Why are they called Fairway Woods?  The reason being they used to be made of wood.  Now, they are made using the same materials as the Driver.  The Golf Driver is also a wood, it is the #1 wood  but it is referred to as the Driver.  Sometimes people refer to fairway woods as fairway metals.

The most common fairway woods are the #3 and #5.  Although you can find some fairway woods ranging from #2 up to a #15.  Starting with the #3 Fairway Wood the loft is around 15 degrees (this varies +/- a degree or 2 depending on the manufacturer) the lofts get greater the higher the number fairway wood you have i.e. the #5 is around 19 degrees the #7 24 degrees and so on.

The Fairway Wood is designed for what it’s name implies, playing off the fairway.  Because the head is larger and shaped like the driver you can expect to get some distance.  You will not get as much distance as the driver but a #3 wood in the right hands will go 200+ yards.

Since the advent of the Hybrid Iron many golfers are opting out of the #5 and #7 fairway woods and going with comparable lofted Hybrid irons.

Deciding which fairway woods you will carry will depend on you and your personal game.  I, for example, only carry a #3 fairway wood and a #1 Hybrid Iron, the #1 hybrid iron is comparable to a driving iron, more on that later.  So, for the beginner, get the #3 and #5 Fairway Wood along with a Golf Driver for your wood set and once you start getting better, get rid of what you do not need and get other clubs you do need.

Take a look at our article covering all of the different kinds of clone golf clubs we offer that comprise a full set in our What are the Golf Clubs in a Set article. And be sure to follow our series with the next Meet the Clubs article where we discuss Golf Irons.