Cobra F8 Single Length Irons and Hyrbirds

[Wedgie]

I wanted to quickly share my thoughts after a quick 18 today with my new f8 single length irons and I hope to add more as I play more throughout the summer. This was my first time out with these clubs or single length irons for that matter and I haven't played since November so keep that in mind.

 

Weather in Rhode Island was around 50 and sunny without a lot of wind. I first paired the Cobra Connect thru the Arcoss app. Although it is advertised as free it is only free for 12 months. To pair the clubs I had to input a credit card that stated I would be billed $49.95 in 12 months unless I cancel. Setup was very simple and very quick.

 

My normal irons are Mizuno JPX 900 Forged 5-G and I use the old Mizuno FliHi 3 and 4 long iron replacements as my hybrids. I'm not a fast swinger so my issue was gapping between the 4H, 5 and 6 irons. I felt any of these could be used as my 150-160 club. Love the clubs other than the gapping which is kind of a big problem.

 

Today I only put the single lengths irons (and putter) in my bag which included the 3H, 4H and 5 thru G wedge. When I was fit I only hit into a net so I had no idea what to expect.

 

Without shot by shot detail here are my initial observations. The hybrids are rock stars for me. My the 3 and 4 hybrids each averaged 10 more yards than what I expect from the Mizuno's and they are pretty much right down the middle. Since I had no driver I ended up hitting the 3 and 4 a combined 21 times. The short length was weird and I did top 3 shots on the day but other than being short it didn't hurt me. Trajectory was the same I see with my FLiHi's which was my biggest concern. I honestly expected low screamers.

 

The irons for me were a club shorter than the 900 Forged which worked out great in regards to gapping. To squeeze a few more yards out of the 9 and gap wedge I tried to move the ball back in my stance a bit with very poor results. Every time I tried I hit it fat. When I put the ball just ahead of middle everything was fine, just shorter than I expected. Ball flight in the irons seemed the same to me as it has always been with any other set of clubs I've owned.

 

Around the green I had no issues chipping with the pitching wedge in fact I was probably better than usual because I was so much more comfortable in my setup. With shorter wedges I tend to thin the ball. I found myself in the sand once and used the gap wedge. I thinned it a bit but the Q Star I was playing stopped on a dime. Maybe the longer shaft helped spin the ball, not sure.

 

Arcoss worked flawlessly throughout the entire round on my iPhone 6 I think it is. Went in at 94% battery and left at 73%. What I didn't expect from the app was wind direction which seemed close. Also has evaluation change and tells you what the hole is playing like. For example 150 out but playing like 157 due to wind or elevation.

 

I hope I can answer any questions and will definitely add more as I go. Really looking forward to more time with these clubs.

 

Wedgie

 

 

 

 

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[GolfSpy MPR]

Thanks for the review, and I'll definitely be keeping tabs as you update through the season. I'm among those intrigued by the concept of single-length; just waiting for enough used sets to show up to drive the price down to my level

[Golfspy_CG2]

Thanks for the great initial thoughts.   I really like the honesty there, mentioning where you struggled and why and what you did to address it. 

 

i think that's a key thing to the Single Length, I don't have them, but our GM does and I've hit his a few times.  I could see if I was continually going though each iron in the set it would take some adjustment at first.  But I loved the fact I could swing his 5 iron easily and the fact I wasn't hunched over (I'm 6'5") the 9 iron and wedges.

 

Also great to hear Arcoss worked so well.  I love the technology in it and if and when I settle on a set of irons for a while, I may look at it.   Keep us posted on your thoughts, it's a great thread. 

[Wedgie]

Thanks guys...I'm playing in a member/guest in Florida in a couple of weeks and will share the Arcoss data regarding gapping which seems to be the big concern for people.

 

 

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[Miboy62]

Look forward to you next entry.

[Pappyvanroyl]

Thanks Wedgie, enjoyed the initial thoughts. I just received a set of f8 single length 5-GW, coming from JPX900 forged as well!! I think based on this and other reviews, I'll be ordering the 4H. Had one session at the range to test yardages, and I really enjoyed the whole set except the 5 iron, for some reason I was hitting a big weak fade/slice. Thinking maybe I tried to compensate for the “shorter” length, knowing it was a 5 iron, I was moving only this club way up in my stance and swinging harder. I think if I trust the single length and am consistent in setup, then issues will start to lessen. I like how you talked about ARCCOS as well, I haven't been anywhere but the range (heated range in upstate NY), so I'm anxious to pair and test it out. Overall, my biggest impression and excitement is that these single length sets and ARCCOS really combine as a “system” for increased consistency and feedback for improvement of scores. I need to trust in this combination, as well as just the system that one length provides: one setup, one swing. Looking forward to more GIR and getting my first putts into malleable territory.

 

 

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[Wedgie]

Hey Pappyvanroyl I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one with these.  I will say I haven't sold the Mizuno's yet but I hope to after more rounds with the single length clubs.  I was pretty solid with my 5 iron but after hitting the hybrids the way I did I may look to replace the 5 with a 5 hybrid.  Time will tell I guess.  Unfortunately the course I played was a sloppy mess but my initial thoughts were much better than any other new irons I have tried over the years.

 

I'd be interested in your thoughts as you progress with both the clubs and Arcoss which I love after one round.  

[Pappyvanroyl]

I'll be sure to provide updates as well, thanks Wedgie! Thinking I'll be pulling the trigger on a single length hybrid based on reviews and your feedback once I get a better idea on gapping. Very excited to put this all in play.

 

 

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[Wedgie]

I'll be in Albany for business Tuesday night. Can you let me know the name of the heated driving range? I may go hit some balls.

 

 

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[Pappyvanroyl]

Northway 8 Golf Center. Off exit 8 on i87. Call before as they may not have the range open with too much snow on the ground. Called today actually, and they're going to try and open back up tomorrow.

 

 

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[Wedgie]

 

 

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[TBT]

5 iron and 6 iron the same distance?? and not a big gap to the 4hybrid

 

I demoed the single length iron when I was fit for my F7's and I really struggled with them, granted I didn't spend a ton of time with them because it was a full bag fitting, but I had the most trouble hitting 9irons and wedges that were 7 iron length.....the 4, 5 and 6 iron didn't seen to bother me but I did see a drop off in distance over the regular F7's.

 

I look forward to following your progress

[Wedgie]

I played the member/guest in Florida last week so I was able to get the F8 One Lengths out for 3 rounds using Arcoss. I didn't use it during the actual tournament just the rounds leading up to it. I included average distances for each club above.

 

I almost hate to include the data because it was windy and the greens were rock hard. For example my 9iron average of 150 was the only shot I hit with the club which was downhill and downwind. Caught the green, rolled off the back and down a hill.

 

I feel under normal conditions and more time with the clubs the gapping is pretty spot on with the exception maybe between the 3 and 4 hybrids. I think the irons are about a club longer than my Mizunos which contradicts my initial thoughts.

 

The biggest positive was I have never hit so many shots right at the flag as I did over the course of last week. Problem was getting the distances right but that will happen overtime.

 

In regards to Arccos it is kind of a pain in the rear. It missed a lot of shots and some of the data doesn't jive within the app.

 

 

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[MDGolfHacker]

Thanks for the review. The single length irons have intrigued me since I heard of them. I'm sure there's a learning curve with the irons. Hard to kick out those Mizunos though as they are pretty decent clubs!

 

MDGolfHacker

[Wedgie]

5 iron and 6 iron the same distance?? and not a big gap to the 4hybrid

 

I demoed the single length iron when I was fit for my F7's and I really struggled with them, granted I didn't spend a ton of time with them because it was a full bag fitting, but I had the most trouble hitting 9irons and wedges that were 7 iron length.....the 4, 5 and 6 iron didn't seen to bother me but I did see a drop off in distance over the regular F7's.

 

I look forward to following your progress

I think the data is misleading because of the number of shots arccos actually picked up and the circumstances. Although the 3H and 4H seems like a nice gap I didn't see it with the eye test. My 5 iron was hit twice and one was fat so it screws up the numbers. The 8 iron is probably my biggest concern because even when I flushed it it just didn't seem to go anywhere. May have to get a spec check.

 

 

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[JonMUSC08]

Im a 15.6 hdcp, would you recommend these to average golfers or is it on  player-by-player basis. Since the one-length has come out i need to go try them at a local shop.

Does the Arccos app automatically record the length of each shot?

thanks

[Wedgie]

Im a 15.6 hdcp, would you recommend these to average golfers or is it on player-by-player basis. Since the one-length has come out i need to go try them at a local shop.

Does the Arccos app automatically record the length of each shot?

thanks

I think it is a player by player thing. I played 30 years with variable length and when I switched to single length 5 rounds ago it was pretty easy to make the switch. I'm a 13 handicap that doesn't really practice and I don't try to work the ball. Just try it hit it straight.

 

Now I just set up the same way and fire away. The only clubs I have that aren't 37.5 inches long are driver, 2h and putter and no issues so far transitioning back to any of them. I do have to choke way down for short chips but using SW and LW on full swings had been much better. I used to thin a lot of shots.

 

Arccos does most of the work for you but it will miss a shot now and then especially putts. My gaps look bad but I am confident they are better than my variable length clubs. My results are on course so I may have been clubbing up, down, who knows but if I had a flat shot with minimal wind I was very confident what club to use up to 200 yards out.

 

 

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[DRuth609]

That was a great review. me personally, I'm not very interested in the one-length “fad”? (Who knows it could be a movement). I'm more of a feel player with my irons, so I'm not sure if I would benefit from one length. I am interested though in the Cobra hybrids. I've been doing research on F7s and F8s looking to maybe replace a trusty Adams I have (maybe, cause the thing is money for me). I would love to here some more detailed thoughts about the hybrids you have and which lofts you have and why you have them.

[Wedgie]

That was a great review. me personally, I'm not very interested in the one-length “fad”? (Who knows it could be a movement). I'm more of a feel player with my irons, so I'm not sure if I would benefit from one length. I am interested though in the Cobra hybrids. I've been doing research on F7s and F8s looking to maybe replace a trusty Adams I have (maybe, cause the thing is money for me). I would love to here some more detailed thoughts about the hybrids you have and which lofts you have and why you have them.

I hope they aren't a fad since I think they would benefit a lot of people but also know they aren't for everyone. I traded in F7 2 hybrid for the F8 2 hybrid. I'm not in front of them but I think the F7 was set to 16.5 and the F8 is fixed at 16 degrees. Stock shafts in both. For me the F8 is straighter and a hair longer with a higher ball flight. Personally if you can get the F7 for less money there isn't enough difference to justify the newer model.

 

The 3H and 4H are single length at 19 and 22 degrees. These have been much better than any hybrids I have used because they just go so damn straight. You can see I don't crush the ball so straight is good for me. I carry the clubs I do because I play from the tees I should which usually means even on long par 4s I'm at worst around 200 out. If reaching par 5s in 2 were in my future I may look at switching things up.

 

 

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[grad2004cca]

Thank you for the review! I got the Cobra F7 One length 5-GW set last year and I have absolutely loved them. Like you have said everything is much straighter and more consistent. I like how you can get a hybrid/iron setup with this year's F8 line. I put an older Cobra Fly-Z 3-4 hybrid in the mix with my current setup and the gapping is all off. I really want to try the F8 line, but seeing that I just bought the F7s in the fall its probably not in the cards this year. The Arccos system seems really interesting. The only thing that I didn't like about the setup is that the GW is more of a blade wedge and I couldn't hit it very well. I switched to the Cleveland CBX 50, 54, and 58 this season and my short game is night and day. Those wedges are so consistent and dialed in. They feel great and you get an awesome result even on the off center/fat/thin shots. Love the One Lengths!

[Wedgie]

Thank you for the review! I got the Cobra F7 One length 5-GW set last year and I have absolutely loved them. Like you have said everything is much straighter and more consistent. I like how you can get a hybrid/iron setup with this year's F8 line. I put an older Cobra Fly-Z 3-4 hybrid in the mix with my current setup and the gapping is all off. I really want to try the F8 line, but seeing that I just bought the F7s in the fall its probably not in the cards this year. The Arccos system seems really interesting. The only thing that I didn't like about the setup is that the GW is more of a blade wedge and I couldn't hit it very well. I switched to the Cleveland CBX 50, 54, and 58 this season and my short game is night and day. Those wedges are so consistent and dialed in. They feel great and you get an awesome result even on the off center/fat/thin shots. Love the One Lengths!

Thanks for the feedback. I am giving the wedges a go but I told my buddy right away that if I see myself changing anything it would be the gap, sand and lob wedges. As I said great on full shots for me and straight as an arrow but anything less than full swings was a struggle. But frankly I always struggle with my wedges on the Bermuda grass at his club.

 

 

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[Wedgie]

I wanted to add for Arccos I purchased a refurbished iPhone SE on eBay for $90. It came with no phone service or SIM card. I went to Best Buy and they ended up giving me a SIM card and installing it. I use that for my rounds without worrying about the phone buzzing throughout the round or draining my battery. This works great in that is the smallest phone that can be used with the system that I am aware. You just connect to WiFi to download any courses before you play and you are done. iPods won't work because you need GPS service. Without this option I probably wouldn't even use the system because I'd end up answering calls or emails the entire round and I don't want to be that guy.

 

 

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[Matt G]

Thanks for the review.  I am looking at the F8 one length as well.  It just seems to make since to me.  Looking forward to trying some.

[Jaggie99]

Wedgie,

 

Excellent review ! I too am exploring the possibilities of Cobra OL. I did pickup the 3H and 4H and they are fantastic clubs As for the irons I am debating to go F8 or Forged ONE. Have hit them once and the 5i to PW was hitting straight shots; the dispersion tightness was very nice. I did notice one has to focus on smooth swing and trust the OL clubs. On the other hand I was not happy with the ball flight of PW. So, I am debating to go 2018 F8 OL irons or goto the 2017 Forged ONE. the 2018 Forged Tec ONE(black) are nice but so is the $$$ 

 

 

Currently gaming the Adams Idea CB3(forged) with KBS Tour 90. What was your long term experience moving from forged Mizuno JPX900s to the F8 OL which seems to be a mix of face technology but not forged ?

[Wedgie]

Wedgie,

 

Excellent review ! I too am exploring the possibilities of Cobra OL. I did pickup the 3H and 4H and they are fantastic clubs As for the irons I am debating to go F8 or Forged ONE. Have hit them once and the 5i to PW was hitting straight shots; the dispersion tightness was very nice. I did notice one has to focus on smooth swing and trust the OL clubs. On the other hand I was not happy with the ball flight of PW. So, I am debating to go 2018 F8 OL irons or goto the 2017 Forged ONE. the 2018 Forged Tec ONE(black) are nice but so is the $$$

 

 

Currently gaming the Adams Idea CB3(forged) with KBS Tour 90. What was your long term experience moving from forged Mizuno JPX900s to the F8 OL which seems to be a mix of face technology but not forged ?

I've only played about 6 rounds with the F8 Ones so I can't really give a long term review but I traded my Mizunos in over the weekend as I prefer the F8s. I generally play low compression golf balls so it is hard to compare feel since these marshmallows make all clubs feel nice.

 

I can say the Mizunos gave better feedback on mishits and punished you a little more. I feel the Mizunos had better distance dispersion but I played a lot more rounds with them and I am just adjusting to the new clubs. Biggest thing for me was I was losing 4 or 5 shots a round hitting it fat or thin. After a bit of adjustment it just doesn't happen anymore and I have hit more balls right at the flag then I did all last summer in my short time with these.

 

My iron play has always killed me. I have kept stats on the Grint app for 5 years and averaged about 4 GIR and I am up to 6 GIR this year. It will definitely go up once I get a better handle on distances of each clubs because again, these clubs are really straight for me.

 

The biggest adjustment has been trusting the club to do its job and just put the same swing on every shot with the same ball position.

 

 

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[Gravitykillr]

Really enjoy reading your updates on these. I've beem curious about them to see if the talk and commerial release was worth looking at.

[Golfspy_CG2]

I know of at least one Cobra connect tester who will be going one length. MDGolfhacker beer sure and follow his progress when the challenge starts.

 

 

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[Wedgie]

I know of at least one Cobra connect tester who will be going one length. MDGolfhacker beer sure and follow his progress when the challenge starts.

 

 

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Yep, I'm going to stand down and let the official reviews take it from here but will continue to gladly answer questions.

 

 

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[Wedgie]

I thought I'd give a little update as we await the Cobra Challenge reviews. The little update is I love the clubs but I have gone through a lot with them as well.

 

My distance control has been all over the place and finding the sweet spot in terms of ball placement has been a challenge. That being said I was ready to trade them in when I found a guy that would adjust the lie angles. I was told they couldn't t be bent because they were cast.

 

Either way, I took a half inch off them, removed Arccos and adjusted the lie angles and made them all 63 degrees. Since that time I have played great golf. Pre adjustments I was averaging 4 GIR and 3 rounds since the change it is up to 8 a round. Handicap is trending down and between using the same ball and the adjustments my distance control has never been better.

 

It really makes me wonder why they went with different lie angles but either way the clubs have been a ton of fun....well they have been the last 3 rounds anyway.

 

 

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[Kickinbirdie]

I hit them at the practice range with the thought of a mid to high handicapper, I hinestly don't see hiow they would benefit a golfer...benefit being the operative word.

 

take any golfer and have them fitted to one of the game improvements clubs by various manufactuers. One that comes to mind is the new CGB by taylormade, if you can't hit that and get proper gaps between each club......well take  quite a few lessons or give it up.