Types of 5 Woods Available
Quick Summary
Although there are quite a few options to choose from, selecting the best 5 wood actually isn’t that difficult. There are three broad categories that you need to be aware of.
Mid Handicap 5 Woods (5 – 20 Handicap) – Most players will fall into this category. These 5 woods offer a great combination of game improvement technology, exceptional feel and impressive distance. If you just want to launch the ball long, high and straight, focus on these models.
Low Handicap 5 Woods (0-10 Handicap) – These 5 woods are designed for excellent ball strikers that want a more compact headshape and the ability to work the ball in either direction. You can expect a more penetrating ball flight, and you should find it easier to shape the ball with these models.
High Handicap 5 Woods (15 – 30 Handicap) – Most of these models have a slight draw bias and a touch more loft than the standard models. They are designed to help fight slice shots that hurtle from left to right, while the extra loft helps launch the ball even higher.
Best 5 Wood For Mid Handicaps (Most Players)
Most keen golfers fall into the 5-20 handicap range. The good news is that the list of available 5 woods is nothing short of superb. These are the key characteristics of these models:
- Very easy to launch the ball high
- Moderate backspin levels
- Designed to hit the ball long and straight, with reduced sidespin
- Very forgiving
- Super fun to hit
Taylormade SIM Max 5 Wood
The Taylormade Sim Max 5 Wood truly is a an absolute beast. You can expect a reasonable degree of workability, maximum forgiveness and impressive distance with this club.
- Ultra-low CG for improved launch and performance
- 80g v-shaped sole plate improves turf interaction, giving you the confidence to attack any lie
- Twist Face technology improves accuracy on off-center hits
- C300 steel face delivers powerful performance and unmistakable feel
- Thru-Slot Speed Pocket for increased sole flexibility promotes additional ball speed on low-face mis-hits
Ping G410 5 Wood
Powered by a forged, maraging steel face, the Ping G410 5 wood is engineered to launch the ball easily and deliver faster ball speeds on a penetrating trajectory that maximizes distance
- The low-back CG is slightly forward of G400 for faster ball speed with maximum stability and forgiveness.
- A high-density tungsten weight at the extreme perimeter of the head increase stability and forgiveness
- Adjustable hosel with eight settings, offering loft (±1.5⁰) and lie adjustments, including up to 3⁰ flatter than standard, to optimize ball flight
Cobra SpeedZone 5 Wood
The SPEEDZONE fairway features a traditional shape with back weighting and a slightly shallower face for easy launch and high, towering trajectories.
- Hollow rails flex more than solid rails, creating a 70% larger hot spot area from heel to toe for higher launch and more ball speed.
- CNC milling is up to 5 times more precise than hand polishing, and is used to ensure that every face is right up to the legal limit.
- Baffler Rails improve turf interaction by allowing the club to glide effortlessly through tight lies, thick rough, and even bunkers.
- Carbon fiber creates 10 grams of discretionary weight to move the center of gravity lower and deeper.
Callaway Mavrik 5 Wood
Callaway’s fastest fairway wood is built for confidence with a large and expansive hitting area. Featuring a single fixed weight in the sole to pull the CG low and back in the head for high launch and flat trajectory.
- Fixed weight in the sole to pull the CG low and back in the head for high launch and flat trajectory
- Unique leading edge geometry for easy launch off the fairway and the tee
- Jailbreak + Face Cup + T2C Carbon Crown for Fast Ball Speed and Forgiveness
Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo 5 Wood
The Cleveland Launcher HB Turbo 5 Woodsprovide more speed and more distance to allow avid golfers to hit higher, longer, and straighter shots off the tee or from the fairway.
- Turbocharged Cup Face, enhanced with a new variable face, provides higher COR over a larger impact area for increased ball speeds and more distance
- HiBore Crown lowers the center-of-gravity by 2.2mm, enabling a lower CG position, while the Ultralight Hosel redistributes weight low and deep for a higher launch and more forgiveness
- Discretionary mass savings positioned for significant increases to MOI, delivering more speed.
Best 5 Wood For Low Handicaps
The key to the following collection of 5 woods is versatility and control. They are designed for highly skilled players that want to shape the ball, and they share the following basic characteristics:
- Penetrating ball flight
- Mid-to-low spin
- Compact head shape
- Optimized for shot shaping
- Handicap Range: 0 – 10
Taylormade SIM 5 Wood
The Taylormade Sim 5 Wood truly is a beautiful golf club. It should suit the eye of any low handicap that wants good distance and excellent shot shaping abilities.
- Ultra-low CG for improved launch and performance
- 80g v-shaped sole plate improves turf interaction, giving you the confidence to attack any lie
- Twist Face technology improves accuracy on off-center hits
- Ultra-strong titanium face + speed pocket maximizes distance
Ping G410 LST 5 Wood
The new smaller head has a CG slightly lower and more forward than the standard head to launch the ball higher with less spin, resulting in longer shots that get airborne easily, a plus for faster swing speeds and high-spin golfers
- Smaller profile head and optimal CG location help launch shots higher with less spin
- Low-back CG is slightly forward of Ping G400 for faster ball speed with maximum stability and forgiveness
- A high-density tungsten weight at the extreme perimeter of the head increase stability and forgiveness
- Adjustable hosel with eight settings, offering loft (±1.5⁰) and lie adjustments, including up to 3⁰ flatter than standard, to optimize ball flight.
Cobra King Speedzone Tour 5 Wood
The SPEEDZONE Tour fairway features a compact shape with forward weighting to deliver low, workable trajectories with low spin that better players desire.
- Compact head shape for maximum control and workability
- Hollow rails flex more than solid rails, creating a 70% larger hot spot area from heel to toe for higher launch and more ball speed
- Baffler Rails improve turf interaction by allowing the club to glide effortlessly through tight lies, thick rough, and even bunkers
- Carbon fiber creates 10 grams of discretionary weight to move the center of gravity lower and deeper.
Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero 5 Wood
The Callaway Mavrik Sub Zero 5 wood has a compact head, face shape, and leading edge architecture in the Sub Zero are preferred by better players who like to work the ball. Includes interchangeable weights (14g and 2g) in the sole to fine-tune launch angle and spin-rate.
- Flash Face SS20 + Forged C300 Maraging Steel for Optimized Performance
- Jailbreak + Face Cup + T2C Carbon Crown for Fast Ball Speed and Forgiveness
- Twist Face technology improves accuracy on off-center hits
- Ultra-strong titanium face + speed pocket maximizes distance
Best 5 Wood For High Handicaps
If you’re a high handicapper or a beginner, you probably struggle with two fairly common problems.
High handicap Problem 1: You hit slices all the time
High handicap Problem 2: You struggle hit fairway woods high, which reduces the carry distance
Fortunately, the next selection of 5 woods are literally designed to counteract those tendencies. All of the following options have:
- Increased loft to help you launch the ball high and carry the ball further in the air
- A built-in draw bias to help counteract your slice
- All the forgiveness features found in the other 5 woods listed in this article
Taylormade Sim Max D
The SIM Max•D is engineered to help golfers avoid the right side of the course by a strategically placed heel-bias internal weight and divergent topline masking, which makes the face look more open address helping golfers close the face at impact.
- Ultra-low CG for improved launch and performance
- 80g v-shaped sole plate improves turf interaction, giving you the confidence to attack any lie
- Twist Face technology improves accuracy on off-center hits
- C300 steel face delivers powerful performance and unmistakable feel
- Thru-Slot Speed Pocket for increased sole flexibility promotes additional ball speed on low-face mis-hits
- Heel-bias weight helps close the fact at impact, which helps eliminate a slice shot
Ping G410 SFT 5 Wood
In the Ping G410 SFT (Straigh Flight Technology) 5 Wood, more heel-side weighting and a lighter swing weight help square the face to create right-to-left shot bend (RH golfers). The heads are slightly larger to drive up the MOI, and lofts are 1.5° higher to promote easier launch.
- Low-back CG is slightly forward of Ping G400 for faster ball speed with maximum stability and forgiveness
- A high-density tungsten weight at the extreme perimeter of the head increase stability and forgiveness
- Adjustable hosel with eight settings, offering loft (±1.5⁰) and lie adjustments, including up to 3⁰ flatter than standard, to optimize ball flight.
- Heel-side weighting promotes a draw shape
Callaway Mavrik Max 5 Wood
Callway’s largest and most forgiving head, with two interchangeable weights (14g and 2g) in the sole to promote MAX forgiveness or MAX draw.
- Unique leading edge geometry for easy launch off the fairway and the tee
- Jailbreak + Face Cup + T2C Carbon Crown for Fast Ball Speed and Forgiveness
- Two weighting options (14g and 2g) to provide different launch angles, spin-rates and neutral or draw bias for a wide range of players.
Callaway Big Bertha B21 5 Wood
Some golfers try to avoid using a fairway wood; they just can’t make consistent contact off of the ground or they don’t hit it as well as they would like to. The Callaway Big Bertha B21 is designed to change that. It’s super easy to hit and it has a built-in draw bias from the offset face.
- Easy To Hit
- High Ball Speeds From Flash Face SS21 + Jailbreak
- Solid Contact And Straighter Flight
Final Thoughts
The last buying tip we have is that you have to like the face of the 5 wood that you end up buying. If it doesn’t inspire confidence at address, it shouldn’t make it into your bag.
When you line the club up behind the ball, you should be excited by the possibility of an excellent shot rather than fearing the consequences of a potential disaster. It might take you some time to find the 5 wood that suits your eye and matches your swing characteristics, but when you do, it will be worth the wait. You will acquire a lethal weapon for reaching more par 5’s in two, and tackling beastly par 4’s that are designed to test even the most highly skilled golfers.
