Cobra Golf

Cobra, Cobra Golf, Cobra Driver, Cobra Fly Z +, Cobra Fly Z Plus

If you are looking for a new driver, now is a very exciting time to go shopping. With all the major brands releasing their 2015 models the choices are almost endless and extremely confusing.

After a great run with my Taylormade R11 it was time for an upgrade (well, not really time, but I was looking). I went looking for a driver that would be as long and hopefully more forgiving. I’ve never had a problem with distance, so this wasn’t a real factor in the search. I guess I was looking for something that looked good, felt and sounded good and maybe gave me more accuracy. I know accuracy has more to do with face and path angles but I do get a lot of spin which can turn the ball further than some low spin drivers. Almost all of these brands advertise lower spin and lower center of gravity. I went shopping and came home with the Cobra Fly Z Plus. When I say came home, I had to wait for it to be built.

Cobra, Cobra Golf, Cobra Driver, Cobra Fly Z +, Cobra Fly Z Plus

Appearance

It’s hard to know where to start. It is a great looking club with a huge, square-ish black face. At address it is confidence inspiring and gives me the feeling that I just couldn’t miss. The face is surrounded by a ‘speed channel’ which looks like a recessed slot running around the perimeter of the face. You can not see it at address and it really looks quite different. I chose the black version (it comes in 5 colours with a green reported to come). The top is a speckled shiny colour and looks really nice. The head shape is not to drawn back and looks quite compact, definitely the shape I was looking for. On the sole of the club there is a deep channel with a gold movable weight. This weight can be moved forward or back depending on the flight you are after. All-in-all a fantastic looking club. No surprises there, I have always loved Cobra’s design and attention to detail.

Cobra, Cobra Golf, Cobra Driver, Cobra Fly Z +, Cobra Fly Z Plus

Performance

Firstly it must be said that I am a huge believer that the right shaft or type of shaft in the driver can make a huge difference in the overall performance of a club. Cobra have done something here that amazed me and bought a smile to my face. They offer 6 shaft options at no extra cost! Yes, 6. The stock shaft is a Matrix VLCT ST which is a nice shaft. Plus 5 other shaft options! As soon as I saw the Aldila Tour Green X flex (I currently play the Aldila RIP Alpha and love it) I was very interested. Let’s put it into perspective, I could get a nearly $200 shaft that I trust will do the right thing for my swing for free. Huge selling point. At the time the Cobra cost $499 (6 shaft options) compared to the new R15 at $540 with no shaft options and the Titleist was more again. Master stroke Cobra. Had me in almost immediately.

I have used the club for about a month now and I must say that I’m very impressed. The ball flight is low and penetrating. It carries a long way and rolls out nicely for me. My misses are no where near as bad, showing that I am indeed getting low spin and the shaft and head combination is indeed working well. I have played around with the settings and moving weights does effect the flight higher and lower. The loft is also very easy to adjust via the MyFly8 adapter. It can be adjusted 8.5 to 11 degrees with some draw options as well. The smart pad ensures that the club looks nice and square at address no matter the loft.

When hit it has a loud(ish) noise. It feels solid but not harsh. The ball really flies out off the face and feels hot. There just is nothing better than a well hit driver, is there? This driver is quite workable too. I can work it both ways and control the flight quite well.

Cobra, Cobra Golf, Cobra Driver, Cobra Fly Z +, Cobra Fly Z Plus

Specifications

The marketing around this driver is really very good. If you would like to learn more about flip zones, speed channels, smartpads, lofts, composite materials, lower center of gravity etc. please refer to the Cobra website, they will do a better job than me. And let’s be honest, you’re here to hear my thoughts on the driver, not theirs. From what I’ve been able to do so far, I believe all of the marketing. Obviously you do need to put a good swing on it, it won’t hit the ball for you.

Cobra Fly Z + Website

Recommendation

Yes. Huge yes. Just love it. The right looks and performance for me. Free premium shafts are a huge plus. Another fantastic product from Cobra. If you’re in the market, go and find one to try, you won’t be disappointed.

Oh, and on a side note, I just won the Club Championships with it. A bit brave given I’d only had it for two weeks but it just felt really comfortable in my hands from day 1 and performed very well.

Cobra, Cobra Golf, Cobra Driver, Cobra Fly Z +, Cobra Fly Z Plus

Luke @ Golf Blog Australia

Cobra AMP Forged Irons, Cobra Irons

Appearance
A very classic looking club with a splash of colour. The finish on the face is matte where the grooves are and polished everywhere else. 3-7 irons have visible weighting on the bottom of the club and 8-G have no extra weighting. All the clubs have a really nice AMP forged stamp on the back which exudes class. 3-9 irons have a pocket cavity which is filled with rubber and is stamped ‘Cobra’. These pockets look really nice and let you know you’ve got some help out there. PW and GW have no pocket or weighting and look like traditional forged wedges. The cavity on the rear of the face has an aluminium back-plate which is a striking orange colour and features the Cobra logo. The grips are also made to match in the orange.

As a better player I don’t like looking down and seeing a huge topline. It just doesn’t suit my eye. They have done a few very clever things with these clubs and the most striking is the bevelled topline. It has had some material taken away and gives you the illusion of a thin precise topline without losing the benefits of having more perimeter weighting. The other is that at address you can not see the pocket. They almost look like blades which I really like, as that’s what I have mostly played with.

Put these next to the Titliest 712 AP2’s and at address they look almost the same! Turn them up and look at the sole and you’ll notice that the soles on the Cobra AMP Forged are slightly wider and the visual weighting can be seen on the Cobra 3-7 irons.

This club really inspires confidence. I just felt like I was always going to hit them well.

Cobra Irons, Cobra AMP Forged Irons

Performance
The first thing that struck me was the feel. The forged face is soft and the ball just springs off. The clubs are weighted well and the KBS S+ shafts react just like you would expect for premium shafts.

The wider sole definitely helps out with turf interaction, allowing the club to slide through and catch the ball cleanly. I’ve only played pocket cavity irons a few times and I really like the feel of these clubs. The vibration dampeners must really work because shots feel extremely smooth yet crisp. When I middle a shot, I can really feel where the ball left the face. However, when I hit one off the toe or heel it isn’t too smooth though by no means harsh. I can still feel where it came off. This is really important to me. I like to know when I’ve hit a bad one and I also like to feel where the miss was. You can tell with these clubs.

These clubs do fly a little further than my previous clubs but I think this is more to do with the strong lofts in the Cobra AMP forged (see Specifications below). I can easily work the ball left to right, high and low. Definitely a club that will do what it’s told.

All in all they are forgiving, accurate and sweet feeling. They provide the right amount of feedback for the player seeking to improve their game and combine advanced club construction methods to give the player every advantage you can get.

Cobra Irons, Cobra AMP Forged Irons