Ben Hogan sells the PTx Max direct, builds each one to order, and charges well under flagship money for it. The result is a forgiving, low-spinning fairway wood that sends the ball out fast and flat.
What's new
The PTx Max comes in three lofts: 15 degrees for a 3-wood, 18 for a 5-wood and 21 for a 7-wood. Maraging steel makes up both face and body, a carbon fiber crown saves weight up top, and the head carries a speed slot.
Hogan rates the head above 10,000 g-cm2 of MOI, helped by variable face thickness and tungsten set low and back. There is no hosel adjustment. Instead you pick shaft, grip and length when ordering, with the UST Recoil as the launch stock option and premium shafts included in the price.
How it plays
Ball speed leads the case for it. One tester measured 147 mph of ball speed from a 100 mph swing, a 1.47 smash factor, and off-center hits still stayed above 140 mph. In a robot test it posted 129.11 mph, 197.05 yards of carry and 208.8 yards total at 3,639 rpm, with a 3,118 square foot shot area.
Forgiveness scores 8.4 and accuracy 8.1, which fits a head that holds 90 percent or more of its distance across the face. Low spin also helps anyone who plays a fade or fights a slice. The 7-wood flies higher, spinning in the 4,800s with an apex just over 100 feet.
Where it lacks
Feel is solid and metallic, and it says very little about where on the face you made contact. Distance scores a modest 7.5, the lowest of its six marks, despite all that ball speed.
Because nothing adjusts after delivery, a bad shaft or loft choice stays with you. Some golfers will also find spin too low to hold shots, and those players should look at the 7-wood or go elsewhere.
“It is fast and hard to knock offline, but order it carefully, because you cannot tweak it later.”- The Club Stand gear team
Reasons to buy
- Center strikes come off with ball speed you would expect from a driver
- Keeps 90 percent or more of its distance across the face
- Your choice of shaft, grip and length comes at no extra cost
Reasons to think twice
- Solid, metallic feel gives little feedback when you miss the center
- Nothing adjusts once the club ships, so the order has to be right
- Spin runs low enough that some golfers will struggle to hold shots with it
Specs
| Lofts | 15 degrees (3-wood), 18 degrees (5-wood), 21 degrees (7-wood) |
|---|---|
| Head | Maraging steel face and body, carbon fiber crown, speed slot |
| MOI | 10,000+ g-cm2, variable face thickness, low-back tungsten |
| Adjustability | None; built to order with shaft, grip and length |
| Stock shaft | UST Recoil at launch, premium options included |
| Best for | Golfers who want low, penetrating distance at a direct-to-consumer price |
More fairway woods we've scored
- Cobra OPTM X Fairway 2026 - 9.2/10. Cobra's OPTM X fairway gets close to driver ball speed off the deck and stays straight on mishits.
- TaylorMade Qi4D Fairway 2026 - 9.0/10. The core Qi4D head won the 2026 fairway wood test by pairing top-two ball speed with tight dispersion.
- Mizuno JPX One Hybrid 2026 - 8.9/10. Mizuno's high-launching hybrid finished first in an eight-club test by hitting the tightest group of the year.
- Tour Edge Exotics Max Hybrid 2026 - 8.8/10. The longest hybrid in an eight-club 2026 test also carries the lowest price in that field.
- PING G440 Max 2025 - 8.8/10. PING's best-selling fairway wood of 2025 leads no single category, yet sits above average in all of them.
- Callaway Elyte Ti Fairway 2025 - 8.7/10. Callaway's titanium Elyte fairway wood pairs a carbon crown with a Step Sole that glides through turf.