ADAMS Speedline Fast 11 Fairway Wood

I’ve been a fan of Adams fairway woods for a long time, going back to their original Tight Lies line. Now, Adams is setting out to revolutionize fairway design once again with the Speedline F11. This club has a channel both on the crown and on the sole that’s supposed to increase the Coefficient of Restitution (trampoline effect) on the club’s face. This is a pretty big deal because previously, COR effects were limited due to the smaller size of the head. Adams claims that you can add up to 12 yards with this over previous designs.

I’d love to give this a try. Think I’ll start looking for an Adams demo day.

Pinemeadow Golf Yukon High Lofted Fairway Woods

Hybrids are a great development for the iron deficient, but try as they might, some people just can’t get the hang of them. For those, the option is a broader set of fairway woods. But it’s hard to find woods other than the standard fare of three, five and seven. Frankly, it’s hard sometimes to even acquire a seven. I’ve got an Adams nine wood, and I think I’ve seen nines from other manufacturers, but not often.

Pinemeadow golf has a nice looking solution for players who’d like to substitute irons for woods. Their Yukon fairway metals come in 3, 5, 7, 9 11, 13 and 15 woods. A five wood is the rough equivalent of a two iron, and a seven wood, a four; these are thus the equivalent of a full set of irons. Check out the specs on these.

The Yukons have a slightly longer than usual toe to heel length and a dual rail sole to help ease the club through difficult lies. I like designs with the rails—something I think I first saw in the LaJolla knife—although that was far more pronounced. I’ve built a couple of clubs with rail bottoms and found they work as advertised.

The only missing thing in this set, I think, is a four wood. That’s a club I’ve seen around—I have an old Yonex four wood with a graphite head that I picked up at a garage sale—and that I’ve read is a nice alternative for most golfers to carrying both a three and a five, which I do.

CLEVELAND Launcher FL Fairway Wood

Cleveland’s Launcher FL Fairway Wood won a silver medal in the 2011 Golf Digest Hot List.

Operating under the theory that lighter clubs = faster headspeed = more ball speed = more carry , Cleveland Golf engineers have removed wright from both the shaft and grip to reduce the total club weight by 30 grams.  Yet, since the club has a Tour leval flex-profile and a standard swing weight, the FL series has the same outstanding feel and stability as traditional, heavier fairway woods. Cleveland claims that some players have seen double-digit yardage gains due to this ultralite technology.

PING Men’s G15 Fairway TFC

This is a low profile wood with a sole weight and low center of gravity ... yada yada yada

But what caught my eye is that it comes in a 4-wood. You don’t see those much. It’s a nice club to have. Get rid of the three and five woods and pick up an extra wedge in the bag.

CALLAWAY Big Bertha Diablo Draw Fairway Wood with Graphite Shaft

Golfsmith is clearing out its Diablo Fairway Woods at $129—$70 off the regular price.

Command BK 3 Wood

The Command BK 3 wood features a Tri-Port Weighting System that utilizes a 6g and two 3g weights to adjust the weight distribution of the club head to control ball flight and accuracy. You can choose from three different configurations: More Draw: 6g weight in the heel 3g weights in the rear and toe. Less Draw: 6g weight in the rear 3g weights in the heel and toe. Slight Fade: 6g weight in the toe 3g weights in the rear and heel. The triangular design is intended to move the center of gravity towards the rear of the club for a higher launch.

TAYLORMADE Burner Steel Fairway Wood with Graphite Shaft

Last year’s Burner Fairway Woods are on sale at GolfSmith. Right now, they’re just $129.