JM64 1 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 I recently purchased the Cobra F9 Driver and two fairway metals. Hit the clubs mostly indoor with range balls February and March. Loved the performance. When the weather broke in the midwest and I started to get out to play, Immediately noticed a problem with my balls. The thin channel that runs around the milled face on these clubs was shredding balls on contact. I have played golf for over 40 years, and neither myself or my golf buddies have seen anything like it. I have since tested various brand balls with different cover material, all with the same results. I have taken this up with Cobra, and they have been a bit coy about a problem of design existing with these clubs. I found quite a few reviews of the F8 driver where customers complained of the same problem. This is a big deal given the success they have had with this launch. I am curious if anyone else using these clubs have experienced this and are willing to post about it. After rounds where I use my fairway metals multiple times, my balls are all cut up. If you rub your fingers across the thin open channel that runs between the CNC milled face and the outer edge of the club face you can feel the sharpness. With the shallower face of the fairway metals, it’s almost impossible for the ball not to come in contact with this channel, other than a perfect center hit. The driver with a bigger face won’t cause damage on close to center hits, but high, low, heel and toe hits cause damage. I’m frankly surprised I have not heard more golfers complaining about this online. Every retailer of these clubs I have spoken to are aware of this problem, but Cobra obv doesn’t want to shout about it given the sell through on this offering. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Miketheripper 51 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Maybe there's problem with the F9s or maybe you're just hitting the ball extremely thin compared to most people, I don't own F9 or F8 clubs, but I do own the F6 hybrid, fairways and driver which also have a pretty sharp edge around the speed channel and I've had no problems with cutting whatsoever.Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JM64 1 Posted May 16, 2019 Author Share Posted May 16, 2019 Thanks for your input Mike. Definitely a problem with the clubs. Everyone in my foursome has taken a hits the with clubs and produced similar damage to their balls, particularly with the fairway metals. Interesting about the F6. I am not familiar with the club. I also purchased the F9 hybrid, which does not have the CNC milled face and the sharp open channel that surrounds it. It performs fine and causes no damage to my balls. As I said in the post retailers of the clubs are aware of the problem. A PGA Superstore club fitter informed me they have seen this as well. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bucky CC 2,767 Posted May 16, 2019 Share Posted May 16, 2019 Check in with us on the Cobra Connect Challenge 3 thread (link in my signature). So far we've all had a frew practice sessions and rounds with the new F9 lineup and I don't think anyone has mentioned this issue. You should post in that thread as well so we know to look out for it. 1 Quote Driver: F9 10.5°, Fujikura Ventus Blue 6X Fairway Wood: F9, Fujikura ATMOS TS Black 7X 3 Hybrid: F9, N.S. Pro Modus3 G.O.S.T. Tour S 4 Hybrid: F9, Fujikura ATMOS 7 Stiff 5-PW: JPX 919 Forged, KBS Tour Stiff Wedges: KING Black 50°, 54°, 58°, True Temper Dynamic Gold Black S200 Putter: ER5B or Stroke Lab Black 7S Link to post Share on other sites
Fnick123 0 Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 I know it's an old post but the more info out there the better I suppose. I had the f8 driver and I had the same exact problem which resulted in me selling the driver and sadly never looking at a cobra driver with that channel around the face. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Maccaroni_tiime 6 Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 On 5/15/2019 at 8:32 PM, JM64 said: I recently purchased the Cobra F9 Driver and two fairway metals. Hit the clubs mostly indoor with range balls February and March. Loved the performance. When the weather broke in the midwest and I started to get out to play, Immediately noticed a problem with my balls. The thin channel that runs around the milled face on these clubs was shredding balls on contact. I have played golf for over 40 years, and neither myself or my golf buddies have seen anything like it. I have since tested various brand balls with different cover material, all with the same results. I have taken this up with Cobra, and they have been a bit coy about a problem of design existing with these clubs. I found quite a few reviews of the F8 driver where customers complained of the same problem. This is a big deal given the success they have had with this launch. I am curious if anyone else using these clubs have experienced this and are willing to post about it. After rounds where I use my fairway metals multiple times, my balls are all cut up. If you rub your fingers across the thin open channel that runs between the CNC milled face and the outer edge of the club face you can feel the sharpness. With the shallower face of the fairway metals, it’s almost impossible for the ball not to come in contact with this channel, other than a perfect center hit. The driver with a bigger face won’t cause damage on close to center hits, but high, low, heel and toe hits cause damage. I’m frankly surprised I have not heard more golfers complaining about this online. Every retailer of these clubs I have spoken to are aware of this problem, but Cobra obv doesn’t want to shout about it given the sell through on this offering. Interesting, I had my sights set on this driver. Will not be buying until I test it thoroughly tho Quote Link to post Share on other sites
808nation 1,578 Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 I have last years F9 driver and I haven't noticed this issue, maybe because I always find the middle of the club face...yeah right...just kidding But in all seriousness, when I have hit some near the toe area on that spot as described I did not noticed my ball cutting. I will definitely keep an eye out now and report back.Sent from my SM-G955U using MyGolfSpy mobile app 1 Quote WITB: Driver: F9 driver 9* stiff shaft FW Wood: F9 wood 14.5* regular shaft Hybrids: Vapor Flex 3 hybrid regular shaft Irons: Z565 - 7 thru PW & ZU85 - 5 thru 6 with Recoil ZT9 F4 shafts Wedges: RTX4 52*, 56*, 60* Putter: Ben Hogan BHB01 blade Ball: Black Bag: 2015 Ogio Chamber Cart Bag & 2018 MyGolfSpy Stand Bag Link to post Share on other sites
BMart519 466 Posted May 22, 2020 Share Posted May 22, 2020 The F9 doesn't have the channel around the face that the F8 had, it is a different construction so OP confuses me. There is a seam since the crown/body of the F9 driver wrap around the edges of the front of club and the CNC machined face "insert" is mounted in there. I've gamed the F9 Driver and 5 wood since fall last year and haven't noticed damage to balls (all urethane). The only question I have about this family of woods is if the milling pattern on the face wears balls out faster. It is very easy to see where the ball was struck on these faces, but it is less damage than from fresh grooves on a wedge. If you are considering this driver, I would wait 3-4 months until the SpeedZone goes on clearance and get the new model where the milling wraps around the face as you will avoid any paint chips. Quote F9 Driver 9* Baffler 2H/5H G410 4-UW, Glide 2.0 54, 60* ER2.2 Link to post Share on other sites
Fnick123 0 Posted July 5, 2020 Share Posted July 5, 2020 Maybe I need to look at one in person but from the pictures on cobras website the face seems to have the same gap around the milled face section. I would love to pick one up after seeing so many positive reviews and the price point now but dont wanna go through balls again. Maybe itll be a 250 dollar gamble ill have to take Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Psychochris 0 Posted July 7, 2020 Share Posted July 7, 2020 (edited) Yeah my COBRA KING F9 SPEEDBACK is a ball shredder anything outside of dead center. Love the 310+yrd drives and 260yrd+ drives when not trying to crush it. But man.... Even with a decent drive with any part of the ball coming into contact with the balleater grove and it makes razor sharp cuts leaving my ball with a mohawk. This takes all the advertised forgiveness out. My 2018 xr16 is 1000 times more forgiving but 30yrds less distance. Infact if anything this f9 has forced me to have too much on my mind when swinging the club which hurts my consistancy (push/pull). Was even thinking about trying the speed zone to see if i like it as much but ive tried it on a simulator and dont get anywhere near the distance with it. I have an average of 108 headspeed when just goofin but get closer to the 120 mark when trying to set a record. Eitherway if this club didnt have that stupid grove it would be in my bag forever. Edited July 7, 2020 by Psychochris Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BMart519 466 Posted July 8, 2020 Share Posted July 8, 2020 Good way to practice hitting the ball on the face of the club instead of the crown or thinning it I guess. I did notice the groove, hasn't caused any problem with Bridgestone Tour B's and I have hit a few on the top edge from teeing up very high and trying to max out distance. Had a Tour B XS last approx 36 holes before it was lost which included a couple tree strikes. I do wish I waited another year and got the Speedzone, but I haven't tested it to see if it actually performance better on mishits. I don't notice the face destroys balls faster than I lose them at an average of 1-2 per round. Quote F9 Driver 9* Baffler 2H/5H G410 4-UW, Glide 2.0 54, 60* ER2.2 Link to post Share on other sites
AmishJason 321 Posted July 9, 2020 Share Posted July 9, 2020 While I don't have an F9, I do have a Speedzone. Ball marks appear often and instantly on the face of the driver, but do not seem to cause any wear/damage to the balls. I'm not good enough to keep the same ball for 18 holes, but until I manage to put one in the water, there's nothing unusual on the cover of the ball. Chisag has a review of the Speedzone Extreme and the question of ball wear from the face comes up there too. If I remember right, he has had an F8, F9, and now a SZ Extreme that all had the same face and found no extra wear from the mill pattern. 1 Quote Driver: Cobra Speedzone 10.5 Mitsubishi AV Blue S flex Wood: Cobra Bio Cell 3-4 Grafalloy Pro Launch Blue (low launch original version) S flex Hybrids: Taylormade GAPR 3 KBS graphite shaft Strata 4 and 5 hybrids R flex Irons: Strata 6-PW R flex Wedges: Texan Classics 52, 56, 60 R flex Putter: Odyssey Red Ball mallet Ball: Srixon Q Star Tour Link to post Share on other sites
Tone22 0 Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 I have the same clubs as you JM64 (the OP). Purchased this year: Speedback F9 Driver and 3-wood, and the hybrid, and I totaly agree with your findings. The hybrid is an absolute star and causes no damage at all but the milled face in the driver and 3 has damaged every ball in my bag. I'm no great player so it may well be because of off-centre strikes but either way I would have thought thought Cobra would have known this. I'm just gutted I didn't read up enough about it before I purchased as I'm going to be getting rid of them unless I can find a ball that resists the cuts. Might try the Bridgestone Tour B XS mentioned by BMart519. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
golfish! 719 Posted July 14, 2020 Share Posted July 14, 2020 Bought F8 as a mother's day gift for my mom. She has recently complained of the same issue of off center hits causing damage to the balls. Must be a common issue based on what I am seeing on the forums. Quote Driver : Rogue SZ Evenflow 6.0 Stiff Woods : TESTING GS53 3 Wood Hybrids: XR Project X Stiff (3&4) Irons : Mavrik True Temper Elevate 95 Stiff Steel (5-PW,AW) Wedges : Bombtech 52,56,60 Putter : Spider Red Bag : Datrek lightweight cart bag Ball : TP5x Rangefinder : TecTecTec DXLS SoCal, USA Right handed HDCP 15.1 Kanibi CBD Products Tester Link to post Share on other sites
Curtis15 0 Posted July 29, 2020 Share Posted July 29, 2020 I have a F9 Driver and have cut at least 50 balls. I have tried everything and it keeps cutting the balls. I'm looking for a new driver as we speak. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Popular Post chisag 11,623 Posted July 29, 2020 Popular Post Share Posted July 29, 2020 ... If only Cobra had tested the milled face before releasing it to the public! Oh wait ... other than Golfish these are all new and suspect members posting on this thread only. To think a major OEM would release a driver that shreads balls on mishits is right up there with the best tin hat conspiracy theories. The entire idea of the milled face is to produce better shots when mishit and the Xtreme was the most forgiving driver for 2020 in the MGS driver test. I have a feeling if shredding balls occurred at all, it would have been mentioned in the testing. 10 Quote Driver: TaylorMade SIM Max ... Diamana Limited 55R Utility: Callaway Super Hybrid 17* ... Diamana Limited 65R TaylorMade DHy 19* ... Diamana Limited 65R Irons: 4-Pw Cobra King Tour MIM ... Nippon 950gh r-flex Wedges: SM6 52* F Grind ... Steelfiber 95 r-flex SM7D & SM8M 58* ... Steelfiber 95 r-flex Putter: Newport 2.5 at 33.5" Ball: TaylorMade TP5 Link to post Share on other sites
therod 69 Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 I recently acquired an F9, have played 18 holes, and hit several balls in my net in the backyard. Absolutely no damage to any balls. For all of the testing OEMs do, I can't imagine any of them would release a new club that caused that kind of damage. They do too much testing and do too much research to release a new product that caused this kind of damage. It would destroy their image and reputation. And especially in the economy and times we're in, that would be a terrible, foolish, and financially catastrophic error. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kanoito 2,324 Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 Another SZ user, no damage to the balls. Lovin' the driver! 1 Quote SpeedZone 9* w/ Aldila Rogue Silver 60 S X2 Hot 3 Deep 14.5* w/ Aldila Tour Green 75 S JetSpeed 5W 19* w/ Matrix Velox T 69 S OR Super LS 3H 19* w/ Kuro Kage Black 80 S JPX919 Forged 4-PW w/ Modus3 105 S Vokey SM7 50/08F, 54/14F & 58/08M w/ Modus3 115 Wedge ER1 34" w/ SuperStroke Fatso 2.0 Pro / H2NO Lite Cart Bag / 3.0 / NX7 Pro LRF My reviews: MLA Putter // Titleist SM7 // PING i500 // PuttOUT Link to post Share on other sites
fixyurdivot 8,597 Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 14 hours ago, Curtis15 said: I have a F9 Driver and have cut at least 50 balls. I have tried everything and it keeps cutting the balls. I'm looking for a new driver as we speak. When you say "cut" do you mean sliced open, abrasion marks, ??? Have you checked where you are contacting on the driver face? I think a good many brand new club face surfaces, particularly high irons, have groove edges that need a short break in period. I noticed some very fine remnant on my G410's during the first range session. It was from the balls, but after a couple rounds and range sessions, went away. The Cobra drivers do have some novel milled face patterns and perhaps they are a bit more aggressive than most. This is something the CC4 testers can keep a lookout for. Quote G410 Plus, 9 Degree Driver | Official 2019 MGS Tester G400 SFT, 16 Degree 3w G400 SFT, 19 Degree 5w G410 Irons 4-UW Glide 2.0 56 Degree SW (removed from double secret probation ) B61 Putter Link to post Share on other sites
JohnSmalls 5,964 Posted July 30, 2020 Share Posted July 30, 2020 I have had an F9 for almost a year and have hit more tee shots low off the face than I care to admit. I have had zero problems with the driver leaving a mark on my golf ball. 1 Quote 2020 MGS Hard Rock Challenge SkyCaddie SX400 OGIO Silencer: Followed by Arccos G410+, Tensei Orange Vapor Fly 3, Diamana Blue, Covert 2.0 3H, Kuro Kage Black Wilson D7 Irons 4-GW, Dynamic Gold AMT Glide 52, 56 ES ER2 -ProV1x (left dash) Romans 10:9 Link to post Share on other sites
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