 wood for higher handicappers. This club is built for slower swing speeds, and it is designed for ultimate forgiveness. With a 3 wood in your hand, you are going to want some extra forgiveness. Especially when hitting a fairway wood off the fairway, there is very little room for error.
The Steelhead is a classic Callaway shape, and it has the Hawkeye Sole. This translates to it being one of the best fairway woods when it comes to launch. Making contact with a 3 wood from the fairway is great but having the three wood fly at the proper trajectory takes a lot more skill; the Steelhead XR will help with that.
The Steelhead features a J-36 Carbon Crown and a shorter hosel than you will see from other fairway wood options on the market. This is not an adjustable 3-wood, so you will notice that the overall weight of the club will be a bit lower.
Pros
- Offered at a great price
- Forgiving technology
- Classic shaping
- Easy to launch
Cons
- Not the longest fairway wood by Callaway
Cobra F9 Speedback
Many high handicappers know the Cobra F9 Speedback as being the best fairway wood to take you from high handicapper to mid handicapper. The Cobra Baffler technology was continued with this fairway wood, making them some of the easier to hit options on the market. Even though we don’t always recommend hitting a 3 wood from the rough, the F9 will be your best chance at it.
The CNC Precision Milled Face is what helps lead to the fantastic feel on these golf clubs. Golfers want to be rewarded when they hit a great shot, and the F9 Speedback allows for that. We love this club both from the tee and from the fairway as well.
The F9 is also incredibly adjustable. If a three wood in your bag is a bit of stretch for you, you can increase the loft to make this a better match for your golf swing.
Pros
- Cobra connect technology
- Baffler rail technology helps increase forgiveness
- Lots of distance
- Highly adjustable
Cons
- Smaller profile clubhead, some golfers like the more extensive profile for confidence
Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo
The Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo has the new turbocharged cup face technology and a very low center of gravity. The low center of gravity will allow beginners and high handicappers to launch the ball much higher and land this club softly when needed as an approach into the green.
The Cleveland HB 3 wood is designed with the HiBore Crown, making this a lightweight and easy to hit fairway wood for the high handicapper. The only real problem with the Cleveland Launcher is that it focuses more on forgiveness than on distance.
If you are serious about getting the most distance possible out of a fairway wood, this is not the club for you. If you want a reliable fairway wood that stays straight and keeps the ball in the fairway, then the HB Turbo could be an excellent choice for you. Another positive is that Cleveland always remains relatively fair about the pricing on their fairway wood.
Pros
- Hibore technology for a low center of gravity
- Very forgiving fairway wood
- Great for slower swing speed golfers
Cons
- Not the best fairway wood for distance
TaylorMade SIM Max D Fairway
With the Cleveland Launcher Turbo, we talked about how it is a great fairway wood for forgiveness but not the greatest for distance. If you want to make sure that your 3 wood travels a long way, the SIM Max D is the way to go. Besides being one of the best fairway woods for distance with an easy to hit club head, this TaylorMade club is also draw-bias to help with the left to right ball flight many beginners and high handicappers see with their three wood.
The SIM Max D is a brand new release from the TaylorMade men, and it was truly built with the high handicapper in mind. The V Steel sole has been improved and updated, and you will have no issues getting this fairway wood to perform off the tee, out of the rough, and from the fairway as well.
If your driver is not your favorite club in the bag, having a club like the SIM MAX D will make a tremendous difference when it comes to keeping you in the game and performing from the tee as far as distance is concerned.
Pros
- One of the longest fairway woods ever made
- Lots of forgiveness
- Twist Face and Speed Pocket technology
- V Steel Sole
Cons
- Expensive
What Is The Best 3 Wood For a High Handicapper?
TaylorMade M6
Hopefully, our guide pinpointing the best fairway woods for high handicappers has helped you narrow down a choice that could work for your game. Pay very close attention to the loft and the shaft that you purchase in your fairway wood. If you are working on improving your game and you are not sure where you may end up, choose an adjustable fairway wood.
The TaylorMade M6 sits at the top of our list because of the pricing, performance, and consistency. This is a fairway wood that appeals to a wide range of players, and it will continually deliver some fantastic results.
Buyers Guide
A 3 wood is an essential club for the high handicap golfer. The distance from the 3 wood could be what makes, or breaks, a round where the driver does not want to cooperate. Here are a few helpful hints to ensure that you end up with the best fairway wood in your bag.
Should High Handicappers Use Fairway Woods?
High handicappers should use fairway woods because they really are golf improvement clubs. When golfers start trying to hit a three wood out of US Open style rough where they can barely see the golf ball, this is where problems begin. If a high handicapper is smart about where and when they use their fairway wood, then they will probably see positive results in their game because of this club.
A high handicap golfer will see good distance off of the tee with their three wood because of the low center of gravity, and you will be able to get the ball in the air easier than with a driver. Most of the fairway woods for beginners are catered to high handicap golfers that struggle to hit the ball consistently. High handicappers and beginners usually have lower a slower swing speed, ball speed, and need fairway woods that can be used on tee shots, from the fair way, and lighter rough.
Why Is The 3 Wood So Hard To Hit?
The 3 fairway wood is difficult to hit because it does not have that much loft. Golf clubs with high lofts are easier to hit and generally more forgiving. You have to think that the standard 3 wood is going to be around fifteen degrees. Many drivers are not much less than 12 degrees of loft. If you compare hitting a fairway wood from the fairway or a driver from the fairway, you will see there is not much difference in the loft. The best fairway woods have gotten much easier to hit in the last few years. They offer lower centers of gravity and plenty of launch.
How Many Fairway Woods Should High Handicappers Carry?
There is no magic answer to this question, but anywhere from 1 to 3 fairway wood is the standard. Having one as an alternative for a driver is essential. If you have more than one, it would be because you are finding success with the fairway woods in your game. Many beginners and high handicappers find that the hybrids are easier to use than the fairway woods, and they prefer to put an extra hybrid in the bag.
Be sure to check out our other reviews on out top pick for the 2020 3 wood, our favorite Women’s Drivers, along with our extensive research on wedges which we completed in the fall of 2021. We reviewed them all and came up with our top selections for Gap Wedges, best wedges for the Average golf player, Beginner wedges, and individual reviews of the Vokey SM8 from Titliest, and the infomercial endorsed Golf wedge, Square Strike and the Newest Cutter wedge. We have been testing and trying them all, and know we can help you find a great one. Please drop us a line and let us know if there is anything you would like us to review.
