Best new fairway woods 2014

By: Owen Davies | Fri 03 Jan 2014

2014 has seen a wave of new fairway woods enter the market with many of golf's major manufacturers announcing new product in time for the start of season including Nike, Taylormade, PING and COBRA.

PING i25

Compact and hot off the tee is how PING describe the new i25 fairway woods. The 17-4 stainless steel heads offer a sleeker frame to enhance shot making. A taller face with an extremely thin perimeter design helps increase ball velocity for distance and versatility, while improved internal weighting bolsters MOI for accuracy. Using Trajectory Tuning technology, lofts are adjustable +-1/2º. The lightweight, adjustable hosel maintains the same outer diameter and mass of PING’s traditional fixed hosels and provides the benefits of adjustability without sacrificing the performance that’s often lost in clubs with bulkier designs. PING’s industry-first PWR shaft family offers unique weights and stiffness profiles without altering swingweight.

Available S3W (14º), 3W (15º), 5W (18º) (Adjustable +- ½ degree)
Stock graphite shafts: PWR 55 (R, S); PWR 65 (R, S, Tour S, Tour XS); PWR 75 (S, Tour S, Tour XS)
RRP £220

Nike VRS Covert 2.0

Nike enjoyed a good deal of success with the first incarnation of the Covert family of clubs and now the second has Nike Covert Fairway 2.0 arrived with bang following it's unvieling at the Nike Innovation Summit late last year.

The Nike Covert 2.0's iconic High-Speed Cavity Back technology has been redisgned for longer and straighter shots, engineers lowered the center of gravity to promote a higher launch angle with reduced spin, which produces a significant improvement in distance gained.

“We worked closely with our athletes to develop tour-authentic fairway woods that were tested and proven in prototype form by our top athletes on tour in 2013,” says Nate Radcliffe, Nike Golf Director of Engineering. “We’ve adjusted the profile and lowered the center of gravity significantly in both the Tour and Performance models. This update resulted in a spin rate reduction of approximately 600 rpms, which equals an average of about eight yards of distance gained for the average player.”

VRS Covert 2.0 Tour Fairway Woods Specifications: 3W: 13°-17° (RH/LH), 5W: 17°-21° (RH/LH)
VRS Covert 2.0 Fairway Woods Specifications: 3W: 15° (RH/LH), 5W: 19° (RH/LH)

Cobra Bio Cell

As with the Driver, COBRA Golf’s new BiO CELL Fairways are designed to help golfers 'Go Long'. In order to acheive this COBRA have packed their Fairways and Hybrids with technology including MyFly8TM, SmartPadTM, E9 FaceTM and BiO CELLS,

The BiO CELL Fairways feature MyFly8, an expansion of the 2013 MyFlyTM technology. MyFly8 provides golfers the option to adjust their trajectory to 8 different loft settings in order to maximize distance, manage trajectory and optimize yardage gaps. Utilizing SmartPad technology, the face angle will stay square at address regardless of the loft setting.

Whats more the BiO CELLs work with E9 Face Technology to remove more weight from the face and crown to reposition it low and back, delivering the best combination of a super low CG and high MOI for improved distance.

The BiO CELL Fairways also feature a high strength steel insert. The forged thin, shallow high strength steel face inserts (driver like construction), enables more face flex for faster ball speeds, longer distances and higher trajectory.

TaylorMade SLDR

SLDR fairways woods combine two of TaylorMade’s most recent innovations: Speed Pocket technology and an TaylorMade SLDR Fairway Wood

exceptionally low-and-forward center of gravity (CG) location.

The new Speed Pocket is smaller (introduced in the RocketBallz fairways and Rescues), which actually makes it more efficient at increasing how fast the face flexes at impact, promoting faster initial ball speed across a wider portion of the face, which helps you get consistently long distance on every swing.

The new Speed Pocket design also gave TaylorMade engineers room to move the clubhead’s CG lower and farther forward, to a place that promotes faster ball speed and a lower spin-rate.

TaylorMade learned with the SLDR driver that a low-forward CG location allows many players to increase their loft to achieve the right combination of high-launch / low-spin that promotes maximum distance. The same thing goes for SLDR fairway which is where the Loft Sleeve technology serves such an important purpose, by allowing players to adjust the loft 1.5° up or down to dial in their optimal launch conditions.

Improved Speed Pocket design allows further-forward CG for increased ball speed
Exceptionally low-and-forward CG location promotes faster ball speed and lower spin
Compact head size and shallow face for easy launch and playability from every lie
TaylorMade loft-sleeve technology allows ±1.5° loft change
Charcoal-gray crown and titanium-gray high-contrast face for easy alignment
High loft options work with low-forward CG to promote high launch and long carry

Cleveland 588

Similar to the driver, Cleveland describe the 588 fairway wood as their longest ever which combines power and forgiveness in a versatile design. Tour-proven profile has optimal face, sole and crown dimensions to promote a clean, confidence- inspiring look from the turf or off the tee.

Cleveland's latest enhanced variable face thickness technology creates the hottest flight on centre strikes and even faster ball speed on off-centre hits for maximum forgiveness. Combined with a rear sole plug, advanced wall construction allows more weight to be positioned low in the club head for a higher launch.

Like the 588 Custom Driver, the 588 Fairway is fitted with a Premium Matrix OZIK 6Q3 Shaft as standard.

For more information on the Cleveland 588 fairway please - Click Here

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