Your Brand Opinion: Cobra Golf

[lab4life]

Cobra is a brand that holds a special place for me as my first driver was a Cobra Ti Titanium oversize. they were used by my then idol Greg Norman and were cool. Today I see them as a great woods and hybrid brand (I game a Areojet 2 iron hybrid currently and have used the F8+ and Speedzone drivers) - up there with any of the big players (Taylormade, Callaway, Ping etc.), but at a more affordable price. When it comes to irons, while they look good, I am not as confident on the performance. Wedges are much the same here. As for putters, I think all putters except LAB putters are average. Where I think Cobra takes off are the clothes and accessories, very trendy and stylish. I see it as a younger persons brand. 

[Fongle]

I think Cobra as a brand makes great gear, especially the woods, and actually innovates quite a lot, with the 3D printed irons, metal injection molding in wedges years before Callaway started using it, SIK face on putters etc, but they've seemingly got no idea of how to market themselves, and are coasting by on the goodwill of years past as far as public perception goes. The amount of casual golf fans I know who still think Bryson uses their gear is crazy.

The have no significant social media signings at all that I'm aware of currently, and their staff players really just aren't putting eyes on the brand in the right way. Arguably the biggest name they have these days is Rickie, and sure he's a crowd favourite, but I struggle to care about Rickie marketing their new "fastest driver ever" when the guy isn't even in the top 100 longest on tour and arguably would probably break even with me for distance. Gary Woodland was actually 14th for average distance this year, but I cannot recall seeing him in an ad ever, and his career is definitely on a downward path at this stage so he's not bringing eyes either.

It really feels like they consistently miss the mark on the current state of the market, and what consumers are looking for, and this year is one of the biggest examples of this. At a time that every other brand has been pushing forgiveness with drivers, Cobra instead doubled down on last years Aerojet and claimed you can swing the new Darkspeed even faster again somehow.

I absolutely love Cobra as a brand, especially as an Aussie who watched Greg Norman growing up (I even have a very old Greg Norman Signature Cobra den caddy in my office), but I worry that they're slipping slowly out of the publics eye as a brand these days. In an age where brands rely heavily on social media marketing and player endorsements to flourish, it's not a great sign that they're slipping further and further out of contention in those fields.

 

[darrellthompson]

I feel like their forged irons are overlooked by many golfers that are getting fit. I also feel that a lot of fitters fail to show potential customers their offerings.  Don't get me wrong they're no Srixon or Mizuno, but they hold their own against Taylormade and Titleist.  

As for their woods, I'm not a fan. My experiences the last 4 offerings were clicky faces, and under performing numbers for me. (My experiences only)  

Wedges are a hard tell for me because nobody around me has them to try/test/fit.  Seems cobra doesn't send them out as readily as their woods and irons. 

[Henri-Martin]

This is really interesting.  I used to play the COBRA GREG NORMAN GRIND OVERSIZE IRONS.   They were great clubs.  I also had a KING COBRA DRIVER with a steel shaft same as Greg Norman used.  Today, we don’t see many players playing Cobra, except Rickie Fowler.  What a shame.  They are great clubs, especially for the irons.  Maybe, they are not paying their players enough!!!

[Boris119]

I have always liked the look of Cobra, even the loud ones. I currently play LTDx driver, 3 and 5 woods and a Dark speed 7 wood. Along with my Cobra forged tour irons. I have 2 snakebite wedges and a cobra putter. I have played Titliest, ping and Mizuno prior to the Cobras. So far the Cobras have been the best fit for my game.

[Mrbenkenobi]

The king tours are really great irons as are the cb/mbs.  The darkspeed woods are fantastic as well.  I am currently playing the snakebite wedges and love them.  Overall I think Cobra is making great products right now and more people should probably give them a shot.  

[KurtActual]

Cobra F8 3 wood was the greatest feeling and performing club I've ever owned. One of my biggest regrets was selling that thing.

[Modecius]

Have liked them since I started playing 30 years ago. Not a fan of Greg Norman though and would like to see them part ways with him. Most recent driver I gamed was the F9, solid driver, and still play forged tec black irons. They definitely are overlooked. Was looking to get new irons, most likely Titleist, but with Cobras new line out I might have to stick with them.

[1970 PTP]

I must say that I am a little biased against Cobra.  I can't really pinpoint any specific reason but in comparison they typically would come in behind the other brands in each category.  I would obviously test them but they never seem to be on the top rung.  My thinking would be as follows:

Driver/3 Wood

1.  Taylor Made/Titleist/Ping

4.  Cobra/Mizuno/Callaway

7.  Other

Irons

1.  Mizuno/Titleist/Taylor Made

4.  Ping/Other/Cobra

Wedges

1.  Vokey - Titleist

2.  All Other

Putters

1.  Scotty/Ping

2.  Toulon

I'm not actually sure where the bias comes from but I can say that over 45 years of golf they have never finished 1st for me in any category.  I always think of them and test them as good but not great.

[The.Frozen.Golfer]

I’ve played cobra irons the last 15 years! Currently using the king tour forged.. I think the flash and colours detract from the quality of all the clubs. Cobra is probably the most underrated brand since Puma bought them.
 

The Dakspeed line is legit as well…

[Dragon3]

I have the ladies Cobra Amp Cell Driver and have no issues with.  Highly recommend customized fittings,  after having tested and went through one with Titleist, the TS1, was well more suited to my game and improvements were noticeable..  Customized fitting really makes a difference.

[Hoyoymac]

I have three Cobra clubs in my bag currently.  Darkspeed LS Driver, LTDx fairway wood and hybrid.

My fairway wood is by far the best I’ve ever had.

Cobra is very innovative and their new Limit3D irons are very interesting to me.

I played the Nova Vintage putter and really liked the way the SIK face imparted roll to the ball but the aluminum face insert marred pretty easily.  The newer version seems to have fixed that issue.

Cobra/Puma is in my mind an underrated brand.

[WFWP91]

Cobra Golf's origin was to make golf clubs for average amateur golfers. Then under Fortune/Acushnet [1996-2010], Cobra seemed to be in the shadow of Titleist. Next, PUMA taking over in 2010 ushered in an age of exciting colors and innovation for Cobra Golf. The major wins with Cobra golf clubs has validated the brand, but the small tour presence keeps Cobra out of the popularity race. Baffler rails, Metal Injection Molding (MIM), 3D printed [irons & putters], cavity back irons, and one length irons come to mind on the product/technology/innovation side. The critical factor is getting custom fit instead of trial and error because Cobra makes a wide range of products and often does not offer the same stocks shafts as the bigger and more popular brands.

I believe that Cobra as a small major brand would benefit from growing their image as a custom fitting company.

 

 

[Hack.Right_]

When I was a very novice golfer, I always looked at Cobra as a premium brand.  I randomly found a King Cobra 7 iron on a course on Maui and tried it on one hole. IT HIT LIKE A NUKE! and after that, I lusted after a full set. Fast forward 20 something years, I decided to start replacing my old clubs and started with a Cobra LTDx driver.  The love affair continued!  I ended up getting different branded irons, BUT I stuck with the LTDx line and outfitted my bag w the matching 3 wood and 5 wood. You would be hard pressed to get me to swap those cruise missiles for something else. 

Short story long, great brand, brand ambassadors, and great technology. 

[Rob Person]

I have never hit any Cobra products. But everytime I see a driver or wood on the course I do drool a little bit!  They look and sounded amazing!

[QuadU]

I've been playing Cobra irons (2022 Forged Tecs) for the last couple of years without complaint - it's what they fitted me (and that's another story) into. I like their look. Not sure they'll be my choice next time. Depends on what makes sense.

[JDHolmes]

I've used Cobra for years, have a secondary set in my garage of LTDx irons, still have hybrids, fairways, and a driver though most are not in the bag currently. I was looking for a Cally shaft in my shaft box this morning and counted 15 Cobra shafts in driver, fairway, and hybrid.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

[JoeLafives]

When I first started playing again four years ago, I picked up a used Ping G400 driver and while it was pretty good, I hated the sound and feel, so since VAN's had a 90 day return, I did so and worked with a guy at the store a bit.  I wouldn't call it a fitting, more like a test drive (no pun intended) and went out with a Cobra Speedzone -  I liked the infinity face and the rollover to the top of the head.  I used it for about a year though with mediocre success.  Ultimately I trickled it down to my son who swings faster.  I felt it was a quality driver though.   For the last 4 years I've been gaming a Cobra F7 3W and REALLY like the sound and feel.  Off the tee it averages a very consistent 225 for me.  The consistency has lead me at times to use it instead of my current Driver (Sim2 max) even for longer distance holes.  My impression of Cobra woods is that they are darn good, perhaps not Ping good or TaylorMade good but close. 

[Bogeys ov]

I think the products are great, totally underrated. It's not a brand that has the big names(less Rickie) but I own a set and have loved them every since I made the switch.

[Peejer]

I think of Cobra as a 2nd Tier golf company.  They make some solid products, I'm still gaming the Cobra Radspeed hybrid and love it - but, if it weren't for MyGolfSpy I never would have even given them a second look.  If someone other than Taylormade, Callaway, Titleist, or Ping wants to gain market share, they need to price their products under the aforementioned.  Otherwise, it's not worth it to most consumers to try something other than a tried and trusted brand.

The Cobra drivers have made a lot of progress in the past few years, but again - most people don't even think of them when looking at options.  If it weren't for MGS, most of us wouldn't have even considered them.  Even as popular as My Golf Spy is, I occasionally ask random golfers if they read MyGolfSpy and they say - 'what's that'?  So, I think they make solid products, but most of the golfing community will never know it...

-- Peejer

[New Guy]

I am a secondary market savant...Meaning very early on I stopped falling for the hype of new products on the market.  Started buying previous season models for better pricing and solid customer reviews.

Cobra has been one of the most overlooked clubs out there...They always seem to produce solid products that produce consistent results... I have played many Cobra woods and Irons over my time...

I play the Cobra Forged Tec X irons after reading reviews (here and other sources) and testing (here and other sources)...and by far they are the best for my game of any iron I have ever played. I ditched my (bought new) P790s after playing FTX a couple rounds...It would have to take something special to get me to move to something else...

Very under the radar brand, but quality/performance is as good any...