Best 5 Woods of 2023 For Every Type of Golfer
A 5-wood is a highly-versatile club. It can be your driver-alternative when driver is unnessecsary, or uncooperative. It can also be your get-home-in-two club on those reachable par-5s, and some players even enjoy using a 5-wood to roll greenside shots up to the hole instead of attempting to chip from a tricky lie.
However you use your 5-wood, you want the best one for your game. These are the eight best 5-woods of 2023.
The 8 Best 5-Woods of 2023
We put many of today’s top fairway woods to the test, examining distance, accuracy, forgiveness and feel to wittle them down to this list of the eight best.
Cobra Aerojet: Best Overall
In our testing, the Cobra Aerojet fairway wood produced the best combination of distance and accuracy of any wood we tested. No matter who you are, that’s a combination that will help your game.
Loft |
18 degrees |
Length |
42.5 inches |
Head Size |
159cc |
Pros:
- Adjustable hosel
- Most accurate of any wood we tested
Cons:
- Limited stock shaft selection
Callaway Paradym: Best for Distance
The Callaway Paradym fairway wood was a close second in our testing. The Paradym delivered the best ball speeds and total distance of any wood we tested, and its aerodynamic shaping resulted in a measurable increase in clubhead speed without any extra effort.
Loft |
18 degrees |
Length |
42.75 inches |
Head Size |
154cc |
Pros:
- Best 5 wood for distance
- Top ball speeds across the entire club face
Cons:
- Two-tone crown could be a turnoff for some players
Sub 70 949X: Best Value 5 Wood
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The Sub 70 949X 5 wood packs all the performance you need at a price you can stomach. The 949X is a game-improvement fairway wood with interchangeable weights that give you the option to add a draw-bias if you need it. Meanwhile, it produces high-end ball speeds with a forgiving face.
Loft |
18 degrees |
Length |
42 inches |
Head Size |
160cc |
Pros:
- Interchangeable weights for draw-bias option
- Less than half the price of most competitors
Cons:
- May not be ideal for low single-digit level players may
Tour Edge Hot Launch C522: Best 5 Wood for Seniors
The Tour Edge Hot Launch C522 fairway woods are designed to be easy to hit and produce optimal distance, no matter what your swing speed is. The variable thickness face gives you a larger sweet spot, while the high MOI means you get more accurate shots.
Loft |
19 degrees |
Length |
42 inches |
Head Size |
160cc |
Pros:
- Easy-to-hit large sweet spot
- One of the best value 5 woods available today
Cons:
- Not available in left-handed
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PING Women's G430 MAX: Best for Women
The PING G430 MAX 5 wood is among the most forgiving, and longest 5 woods of 2023. The face is designed to produce consistent spin numbers from top to bottom, while the strategically-placed weights in the club head optimize distance on, and away from, the sweet spot.
Loft |
18 degrees |
Length |
42.5 inches (Customize as needed) |
Head Size |
165cc |
Pros:
- Maximum forgiveness in a 5 wood
- Adjustable loft and lie angle
Cons: Top end price
Golf Club Length Chart for Any Golfer (of Any Size)
Cobra AIR-X: Best 5 Wood for High-Handicappers
The Cobra AIR-X line of woods is designed to be lightweight and easy to swing, while producing the distance and forgiveness that will get anybody hooked on the game of golf. A little offset in the hosel helps reduce a slice and keep you in the fairway
Loft |
20 degrees |
Length |
42.5 inches |
Head Size |
165.3cc |
Pros:
- Entry level price for high-performance 5 wood
- Lightweight from top to bottom makes it easy to swing
Cons:
- No adjustability
TaylorMade Stealth 2: Best for Mid-Handicappers
The TaylorMade Stealth 2 5 wood is a prime candidate for improving, mid-handicap golfers because it delivers enough distance to use it off the tee, and it’s easy enough to hit out of the fairway on longer holes. In our testing, Stealth 2 produced the highest top-end ball speed of any fairway wood.
Loft |
18 degrees |
Length |
42.25 inches |
Head Size |
170cc |
Pros:
- Maximum ball speeds
- Confidence-inspiring looks
Cons:
- Top-end price for fairway woods
Callaway Epic Speed: Best Used 5 Wood
If the cost of new golf equipment is preventing you from upgrading your 5 wood, you’ve got options. At CallawayGolfPreowned.com you can snag a gently-used, top-of-the-line 5 wood for about one-third the price of some of the others on this list. The Callaway Epic Speed 5 wood is built for better players, with weight closer to the face to promote a lower launch resulting in a less-forgiving face than some higher-handicap players might prefer. For players who need more forgiveness across the face, check out the Callaway Epic Max.
Loft |
18 degrees |
Length |
42.75 inches |
Head Size |
154cc |
Pros:
- Low spin with slight draw bias produces huge distances
- Modern tech in an affordable 5 wood
Cons:
- Likely too low-spin for mid-handicap or high-handicap players, who should consider Epic Max
The Easiest Way to Find Cheap Golf Clubs
Optimize the Top of Your Bag
Figure out how far you actually hit every club between your driver and your longest iron. If you’ve got a gap of more than 20-25 yards between two clubs, or if you hit two different clubs within 10 yards of each other, there’s room to optimize your setup. There are plenty of great 5 woods available today that can help your game.
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