RECAP: Q&A with COBRA GOLF! Tuesday, May 1, 1pm ET / 10am PT. Bonus Giveaway!

[COBRA PUMA GOLF]

Are the CB/MB update being released this year?

Neverfaze, we don't comment on possible future offerings. As a commercial for-profit entity, its best to promote and sell what we have now instead of discussing the future. But we are excited about what's coming next...stay tuned - TO

 

As a Cobra equipment user, can you summarize what innovations you see moving forward in one length options, and how will your marketing reflect this possible shift?

 

creecool, Lots to discuss in ONE length for the year, check out our website for more details. We are learning more every day about ONE length performance every day. Its great for many players and that's not just our opinion. Long Irons are easier to hit than last year, Short Irons are more consistent, and they all have Cobra Connect for you entire set! - TO

[COBRA PUMA GOLF]

Over the next 5 years do you think the greatest advancements in golf club performance will come from emerging new materials or further improvement in adjustability and custom fitting?

PlayingThrough, Really good question, but it's usually about everything we can muster to create better performance. We don't hold back, and don't believe most competitors do because the risk is someone beats you to an Innovation. We are very Innovative at Cobra Puma Golf and the first Smart Clubs are a clear indication of going outside the box to provide benefits to golfers to play better. - TO

 

It seems like year after year now, Cobra is putting out very high quality, high performing products. However, it seems like when I read the lists of "best" product (say take this year, 2018) most fitters and players seem to always pick Taylormade, Ping, Callaway, etc. Do you think you have a marketing problem, a performance problem, or something else? What will it take to get Cobra as a household name in golf?

 

Thanks Z1ggy16, Working on this everyday and its a constant battle. We have to Innovate to get noticed and things like CNC Milled Face, ONE length and Cobra Connect are have been very successful for us. From a marketing standpoint we are always looking for creative ways to breakthrough and resonate with the consumer. Our F8 campaign is getting tremendous feedback from our TV spots tour our digital and social activation. From a tour strategy, we don't have the biggest staff, but we love the players we have from Rickie, to Lexi, to Bryson. These players bring a fresh, unique approach to the game and cut through the clutter. Overall we are seeing steady progress in our brand perception with golf consumers. - TO

 

How durable is the finish on the black forged tec irons? My experience with similar versions is that the black wears quickly. Thanks

jon12, The DBM finish is much better than previous black finishes. Rickie's irons look great and he doesn't switch that often and he hits many more balls than most golfers!! - TO

[COBRA PUMA GOLF]

It seems like year after year now, Cobra is putting out very high quality, high performing products. However, it seems like when I read the lists of "best" product (say take this year, 2018) most fitters and players seem to always pick Taylormade, Ping, Callaway, etc. Do you think you have a marketing problem, a performance problem, or something else? What will it take to get Cobra as a household name in golf?

 

Nice pup!! - MY

[Marks23]

Any possibility of making one length player irons with a raw and/or black oxide finish? The King pro irons are just gorgeous.

 

You get two answers!!!!

 

Marks23, The F8/F8+ drivers give you a CNC machined face and 360 aero for more distance. In addition, you also have the ability to adjust your CG with the F8/F8+, so you can fit your launch and spin. From a shape and spec standpoint, the F8+ is slightly different from the Bio Cell Pro. It has been refined with input from our Tour Players. Yes, the adapter in Bio Cell line will work with F8/F8+ line. - DR

 

BioCell Pro was a front weighted driver, so best fit would be F8+ with the weight in the front. BioCell Pro was also a little stronger loft (7-10), vs F8+ (8-11), so if you need lower flight than the 8 setting of F8+, you might have to make a shaft change. Obviously KING F8s have Cobra Connect for shot tracking. KING F8+ will have a little more clubspeed due to 360 Aero. - TO

 

Thanks Doug. You had me at 360 aero for more distance.

[Z1ggy16]

It seems like year after year now, Cobra is putting out very high quality, high performing products. However, it seems like when I read the lists of "best" product (say take this year, 2018) most fitters and players seem to always pick Taylormade, Ping, Callaway, etc. Do you think you have a marketing problem, a performance problem, or something else? What will it take to get Cobra as a household name in golf?

 

Nice pup!! - MY

HA thanks! Her name is Allie and she's great... Except she doesn't like when I swing clubs in the house! She barks up a storm.

[COBRA PUMA GOLF]

Any thoughts on the feasibility/recommendation of a blended iron set with the Forged Tec, Forged Tour, CB, and MB? It would seem the like combo possibilities are endless depending on the player, but not sure if the set would truly flow throughout depending on the hardcore technical specs (offset, topline, etc). As we have seen, this seems to be the trendy thing to do in the equipment realm, so just wondering if your team has put any thought into something like that. Thanks!

 

av1084, Probably too many choices, we normally focus on a player need for each individual design to best optimize. The blended sets get a little messy, since lofts are optimized for each set individually, not together. That said, the MB/CB line is designed to flow, and we know golfers that will swap in a Forged Tec long iron or King Utility instead of their MB or CB 3 or 4 iron. - TO

[Hairpie]

Have you any plans to move back into the putter market at some point? I believe Kirk Currie was making putters for you for a bit. If so, would you attempt to lure a "name" putter designer to your stable?

[COBRA PUMA GOLF]

Can you discuss any changes that were made to the chroming process from the F7 single lengths to the F8s?

 

Several of us have noticed a clear issue in the quality of the F8s in terms of the damage the finish is showing - even though we gamed F7s for the entire season last year and had no such issues.

 

As much as I am fully commited to the single lengths, the quality this year would definitely make me leary about future upgrades.

 

dcmidnight, A bit of comparative here, (most GI irons which F8 compares with) are not chrome plated so we matched this finish. From an feature additive side we have Carbon Feel and PWRShell Technologies, to provide better feel and more performance. We used the sole blasting to show off the PWRShell, so this wears a little more when its not chromed. - TO

[COBRA PUMA GOLF]

One point that seemed to be made in favor of the One Length irons when they first hit the scene was that they could be a way for beginners to pick up the game. Has this been the case over the past few years?

 

ONE is great for many golfers. Since the average handicap is about 14, the GI improvement category is usually considered 10-20, ONE length is great for these golfers to aid consistency and improve scores. - TO

 

I had a Cobra Baffler back in ancient times... that was one insanely easy club to hit for it's time)? How did you improve upon the rails, and lastly will there ever be a an option for changeable rails?

 

Also, love the look of the raw wedges. Will there ever be a custom option? Bounce, grind etc.

 

Thanks in Advance

 

TPG1971, That's what the Baffler franchise is all about, easy to hit in ancient times (like when gas was 27 cents a gallon) and easy to hit now. Safe to say that it will be easy to hit in the future as well - when everyone has flying golf carts and maybe even interchangeable rails on their Bafflers! As for the current F8 railed products, the rail heights have been adjusted by loft to better match with angle of attack - shallower rails on longer length clubs, deeper rails on shorter length clubs. Curious to know TPG1971, why would you like interchangeable rails? - RR

 

Does the regular f8 driver sit neutral? I used to have the f7 and it always seemed to sit closed to me regardless of setting on loft sleeve. Thanks

 

The F8 driver sits neutral. The F8+ driver sits slightly open. Compared to F7, the F8 driver will look a bit more open. Check out the F8, think you'll like it! - DR

[COBRA PUMA GOLF]

What were your expectations on how one length irons would be received in the market? What % of players would you say stick to them once they try them out vs. going back to standard lengths?

 

jcorna01, Honestly our expectations last year were that ONE would be 10-20% of our KING F7 sales and we felt like this was worth the effort. In reality, last year (2017) we were over 50% ONE length with KING F7 so we were very pleased with this. And this boosted our iron share in the spring to #4 position ahead of Titleist and Mizuno (per Golf Datatech). F8 ONE is also tracking close to this and Q2 is a big iron time for sales. As mentioned above we believe that ONE length is better for 30-50% of golfers in the GI category, so all this jives well. We conducted buying surveys last year and people are pleased with their performance and improvement in consistency, and we aren't seeing people switch back to variable. - TO

[Marks23]

Will any of your tour players be putting the Volition driver in play? 4th of July?

[COBRA PUMA GOLF]

1) If a customer orders a set of F8 One Length irons with custom shafts (that are .355), are you still installing each discrete shaft length in each head (meaning the usual 5 iron shaft is installed into the 5 iron head, etc instead of a 7 iron shaft being installed in all heads)? If so, why? I ordered a set of the F7 One Length irons last year and was surprised to see the shafts had different step patterns suggesting that a complete set of shafts were installed versus just a 7 iron shaft in all the heads.

 

 

2) Do you envision additional grip models being offered that are equipped with Cobra Connect, specifically corded grips? I love cord grips and would like to see some equipped with Cobra Connect.

 

Johnny T, 1) We have found through performance testing that it's better to use the shaft matching the iron, than to have a full set of 7 iron shafts. So with a tapered tip shaft that has unique skus, we use those in the appropriate head for best performance. The stock set is a little different, since we (and the majority of mid-priced GI sets) use parallel shafts so we tip them differently to improve performance. 2) Working on cord grips now for Connect...TO

 

Can you touch on the decision to move away from the changeable weights in the F8 and F8+ fairways (compared to F7)? Was it to differentiate between the F8 and F8+? What would you suggest for someone wanting to lower launch and spin on the F8 fairway? Does Cobra offer the option to add hotmelt?

 

It was a little easier to optimize performance. 3 ways to lower spin on F8, a) MyFly sleeve at lower loft, b) firmer tip flex or firmer overall flex shaft, c) trade in for an F8+

 

Hotmelt? - yes we do. - TO

[Qwiklap]

Is there a recommended setup if I want to hit draws with the F8+? I seem to be able to turn the ball over with it -- but I am always leery of fade biased drivers for fear of the nasty miss right. With the F8 I seem to have a one-way miss -- left. But I want to get lower spin.

[COBRA PUMA GOLF]

Are the glide rails going to be a permanent fixture on all fairways and hybrids moving forward, or do you plan on offering any future new models without them?

 

Optimus-Par, Baffler Technology is best for confidence and performance for most golfers so these are standard in the KING F8 family. We offer F-Max metals with conventional soles. - TO

[Qwiklap]

Oh -- and why is there no "tour length" option for the F8+? Or is that on the secret menu?

[COBRA PUMA GOLF]

Is the body of the forged tec black irons forged, or just the face?

 

The body AND face are forged. - TO

[radiman]

The Pro MB's are a thing of beauty. I applaud your commitment to producing players clubs.

 

This is unlikely, but, do you guys happen to have a sub 460 driver somewhere in development? I realize it would be less forgiving, but man, a 430/440 F8+ would look sick.

 

I would think the milled design of the driver face would lend itself to more friction on the ball creating more spin. How does this milled design avoid that?

Thanks and we love the MBs too. Unfortunately we arent to Rickie's level so they arent in too many bags here. No plans on a smaller head, Rickie loves F8+ and says it looks great. All face roughnesses have to be within USGA specs and a driver impact is relatively low loft, so there isnt much spin change from a standard hand ground face. On a robot it was less than 100 rpm difference and the robot is extremely consistent. - TO

 

Thanks for the answer. I am sure a smaller head is not exactly a hot selling item. Combine that with the fact that your tour pros are happy with current designs, then it is not in the stars.

 

On another note. This chat has been going for almost 2 hours now. This could be the longest OEM chat I have seen on here. Thanks for sticking around so long to get to so many questions.

[Belmont148]

With ONE being kind of slow to take off with the masses, and many fitters not sold on the idea, it is tough to find fitters to try these products out. Most places don't have the fitting cart equipment you talk about, or keep demos on hand to fit. As I travel a lot in the Southeast, can you provide a few of your top fitters that have embraced ONE to look into in GA, SC, and NC?

[COBRA PUMA GOLF]

Team Cobra Golf thanks everyone who posted! Those were some great questions and conversations on product, Tour and apparel. We wish we could spend more time chatting but Rachel says we have to get back to work!

 

Be good and play lots of golf!

[TPG1971]

One point that seemed to be made in favor of the One Length irons when they first hit the scene was that they could be a way for beginners to pick up the game. Has this been the case over the past few years?

 

ONE is great for many golfers. Since the average handicap is about 14, the GI improvement category is usually considered 10-20, ONE length is great for these golfers to aid consistency and improve scores. - TO

 

I had a Cobra Baffler back in ancient times... that was one insanely easy club to hit for it's time)? How did you improve upon the rails, and lastly will there ever be a an option for changeable rails?

 

Also, love the look of the raw wedges. Will there ever be a custom option? Bounce, grind etc.

 

Thanks in Advance

 

TPG1971, That's what the Baffler franchise is all about, easy to hit in ancient times (like when gas was 27 cents a gallon) and easy to hit now. Safe to say that it will be easy to hit in the future as well - when everyone has flying golf carts and maybe even interchangeable rails on their Bafflers! As for the current F8 railed products, the rail heights have been adjusted by loft to better match with angle of attack - shallower rails on longer length clubs, deeper rails on shorter length clubs. Curious to know TPG1971, why would you like interchangeable rails? - RR

 

Does the regular f8 driver sit neutral? I used to have the f7 and it always seemed to sit closed to me regardless of setting on loft sleeve. Thanks

 

The F8 driver sits neutral. The F8+ driver sits slightly open. Compared to F7, the F8 driver will look a bit more open. Check out the F8, think you'll like it! - DR

 

I was thinking that interchangeable rails could be different heights for someone maybe more steep etc., and I was also seeing them being used a weight changing system. I might be dreaming, but it made sense in my lil mind =)

 

Thanks,

TPG

[Tom Olsavsky]

With ONE being kind of slow to take off with the masses, and many fitters not sold on the idea, it is tough to find fitters to try these products out. Most places don't have the fitting cart equipment you talk about, or keep demos on hand to fit. As I travel a lot in the Southeast, can you provide a few of your top fitters that have embraced ONE to look into in GA, SC, and NC?

Should be able to find at the nearest PGA Tour SuperStore.

[The General]

Thank you Tom and CPG team, that was very informative. Please do this again soon!

[ZAP]

Things like this are why I continue to renew my subscription.

Thanks to Cobra and Golf WRX

[xxio]

How about a semi 1 length set?

 

8-9-p same length as 9i

6-7. 8i length

4-5. 7i length

[dcmidnight]

Can you discuss any changes that were made to the chroming process from the F7 single lengths to the F8s?

 

Several of us have noticed a clear issue in the quality of the F8s in terms of the damage the finish is showing - even though we gamed F7s for the entire season last year and had no such issues.

 

As much as I am fully commited to the single lengths, the quality this year would definitely make me leary about future upgrades.

 

dcmidnight, A bit of comparative here, (most GI irons which F8 compares with) are not chrome plated so we matched this finish. From an feature additive side we have Carbon Feel and PWRShell Technologies, to provide better feel and more performance. We used the sole blasting to show off the PWRShell, so this wears a little more when its not chromed. - TO

 

So was that a yes, a change was made lol.

 

I sent pictures to your support team of my set after last season compared to the F8s after a couple months and honest to god the answer they sent me was that I should "consider iron covers" with the new irons. Not really what you want to hear after you custom order a 4-GW set with Steelfiber shafts. If thats the official Cobra support answer, will you consider going back to the way the F7s were made?

[8602081]

I love the Q/A sessions..

[jcorna01]

What were your expectations on how one length irons would be received in the market? What % of players would you say stick to them once they try them out vs. going back to standard lengths?

 

jcorna01, Honestly our expectations last year were that ONE would be 10-20% of our KING F7 sales and we felt like this was worth the effort. In reality, last year (2017) we were over 50% ONE length with KING F7 so we were very pleased with this. And this boosted our iron share in the spring to #4 position ahead of Titleist and Mizuno (per Golf Datatech). F8 ONE is also tracking close to this and Q2 is a big iron time for sales. As mentioned above we believe that ONE length is better for 30-50% of golfers in the GI category, so all this jives well. We conducted buying surveys last year and people are pleased with their performance and improvement in consistency, and we aren't seeing people switch back to variable. - TO

 

Interesting, and thanks for answering. I guess that F8 is tracking at roughly the same trajectory indicates people agree that this is legit.

[Tamimwrx]

Has the winner been announced?

[jon12]

Has the winner been announced?

I do not believe any have been announced yet.

[Tamimwrx]

Okay the black finish on the cobra mbs look pure! Good luck to everyone