Cobra F8, F9, and Speedzone irons - who else plays these irons? What are your thoughts on them?

[Cobra Guy]

I'm curious who the Cobra F8, F9, and Speedzone irons fans are here.

I didn't get to try our the F8s when I had them, but I've had a chance to try out the F9 and Speedzone irons. I noticed how much I enjoyed the Speedzone 4 and 5 irons and liked the loft differential in the F9s from the 7 iron and up. At first the F9s felt a bit heavy  in the steel but I gained a lot from testing out the Speedzones at our aqua range facility. I am hoping to get there at least once before my game on Monday. I don't know what all of your experiences have been, but I am very tempted to take a look at a combination of the Speedzone 4-6 irons and the F9 7 to GW. I'm sure that will answer some of my questions far as what my actual set makeup will be. Is anyone here with me there? 

.

Remember there is right or wrong  bag setup. It would be easier if we all played a full set of Cobra F8s, F9s, or Speedzones. After seeing what I experienced with the F9s and Speedzones in recent weeks, I've been able to broaden my horizons more. If you look at the example of a number pro golfers on the tour...they play more forgiving irons in the longer irons {Rickie Fowler played an F9 4 iron in his set for some time.) So it's good to know that even tour pros are dealing with the same issues we as amateurs are dealing with.

Something else up for consideration is the advent of One Length irons. If I were struggling with my longer a irons, I would stick with the VL for my 8 iron to GW and add the OL for my 4 tp 7 irons. Again...play to your strengths. Since moving over to GI irons some years ago, my long irons have been my strong suit. For me, consistency and club selection in my 7 iron to GW is the area I need the most work in. 

I look forward to hearing your thoughts. What's worked for you and why do you think that is? For me, as mentioned, the long irons have turned into my favorite clubs because to me, there's nothing more thrilling and exciting than purring a long iron and watching it sail towards the green or seeing it split the middle of the fairway over ending up on the right side of the fairway in the rough.

Happy golfing everyone and welcome to the wonderful, confusing world of Cobra GI irons! Be sure to stop every so often to just enjoy the smell of the roses!

GTiger aka Cobra Guy

[Golfspy_CG2]

I never played any of the above sets of irons.  Even though, I’ve always skewed in the GI segment.  
 

That said, i have my first set of Cobra GI on order—I flirted with the Forged Tec last year—but that proved equal to Ray Ramano dating Jennifer  Anniston—just a bit out of my league.  

So that said, i have a set of RADSPEED Ine Lengths on order   So im anxious to see how those do  

 

[TBT]

5 minutes ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

I never played any of the above sets of irons.  Even though, I’ve always skewed in the GI segment.  
 

That said, i have my first set of Cobra GI on order—I flirted with the Forged Tec last year—but that proved equal to Ray Ramano dating Jennifer  Anniston—just a bit out of my league.  

So that said, i have a set of RADSPEED Ine Lengths on order   So im anxious to see how those do  

 

I’ve toyed with the idea of the one length irons, might have to pick up a used set and play around with them.

[Cobra Guy]

I just heard from someone who has a rare find...an F9 4 iron. Looking forward to playing all F9s in my golf bag. The 5 hybrid and F9 driver are on my bucket list! 

[Cobra Guy]

1 hour ago, Golfspy_CG2 said:

I never played any of the above sets of irons.  Even though, I’ve always skewed in the GI segment.  
 

That said, i have my first set of Cobra GI on order—I flirted with the Forged Tec last year—but that proved equal to Ray Ramano dating Jennifer  Anniston—just a bit out of my league.  

So that said, i have a set of RADSPEED Ine Lengths on order   So im anxious to see how those do  

 

I hear you there! I'm thinking with the Forged Tech irons, Charles Barkley would be disconcerting...but the jump from game improvement to forged irons I believe has left about as much carnage as the Titanic. I agree...you need to be close to a scratch golfer to gain the benefits of forged player irons. 

[Cobra Guy]

1 hour ago, TBT said:

I’ve toyed with the idea of the one length irons, might have to pick up a used set and play around with them.

From what I'm seeing, some amateurs are even doing half sets with the difficult to hit long irons. That lets them play Variable Length in their 8 iron to GW. This is another option to consider if you're better with your short game than your long game. Just my 2 cent's worth. 

[TBT]

2 hours ago, Cobra Guy said:

From what I'm seeing, some amateurs are even doing half sets with the difficult to hit long irons. That lets them play Variable Length in their 8 iron to GW. This is another option to consider if you're better with your short game than your long game. Just my 2 cent's worth. 

I would think that might get a little confusing, but I can see where it could be easier 

[fozcycle]

I have bagged Cobra Bio Cells, F6’s and F8’s. The F6’s were the first set to have multiple iron styles combined in one set. I believe that the F6’s were the best as you had hollow body long irons, cavity back mid irons & players short irons. Alas, they are long gone except for the 4 & 5 iron.

I really have not liked the look of the Speedzones and Rads. But you never know……

[Cobra Guy]

16 hours ago, TBT said:

I would think that might get a little confusing, but I can see where it could be easier 

It could be but for older players like my dad...it would give them the freedom to play their current irons without it spending money for a full set. 

 

[Cobra Guy]

14 hours ago, fozcycle said:

I have bagged Cobra Bio Cells, F6’s and F8’s. The F6’s were the first set to have multiple iron styles combined in one set. I believe that the F6’s were the best as you had hollow body long irons, cavity back mid irons & players short irons. Alas, they are long gone except for the 4 & 5 iron.

I really have not liked the look of the Speedzones and Rads. But you never know……

I hear you there! Now that I will be adding a matching 4 iron to my F9 set, no need to worry about the Speedzones or Radspeed irons. These F9 lofts are strong enough for me!

[Cobra Guy]

I'm now toying with the Speedzones again. I also have a chance to move to the 4-6 OL irons in the Speedzones. Ideally I would prefer a straight trade and I'm including my TM 54 degree Z spin and my 58 BV lob wedge. 

[vandyland]

I currently play Cobra F9 One Lengths but I am testing replacements as we speak. The one length experiment was interesting but, ultimately, the short irons became t0o erratic for me. I got rid of my one length Gap wedge for a standard length F9 gap wedge and immediately was hitting it better. Then I started gripping down on my PW, 9i and 8i and, again, dispersion and contact got more consistent. I just think, for me, having a 37 inch PW isn't helpful. I don't think the golf swing is dramatically different between a PW and a 7i and a shorter club is just easier to control. 

THAT SAID, I love the shorter long irons. I have decent speed (90-93 mph swing speed with 7i) so having enough speed for the 4 and 5 irons in 7 iron length wasn't an issue. I have heard that can be a challenge with the One Lengths if you have a slower swing speed, the long irons can tend to bunch up...distance wise. However, I got a cheap one length 4 hybrid (like $60 from Valuegolf) and it is EASILY my favorite club in the bag. So much so that I got a 5 hybrid to go with it even though I wasn't having any trouble with my 5 iron. 

I have come to dislike the busy design on the cobras and the blue color. Also, the longer blade length and explosiveness and low spin on the irons. As I play more, take more lessons and generally improve, I find I don't need help (as much) in the areas that these clubs really assist. Mainly, I don't hit the ball fat (wide soles) and, this might be in my head, I swear the longer blade length makes it easier to hit it out on the toe. 

I now have a set of One Length F7s and F9s that I am not sure what I am going to do with but ultimately I think Cobra is a very forward thinking and interesting golf company. 

[Cobra Guy]

On 5/8/2021 at 1:36 AM, TBT said:

I would think that might get a little confusing, but I can see where it could be easier 

I'm actually toying with putting a Speedzone OL 4 iron on my F6 5 iron shaft. I hear that if all you do is play Variable Length in the 5-GW, lengthening the OL to 5 iron length isn't an issue. 

[RollingGreens]

I played the standard f8 irons. I enjoyed them. They were very rewarding on good shots. Unfortunately I bought them off the rack and need some adjusting of my lie angle. Not entirely the clubs fault on some of the bad shots I would get. They fall into the game improvement category because they are a bit forgiving but can certainly shot shape if that’s what you’d want.