Best 5 Woods of 2023 For Every Type of Golfer

By
, GolfLink Editor
Updated December 12, 2023
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The Best 5 Woods of 2023
  • DESCRIPTION
    The Best 5 Woods of 2023
  • SOURCE
    PGA Tour Superstore; Golf Galaxy
  • PERMISSION
    Permission given by PGA Tour Superstore and Golf Galaxy

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.

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Cobra Aerojet: Best Overall

Cobra Aerojet Fairway Wood
  • DESCRIPTION
    Cobra Aerojet Fairway Wood
  • SOURCE
    PGA Tour Superstore
  • PERMISSION
    Permission given by PGA Tour Superstore

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

Callaway Paradym Fairway Wood
  • DESCRIPTION
    Callaway Paradym Fairway Wood
  • SOURCE
    PGA Tour Superstore
  • PERMISSION
    Permission given by PGA Tour Superstore

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
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Sub 70 949X: Best Value 5 Wood

Sub 70 949X Fairway Wood
  • DESCRIPTION
    Sub 70 949X Fairway Wood
  • SOURCE
    Sub 70 Golf
  • PERMISSION
    Permission given by Sub 70 Golf

CHECK SUB 70

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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

Tour Edge Hot Launch C522 Fairway Wood
  • DESCRIPTION
    Tour Edge Hot Launch C522 Fairway Wood
  • SOURCE
    PGA Tour Superstore
  • PERMISSION
    Permission given by PGA Tour Superstore

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

PING Women's G430 MAX Fairway Wood
  • DESCRIPTION
    PING Women's G430 MAX Fairway Wood
  • SOURCE
    Dick's Sporting Goods/Golf Galaxy
  • PERMISSION
    Permission given by Dick's Sporting Goods/Golf Galaxy

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

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Cobra AIR-X: Best 5 Wood for High-Handicappers

Cobra AIR-X Fairway Wood
  • DESCRIPTION
    Cobra AIR-X Fairway Wood
  • SOURCE
    PGA Tour Superstore
  • PERMISSION
    Permission given by PGA Tour Superstore

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
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TaylorMade Stealth 2: Best for Mid-Handicappers

TaylorMade Stealth 2 Fairway Wood
  • DESCRIPTION
    TaylorMade Stealth 2 Fairway Wood
  • SOURCE
    PGA Tour Superstore
  • PERMISSION
    Permission given by PGA Tour Superstore

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

Callaway Epic Speed Fairway Wood
  • DESCRIPTION
    Callaway Epic Speed Fairway Wood
  • SOURCE
    PGA Tour Superstore
  • PERMISSION
    Permission given by PGA Tour Superstore

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
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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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