Cobra F8 Driver - Who Knew?

I just need to report on this club because I really am not seeing a whole lot of buzz about it, and I am quite blown away by the experience that my son and I are having with it.

I work in the golf industry and have access to a lot of equipment, I try to make sure that I am knowledgeable about current clubs, but to be honest I had not been paying much attention to Cobra for the past few years. In fact, I had assumed that Cobra was marketing to kids and women with all of the color choices. The marketing just did not seem to be geared toward better players.

My son is in High School and has gone through most of his growth spurts and has brought his Handicap down to the single digits. So far, he has been more than content to get clubs that I have handed down to him. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to take him to a store where he could try everything and decide for himself what would best suit him.

He had been playing a 2016 M2 that had a shaft that was fit for me that was probably a little heavy for him. He has a nice swing, but tends to overswing with driver and just doesn't consistently hit it all that well. After trying clubs from pretty much every manufacturer he had like the Ping G400 best even though he hit the Rogue a little farther. He was just more consistently long and straight with the Ping. (He has a SS of around 100-102 right now and generally does not spin the driver too much.)

The Cobra was a total afterthought by the fitter that we were working with. He didn't even seem to think that it would be a contender. Immediately we noticed that my kid was hitting the ball very straight. He loved the sound and feel of it. The only problem was that the ball was not going as far as we thought it should. The fitter looked at the club and said "oops, this is a custom shorter shaft. you probably won't hit it as straight with the standard length." After putting in the new shaft, my son was hitting it every bit as straight and now was hitting it the same distance as the Ping. Even though my kid was definitely preferring the Cobra, the fitter was trying to influence him to choose the Rogue because he hit a couple of his longest drives with it. I was proud of my son who said: "If I hit the Cobra this straight, I really don't care about distance that much." (His attitude about driver choices is far more mature than my own. ha ha)

We ended up getting the Cobra with the Aldila NV Blue 60g stiff shaft in it. He went out to play first thing in the morning on the next day. He called me immediately afterward to tell me that he had never driven the ball so well. He and I went out for a round a couple of days later and I could definitely see how much better he hit this driver than his previous club.

On the 16th hole, he asked me to hit it. My swingspeed is only a few mph more than his, and I absolutely tagged it. It was my best drive of the day, and I loved how it felt and sounded.

This past week we both hit it on the range. I have been using an Epic SZ for the past year and a half, and while I can really hit some great drives with the Epic, I think that some times it is just a little too low spinning for me. The F8 was just easier to hit over and over again. Super forgiving, and the NV blue shaft just feels like a perfect combination with this club.

Yesterday, I had a round with some friends. My son couldn't play because he just had his wisdom teeth out the day before. But before I went to the course he said: "Dad, take the F8 with you. You should try it for the round today." I took him up on it and had probably my best driving day of the year so far. I hit it so consistently good. While, I can get a little hooky with the Rogue, the F8 never had that problem. The shaft just felt so comfortable with the weight and flex. I just felt like I was making relaxed swings and getting great results.

The feel of this driver is just surprisingly great. It has a muted sound that I like, but feels like the ball is coming off of the club powerfully. It launches a little higher than my Epic SZ, but really carries out there.

All I have to say after all of that is that the F8 is a great looking and feeling driver. I am blown away by the performance. I didn't think that I'd be trading in the Epic mid year, but...

It just might happen.

Again. The only reason that I am writing this up is because I am so surprised by these results and I really am not hearing or reading much about this particular club. If you are in the market, you really should give it a try. Not every club is for every person, but this seems to be a special club for my son and I.

I am with you on the F8. I had the F7 and loved it - had no intention of replacing it. However, started to have the paint flaking off issue with the F7. After Cobra replaced it with a color I didn't like, I ended up going with the F8. And the performance is stellar.

I don't understand all the preconceptions out there about Cobra. They make amazing clubs and have for decades. I'm always changing my bag composition (like, weekly) but I always seem to have a Cobra or two in there, if not a whole set.

F8+ is the perfect blend of forgiveness and spin reduction for me. Between this and the 917 D3 I'm torn, both awesome drivers that aren't designed to be ultra ultra low spin and work well. Glad you guys found the Cobra as well! Much better driving this year than with M1 440 previously(although the 440 is stupid long when consistently hit on the screws).

... I have been singing the praise for Cobra drivers for awhile now but really amped it up since they released the Fly Z, which I consider to be the best all around driver ever made. It just did everything so well. I am playing the F8 with an Even Flow Blue shaft at Tour Length and finally settled on two 12gm weights. It is every bit as consistent as my Fly Z and has Arccos Connect, the coolest milled face where you can see contact on every shot and looks and sounds great. I picked up a Rogue SZ and while it has produced my longest drives it is just nowhere near as consistent and my average drive is much longer with the F8, and in the fairway. I have also rotated the F8 with an F8+ and again the F8+ is a little longer but jut not as consistent for me. Imo it may not be as insanely good for everyone, but the F8 should be a must demo on everyone's list.

I don't understand all the preconceptions out there about Cobra. They make amazing clubs and have for decades. I'm always changing my bag composition (like, weekly) but I always seem to have a Cobra or two in there, if not a whole set.

They had some great irons in the past with the King Cobra stuff. But after Titleist sold them off, it just seemed like it was marketed to Ladies and Millenials with the color scheme. With Ricky Fowler as their main Tour Staff, it seemed like they were more about style than substance. They also seemed to be a couple of steps behind the big name manufacturers. While the F8 doesn't seem to be amazingly ground breaking as far as the technology goes, it is a great looking, feeling, and performing club.

I don't understand all the preconceptions out there about Cobra. They make amazing clubs and have for decades. I'm always changing my bag composition (like, weekly) but I always seem to have a Cobra or two in there, if not a whole set.

They had some great irons in the past with the King Cobra stuff. But after Titleist sold them off, it just seemed like it was marketed to Ladies and Millenials with the color scheme. With Ricky Fowler as their main Tour Staff, it seemed like they were more about style than substance. They also seemed to be a couple of steps behind the big name manufacturers. While the F8 doesn't seem to be amazingly ground breaking as far as the technology goes, it is a great looking, feeling, and performing club.

... You clearly have not been paying attention. I would equate Cobra being a coupe steps behind big name OEM's the same as many think graphite iron shafts are weak, high torque and only for players seeking more distance. Cobra has been a serious contender for many years now and got away from the orange color scheme when they introduced the F6 as it became a special order. No orange in the irons either as I played the Fly Z+ and Forged Tours. Calling Rickie more style than substance does he a major injustice. He is a great ambassador for golf an the fact that he brings a younger crowd to the game is icing on the cake. And lastly I would certainly call a milled faced driver ground and if you have not hit the F8 fairway woods, they re even better than the driver and resolved a revolving door spot in my bag for 20 years now.

Love the F8 3w. Feel is really nice, and compared with my Rogue 3w, it's pretty much as far. Maybe if you 10/10 nut the Rogue it goes maybe 7 -10 yards more, but for me that's not the point of the 3w. I am probably going to pick up a used F8+ or a G400 Max next year once prices drop. I really like my M2 but I know for a fact I could gain more ball speed on miss hits switching to one of these two newer models.

I don't understand all the preconceptions out there about Cobra. They make amazing clubs and have for decades. I'm always changing my bag composition (like, weekly) but I always seem to have a Cobra or two in there, if not a whole set.

They had some great irons in the past with the King Cobra stuff. But after Titleist sold them off, it just seemed like it was marketed to Ladies and Millenials with the color scheme. With Ricky Fowler as their main Tour Staff, it seemed like they were more about style than substance. They also seemed to be a couple of steps behind the big name manufacturers. While the F8 doesn't seem to be amazingly ground breaking as far as the technology goes, it is a great looking, feeling, and performing club.

 

... You clearly have not been paying attention. I would equate Cobra being a coupe steps behind big name OEM's the same as many think graphite iron shafts are weak, high torque and only for players seeking more distance. Cobra has been a serious contender for many years now and got away from the orange color scheme when they introduced the F6 as it became a special order. No orange in the irons either as I played the Fly Z+ and Forged Tours. Calling Rickie more style than substance does he a major injustice. He is a great ambassador for golf an the fact that he brings a younger crowd to the game is icing on the cake. And lastly I would certainly call a milled faced driver ground and if you have not hit the F8 fairway woods, they re even better than the driver and resolved a revolving door spot in my bag for 20 years now.

I didn't mean to sound like I was saying that Ricky was more style than substance. He is most definitely a world class player and very deserving of his world ranking. However, Cobra signed him before he had accomplished anything on tour. He was young and talented and, as you stated, a great golf ambassador, especially for youth. But certainly when he was signed he was more well known for his youth and fashion appeal than his accomplishments. Using his image and the flashy colors it seemed that they were marketing more for style.

Now that he has really risen to the world class level and they have brought players like Dechambeau aboard, it seems like the company is getting more notice for having quality equipment.

I'd still argue that while they might be the first to Mill a driver face, milled faces are not necessarily ground breaking technology. It's a cool addition, and I can't argue with the results that I have seen thus far.

Sounds like you've got a great kid.

I don't understand all the preconceptions out there about Cobra. They make amazing clubs and have for decades. I'm always changing my bag composition (like, weekly) but I always seem to have a Cobra or two in there, if not a whole set.

They had some great irons in the past with the King Cobra stuff. But after Titleist sold them off, it just seemed like it was marketed to Ladies and Millenials with the color scheme. With Ricky Fowler as their main Tour Staff, it seemed like they were more about style than substance. They also seemed to be a couple of steps behind the big name manufacturers. While the F8 doesn't seem to be amazingly ground breaking as far as the technology goes, it is a great looking, feeling, and performing club.

 

... You clearly have not been paying attention. I would equate Cobra being a coupe steps behind big name OEM's the same as many think graphite iron shafts are weak, high torque and only for players seeking more distance. Cobra has been a serious contender for many years now and got away from the orange color scheme when they introduced the F6 as it became a special order. No orange in the irons either as I played the Fly Z+ and Forged Tours. Calling Rickie more style than substance does he a major injustice. He is a great ambassador for golf an the fact that he brings a younger crowd to the game is icing on the cake. And lastly I would certainly call a milled faced driver ground and if you have not hit the F8 fairway woods, they re even better than the driver and resolved a revolving door spot in my bag for 20 years now.

I didn't mean to sound like I was saying that Ricky was more style than substance. He is most definitely a world class player and very deserving of his world ranking. However, Cobra signed him before he had accomplished anything on tour. He was young and talented and, as you stated, a great golf ambassador, especially for youth. But certainly when he was signed he was more well known for his youth and fashion appeal than his accomplishments. Using his image and the flashy colors it seemed that they were marketing more for style.

 

Now that he has really risen to the world class level and they have brought players like Dechambeau aboard, it seems like the company is getting more notice for having quality equipment.

 

I'd still argue that while they might be the first to Mill a driver face, milled faces are not necessarily ground breaking technology. It's a cool addition, and I can't argue with the results that I have seen thus far.

... You can argue all you want but nobody else has ever done it, and that would be the very definition of "ground breaking". ;) Cobra is a real head scratcher at times. I go to the PGA Show every year and Demo Day is a huge party with DJ's, drinks and contests. Often reps or at least those manning he booths are weak on technical knowledge but also there and at the show I talk to the engineers who design the clubs and they are deadly serious about their products and are pushing the envelope as much as they can. Also they are absolutely performance based and I tip my cap to them about the Tour Length F8. I have been saying this to them for 5 years now and always mention it in my reviews. The VP of Engineering has been lobbying too and this year they finally offered it. Website or special order only, but that is a start.

Sounds like you've got a great kid.

Thank you for saying that. I am super proud of him. He's a good golfer and a great kid!

The F8 is a great driver. Super forgiving with a high launch. I wish I was as smart as your kid. I traded mine in for a few yards with the Rogue SZ.

Cobra F8 woods are very underrated. Last weekend, I hit one so bad on the toe that the gd club spun in my hand. When I look up, fully expecting to see this ball carry 150yards and move 100 yards left, she's barely turning left at all, staying in play, and has a decent launch. The ball rested about 30yds shorter than a pure strike and was barely in the first cut. Did I mention that the club spun in my f'n hand?! I don't know what type of sorcery this is, but I will take it.

Having cycled through a ton of drivers in the past 10 years, a pure strike with a good path and launch will go essentially the same distance with any driver on the market - almost like COR testing is science (/s). But the ones that stand out are the ones that somehow reduce the penalty on a big miss. Here is where I think the F8 line shines; there is something about the CNC milled face in my opinion that helps those garbage hits. It's the best I've had yet and will be tough to get out of the bag as a result.

Beyond this, and totally subjectively, the combination of that Nardo color and the sound of a pumped tee shot with the F8+ is as good as it gets.

I'm a big Ping fan but I've hit both the G400 Max and the F8 and I found the F8 to be the better club. Distance was the same but feel, looks, sound all were better with the Cobra. I also hit the F8 straighter.

(The G400 is just not pleasant to look at - they need to go back to just a straight plain matte black look like on the G25). I also like the Tour Length option of 44.5" on the F8.

I say this because I know the G400/Max get a lot of love here but anyone testing out the Ping needs to have the F8 on their short list as well. It's a great club.

I’ve been sold on Cobra drivers since the Fly Z +. I now have he F7+ and hit is just fine no need to upgrade anytime soon. Guys with the Callaway and Taylormade gear I play with are kind of surprised a Cobra with a cut down shaft to 44.5” can do what it can do. Will they ever try a Cobra. Not a chance in hell haha... Golf is funny sometimes. People like what they like. I like what performs. The matte blue finish is pretty cool too. Kinda unique and better than a shiny clubhead IMO.

I haven’t hit the F8 mainly because I don’t feel like buying it because I will probably want to.

I don't understand all the preconceptions out there about Cobra.

#MasculinitySoFragile

Men can't handle the humiliation associated with enjoying a color other than black or chrome.

I'm certainly happy with mine. First thing that's knocked the 913D3 out of my bag.

I don't understand all the preconceptions out there about Cobra. They make amazing clubs and have for decades. I'm always changing my bag composition (like, weekly) but I always seem to have a Cobra or two in there, if not a whole set.

They had some great irons in the past with the King Cobra stuff. But after Titleist sold them off, it just seemed like it was marketed to Ladies and Millenials with the color scheme. With Ricky Fowler as their main Tour Staff, it seemed like they were more about style than substance. They also seemed to be a couple of steps behind the big name manufacturers. While the F8 doesn't seem to be amazingly ground breaking as far as the technology goes, it is a great looking, feeling, and performing club.

 

... You clearly have not been paying attention. I would equate Cobra being a coupe steps behind big name OEM's the same as many think graphite iron shafts are weak, high torque and only for players seeking more distance. Cobra has been a serious contender for many years now and got away from the orange color scheme when they introduced the F6 as it became a special order. No orange in the irons either as I played the Fly Z+ and Forged Tours. Calling Rickie more style than substance does he a major injustice. He is a great ambassador for golf an the fact that he brings a younger crowd to the game is icing on the cake. And lastly I would certainly call a milled faced driver ground and if you have not hit the F8 fairway woods, they re even better than the driver and resolved a revolving door spot in my bag for 20 years now.

I didn't mean to sound like I was saying that Ricky was more style than substance. He is most definitely a world class player and very deserving of his world ranking. However, Cobra signed him before he had accomplished anything on tour. He was young and talented and, as you stated, a great golf ambassador, especially for youth. But certainly when he was signed he was more well known for his youth and fashion appeal than his accomplishments. Using his image and the flashy colors it seemed that they were marketing more for style.

 

Now that he has really risen to the world class level and they have brought players like Dechambeau aboard, it seems like the company is getting more notice for having quality equipment.

 

I'd still argue that while they might be the first to Mill a driver face, milled faces are not necessarily ground breaking technology. It's a cool addition, and I can't argue with the results that I have seen thus far.

The milled face IS ground breaking technology for a driver as is the My Fly sole design which minimizes face closing when the loft is increased. The F8+ clobbered the Ping G400 Max and Rogue in my recent fitting done for me at TXG by my son Chris. It had much better ball speed and dispersion.

As a final note, Rickie prefers RICKIE. :scenic:

Still with my Fly Z+.

Probably gonna make the move to a new one next year.

I have the F6+ and I love it, best driver I've owned. I'd like to try out the F8 but but being left handed I'm pretty limited most places, and the Dick's Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy near me neither has any Cobra clubs.

I also hit a used F7 3w a few months back and I loved the feel of it. The rails on the bottom really make you feel like you're going to make good contact.

Yep! I try every brand whenever I get fit for new clubs and always end up with a bag full of cobras. Love them! Underrated big time

I'd still argue that while they might be the first to Mill a driver face, milled faces are not necessarily ground breaking technology. It's a cool addition, and I can't argue with the results that I have seen thus far.

... You can argue all you want but nobody else has ever done it, and that would be the very definition of "ground breaking".

Man, I really hated that Bridgestone JGR driver. Felt awful, high spin — I remember how hyped it was and I could not have liked it less.

... You can argue all you want but nobody else has ever done it, and that would be the very definition of "ground breaking".

Bridgestone would beg to differ. :) - They have produced at least 3 drivers with a milled face. All of them produced before Cobra came out with the F8 line.

... My man! I stand corrected. I imagine it is "CNC milling" as opposed to "Power milling" that allows Cobra to make this claim:

"Golf's first CNC precision milled forged titanium driver face with E9 Technology™ is thinner, hotter, and more precise."

... As opposed to Bridgestone's claim:

"When Bridgestone announced the J715 (and now J815) drivers, perhaps the most compelling bit of included technology is what Brdigestone is calling a Power Milled Face."

... Although they have different design parameters with Bridgestone claiming the Power Milled face stops the ball from sliding up the face while Cobra claims the CNC milled face creates a more precise and thinner face for higher ball speeds and more distance. The technicalities of advertising aside, Bridgestone indeed had a milled face before Cobra. Thanks for the correction.

I have the F8 and just bought a F8+ head. I played my first round yesterday with the F8+ and it def is lower spin. Both are fantastic drivers but I think the F8+ fits me better. I felt it was hotter off the face but only have one round in and I played a course I’m not familiar with. Testing will be fun over the next few weeks at my home club.

I’m playing the heads with a GD IZ 6x in the tour length.

I have the F8 and just bought a F8+ head. I played my first round yesterday with the F8+ and it def is lower spin. Both are fantastic drivers but I think the F8+ fits me better. I felt it was hotter off the face but only have one round in and I played a course I’m not familiar with. Testing will be fun over the next few weeks at my home club.

 

I’m playing the heads with a GD IZ 6x in the tour length.

Please update us. I bought the tour length version w/ hzrdus yellow. I ordered more weights and changed them out, but still seem to be spinning too much. Also, I naturally hit a draw and I'm sure the heel weight is hurting me. I'd love to hear your thoughts after testing.

Yep will do. I’m playing a few rounds this week so I’ll post an update,

I have both the F8 and F8+ heads. Did my own modified "tour version" with the

F8 head. Ordered it with a Fuji Evo IV at the stock 45.5" playing length. I did

this knowing I was going to cut it down to 44.5" playing length. And wanted the

lighter weighted head so I could weight it how I wanted after testing.

After lead tape on the the range testing , and multiple rounds on the course

to confirm , and shaft change to Diamond Speeder , I ended up with 2 gram weight

in the rear position , the 14 gram weight in the heel, and 9 grams of hot melt

low forward and toe side of center. Weighting the head this way will knock off

more spin than simply changing to 2 heavier weights.

The F8+ got the EVO IV shaft , heavy weight in the rear , light weight up front,

and 7 grams of hotmelt low centered in the head.

The F8 head now spins very close to the F8+ . But I like the sound and feel better

of the F8 with Diamond Speeder. Also a bit more forgiving on the occasional miss.

Now if you want a real "Ricky style" tour driver...start with a F8+ head cut it

down short ,stick a light weight in the rear, heavy weight up front , then add

a bunch of hotmelt on both the crown and sole , centered against face edges.

To paraphrase his preference to doing it this way. " I like the feel of the

weighting centered and forward in the head, any where else feels like dead

weight I'm dragging thru the hitting zone."