[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":20},["ShallowReactive",2],{"article-taylormade-golf-clubs-taylormade-fairway-woods-compared":3},{"slug":4,"title":5,"subtitle":6,"image":7,"imageAlt":8,"category":9,"html":12,"wordCount":13,"prev":14,"next":17},"taylormade-fairway-woods-compared","TaylorMade Fairway Woods Compared","Where each fairway wood sits on launch, forgiveness and workability — and which slot it fills.","\u002Fimg\u002Ftaylormade-golf-clubs\u002Ftaylormade-fairway-woods-compared_taylormade-fairway-woods.png","TaylorMade Fairway Woods Compared illustration",{"slug":10,"title":11},"taylormade-golf-clubs","TaylorMade Golf Clubs","\u003Ch3>The fairway wood does two different jobs\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Before comparing models, decide what you actually need the club for. A 3-wood used mostly off the tee on tight holes is a different club from a 3-wood used to reach a par 5 from the fairway. The first wants control and a lower, more penetrating flight. The second wants launch and forgiveness from the deck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most golfers buy for the second job and then use it for the first, which is why so many 3-woods sit unused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>The current family\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>TaylorMade’s fairway woods carry the same \u003Cstrong>Qi4D\u003C\u002Fstrong> suffixes as the driver, which makes fitting straightforward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Qi4D\u003C\u002Fstrong> — the standard build, a sensible all-round starting point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Qi4D Max\u003C\u002Fstrong> — the largest footprint and the highest stability. Easiest to launch from the fairway. If your fairway wood is a scoring club rather than a tee club, this is the shape to look at first.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Qi4D Max Lite\u003C\u002Fstrong> — the lightweight build. Genuinely useful if you struggle to get a fairway wood airborne off the deck, which is one of the most common problems in the game.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Qi4D Tour\u003C\u002Fstrong> — built for control over forgiveness, aimed at players who already compress the ball well and want a more penetrating flight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Loft matters more than model\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Here is the part most golfers get wrong. A 3-wood at a higher loft is far easier to hit from the fairway than a low-lofted one, and the distance difference is smaller than you expect. Many mid-handicappers would score better replacing a strong 3-wood with a higher-lofted wood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Higher-lofted fairway woods have quietly become some of the most useful clubs available. They launch high, land soft, and are dramatically easier to hit from rough than a long iron.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Ch3>Matching it to the rest of the bag\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>Check the gap between your driver and your longest iron or hybrid, then fill it deliberately:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cul>\n\u003Cli>If your driver carries far more than your longest iron, you have a real hole — that’s two clubs, not one.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>If you rarely face a shot needing a 3-wood from the fairway, don’t carry one. A higher-lofted wood or a Rescue will get more use.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003Cli>Check carry distances, not total distance. Roll-out varies too much to plan with.\u003C\u002Fli>\n\u003C\u002Ful>\n\u003Ch3>Adjustability\u003C\u002Fh3>\n\u003Cp>TaylorMade’s fairway woods generally offer an adjustable hosel, which lets you tune loft and face angle. Use it to fine-tune launch — but remember that adjusting loft also changes face angle slightly, so make the change on a launch monitor rather than in the car park.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cstrong>Coach’s tip:\u003C\u002Fstrong> Test fairway woods off the turf, not off a mat with a perfect lie. Mats flatter every fairway wood and hide the ones you cannot launch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003C\u002Fblockquote>\n\u003Cp>\u003Cem>Model names current as of September 2026.\u003C\u002Fem>\u003C\u002Fp>\n",466,{"slug":15,"title":16},"which-taylormade-driver-suits-your-swing","Which TaylorMade Driver Suits Your Swing?",{"slug":18,"title":19},"taylormade-rescue-hybrids-vs-driving-irons-which-fits-your-bag","TaylorMade Rescue Hybrids vs Driving Irons: Which Fits Your Bag",1788299818160]