50 Words or Less
The Cleveland HALO XL fairway wood is another reliable, consistent performer from Cleveland. Not the longest FW but very tough to mishit. Some draw bias. Easy to get airborne.
Introduction
The marketing for the Cleveland HALO XL fairway wood is not afraid to tell harsh truths, referring to avid golfers’ “disaster-prone long-game clubs.” Unless you only associate with scratch players, you know there are no lies there.
The question that remains to be answered is whether or not the HALO XL fairway wood is any different. Can this truly be a mistake-proof club or is the giant head just for show? I tested one to find out.
Looks
At address, the Cleveland HALO XL fairway wood makes a big impression. It has one of the bigger footprints of any recent fairway wood, stretching from both back to front and heel to toe. The crown has only the faintest graphics, but the HiBore Crown Step gives it a signature element.
Flipping it over, your eyes are drawn immediately to the large, centered “HALO XL” branding. This is flanked by two silver GlideRails on an otherwise black and grey sole. Overall, I like the look of this club in the bag – straightforward and bold.
Sound & Feel
The Cleveland HALO XL fairway wood shares much of its sound and feel with the HALO XL hybrid [review HERE]. Both are average in volume with a snappy impact sound. There is strong audio feedback: mishits are a thinner “tink” sound.
Your ears will let you know whether or not you struck the ball pure, and your hands will fill in the details on exactly where the ball met the face. Despite its large footprint, the HALO XL fairway wood provides good tactile feedback. That said, the character of the impact feel doesn’t change much – it’s always a middle of the bell curve feel, blending solid and quick.
Performance
If you’ve read my reviews of any of Cleveland’s 2024 woods, you know that the key word throughout is consistency. They are some of the most reliable, predictable long game clubs I’ve tested. The Cleveland HALO XL fairway wood is no exception.
Looking down at the “XL Head Design,” I wasn’t sure how things were going to turn out. Even with my new fairway-friendlier outlook, I don’t love big FW heads. However, the face of the HALO XL FW is fairly shallow, and the CG is low which makes it easy to elevate. This isn’t the highest launching fairway wood I’ve ever hit, but it’s quite consistent. You have to hit a really poor shot to not achieve a playable trajectory.
Speaking of bad shots, the HALO XL fairway wood shares the GlideRail sole with the HALO XL Hy-Wood [review HERE], and it’s equally effective here. Unless you’re tomahawking the club into the ground, the GlideRails do a great job of smoothing out the turf interaction. Practically speaking, this means that you can hit it slightly fat and still get a great result rather than watching the ball stop 30 yards from where you’re standing.
In terms of overall distance, the Cleveland HALO XL fairway wood focuses more on consistency than raw power. The spin is mid-high, though some of this is offset with the modest draw bias. Having more spin is not necessarily a bad thing, in spite of everything you may hear about the importance of low spin. In a fairway wood, low spin is great for the handful of shots that you hit perfectly – they’ll go a mile. However, when you’re a bit off, some extra spin will keep the ball airborne and make your carry distance more consistent. As with all things in golf equipment, it’s simply a choice: you can maximize your best shots or make every shot playable.
Conclusion
While my extensive testing proved that it is possible to hit a bad shot with the Cleveland HALO XL fairway wood, it does take some doing. This club delivers the nearly idiot-proof performance that it promises. If you want your long game to be less stressful, this is a club worth checking out.
Visit Cleveland Golf HERE
Cleveland HALO XL Fairway Wood Price & Specs
He founded Plugged In Golf in 2013 with the goal of helping all golfers play better and enjoy the game more.
Matt lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with his wife and two daughters.
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6 Comments
I have been playing the #3 & #5 wood for a year now and they are very good. Previously Titleist woods but struggled to get them airborne. Just bought the XL Halo irons for the same reason.
I’m a senior golfer who has trouble hitting a 3 wood off the deck but I could use a little more distance than the 5 wood which is the longest fairway club I carry. Could the Halo XL fairway 3 fill that gap or would I be better looking at the HaloXL HyWood?
Pat,
Both are work a look, though, depending on the loft of your 5W, the Hy-Wood might not be a lot longer.
Best,
Matt
That sounds like a 4 wood to me. They’re often labeled as a 3HL, usually has about 16.5° of loft.
Tried the 3 wood and the 9 wood at a fitting today. Like Matt said, it’s a pretty consistent club. Also liked that while the 3 wood has a somewhat shallow face, it wasn’t too shallow for me to hit off the tee.
Bought the driver, 3 wood and 3 and 5 hy brid.
Getting used to them as we speak, but reaching par 5 easily in 2.
Love the forgiveness and performance.