2023 MGS Forum: Cobra 50th Anniversary Special!

[chisag]

... What a whacky July 4th! I am paired up with these 3 older gentleman (yes CFredo/Jnoble they were older than me) and they are all playing the forward tees and oh my goodness did they play fast. I am playing my combo tees and the front 9 could not have gone any better. But here's what I was playing just to mix things up:

Stealth HD Driver
Cobra Aerojet 5/7 woods
Sim2 #4
Cobra MIM Tours
MG3 wedges
Cobra Sport 60 putter

... The King Tours have a hard time competing with my MIM Tours and I think mostly because of how much I love the Steelfiber shafts compared to the Recoil shafts. So to be fair to the King Tours, I am gonna re-shaft them with Steelfibers (since Cobra does offer them with an uncharge). But as the saying goes playing my MIMs was like slipping into an older worn in pair of my favorite most comfortable shoes. At least they are both Cobra's! 

... I honestly could not have played any better on the front and on the uphill 177yd #7 hole the wind gusted and I came up about 5 yds short of the green with a back pin.   So I pulled out my 51* MG3 and proceeded to hit a low running 60 foot chip with 6' of break and it dropped in the hole for a birdie. I had 4 more birdies on the front 9. As my subconscious was desperately trying to tell me "HEY! You could top your career low of 66 that you have shot 5 times now and today will be the day  I did my best to just talk to the Boys and completely ignore my subconscious. Then after 9 Greg asked me "What's the lowest round you have ever shot?" 

... Hot today and 113* was predicted but we still played the front in 1:40 minutes. These guys were f-a-s-t and I wasn't taking many shots. We get to the 10th hole and there are 3 groups waiting!?!? Seems they were working on the 2 middle tees so tips or forward tees were the only options so knuckleheads moved to the tips. I hit an iron off the forward tees with the Boys. The next hole was a par 3 from my normal tee and then a par 5 with the tee boxes blocked off again so I decided to get in a practice round of irons only on the back because I couldn't stand the thought of shooting a new career low and having to say every single time "but there's an * because I teed off on the forward tees for several holes on the back 9"  

... But I had 8 straight pars with just my MIMs (again from the forward tees). I was kinda glad I didn't have any more birdies because that low career round would be even harder to explain. The Boys got a kick out of me hitting my 4 iron farther than their drivers and it's been quite awhile since I heard "The Kid can really get it out there!" Missed the green on 18 and ended up on the back left fringe, and of course rolled in the 15 footer to only tie my career low round. So thankfully ... Lucy won't have any splaining to do! 

...Tomorrow Night: After 24 putts today the Sport-60 has its work cut out for itself with Glow In the Dark 3D Miniature Golf!

[GolfSpy_KFT]

As I am still waiting on my putter, I am going to head to the range today to continue working on my takeaway and get some reps in with my 6-PW in preparation for my member/guest tournament this weekend. I will also be doing a head to head with the AJ Max and my TSi3, and will post data and results from that (provided I am striking the ball respectably today). Last day that I am planning to use my friends' R10 and then will be getting it back to him. I was striking the AJ Max pretty well over the weekend, so hoping I can carry that over. 

[JerryB]

Funny find that popped up in my feed today.  Several of the Cobra putter options are on sale on Amazon right now.

Cobra Golf 2021 King Vintage Putters https://a.co/d/5vhYUl3

I'm not one that usually shares links to stuff and this one looks odd.  For what it's worth, this is one of the options:

Edited July 5, 2023 by JerryB
Add screenshot

[sirchunksalot]

2 minutes ago, JerryB said:

Funny find that popped up in my feed today.  Several of the Cobra putter options are on sale on Amazon right now.

Cobra Golf 2021 King Vintage Putters https://a.co/d/5vhYUl3

 

That's some pretty good pricing for putters that feature SIK face. 

[TSauer]

47 minutes ago, JerryB said:

Funny find that popped up in my feed today.  Several of the Cobra putter options are on sale on Amazon right now.

Cobra Golf 2021 King Vintage Putters https://a.co/d/5vhYUl3

I'm not one that usually shares links to stuff and this one looks odd.  For what it's worth, this is one of the options:

That's a heck of a deal! What's odd, is it's usually the lefties getting the discounts on clubs. Looks like us southpaws still gotta pay full price.

[russtopherb]

3 hours ago, Jnoble89 said:

As I am still waiting on my putter, I am going to head to the range today to continue working on my takeaway and get some reps in with my 6-PW in preparation for my member/guest tournament this weekend. I will also be doing a head to head with the AJ Max and my TSi3, and will post data and results from that (provided I am striking the ball respectably today). Last day that I am planning to use my friends' R10 and then will be getting it back to him. I was striking the AJ Max pretty well over the weekend, so hoping I can carry that over. 

I just want to point out - if the TSi3 ends up working better for you, that's OK! Having some data to compare and your on-course experiences are just as big a part of this testing as anything else. Sharing honest feedback is important, don't feel bad if something you got as part of this whole experience doesn't work as well as something else that you just hit better. As long as you are up front with everyone about your own person experiences and end results, it's all good. 

[chisag]

2 hours ago, TSauer said:

That's a heck of a deal! What's odd, is it's usually the lefties getting the discounts on clubs. Looks like us southpaws still gotta pay full price.

 

... While not every model, Cobra has some lefty putters for $149 on their website. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

So I just got back from the range a bit ago and put some data averages together for the AJ Max vs. TSi3. I eliminated shots that had a big slice (a couple with both clubs, FWIW) and some that had really excessive spin rates. I had a really negative attack angle today, and my spin was up across the board as a result. Still, the results strongly favor the TSi3. This is a small sample size as I didn't want to utilize my entire range time on going head to head with these clubs. All data is based on a Garmin R10 with Taylormade Range balls.

As you can see, TSi3 beat the AJ Max by 24 yards on carry and 26 yards on total distance . This could have more to do with the swing speed difference, but I was swinging with the same effort with both clubs. I simply felt like I could move the TSi3 faster than the AJ Max. I also found it interesting that the TSi3 produced LESS spin with nearly a 2 degree steeper AOA. This is not an apples to apples comparison as the TSi3 is more of a "players" head and the AJ Max is designed for greater forgiveness. I believe, though, that if I was not so negative with AOA on the TSi3, those distance numbers would be quite a bit longer than what is represented in the chart. Same could be said for the AJ Max, but it would still be behind in distance. 

The results of this test didn't surprise me too much, as the longest drive I have hit and recorded with the AJ Max was 256 yards, compared to a long drive this year of 290 yards with the TSi3. I also have had multiple drives over 270 with the TSi.

So while I really do like the feel of the AJ Max, it does not beat out the TSi3 for a spot in my bag at this time. Feel and sound of the Titleist is also very difficult to top. The ball feels like a missile leaving the face.

[chisag]

4 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

I also found it interesting that the TSi3 produced LESS spin with nearly a 2 degree steeper AOA. This is not an apples to apples comparison as the TSi3 is more of a "players" head and the AJ Max is designed for greater forgiveness. I believe, though, that if I was not so negative with AOA on the TSi3, those distance numbers would be quite a bit longer than what is represented in the chart. Same could be said for the AJ Max, but it would still be behind in distance.

 

... Really great info and thanks for posting! If you can get that AOA to at least near neutral and the spin down below 3000 I think you are going to find quite a few additional yards. At a 105.6 swing speed 300yds isn't out of the question. I have a positive AOA so I need the spin the AJ Max produces. Mine spins around 2400/2500 so a good number for me. The Stealth HD produces around 2500/2600 and one of the reasons it is more accurate and a better fit for my swing. I do think if I preferred the larger looking AJ Max head (and some do for confidence) and put a Cobra adaptor on my Ventus Velo Red I might find it would be competitive with my HD. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

8 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

Mine spins around 2400/2500 so a good number for me. The Stealth HD produces around 2500/2600 and one of the reasons it is more accurate and a better fit for my swing. I do think if I preferred the larger looking AJ Max head (and some do for confidence) and put a Cobra adaptor on my Ventus Velo Red I might find it would be competitive with my HD. 

This is one of the things I wish I could do with the AJ Max and what I outlined in my review was to get the Tensei AV Raw White shaft instead of the Kai'Lil. The feel is admittedly extremely similar, but that I am in love with the Tensei shaft. May not matter much, but would be interesting to compare it directly. 

Definitely will be trying to work on getting the AOA to neutral or even a little up, which I have done in the past so certainly can do. Today was just a STEEP day apparently . I think distance for both would go up a lot with a better AOA, but I think the TSi would still be longer simply because it just "feels" like I can move it faster. My slice was less pronounced with the TSi as well, which definitely surprised me. It was more of a controlled fade on my best strikes today.

[chisag]

19 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

Definitely will be trying to work on getting the AOA to neutral or even a little up, which I have done in the past so certainly can do. Today was just a STEEP day apparently .

 

... Get yourself some 3 1/4" tees and tee the ball up as high as you can on the range. Almost impossible to swing down on the ball teed up 3" ... but of course anything is possible. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

5 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Get yourself some 3 1/4" tees and tee the ball up as high as you can on the range. Almost impossible to swing down on the ball teed up 3" ... but of course anything is possible. 

LOL I used to play the Pro System 3 1/4" tees and would put them in the ground to the little blue band where you're supposed to stop them so you get consistent tee height every time and two things happened. #1, I was constantly worried about hitting the ball off the crown  and #2 I would go through 18 tees on 18 holes. They have the WORST tee durability ever. Now I just use some random tees that I found in my garage.

Maybe this is corny or makes me a gimmicky golfer, but for tees, the favorite ones I have used were the 4 yards more blue tees. They look a little ridiculous, but I had good luck with those!

[GolfSpy_BEN]

27 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Get yourself some 3 1/4" tees and tee the ball up as high as you can on the range. Almost impossible to swing down on the ball teed up 3" ... but of course anything is possible. 

Real easy to “sky” it when you swing down on it at that height though Not that I would know anything about that

[GolfSpy_KFT]

2 minutes ago, Ben Joest said:

Real easy to “sky” it when you swing down on it at that height though Not that I would know anything about that

This, I relate so strongly to this . My poor TSi has the injury to prove it. Most likely sending it off to Continental Golf to get it fixed this offseason! 

[chisag]

45 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

LOL I used to play the Pro System 3 1/4" tees and would put them in the ground to the little blue band where you're supposed to stop them so you get consistent tee height every time and two things happened. #1, I was constantly worried about hitting the ball off the crown  

 

...  You will be using them as a training aid, so even missing the ball swinging TOO positive AOA is OK. The idea is training yourself to swing up, not to use them as a normal tee height when playing. If you are really determined to be obstinate and still swing down, you can put some masking tape on the crown.   My son had the opposite problem swinging too up with is driver and topping balls so with his normal tee height I had him attempt to miss the ball completely and leaning the tee forward so he could see it,  just hit the tee. His first shot carried 290 and he has been trying to "hit the tee" ever since. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

3 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

...  You will be using them as a training aid, so even missing the ball swinging TOO positive AOA is OK. The idea is training yourself to swing up, not to use them as a normal tee height when playing. If you are really determined to be obstinate and still swing down, you can put some tape on th crown.   My son had the opposite problem swinging too up with is driver and topping balls so with his normal tee height I had him attempt to miss the ball completely and leaning the tee forward so he could see it,  just hit the tee. His first shot carried 290 and he has been trying to "hit the tee" ever since. 

Lol I am definitely going to try this at the range next time out. My wife has some of the 3 1/4" tees so I'll swipe a few . Then I am going to think, "try to miss the ball" and see what happens. If it turns into a nuke, you're the official swing sensei of MGS @chisag! 

[chisag]

10 minutes ago, Jnoble89 said:

Lol I am definitely going to try this at the range next time out. My wife has some of the 3 1/4" tees so I'll swipe a few . Then I am going to think, "try to miss the ball" and see what happens. If it turns into a nuke, you're the official swing sensei of MGS @chisag! 

 

... Just be sure the ball is teed up even your front foot, not back of it or even worse the middle of your stance. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

11 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Just be sure the ball is teed up even your front foot, not back of it or even worse the middle of your stance. 

Ball position is one thing I usually feel pretty good about with driver. I put down an alignment stick initially to make sure that it's not inside my front heel. If I had to guess, I was not staying behind the ball well enough on the downswing as one aspect that may have caused the negative AOA

[sirchunksalot]

2 hours ago, Jnoble89 said:

So I just got back from the range a bit ago and put some data averages together for the AJ Max vs. TSi3. I eliminated shots that had a big slice (a couple with both clubs, FWIW) and some that had really excessive spin rates. I had a really negative attack angle today, and my spin was up across the board as a result. Still, the results strongly favor the TSi3. This is a small sample size as I didn't want to utilize my entire range time on going head to head with these clubs. All data is based on a Garmin R10 with Taylormade Range balls.

As you can see, TSi3 beat the AJ Max by 24 yards on carry and 26 yards on total distance . This could have more to do with the swing speed difference, but I was swinging with the same effort with both clubs. I simply felt like I could move the TSi3 faster than the AJ Max. I also found it interesting that the TSi3 produced LESS spin with nearly a 2 degree steeper AOA. This is not an apples to apples comparison as the TSi3 is more of a "players" head and the AJ Max is designed for greater forgiveness. I believe, though, that if I was not so negative with AOA on the TSi3, those distance numbers would be quite a bit longer than what is represented in the chart. Same could be said for the AJ Max, but it would still be behind in distance. 

The results of this test didn't surprise me too much, as the longest drive I have hit and recorded with the AJ Max was 256 yards, compared to a long drive this year of 290 yards with the TSi3. I also have had multiple drives over 270 with the TSi.

So while I really do like the feel of the AJ Max, it does not beat out the TSi3 for a spot in my bag at this time. Feel and sound of the Titleist is also very difficult to top. The ball feels like a missile leaving the face.

Thanks for gathering and sharing that information. It's one thing to think a club is outperforming another, but it's nice to see the data to back it up. 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

4 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

Thanks for gathering and sharing that information. It's one thing to think a club is outperforming another, but it's nice to see the data to back it up. 

I do think the AJ Max is a really good driver. On a day where my AOA isn’t so steep I’d fully expect to see numbers closer to what the TSi3 produced today as I have hit some really nice drives with it on the course. I do think it would still be chasing the Titleist, though. I’m going to keep hitting it this season and see if I can bring it around. It might not be as long as my gamer but it is fun to try and find out if I can get it there!

[JerryB]

5 hours ago, russtopherb said:

I just want to point out - if the TSi3 ends up working better for you, that's OK! Having some data to compare and your on-course experiences are just as big a part of this testing as anything else. Sharing honest feedback is important, don't feel bad if something you got as part of this whole experience doesn't work as well as something else that you just hit better. As long as you are up front with everyone about your own person experiences and end results, it's all good. 

This was something that I was really interested in hearing about from the others.  Most of my clubs other than driver and 3 wood are 10-15+ years old so of course these Cobras were going to look good and make my cut.  I'd been curious to hear from the other guys that game much more recent and/or fitted clubs and whether or not these new ones were improvements.  

The only older club I have that may not get kicked out of the bag is an old knock-off hybrid that has been cut down a few inches.  Its a reliable, fail-safe type of club where if I'm swinging poorly I may use it for a few consecutive shots to help boost my confidence back up.  

[sirchunksalot]

2 minutes ago, JerryB said:

This was something that I was really interested in hearing about from the others.  Most of my clubs other than driver and 3 wood are 10-15+ years old so of course these Cobras were going to look good and make my cut.  I'd been curious to hear from the other guys that game much more recent and/or fitted clubs and whether or not these new ones were improvements.  

The only older club I have that may not get kicked out of the bag is an old knock-off hybrid that has been cut down a few inches.  Its a reliable, fail-safe type of club where if I'm swinging poorly I may use it for a few consecutive shots to help boost my confidence back up.  

My other driver is a Callaway Epic Flash Sub Zero which is a few years older than the Max but still a really good club. I feel like potential is there with it, but the consistency in which I'm hitting the Max is just more appealing. 

I've hit very few shots that were way offline with the Aerojet, compared to several a round with the Callaway. 

[chisag]

59 minutes ago, JerryB said:

This was something that I was really interested in hearing about from the others.  Most of my clubs other than driver and 3 wood are 10-15+ years old so of course these Cobras were going to look good and make my cut.  I'd been curious to hear from the other guys that game much more recent and/or fitted clubs and whether or not these new ones were improvements.  

 

... Channeling my inner David Mamet, Jerry here is the thing and the thing is this. Most everyone can play almost any club by any OEM if they are the right specs and they have the right shaft. But once you have gone through a detailed fitting and ordered club(s) it will be difficult to just pick an OEM with stock shafts and have that club perform better. This is one of the reasons I was a little surprised by how good the Cobra AJ fairway woods were for my game. Having been through fittings with Titleist, Callaway and Taylor Made I was pretty dialed in. But the AJ's were more consistent off the ground than my TM's and it was a very pleasant surprise. 

... I am sure others that have been fit have experienced something similar with some of their Cobra's while some were only fit for Cobra's and again, that can get you 90-95% into what works well for you. Would say a Titleist T200 or Mizuno work as well as the King Firged Tec? Maybe and maybe not but they will all be very close and it will come down to personal preference. For someone like you with 15 yr old clubs it must feel like Christmas in July and glad you were chosen for this Cobra challenge! 

... I think the huge value of this 50th Challenge is proving Cobra is right there with TaylorMade, Titleist, Callaway, Ping and MIzuno. And for some of us, even better. They have been relegated to 2nd string for much too long and I hope this exposure changes some peoples minds and they put Cobra on their must demo list when looking for new clubs. 

[sirchunksalot]

13 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Channeling my inner David Mamet, Jerry here is the thing and the thing is this. Most everyone can play almost any club by any OEM if they are the right specs and they have the right shaft. But once you have gone through a detailed fitting and ordered club(s) it will be difficult to just pick an OEM with stock shafts and have that club perform better. This is one of the reasons I was a little surprised by how good the Cobra AJ fairway woods were for my game. Having been through fittings with Titleist, Callaway and Taylor Made I was pretty dialed in. But the AJ's were more consistent off the ground than my TM's and it was a very pleasant surprise. 

... I am sure others that have been fit have experienced something similar with some of their Cobra's while sone were only fit for Cobra's and again, that can get you 90% into what works well for you. Would say a Titleist T200 or Mizuno work as well as the King Firged Tec? maybe and maybe not but they will all be very close and it will come down to personal preference. For someone like you with 15 yr old clubs it must feel like Christmas in July and glad you were chosen for this Cobra challenge! 

... I think the huge value of this 50th Challenge is proving Cobra is right there with TaylorMade, Titleist, Callaway, Ping and MIzuno. And for some of us that were custom fit, even better. They have been relegated to 2nd string for much too long and I hope this exposure changes some peoples minds and they put Cobra on their must demo list when looking for new clubs. 

You are definitely spot on with the custom fitting comment and how well clubs that are designed to suit your game perform.

I was surprised with how well I hit the Forged Tec X being a higher handicap player who has struggled in the past with irons to the point I have a complex.

We started out with the KBS Tour Lite shafts since I have been playing steel. Those were pretty much immediately by my fitter who recommended graphite. We moved on to the Recoil shafts and found them to be a good fit, but he wanted to try the KBS PGI 75 shafts and viola! 

I'm not going to lie, being fit into lighter graphite might have stung my ego a bit but after seeing the distance, consistency, and launch...I was in love. 

 

[chisag]

3 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

I'm not going to lie, being fit into lighter graphite might have stung my ego a bit but after seeing the distance, consistency, and launch...I was in love. 

 

... Well start playing better (which you already have) and copy my son when someone tried to sting his ego when he played college football. First, only one that went on to play in the NFL could stop him but his response was always the same when they were ahead and they went undefeated his Jr year. If some Lineman tried trash talking on any given play he simply said "Scoreboard"   So if your ego tries it again, just show it your scorecard. I would play in a dress (a cute one of course) with  Barney clubs if I could shoot a 65 using them. 

[JerryB]

29 minutes ago, chisag said:

For someone like you with 15 yr old clubs it must feel like Christmas in July and glad you were chosen for this Cobra challenge! 

... I think the huge value of this 50th Challenge is proving Cobra is right there with TaylorMade, Titleist, Callaway, Ping and MIzuno. And for some of us, even better. They have been relegated to 2nd string for much too long and I hope this exposure changes some peoples minds and they put Cobra on their must demo list when looking for new clubs. 

 

One of my mini-joys regarding golf has involved trying to upgrade my set on the super-cheap.  By hitting up thrift stores and garage sales I've managed to stumble across some decent finds; some SM7s for $3 were my highlights.  Comparing those to the new Snakebites has been an eye-opener.  In 15 years or so when I'm ready to upgrade again, Cobra will be near the top of my list.

The Cobra Challenge so far has been a bit of a frustrating process on the whole (I'm just not playing well this year, my fitting experience was less than stellar, etc) but it's been an incredible learning journey that is hard to put into words.  I'm taking a lot away from this and I feel incredibly fortunate to have taken part.  

[sirchunksalot]

1 minute ago, JerryB said:

Comparing those to the new Snakebites has been an eye-opener. 

I have been impressed with the Snakebite wedges so far. I haven't seen a ton of spin and stop, but it's been a really dry year and I've played on some greens that have been slick. I think what impresses me the most, like @Jnoble89, is how easy they are to open up and look down and see how close the he'll is to the ground. I feel a lot more confident in them on tight lies that I won't blade them if I add loft. 

[chisag]

25 minutes ago, JerryB said:

Comparing those to the new Snakebites has been an eye-opener. 

 

... Me Too!  

[CFreddie]

"If Leonard can somehow win this hole, the matches are over" 

The wife and I enjoyed a nice "day date" at Mountasia, which funny enough, is the same place I had many birthday's growing up.  Not my finest work, but the Grandsport did pull out the W (even though my wife had two of the only aces).  The staff didn't really understand the shirt choice haha.

Btw - did anyone challenge me? 

[chisag]

5 hours ago, CFreddie said:

 

 

 

... Wow a 52! Congrats CFredo, that is 4 strokes better than your net score on a "real (cough) course".