Guide
A fairway wood and a hybrid of the same loft fill the same gap in your bag. The wood launches higher and goes further from a good lie; the hybrid swings like an iron and copes with rough and tight lies. In the 9 current forgiving fairway woods and 7 hybrids we cover, a 5-wood is 18° to 20° and a 3-hybrid 18° to 20°: the same lofts, so most golfers need one of the two, not both.
Each wood beside the hybrid whose stock loft sits closest to it, across the makers we cover. The number on the head varies by maker, so check the loft, not the number.
| Fairway wood | Its lofts | Closest hybrid | Its lofts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-wood (8 heads) | 15° to 16° | 2-hybrid (2 heads) | 17° |
| 4-wood (1 head) | 17° | 2-hybrid (2 heads) | 17° |
| 5-wood (8 heads) | 18° to 20° | 3-hybrid (6 heads) | 18° to 20° |
| 7-wood (8 heads) | 21° to 23° | 4-hybrid (6 heads) | 20° to 23° |
| 9-wood (6 heads) | 24° to 25° | 5-hybrid (6 heads) | 23° to 26° |
| 11-wood (2 heads) | 27° | 6-hybrid (5 heads) | 26° to 30° |
Hybrids beyond the woods' lofts: the 7-hybrid (29° to 34°) and the 8-hybrid (32°). Those replace irons rather than woods, and some forgiving sets come with hybrids in place of their longest irons; the loft chart shows each iron set's own lofts.
Then try them. A club you hit well is worth more than one that should suit you on paper; the bag check shows the gaps and overlaps in the clubs you carry.
Lofts: 3-wood 15° to 16°, 5-wood 18° to 20° in the heads we cover, medians 3.3° apart.
The 3-wood is the longer club only if you can get it in the air off the grass; from the fairway, most golfers with a slower swing launch a 5-wood higher and find it almost as long. Keep the 3-wood if you hit it well off the tee or the fairway; otherwise let the 5-wood be your longest fairway club.
Lofts: 5-wood 18° to 20°, 7-wood 21° to 23° in the heads we cover, medians 3° apart.
The 7-wood launches highest of the woods and lands softest, which is why fitters now hand it to golfers who cannot hit a hybrid or a long iron. Many forgiving bags carry both: the 5 as the longest club after the driver, the 7 where a 4- or 5-iron used to be.
Lofts: 7-wood 21° to 23°, 4-hybrid 20° to 23° in the heads we cover, medians 0.7° apart.
They cover the same place in the bag. The 7-wood gives the higher, softer-landing shot from a good lie; the 4-hybrid swings more like an iron and copes better with rough and tight lies. If you sweep the ball, try the wood; if you hit down on it like an iron, try the hybrid.
Lofts: 5-wood 18° to 20°, 3-hybrid 18° to 20° in the heads we cover, medians 0.7° apart.
Carry one, not both: they cover the same distance. The 5-wood goes further from a good lie and is easier to launch; the 3-hybrid is the more playable club from the rough. A forgiving bag most often carries one 5-wood and then hybrids from 4 down.
The 6 makers we cover that sell both, with the stock lofts of each head. Where one maker's hybrid starts below its wood's highest loft, you can choose either for that gap.
| Maker | Fairway woods | Hybrids |
|---|---|---|
| Tour Edge | Tour Edge Hot Launch Max D ($179.99): 16° (3-wood), 20° (5-wood), 23° (7-wood), 25° (9-wood), 27° (11-wood) | Tour Edge Hot Launch Max D ($159.99): 19° (3H), 22° (4H), 25° (5H), 28° (6H) |
| Cobra | Cobra OPTM MAX ($269): 15.5° (3-wood), 18.5° (5-wood), 21.5° (7-wood), 24.5° (9-wood) | Cobra OPTM ($249): 18° (3H), 21° (4H), 24° (5H), 28° (6H) |
| PING | PING G440 MAX ($297): 15° (3-wood), 17° (4-wood), 19° (5-wood), 21° (7-wood), 24° (9-wood) PING G440 SFT ($297): 16° (3-wood), 19° (5-wood), 22° (7-wood) | PING G440 ($267): 17° (2H), 20° (3H), 23° (4H), 26° (5H), 30° (6H), 34° (7H) |
| TaylorMade | TaylorMade Qi4D ($379.99): 15° (3-wood), 16.5° (3HL), 18° (5-wood), 21° (7-wood), 24° (9-wood) TaylorMade Qi4D Max ($379.99): 15° (3-wood), 18° (5-wood), 21° (7-wood), 24° (9-wood) | TaylorMade Qi4D Max Rescue ($299.99): 20° (3H), 23° (4H), 26° (5H), 30° (6H), 34° (7H) TaylorMade Qi4D Rescue ($299.99): 17° (2H), 19° (3H), 22° (4H), 25° (5H) |
| Titleist | Titleist GTS2 ($399): 13.5°, 15°, 16.5°, 18°, 21° | Titleist GT2 ($329): 18°, 21°, 24° |
| Callaway | Callaway Quantum Max ($399.99): 15° (3-wood), 16.5° (3HL), 18° (5-wood), 20° (Heavenwood), 21° (7-wood), 24° (9-wood), 27° (11-wood) Callaway Quantum Max D ($399.99): 15° (3-wood), 16.5° (3HL), 18° (5-wood), 21.5° (7-wood) | Callaway Quantum Max OS ($319.99): 18° (3H), 20° (4H), 23° (5H), 26° (6H), 29° (7H), 32° (8H) |
Prices checked 2 Nov. The most forgiving fairway woods and most forgiving hybrids rank these heads, with flexes, hands and prices.
Every forgiving iron set scored and compared, with picks for slicers, slow swings, seniors and budgets.
The most forgiving head in each maker's line, scored, with the draw models for a slice and picks for slow swings and budgets.
Fairway woods with the shallow faces and low centres of gravity that get the ball up off the deck.
The hybrids built to replace long irons, with lofts, flexes, hands and price.
The smaller driver heads between a driver and a 3-wood, by head size, lofts and draw setting, each price dated.
Driving irons compared for forgiveness, lofts and hands, and when a hybrid is the better club.
Compare cavity-back wedge lofts, bounce, sole options and hands.
Mallets and zero-torque putters scored, with lengths, hands and price, and a pick for each kind of miss.
Callaway's forgiving iron line, set against each other on offset, sole, loft, flexes and price.
What a first set needs, a boxed set against a built set at the same money, and the picks by budget.
Every complete boxed set scored, with its club list, flexes, hands and price, and a pick for seniors, women and budgets.
The second set: what to buy when a boxed set stops being enough, without paying for clubs you cannot use yet.
Choose a replacement by bag role and check it against the clubs you keep.
Game improvement and players distance sets for a 10 to 20 handicap, scored and priced.
Every driver with draw help, by how much it gives, its lofts and its price.
Forgiving heads with 12° in stock and draw help for a slice, for beginners and high handicappers, each price dated.
Forgiving mallets and zero-torque heads by price, stock length and hand, for a first putter, each price dated.
Every club sold with a stock senior (A) flex or as a senior set, and what senior flex actually changes.
The forgiving drivers sold in senior flex, by slow-swing help, loft and draw help, each price dated.
The forgiving iron sets sold in senior flex, by launch, sole and forgiveness, each price dated.
Women's lines and ladies-flex options, complete sets and individual clubs, with a pick for each.
The forgiving iron sets sold as a women's line or in ladies flex, with each 7-iron's loft and length, each price dated.
The forgiving drivers made for women or sold in ladies flex, by draw help, loft and price, each price dated.
The women's sets sold shorter, by how much, and the heights each maker names, each price dated.
The men's sets sold longer, by how much, and the heights each maker names, each price dated.
Every maker's junior sets by the child's height band, with what is in each box and its price, each checked.
The most forgiving club of each type sold left-handed, and the ones that are not.
Forgiving iron sets for less, new, earlier and used, every price per club and dated.
Forgiving drivers for less: current heads at low prices, last year's still sold new, and used, each price dated.
Check the exact used configuration, condition, contents and return terms.
Every forgiving driver with a used price beside the new one, current and earlier models, each listing dated.
Every forgiving fairway wood and hybrid with a used price beside the new one, and each listing's club, loft, flex, condition and date.
Every forgiving iron set with a used price, current and earlier models, with the clubs, shaft and flex each price buys.
Forgiving clubs below the maker's list price, last year's models still sold new, and used savings, each price with the day we checked it.
The price to beat for the most forgiving club of each type, so you can tell a real Black Friday deal.
Loft ranges from the driver to the lob wedge, then every forgiving iron set's lofts, current and earlier, in one sortable chart.
Even loft steps from your longest club to your wedges, each set's uneven steps, and how to check them with your own distances.
The 14-club rule in plain words, what a first bag of eight to ten needs, and how many clubs each boxed set really holds.
Every iron set's pitching, gap, sand and lob wedge lofts in one chart, and the names makers give the gap wedge.
What a gap, sand and lob wedge is for, and which lofts to add after your own set.
What bounce does, drawn to the angle, which bounce suits your swing and turf, and the bounce on every forgiving wedge we cover.
The loft, length and bounce between the two in every forgiving set, and which one to hit.
Which hybrid replaces which long iron in each set, by the makers' own lofts, and when a hybrid is the easier club.
Offset, sole width, moment of inertia and loft explained with the numbers from this site's own table.
What separates the two classes in loft, offset, sole and price, with every set in each, and how to tell which one your strike needs.
Why a cavity back forgives and a muscle back does not, with the makers' own offset figures, and how to blend the two.
What the A flex changes, who it suits, and which clubs we cover offer it as stock.
Each shaft maker's own swing speed for every flex, side by side, and the flex each chart gives at your speed.
Driver shafts for a slower swing, more height or a mid flight, with each one's weight, torque and flexes from its maker, and the stock shafts on every forgiving driver.
What a graphite or steel shaft changes, who each suits, and every forgiving iron set's stock shafts.
Prepare your shortlist and check length, lie, shafts and set makeup at a fitting.
What Club Champion, True Spec and PGA TOUR Superstore charge for each kind of fitting, the free ones, and what the fee buys, each price dated.
Every iron set's standard lengths as its maker prints them, and a calculator that adds the change a fitter gives you.
Every iron built to one length: Cobra's ONE Length sets against its standard sets, club by club, and who still makes one.
Every forgiving driver's stock length from its maker, men's, women's and mini, why two makers' figures can differ, and when shorter helps.
What a wrong lie does to your shots, how to check yours, and every forgiving iron set's lie angles club by club.
What each PING dot color means, and every PING iron set's lie angles for the dot you have.
Your grip size from your hand length or glove size, on Golf Pride's and Winn's own charts, with the feel test and PING's grip colors.
The right grip for sore hands, sweaty hands or an all-round feel, with every grip's sizes and weights from its maker.
Pistol, parallel, flat-front and claw putter grips in their makers' words, their weights and prices, and the stock grip on each putter we cover.
Which forgives more, which suits your stroke, a six-foot test for your misses, and the mallets we cover.
What length putter you need, checked from your own setup rather than your height, and the stock lengths of every putter we cover.
What a zero-torque putter does, the balance test, who it suits, and how each maker builds one.
When grips and wedge grooves wear out, by the makers' own advice, what a regrip costs, and when a new club is worth it.
Irons, woods, grips and grooves cleaned the right way, the grip care Golf Pride advises, and how to store clubs over winter.
Golf Pride's ten steps with a hook blade, tape and solvent, sizing a grip up with tape, and what a shop charges.
