The Best 5 Wood Golf Clubs to Improve Your Golfing Distance!

The best 5 wood golf clubs are used for added distance. With this golf club, you can hit the ball from even more places around the course, thus hitting even more distance. It’s a good addition to your golf bag, but just like making any other purchase, it’s difficult to choose among the many different brands.

Not to worry, as we point out the eight best 5 wood golf clubs to narrow down your choices. Read on to learn all about 5 wood golf clubs and our recommendations!

Best 5-Wood Golf Clubs

If you aren’t too familiar with what 5 wood golf clubs are, these are long clubs that hit lower and longer shots, with a standard loft being 20-22 degrees. Thanks to their higher loft and shorter shaft length, they are easier to hit off the ground than the likes of a 3-wood. The extra loft will help get the golf ball to fly further while giving you more control.

After testing and reviewing the top 5 wood clubs out there, we narrow it down to eight of them, which we relay below:

1. Cobra Men’s Speedzone Fairway – Best Overall

Pros
  • Cost-effective price compared to competitors
  • Versatile and fits all types of players
  • Easy to adjust the loft
  • Comes with Cobra Connect technology
Cons
  • Has a unique club head shape that takes time to get used to
  • Some complaints of loft adjustability

This 5 wood gold club is the successor of the F9 Speedback Fairways from the past year. The company went above and beyond with their woods, creating a 5 wood club made for any player, whether beginner or expert.

No matter what your handicap is, if you’re focusing more on feel, distance, and forgiveness, the Cobra Speedzone Fairway will give you just that. However, do note that the Speedzone is best suited for golf players with handicaps from 5-25, giving them a higher launch and low spin.

This 5 wood golf club is adjustable in terms of loft, coming in a 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8 version. You can adjust the 5 wood from 17-20 degrees. 

Besides the versatility, these clubs are suitable for all player types, as mentioned above. The clubs have one of the fastest ball speeds around, with players able to track the ball’s flight and distance. This is thanks to the Cobra Connect Technology, which allows you to check how far the woods travel to ensure you prep them in ways that suit your particular needs.

With the right combination of feel, distance, performance, and technology, it’s hard for the Cobra Speedway Fairway to not be our number 1 on the list.

2. TaylorMade SIM MAX Fairway – Best for High Handicappers

Pros
  • V-Steel technology for improved turf interaction
  • Ultra-Low center of gravity
  • Can deliver straight shots
  • Can combat hooks and slices
Cons
  • Comes at an expensive price
  • Doesn’t include an adjustable loft sleeveå

TaylorMade’s SIM series is the direct competitor to Callaway’s Mavrik series. In our list, we review the SIM MAX Fairway, which offers fantastic sound, superb ball speeds, and an excellent feel. It also features the Taylormade twist face technology, which helps keep the face angle as square as possible.

This fairway wood has a V-Steel sole design and ultra-low CG as well, with a Thru Slot Speed Pocket that greatly improves the overall performance. With its low CG, the club offers an excellent launch for better distance. The V-Steel sole will also smoothly push the club head, allowing it to glide through the turf for cleaner contact.

Moreover, the speed pocket will help improve the clubface flex, delivering faster ball speed even if you have an off-center mishit. With all those features, the club is best for high handicappers who want more accuracy and consistency with their distance.

3. Callaway Mavrik Fairway – Best for Forgiveness

Pros
  • Has Flash Face and Face Cup Technology for improved forgiveness
  • Improved sound and feel
  • Great turf interaction
  • Provides maximum ball speed
Cons
  • The club head might be too large
  • Has no interchangeable weight feature

Players will appreciate how Callaway utilizes artificial intelligence in their clubs! The company claims to create a club that is the longest wood yet! There are three models under the Mavrik Woods, which are the Mavrik Max, Mavrik Sub Zero, and the Mavrik.

We’ll be focusing more on the Mavrik Fairway, which offers a low center of gravity, carbon crown, and impressive ball speeds. Moreover, thanks to the face cup technology, the Callaway Mavrik Fairway is suitable for players who want more distance with the balance of forgiveness. Note that the loft is 18 degrees on this club.

This wood features 18 degrees of loft and is described as a relatively simple wood to launch. The performance is outstanding, with the speeds prompting a mid to high launch with maximum carry and total distance. The way the Mavrik Fairway was constructed also helps with turf interaction for cleaner contact on lies from the course.

We highly recommend this 5 wood club for mid-handicappers who have a moderate swing speed.

4. Callaway Big Bertha B21 – Best for a Slice

Pros
  • The wood helps reduce slices
  • It’s easier to swing 
  • High launch and consistent distance
  • Encourages straight shots for accuracy
Cons
  • The design may restrict workability
  • Offset profile might not be too appealing for some

Did you know that the Callaway Big Bertha is the company’s easiest launching fairway wood? It’s known for delivering high ball speeds and a straighter flight, which is what any gold player aims for!

The Big Bertha B21 features a shallow clubface with the company’s jailbreak bars and Flash Face SS21 to help with stability. In terms of loft, the B21 has 18 degrees, which is the standard we have seen in our list of best 5 wood clubs so far.

We appreciate the shallow face on the fairway wood, which helps with the turf interaction. Moreover, this awesome feature helps send the golf ball flying high at a great distance. With the Flash Face feature, you can expect maximum ball speed across the clubface’s expanded area, with the jailbreak bars adding stability, thus enhancing the club’s moment of inertia (MOI).

With that increased MOI, the club will combat side spin that would usually result in a slice, so it encourages long and straight shots. This wood is best for high handicappers, as well as beginners who still struggle with a slice when playing.

5. Callaway Golf 2022 Rogue ST Max – Best for Premium

Pros
  • Helps in lowering spins
  • Encourages accelerated ball speed
  • One of the best for forgiveness
  • Great stability upon impact
Cons
  • It comes at a premium price
  • Cartridge sticks out from the back of the crown at address

If you’ve got the budget and want that premium feel, then you’ll like the Rogue ST MAX 5 Wood by Callaway. It’s a new product that features an AI jailbreak system with a 27-gram tungsten speed cartridge. Moreover, the design is strong and attractive as it is functional, built with maraging C300 steel and a face cup.

This wood offers 18 degrees of loft, which is marginally sturdier than other comparable woods of its kind, but not by a significant amount.

As for the performance and accuracy, the wood is designed with a jailbreak system, adding stability to the perimeter as it optimizes face flex. As a result, you’ll have an accelerated ball speed across the face with consistent distance, even if you have heel and/or toe mishits.

Adding to that, it has a tungsten speed cartridge that repositions the CG forward, encouraging fast ball speed and lowering the spin. It’s a forgiving wood producing a mid-degree launch for max distance. We recommend it for high handicappers with a moderate swing speed.

6. Cleveland Golf Launcher HB Turbo – Best for Beginners

Pros
  • Better ball speed and high launch
  • Offers excellent forgiveness
  • Increased clubhead speed
Cons
  • Not as abundant technologies compared to competitors
  • Not the best for those with higher swing speeds

The Cleveland Gold Launcher HB Turbo features a Hi Borne crown, which helps lower the CG by about 0.08 inches. It also has deep and low weighting for added forgiveness.

Another notable feature is its light Miyazaki C Kua shaft, which makes the wood easier to swing while allowing added weight to be placed in the clubhead for better MOI.

As for the loft, the 5 wood is 18 degrees, which is easier for the average golfer to launch and get their golf balls airborne consistently.

The 5 wood is fairly simple and besides the ease of launching it to the air, it’s designed in a way to offer optimum forgiveness with ball speed and accuracy. The excellent MOI will help resist any face twisting, thus allowing for straighter shots. Also, the fast face will encourage rapid ball speed for a great distance.

We highly recommend this 5 wood club for beginners or high handicappers who want increased length. It’s got the hassle-free launch, distance, and forgiveness you’ll desire.

7. Callaway Golf 2019 Epic Flash – Best for Looks and Sound

Pros
  • Amazing sound and feel
  • Uses AI to create the design for excellent performance
  • Simple and powerful adjustability
Cons
  • Some complaints of receiving a broken shaft
  • Comes at a higher price than other fairway woods

The Callaway Epic Flash looks sleek and offers meaningful adjustability. Moreover, it’s one of the most forgiving on the list. It features the Flash Face design with the jailbreak system and lighter carbon fiber in the crown, greatly improving the performance.

The wood increases the likelihood of consistent and long carry distances with simple yet impactful adjustability. These all translate to optimum ball speed and long drives in mishits and pure strikes.

When talking about the sound and feel, you will hear a crack falling in the middle of the sound spectrum, sounding just right. It would sound fast and explosive, but not too loud. Moreover, the head is very stable and offers a lot of feedback through the hands.

8. PXG 2021 – Best for the Budget

Pros
  • Impressive turf interaction
  • High moment of inertia
  • Rapid ball speed off the face
  • Great feel and acoustics
Cons
  • Restricted workability
  • It may not be suitable for more advanced players

If you’re focused on your budget but don’t want to scrimp on quality (who does?), then you’ll greatly appreciate the PXG 2021. It’s an affordable wood with a high-strength face, allowing for rapid ball speeds and railed sole geometry for optimum turf interaction.

Furthermore, it’s constructed with a honeycomb TPE insert, which enhances the wood’s feel and sound at impact, while the adjustable weight allows any player to prep for their suitable launch. And lastly, the wood’s hybrid crown construction helps with the club head speed, delivering better MOI.

Like the other woods here, the loft is set at 18 degrees and it’s easier for those with a moderate swing speed to launch consistently. This wood would resist twisting by producing increased MOI, promoting straighter shots and accuracy. Moreover, the high-speed face offers rapid ball speed across the wood’s face, giving the ball a farther distance.

And finally, the wood’s railed sole geometry offers amazing turf interaction for a cleaner strike from any lie on the course. With all those features in mind, we recommend the PXG 2021 for mid- to high handicappers looking for something more affordable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now that you know about the best 5 wood golf clubs, what else is there to know about them? Check out these frequently asked questions:

Can You hit a 5-Wood Rough?

The 5 wood is known to be easier to hit than a 3 wood, which is suitable for those who want forgiveness. Because of that and the distance you can get from it, it’s possible to hit it rough.

A simulation was made by Jimfuryk, which showed what it would be like to have a 5 wood hit a rough. It got out as easily as a hybrid and went a tad farther than it, with enough height and a steep enough landing angle to stop on greens. The only issue was it wouldn’t be as quick as hybrid clubs.

How far Should a Beginner Hit a 5-Wood?

On average, a recreational golfer would hit with their 5 wood golf club about 216 yards, but the range would vary from 200-240 yards.

What about beginners? For men, they would hit with a 5-wood at an average of 170-195-210 yards, while women would hit 105-135-170 yards.

Remember that this is only an average and a guide based on amateur golfers and to take those numbers with a pinch of salt, as every golfer is different with many factors affecting the distance, like the golf ball type, wind direction, course, gender, age, and even fitness level, among others.

Should a High Handicapper Use a 3- or 5-Wood?

If you are a high-handicap golfer, you most likely struggle with getting the golf ball airborne, let alone controlling it to launch even higher. When these situations arise, you can use all the help you can get by using golf balls that are much easier to heat.

Moreover, you may also want to use 3 wood over 5 wood. A 3 wood gold club would have a higher loft, which can achieve the trajectory you need.

Should I Carry a 5-Wood or 3-Hybrid?

The choice between a 5-wood and 3-hybrid isn’t a simple one. It depends on your wants and goals for the course.

If you are looking for something easier to hit off the tee with a bigger yardage advantage, then you’ll want to carry a 5-wood. It also doesn’t hook as easily compared to a 3-hybrid.

However, if you wish to have better versatility of the fairway and rough with a higher lofted option, you may want to get a 3-hybrid. This would also be easier to hit a draw with.

What’s the Easiest 5-Wood to Hit?

After much review, it seems that the 5-wood brands from Callaway and TaylorMade are the most forgiving Fairway woods. The Callaway Big Bertha B21, in particular, is a good option if more forgiveness is what you need.

Is a 5-Wood Easier to Hit than a Driver?

Many golfers believe that 5 woods are easier to hit than drivers, and this may be due to the shorter length.

What Loft Should a 5-Wood Be?

The loft of a 5-wood should be between 18-21 degrees. If you carry a 5-wood and 3-wood, the former shouldn’t be over 3-4 higher than the latter. So, if your 3-wood has 15 degrees of loft, the 5-wood should be about 18-19 degrees.

Wrapping It Up

Finding the best 5 wood golf clubs doesn’t need to take so much time. As long as you’re knowledgeable about what you’re looking for, you can find the one best suited for you. Check out any of the best 5 wood golf clubs above and see if you can find “the one” from our selection!

Hopefully, our purchasing guide on the best 5 wood golf clubs helped you out. Don’t wait any longer and start equipping your golf bag with only the best equipment to improve your golfing skills on the greens today.

Photo of author

Jim Furyk

One of the PGA TOUR’s most recognizable and talented golfers, Jim Furyk was born on May 12, 1970 in West Chester, Pennsylvania. It seems like Furyk was born to play golf; his father Mike as an assistant pro at Edgmont Country club, and young Jim was raised into the game. Jim Furyk’s only golf instruction came from his father; and many note that might account for his unusual—yet effective—swing. In addition to Edgmont Country Club, Mike Furyk also served as head pro at Uniontown Country Club.

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