Ben Hogan PTx MAX Fairway Wood Review

Published July 28, 2026 at 3:45 am by Andy Hayes, Matt Saternus

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The Ben Hogan PTx MAX fairway wood has driver-level ball speeds and a lot of forgiveness. Low bombs, which begs the question, “Is this good for a fairway wood?”

Introduction

Fairway woods are one of the most personal clubs in the bag. It’s a routine occurrence to see professionals with an older model fairway wood in the bag. For me, my fairway wood is the oldest club I use, and I haven’t been able to find something to beat it out. Everyone has something they are looking for: distance, height, stopping power, or an alternative club off the tee. The Ben Hogan PTx MAX fairway wood provides a lot of distance and forgiveness, which will make it a great option for some and a poor fit for others.

Looks

I love the proportions of the Ben Hogan PTx MAX fairway wood. The face is narrow and frames the ball nicely as the crown widens the club out. This gives the feel that the club head is smaller than it actually is. This, along with the shallow face, make the club appear very friendly to hit, especially on shots off the deck.

The crown is a shiny black carbon fiber, and has a classic “BH” logo for the alignment aid that gives the club a unique blend of modern looks with a vintage feel of Ben Hogan clubs from the past. The white scoring lines highlight the loft of the face at address, a look I prefer to a blacked out face finish that doesn’t give as much sense of the depth of the face.

In the bag, the Ben Hogan PTx MAX fairway wood looks rather generic. The sole of the club is mostly black, with a few white and yellow lines. This is a missed opportunity. I love the vintage look of the white, red, and gold head cover, as well as the “BH” logo, and I wish Ben Hogan leaned into its retro charm. It could have been a way for this club to stand out in a crowded space. [See Price / Buy]

Sound & Feel

Ben Hogan PTx MAX fairway wood has a solid, metallic feel. It’s very average compared to other big name companies. When the $219 price point is considered, it is a great value, and the feel isn’t something I would hold against it. There is a lack of feedback on off-center strikes. I prefer to be able to feel when I hit the ball off the toe or the heel, but with the Ben Hogan PTx MAX fairway wood, all strikes felt quite similar. If you are used to a fair amount of mishits in your round, you may like the consistency of feel on all strikes.

The sound has a consistent medium volume with a medium pitch. Like the feel, there was not much of a difference in sound on off-center strikes.

Performance

Ben Hogan PTx MAX fairway wood is advertised as having Max Forgiveness, Optimal Spin and Launch, and Easy Distance. There is a lot of truth there, but some things that need further explanation.

On center strikes the Ben Hogan PTx MAX fairway wood produces very high ball speeds, which create a lot of distance. In my testing, I was swinging around 100mph, and center strikes produced a ball speed of 147 MPH, which resulted in a total distance of 265 yards. A 147 ball speed at 100mph is a smash factor of 1.47, which is the same level of efficiency I produce with my driver. On mishits, the ball speed stayed above 140mph, which is a good amount of forgiveness for a fairway wood. So yes, this is easy distance due to the high ball speed. It is a forgiving club, but is it “Max?”

On its website, the Ben Hogan PTx MAX fairway wood is described as being “Engineered with strategically placed carbon fiber and an advanced internal design, the center of gravity is placed for optimal spin and launch.” This sounds great, but makes me wonder, “Optimal spin and launch” for who exactly? There are so many factors that contribute to a club’s spin and launch: attack angle, dynamic loft, club path, face angle. All of these data points vary from golfer to golfer, so it nearly impossible for one club to offer “Optimal spin and launch” for all golfers. This is why some manufacturers offer multiple models, or some level of adjustability in loft and face angle.

For me, straight shots spun in the mid-2000 rpms, which would be great for a driver, but produced a low ball flight with a lot of roll out. When I hit a draw, the spin dropped below 2,000rpm, and it killed the carry distance. When I intentionally hit a fade, the spin crept above 3,000rpm, and the trajectory was higher- this would be the “optimal spin and launch.”

Prefer a hybrid? Check out the Ben Hogan PTx MAX hybrid HERE

The claim of “optimal spin and launch,” for the Ben Hogan PTx MAX fairway wood could better be worded, “optimal spin and launch for those who hit fades or slices.” Don’t get me wrong, this is a lot of golfers! If you are in the fader/slicer category, this club is a great option. It won’t balloon high in the air, or spin too much to lose distance on the sliced shots. This, combined with the high ball speeds the club produces, make it a very interesting option when you consider its price compared to clubs from the big manufacturers. [See Price / Buy]

Conclusion

With the price of top of the line fairway woods approaching $400, I was very interested to see how the Ben Hogan PTx MAX fairway wood stacks up at its price of $219. There will always be trade-offs. The Ben Hogan PTx MAX fairway wood provides a lot of distance and low spin. While this wasn’t an ideal match for me, this is a great option for people who want more distance out of a fairway wood, or who have a fade bias to their game. [See Price / Buy]

Ben Hogan PTx MAX Fairway Woods

Designed with a shallow face and optimized head shape, the PTx MAX delivers maximum stability and forgiveness at impact.