Golf

The most consistent 3-woods of 2024, according to robot testing

TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max fairway wooden earned excessive marks on off-center strikes throughout robot testing.

Jonathan Wall/GOLF

For most weekend golfers, the motive force is the most-used membership off the tee by a large margin. Boasting the most important profile and lots of distance, it may be a complete game-changer, supplied you’re enjoying one thing that’s constructed to improve your strengths and mitigate widespread misses.

But what occurs when the motive force misbehaves? As a lot as we’d all like to find a way to work on these points on the course, it pays to have a dependable secondary choice off the tee. And presumably from the green.

This is the place a consistent 3-wood is usually a godsend.

For the newest spherical of robotic testing with Golf Laboratories’ swing robot, we put 2024 3-woods beneath a microscope to see how they carried out at 95 mph. More particularly, how every carried out on heel and toe misses. Let’s go to the numbers.

(How we calculate: Each 15-degree 3-wood is examined utilizing a 3-point face mapping. We hit 6 balls out of the toe and heel after which in contrast the information to the geometric heart.)

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TaylorMade Qi10 Max | 7.6 yards of distance dropoff between geometric heart and the opposite mishit places


TaylorMade Qi10 Max Custom Fairway Wood

$349.99

Introducing the Qi10 Max fairway. Experience TaylorMade speed with Qi10 forgiveness…off the tee and off the deck.
EFFORTLESS PERFORMANCE

The Qi10 Max Fairway boasts an ultra-high MOI construction. Internal mass pads are positioned for maximum forgiveness with weight moved to the extreme low back, making this fairway TaylorMade’s easiest to hit in the line.  
NEW INFINITY CARBON CROWN

An Infinity Crown provides a clean, uninterrupted view at address while also optimizing performance.

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Insights: Saw virtually no distance loss on heel strikes at 0.8 yards. To put that quantity into perspective, virtually each 3-wood examined had a carry distance loss delta between 10-15 yards on the identical heel miss. Toe strikes misplaced 14.4 yards, which was nearer to the imply. An glorious choice if you happen to reside within the heel.

Cobra Darkspeed LS | 8.4 yards


Cobra DarkSpeed LS Custom Fairway Wood

$429.99

The LS model features our first ever Titanium fairway construction for driver-like performance in a refined clubhead shape tailored for precise shot shaping.

TOUR INSPIRED SHAPING

Subdued clubhead styling inspires a Tour-validated look and feel at address.
TITANIUM CONSTRUCTION
A multi-material construction blends a lightweight 8-1-1 Titanium body and face, and a carbon crown to improve weight distribution for more distance.

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Insights: A reverse of the Qi10 Max with a small carry loss delta of simply 2.7 yards on toe strikes. Only one different fairway wooden (Ping G430 LST) got here inside 3 yards of Cobra’s toe strike quantity. Lost 14 yards on heel strikes, inserting it inside the center of the pack.

PXG 0311 Black Ops | 9.9 yards


PXG 0311 Black Ops Custom Fairway Wood

$349.99

High-Strength Carbon Fiber Crown
Crown made entirely from high-grade carbon fiber. This lightweight material saves mass in the crown, allowing it to be redistributed low and to the perimeter of the clubhead for optimal CG and addedforgiveness.
Supported Weight Structure
Innovative supported weight structure that delivers unbelievable sound and feel.
High-Speed, Squared Face
PXG 0311 Black Ops Fairways present a proprietary stainless steel face engineered to position the CG low for high launch, optimal spin performance, and insanely fast ball speeds.

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Insights: One of the extra consistent fairway woods to bear testing. The carry loss delta between heel and toe was lower than 2 yards, that means you can miss it off the heel or toe and see related distance numbers. Toe misses noticed carry distance drop by 9 yards, whereas heel strikes recorded a good carry delta at 10.8 yards.

Cobra Darkspeed Max | 10 yards


Cobra DarkSpeed Max Custom Fairway Wood

$329.99

The MAX model features tunable draw-bias and unrivaled stability to inspire maximum confidence from the fairway or off the tee.

MORE LAUNCH. MORE BALL SPEED.

The PWRSHELL insert and suspended weight PWR-BRIDGE design create a more flexible face and sole to maximize launch and ball speed.
SPEED & SPIN OPTIMIZATION
An A.I. designed H.O.T. Face features an optimized variable thickness pattern that delivers more efficient speed & spin across the clubface.

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Insights: While not as consistent because the PXG, Cobra’s Max mannequin additionally noticed tighter carry loss deltas throughout the heel and toe areas. Toe strikes drop distance by 7.7 yards — one of six fairway woods to file a single-digit quantity — in contrast to 12.7 yards on heel misses. Fairway wooden lives up to the Max title.

Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke Triple Diamond | 10.9 yards


Callaway Paradym Ai Smoke TD Custom Fairway Wood

$349.99

Ai SMOKE TD FAIRWAY
The new Paradym Ai Smoke fairway represents a quantum leap forward in Callaway’s Ai journey. This new family of fairway woods feature the most sophisticated face in Callaway history, the Ai Smart Face.
Breakthrough Fairway Performance Powered by Ai Smart Face™
Ai Smoke fairway woods utilize Ai Smart Face; a breakthrough technology in face design that utilizes thousands of actual player swings. Every Ai Smart Face is designed to optimize launch and spin, creating sweet spots across the face.
Workable Shape and Penetrating Ball Flight
The Triple Diamond fairway wood will benefit golfers who want to work the ball, and typically have faster swing speeds for a penetrating ball flight with lower spin.

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Insights: One of two low-spin choices to make the listing. Saw Max-esque carry loss deltas on heel and toe strikes, a formidable feat for a fairway wooden designed with a extra ahead heart of gravity. Toe strikes ended up close to the center of the pack at 13.4 yards in contrast to 8.3 yards of distance loss out of the heel. Triple Diamond was one of solely three 3-woods to file a single-digit quantity within the heel quadrant.

Want to overhaul your bag for 2024? Find a becoming location close to you at GOLF’s affiliate firm True Spec Golf.

JWall

Jonathan Wall

Golf.com Editor

Jonathan Wall is GOLF Magazine and GOLF.com’s Managing Editor for Equipment. Prior to becoming a member of the employees on the finish of 2018, he spent 6 years masking gear for the PGA Tour. He may be reached at jonathan.wall@golf.com.


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