The Best 3 Woods of 2023

Do you trust your 3 wood? Having a trustworthy 3 wood can be a real difference-maker in your golf game.

When you have confidence in your 3 wood, it’s your go-to club on tight driving holes, when your driver is acting up, and when it’s time to attack a par 5 in two shots. Players who don’t trust their 3 wood often club down to a hybrid or even a mid-iron when the top priority is keeping the ball in play. When you consider the distance loss by making that move, it really isn’t all that much safer.

So how do you find the perfect 3 wood for your game?

We tested several of today’s top 3 woods to figure out which are the best for every type of player. We’ll also give you some sound advice on what you can do if you don’t trust your 3 wood, and exactly how to find the best one for you.

Afterall, having a 3 wood in your bag that you want to hit in those make-or-break situations makes the game easier, more fun, and leads to lower scores. Let’s get going.

Because each company builds their line of fairway woods to compliment each other, intending that you use a matching 3 wood and 5 wood, for example, many of these recommendations mirror our picks of the best 5 woods of 2023. Whether you employ both a 3 wood and a 5 wood, or opt for one or the other, we believe these are the best of 2023.

Without further ado, here is our list of the best 3 woods of 2023.

Cobra: $329 | CHECK GOLF GALAXY | CHECK AMAZON

Of all the 2023 fairway woods we tested, there was one clear winner, the Cobra AeroJet. AeroJet produced the tightest dispersion and longest carry of any 3 wood we hit. For a hit-it-as-far-as-you-can club, it was extremely encouraging to see one club take the cake in both of those categories.

On top of its impressive launch monitor performance, AeroJet gives users more adjustability than most 3 woods can boast. The adjustable hosel lets you dial the loft up or down up to 1.5 degrees, and also offers a draw bias setting. While the standard AeroJet has just one weight in the rear sole to promote higher launch and forgiveness, the AeroJet Max has interchangeable heel and rear weights that let you call in some extra draw-bias if needed. Meanwhile, the AeroJet LS (low spin) has weight ports behind the face on the toe and heel, offering neutral or fade settings.

Pros:

• Best accuracy of any wood during our testing
• Adjustable hosel has draw-bias option and +/- 1.5 degrees of loft

Cons:

• Limited selection of stock shafts

Titleist: $349 | CHECK GOLF GALAXY

The TSR1 is Titleist’s self-proclaimed ultra-lightweight fairway wood, and the rear weight helps it launch high with more forgiveness. 

For comparison, the TSR1 is a whopping 20 grams lighter than the TSR2, despite a larger head. The translation is that the TSR1 just might be the perfect weapon for churing out peak club head speeds and distance for players who don’t swing it quite as fast as they used to. That’s why its our top pick for seniors. Traditionalist players will also appreciate Titleist’s signature player-preferred shape and style.

The TSR1 is a departure from our recommendation of the best 5 wood for seniors, which went to the Tour Edge Hot Launch C522. The fact is both are excellent options for many seniors. However, the Titleist may be preferred by the more accomplished players who simply need a club that can help make up for some lost swing speed, whereas the Tour Edge is better for most mid-handicap and above players who prefer a larger sweet spot, more loft and maximum forgiveness.

Pros:

• Ultra-lightweight to make it easy to generate speed
• Lower and deeper CG to easy launch and forgiveness
• Titleist’s signature player-preferred shape, sound & feel

Cons:

• Less workable than other fairway woods in Titleist’s TSR line

Tommy Armour: $149 | CHECK GOLF GALAXY

If you’re a beginning golfer, there’s a good chance there are two criteria at the top of your list when you’re shopping for a new 3 wood: low cost, and easy to bomb.

That’s exactly why we picked the Tommy Armour 845 Max 3 wood as our top choice for beginners. At just $149, you’ll notice it’s somewhere around half the cost of most of the other brand new fairway woods on this list. 

Meanwhile, the 845 Max has all the tech packed into the head that you’d expect from the most expensive brands. That includes a variable thickness face with 11 different thicknesses, meaning you get the best ball speeds even when you miss the sweet spot. That technology comes in handy for any golfer, and if you’re a beginner, you’ll really appreciate it.

Pros:

• Two Mitsubishi Tensei CK shaft options
• Available in 3-wood, 5-wood and 7-wood
• Excellent performance at an excellent price
• Ladies version available with appropriate shaft and length

Cons:

• No adjustability

Cobra: $139 | CHECK PGA TOUR SUPERSTORE | CHECK AMAZON

The Cobra AIR-X line has been a game-changer for higher handicap players who want to play the best equipment for their games. You no longer need to choose between a one-size-fits-all box set, or an expensive premium set that the pros on TV use.

The AIR-X 3 wood has a lightweight design to help boost your club head speed, and slightly more loft to help you launch it in the air easier. The slightly offset head helps you eliminate the dreaded slice, and keep your ball in the fairway more often.

With all of this from a reputable brand like Cobra, it’s hard to believe the AIR-X 3 wood checks in at just $139, but it does.

Pros:

• Lightweight and easy to swing
• Easy to launch
• Attractive price

Cons:

• Offset may not appeal to some players

TaylorMade: $349 | CHECK GOLF GALAXY | CHECK AMAZON

The low and rear center of gravity in the TaylorMade Stealth 2 3 wood makes it great for players who bring moderate and faster swing speeds, but still appreciate some extra forgiveness. That’s why it’s our pick as the best 3 wood for mid-handicappers.

Another benefit mid-handicappers will appreciate is the face, where TaylorMade has implemented a variable thickness face in order to retain as much ball speed as possible when you miss the sweet spot.

Pros:

• Available in 16.5-degree (HL) High Launch edition for players seeking a higher trajectory
• Larger footprint than its sibling the Stealth 2 Plus
• Ideal forgiveness for mid-handicap players

Cons:

• HL version only available in right-handed heads

Callaway: $175 | CHECK GOLF GALAXY USED | CHECK CALLAWAY PREOWNED

Players of any ability seeking the absolute best performing 3 wood at the absolute lowest price need to check out a pre-owned Callaway Epic Max. You can absolutely crank the Epic Max deep downrange.

Two interchangeable sole weights with centerline ports in the rear and behind the face let you pick a low spin option (heavy weight in front) or higher-launching and more forgiving option (heavy weight in the rear port). 

Add in Callaway’s Flash Face technology for more consistent ball speeds all across the face, and it’s easy to see why the Epic Max 3 wood is one of the best of the last five years.

Pros:

• Interchangeable weights to dial in your preferred launch conditions
• Top end distance
• Used demo version has likely never been hit outdoors

Cons:

• Buying used limits custom options such as availability of preferred shaft
• Pricing and configuration varies

PING: $349 | CHECK GOLF GALAXY

PING and forgiveness go together like peanut butter and jelly. The G430 MAX 3 wood is also a monster in the distance category. That’s partially because PING tweaked the face on the G430 to optimize spin on strikes high or low on the face – a result PING cleverly refers to as “spinsistency.” 

Whether or not you enjoy made-up golf marketing words, you’ll appreciate the distance-forgiveness combination you get from the G430 MAX 3 wood.

Pros:

• Adjustable hosel with up to 1.5 degrees of loft in either direction, plus lie angle tuning
• Optimized spin on top and bottom of the club face results in better overall dispersion

Cons:

• Top end price for modern fairway woods

Callaway: $349 | CHECK GOLF GALAXY

The only 3 wood to turn out greater total distance in our testing than our top overall pick, the Cobra AeroJet, is the Callaway Paradym. While AeroJet carried farther, Paradym had slightly less spin and lower launch, which helped it roll four yards past AeroJet in our testing.

With the best overall distance and maximum forgiveness from a club that’s hot all over the face, the Paradym 3 wood is a great option off pretty any tee. Whether you’re looking for dialed-down distances off certain tee boxes, or need an alternative to driver when control is more valuable than top-end distance, you’ll hardly notice a distance sacrifice when you pull the Paradym 3 wood out of the bag. 

Callaway claims Paradym is its longest fairway wood ever, and after our testing, that’s a claim we wholeheartedly believe.

Pros:

• The longest 3  wood we tested, and Callaway’s longest ever
• Available in 16.5 degree HL version
• Adjustable hosel

Cons:

• Blue crown may be a turn-off at address for some players

Sub 70: $189 | CHECK SUB 70

The Sub 70 949x 3 wood is one of the best of 2023, but the fact that it checks in comfortably under $200 makes it our pick for the best value fairway wood of the year.

It’s rare to find a fairway wood with hosel adjustability and interchangeable weights at any pricepoint. The fact that Sub 70 offers both of those features at an affordable price is actually somewhat mind-boggling.

When you drop the 949x 3 wood into your bag, you can expect it to churn out high-end ball speeds that capable of making it a weapon whether you use it off the tee or you’re trying to reach a par 5 in two shots.

Pros:

• About half the price of other top-end fairway woods
• Avialable in a 16.5-degree 4 wood with a slightly smaller head (165cc) and shorter shaft (42.5 inches)

Cons:

• Low single-digit level players may get better performance from the Sub 70 Pro fairway wood