2023 MGS Forum: Cobra 50th Anniversary Special!

[chisag]

5 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

A difference I did notice right away is that the TM is heavier in the head than the Cobra. Overall club weight feels about the same but I can tell the head is lighter. It’ll be interesting to see how that translates to putts on the course. 

 

... My Cobra Sport-60 was a little lighter than I prefer as well. It was a pretty easy fix:





 

[chisag]

2 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

Haha the 5 iron in my previous set was 23°, thus the comment. That was also a GI set so take it for what you will. 

Two longest Par 4s on the course I play are 395 and 383, the latter playing shorter than that if you play it right. Longest Par 5 is 515 yards, so those three will be a stretch for GIR unless I hit three really good shots, but basically every hole is a stretch for me in that regard . 6,027 yards from the whites so it’s certainly not a super long course, but not an executive either lol.

 

... Yea as much as I enjoy giving my own team mates a hard time, you know for incentive, I think anything 6,000 or longer is an adult course. Obviously the idea is to take you out of your comfort zone and hit shots you normally wouldn't hit. Playing a short curse sorta circumvents that challenge. But I don't make the rules and if the Mods say it's OK, then it is OK!  (but still a little shady )

[GolfSpy BOS]

Cobra 50th Anniversary Member Special - Week 3 Challenge - Irons Only! 

This week (Monday-Sunday) our competitors will be tasked with playing a round with their Irons only.  If they used a set PW or GW in the woods and wedges challenge, or a hybrid, they will be unable to use it in this week's challenge.  Scores should once again be posted in the VGT thread here:

*LINK TO THREAD HERE*

Please make sure to put #CobraMemberSpecial in the course name.
 

Fans following the action this week have a chance to challenge a tester.  Tag a competitor in this thread and officially enter into the competition.  Just like our competitors you need to share your scorecard here to get an official entry after challenging your competitor.  Bonus entries will be awarded for those that beat their competitors score. 

 

Let's see some darts out there! 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

7 hours ago, chisag said:

 

... Yea as much as I enjoy giving my own team mates a hard time, you know for incentive, I think anything 6,000 or longer is an adult course. Obviously the idea is to take you out of your comfort zone and hit shots you normally wouldn't hit. Playing a short curse sorta circumvents that challenge. But I don't make the rules and if the Mods say it's OK, then it is OK!  (but still a little shady )

I’m honestly looking forward to the irons only challenge! When my driver was total crap this past weekend I actually pulled 6 iron on one of the Par 4s because I just needed to get a ball in the fairway. It worked out really well and I was able to hit my second to just off the right of the green and had a little bump and run to one putt par. It makes you take a completely different approach and mindset but I find that really fun. 

[CFreddie]

8 hours ago, Jnoble89 said:

Haha the 5 iron in my previous set was 23°, thus the comment. That was also a GI set so take it for what you will. 

Two longest Par 4s on the course I play are 395 and 383, the latter playing shorter than that if you play it right. Longest Par 5 is 515 yards, so those three will be a stretch for GIR unless I hit three really good shots, but basically every hole is a stretch for me in that regard . 6,027 yards from the whites so it’s certainly not a super long course, but not an executive either lol.

Lol, thanks @chisag.

I got in my first round of irons only yesterday (and yes, at a "big boy" course for everyone thats watching).  

Not my best work, but I really appreciated the challenge, given my longest club was a 5I (normally a 175-185 yard club for me) and the weakest part of my game (currently) is approach shots.  Regardless, it was a ton of fun, and really forced me to get strategic on a number of shots (placement vs just moving it down the fairway).  As Sam mentioned, avoiding traps was paramount, given my highest lofted club was a PW (used my gap in the woods challenge).  

Planning to get in a couple more range sessions this week to really test out the irons (in comparison to my current gamers), and then get in a final irons-only round this weekend.  

[Preeway]

This is perfect timing. I have a 9:30 tee time today on a course that is only 6000 yards from the tips. @sirchunksalot I’m calling you out. LOL. Will post my score later today. I was already thinking of playing today without my woods. Well, here we go!

[JohnSmalls]

Love iron only week!  Let's get it!

[TSauer]

We have a round scheduled for this weekend at a course I've only played a handful of times, I think that will be my irons only round! In the mean time, I'm gonna head up to the course on my lunch break and play a few of the longer holes just to see how I fare.

This is going to be a fun challenge week for y'all!

[Tom the Golf Nut]

10 hours ago, chisag said:

... Jerry's post made me think, what is the longest Cobra iron each of you have in your bag? Huge advantage between using a 4 iron and a shorter iron for tee shots and lay ups on longer holes in this challenge. I used my 4 iron six times for my second shots today. And at 110* the ball is really flying. 

I start at the 6 iron and go to the Gap. Since I didn't have my irons yet for the woods and wedges only, I do get to use the gap wedge. But I don't expect to get a low round in. With a 6 iron this will be tough.  I actually took all the grips off already.

My replacements show out for delivery. I leave to go out of town Thursday for 8 days so it will be a last-minute round next Saturday without the opportunity to do better. It is what it is. Let's hope it doesn't rain next Saturday.  Waiting on delivery!

I'll get the woods done later today or tomorrow. The irons are important for now. But I wanted them ready just in case I can get out later. That is if the delivery isn't later in the day. Supposed to be between 11:30 and 3:30. 

[chisag]

7 minutes ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

I start at the 6 iron and go to the Gap. Since I didn't have my irons yet for the woods and wedges only, I do get to use the gap wedge. But I don't expect to get a low round in. With a 6 iron this will be tough.

 

... Yea, a 551 yd par 5 would be tough with a 6. It is also interesting that your 6 iron is 28* and JNoble's is 23.5 and a huge difference. It all makes a very interesting challenge. Got my fingers crossed for an on time grips delivery!

[Tom the Golf Nut]

8 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Yea, a 551 yd par 5 would be tough with a 6. It is also interesting that your 6 iron is 28* and JNoble's is 23.5 and a huge difference. It all makes a very interesting challenge. Got my fingers crossed for an on time grips delivery!

Luckily or unluckily, we will see. My course isn't long. The longest par 5 is 524 yards. But all the par 5's and a lot of the par 4's are dog legs. You are forced to lay up anyway. Making you use all three shots on par 5's. As long as I can get to the corners I' should be able to get somewhat close and rely on my short game. I probably should have ordered an extra grip. I have a feeling I'm gona wear out the grip on the 6 iron after this. 

[CFreddie]

Thats how I felt in my irons-only round, but with my 5I.  I felt like I hit it at least half of my shots - which was great practice on a club that doesn't normally get a lot of love.

[hartrick11]

I always loved the irons only tests best, although I didn't appreciate the challenge when iron sets can start at a 6i... stuck at the office all week and then on dad duty all weekend but will be watching this one closely, enjoy gents!

[mikeanthony]

Rats! Was hoping it wasn’t irons only this week for it’s a fav of mine … unsure I’ll be able to swing it.

[GolfSpy_KFT]

2 hours ago, chisag said:

 

... Yea, a 551 yd par 5 would be tough with a 6. It is also interesting that your 6 iron is 28* and JNoble's is 23.5 and a huge difference. It all makes a very interesting challenge. Got my fingers crossed for an on time grips delivery!

With a players set compared to a game improvement set, I am not surprised by the big difference in degrees of loft. What I do find kind of interesting though is that I do have a harder time hitting lower lofted irons well. I think I'd prefer a weaker loft on the Aerojet heads because it just looks easier to hit to my eye. Whether or not it would make a difference, I don't know. But I would sacrifice yards for a self perceived "easier" looking lofted club to hit, if that rambling makes sense. I know that GI irons are all about maximizing distance, thus the strong lofts.

[chisag]

5 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

With a players set compared to a game improvement set, I am not surprised by the big difference in degrees of loft. What I do find kind of interesting though is that I do have a harder time hitting lower lofted irons well. I think I'd prefer a weaker loft on the Aerojet heads because it just looks easier to hit to my eye. Whether or not it would make a difference, I don't know. But I would sacrifice yards for a self perceived "easier" looking lofted club to hit, if that rambling makes sense. I know that GI irons are all about maximizing distance, thus the strong lofts.

 

... Great point! I don't mind the stronger lofts, although it has been my experience those playing GI's could use more loft in the mid and long irons. And not just for a friendlier look at address that you prefer, but more loft is obviously easier to hit and get a proper trajectory. But what I find counter productive is as much as a 6* gap between irons, especially with the scoring irons. 

... There are days when it seems like I have good yardages and can take dead aim while other days where I seem to be in-between yardages with 4* gaps and have to play partial shots. With 6* or even 5* gaps I will be playing in between yardages the majority of the time. I get that many high index players should just be hitting to middle of greens so a little long or short is still a good shot but I also think their distance control isn't their strength, so 6* gaps will mean an even greater dispersion. The problem is even worse for Distance Irons that can really fly hit dead center. I don't think it is a surprise that the G430's have been very popular GI irons because they have 4* gaps in all but the PW to GW (4.5*) but you can also order them in a Retro Spec that is 2* weaker than normal. 

[TSauer]

Went out on my lunch hour and played a few holes with just irons and really surprised myself! I played two par 4s and one par 5, and it went something like this:

• Hole 6 | Par 4 | 402 yards
  • 4 crossover off the tee to a 170 yard 8i. The 8i ended up about 2 feet short of the green. Chipped with a 9i to 1' and got out with a par.
• Hole 7 | Par 5 | 500 yards
  • 4 crossover off the tee to another 4 crossover from 287, which ended up 95 yards from the green. I then hit a little choked down 9i that just barely made it on the green. That left me with a 30 footer that I ended up 2 putting. Another par.
• Hole 9 | Par 4 | 338 yards
  • 4 crossover off the tee to a 123 yard 9i. Stuck the 9i to 12' and had another 2 putt par.

I kinda blew myself away with how well I played those three holes. Typically, when I try to choke down on a club and take some off, it's pretty U G L Y. I love the 4 crossover though, that thing is so easy to it. But yeah, that was fun. Can't wait to do it again, but with more time.

Looking forward to hearing how you all do!

[chisag]

2 minutes ago, TSauer said:

I kinda blew myself away with how well I played those three holes. Typically, when I try to choke down on a club and take some off, it's pretty U G L Y. I love the 4 crossover though, that thing is so easy to it. But yeah, that was fun. Can't wait to do it again, but with more time.

 

... Well done! A crossover or any DI is a nice loophole in the irons only category. And if I had a Cobra King Tec Utility, and I debated ordering one instead of a hybrid, I certainly would have played it. Kinda evens out as it would not be illegible in a woods/hybrid/wedge challenge. Sounds like you have a good foundation to challenge any of the contestants.  

[Tom the Golf Nut]

3 hours ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

I start at the 6 iron and go to the Gap. Since I didn't have my irons yet for the woods and wedges only, I do get to use the gap wedge. But I don't expect to get a low round in. With a 6 iron this will be tough.  I actually took all the grips off already.

My replacements show out for delivery. I leave to go out of town Thursday for 8 days so it will be a last-minute round next Saturday without the opportunity to do better. It is what it is. Let's hope it doesn't rain next Saturday.  Waiting on delivery!

I'll get the woods done later today or tomorrow. The irons are important for now. But I wanted them ready just in case I can get out later. That is if the delivery isn't later in the day. Supposed to be between 11:30 and 3:30. 

Update:

Package secured............ Wasted no time since everything was staged. I'm ready to roll. Now all I need is to get off work! 

 

[sirchunksalot]

7 hours ago, Preeway said:

This is perfect timing. I have a 9:30 tee time today on a course that is only 6000 yards from the tips. @sirchunksalot I’m calling you out. LOL. Will post my score later today. I was already thinking of playing today without my woods. Well, here we go!

Let's do it! 

I hope you had a fun round today and shot about 120.  

I played nine the other day with only irons and shot 57 with 22 putts. It was a lot of 6 irons, especially on the par 5's. 

I have a round planned for tomorrow where I'm playing from the silver tees 70.1/114 because I actually want to hit something other than the 6. Plus, I can only get out to around 160 off the tee. If I had it to do over, I would have left the 4 hybrid out of the woods and wedges challenge. Oh well, it's irons only and to me that means irons only.

I think it's going to be a fun challenge, in traditionally not the greatest with irons so I think I'm going to have to work hard to get it around the course. I think the Forged Tec X will be up for the challenge.

@Tom the Golf Nut, I'm glad to see your grips made it to you. I have wondered about the quality of them since they're from Temu and they're extremely budget friendly. They look really good and I love the putter grip! I almost ordered one similar to it, just in the green color to match the Cobra logo on the bottom. I hope you hit them well. 

[Preeway]

51 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

Let's do it! 

I hope you had a fun round today and shot about 120.  

I played nine the other day with only irons and shot 57 with 22 putts. It was a lot of 6 irons, especially on the par 5's. 

I have a round planned for tomorrow where I'm playing from the silver tees 70.1/114 because I actually want to hit something other than the 6. Plus, I can only get out to around 160 off the tee. If I had it to do over, I would have left the 4 hybrid out of the woods and wedges challenge. Oh well, it's irons only and to me that means irons only.

I think it's going to be a fun challenge, in traditionally not the greatest with irons so I think I'm going to have to work hard to get it around the course. I think the Forged Tec X will be up for the challenge.

@Tom the Golf Nut, I'm glad to see your grips made it to you. I have wondered about the quality of them since they're from Temu and they're extremely budget friendly. They look really good and I love the putter grip! I almost ordered one similar to it, just in the green color to match the Cobra logo on the bottom. I hope you hit them well. 

Well, turned out to be a stellar round with the putter. All my chipping practice paid dividends as well today. Had a season low 31 putts and a season high 3 birdies. Almost had 5 but they lipped out. I should also add I had the benefit of a 3i and 4i and they were hitting solid. 400 yard par 4s into the wind weren’t really that difficult as a result. If I was hamstrung by only going up to a 6i I don’t know if I shoot as well, let alone break 80. And the par 5s play much much different too. Good luck tomorrow, @sirchunksalot

Edited July 11, 2023 by Preeway
Added more information

[sirchunksalot]

13 minutes ago, Preeway said:

Well, turned out to be a stellar round with the putter. All my chipping practice paid dividends as well today. Had a season low 31 putts and a season high 3 birdies. Almost had 5 but they lipped out. I should also add I had the benefit of a 3i and 4i and they were hitting solid. 400 yard par 4s into the wind weren’t really that difficult as a result. If I was hamstrung by only going up to a 6i I don’t know if I shoot as well, let alone break 80. And the par 5s play much much different too. Good luck tomorrow, @sirchunksalot

Great round @Preeway! I'm not going to say you've put the pressure on, but you've put the pressure on. It definitely looks like you had a great day with the putter and I hope a little bit of that runs off in me so I can at least make it competitive. 

[JerryB]

Got my first nine in today.  It was a bit of an adventure.  Irons were getting a little hooky again and I never really could adjust.  On the other hand, if I play them right, the ball rolls for days!  My tee shot (with my 7 iron) on the par three 4th hole rolled off the back of the green, 194 yards away.  I hit an 8 iron approach on hole six that two-hopped through the green, coming to a rest almost 20 yards behind the green, an astounding 196 yards from where it started!  

To re-iterate, these were not good shots nor were they intended.  But holy cow!!

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

30 minutes ago, JerryB said:

Got my first nine in today.  It was a bit of an adventure.  Irons were getting a little hooky again and I never really could adjust.  On the other hand, if I play them right, the ball rolls for days!  My tee shot (with my 7 iron) on the par three 4th hole rolled off the back of the green, 194 yards away.  I hit an 8 iron approach on hole six that two-hopped through the green, coming to a rest almost 20 yards behind the green, an astounding 196 yards from where it started!  

To re-iterate, these were not good shots nor were they intended.  But holy cow!!

who needs speed training, just get aerojet irons!

[ParFore74x]

1 hour ago, Preeway said:

Well, turned out to be a stellar round with the putter. All my chipping practice paid dividends as well today. Had a season low 31 putts and a season high 3 birdies. Almost had 5 but they lipped out. I should also add I had the benefit of a 3i and 4i and they were hitting solid. 400 yard par 4s into the wind weren’t really that difficult as a result. If I was hamstrung by only going up to a 6i I don’t know if I shoot as well, let alone break 80. And the par 5s play much much different too. Good luck tomorrow, @sirchunksalot

Great round! You’re making golf look easy. 

[JerryB]

A little more detail regarding my round today.  Based on today, if anyone is looking for an easy challenge win, I'm your guy!!

 

 

[Preeway]

1 hour ago, ParFore74x said:

Great round! You’re making golf look easy. 

It’s kind of funny. I missed greens having to use mid irons more often, or even an 8i instead of a wedge like usual, but the misses were really close so the up and downs came pretty easy today. We will see what tomorrow brings. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

I cut out 15 minutes early from work so I could get 9 holes in with the new grips. After the first swing I started singing in my head "Hello darkness my old friend, I've come to talk with you again......." The band was back together. The clubs didn't hurt my hands like they did with the original grips. Every iron shot was like an archer with a bow. All straight lasers. My distance was off a tad but I'm ok with that as they are new irons to me, and I haven't got them dialed in yet. However, the score card looked pretty good to me for the maiden voyage with my preferred grips.

I managed a birdie, an eagle, and two bogies for a one under 35 on the front 9. Let me explain the eagle. It was zero putts. 6 iron, 6 iron, gap wedge on a par 5. 

I'm learning a lot from these challenges. I now have so many options running through my head. The back 9 will hopefully be tomorrow. The back always seems tougher for me. That's where the majority of the dog legs are. 

Why is it that you can play well "woods and wedges only" then play well with "irons only". But when you have everything in your bag you don't play any better? A mystery to be solved. But that was with my old clubs. After we are all done with the challenge, I'll see how it goes with everything.

I'm not worried about my iron review now!

   

[chisag]

29 minutes ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

Why is it that you can play well "woods and wedges only" then play well with "irons only". But when you have everything in your bag you don't play any better? A mystery to be solved. But that was with my old clubs. After we are all done with the challenge, I'll see how it goes with everything.

 

... A different kind of focus I think. I played the front 9 with my best friend in Asheville NC and was 2 over. He had a miserable 9 and was feeing pretty down about it. I told him I would play him for dinner and all I could use was my 5 iron and putter. I shot even par on the back 9. I was a little surprised at how teeing off with a 5 iron, left me close to another 5 iron to the green. Two of the par 3's were 5 irons and the other two I just had to play a 3/4 shot. What was interesting for me was I realized how focused I had to be with every shot and maybe equally important is I had no expectations. It was a valuable lesson and changed my game for the better. 

... I think it is the same with these challenges. I had been struggling with some physical issues that effected me mentally before the challenges started, and my first swing with my 205yd hybrid from 145 yards turned on a light bulb and I was out of my funk. We have the capability to hit all kinds of shots, yet we rarely do. Complacency is replaced by intention. So I think as long as our swing is in good shape, a sharper focus with no expectations is a really good combination for scoring. 

[ParFore74x]

7 minutes ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

I cut out 15 minutes early from work so I could get 9 holes in with the new grips. After the first swing I started singing in my head "Hello darkness my old friend, I've come to talk with you again......." The band was back together. The clubs didn't hurt my hands like they did with the original grips. Every iron shot was like an archer with a bow. All straight lasers. My distance was off a tad but I'm ok with that as they are new irons to me, and I haven't got them dialed in yet. However, the score card looked pretty good to me for the maiden voyage with my preferred grips.

I managed a birdie, an eagle, and two bogies for a one under 35 on the front 9. Let me explain the eagle. It was zero putts. 6 iron, 6 iron, gap wedge on a par 5. 

I'm learning a lot from these challenges. I now have so many options running through my head. The back 9 will hopefully be tomorrow. The back always seems tougher for me. That's where the majority of the dog legs are. 

Why is it that you can play well "woods and wedges only" then play well with "irons only". But when you have everything in your bag you don't play any better? A mystery to be solved. But that was with my old clubs. After we are all done with the challenge, I'll see how it goes with everything.

I'm not worried about my iron review now!

   

Perfect song for that feeling! Pretty crazy to think that grips can be such a difference maker with clubs. Sounds like a pretty good round!