Cobra's new King F9 Speedback Driver, Woods, Hybrids and Irons (NO BUY SELL TRADE POSTS)

[Big Ben]

First ever driver fitting today for the Cobra F9 at Encinitas Ranch in San Diego, CA. Shout out to Cobra fitter Brandon Dickinson!! Awesome guy and really knows his stuff. It was very enlightening to hear his thoughts and especially his justifications behind his recommendations. He told me he used to work for Adams and Callaway and builds clubs for Cobra pro's so obviously this guy knows his stuff! Also a former long driver hitter so he definitely knows driver!

 

I am not a big hitter I can get low 100's but my comfort zone is mid 90's. 260 yard drives are where I live these days. I am a 3.2 HC and driver accuracy is a strength. I've been working hard on my swing the last few months, especially trying to eliminate an early release (flipping) and take out the left side of the course. My swing has really changed from hard draws to a straight ball with a slight fade as a miss. The only club I am ok with a draw now is the driver. My dispersion has really tightened up and so has my scores!

 

I took about 5 swings with my current driver Adams XTD 10.5 with White Tie 6 Stiff and for I would say they represented my normal swing. This club has been my go to for a while now, I have tried out various drivers the latest and greatest and keep coming back to this one. I am so comfortable with it, hit a lot of fairways and to me it feels powerful and have hit some of my longest drives with it. After the 5 swings and the trackman analysis with the Adams XTD he was saying its a great driver for firm conditions with roll-out but I was not getting enough carry and my spin was too low. My SS averaged 95 and was getting 1700-1900 spin. He said it was straight but just falling out of the air. He said I hit up on the ball 3 degrees so that's one of the reasons I have really low spin.

 

He first put me into a F9 9 degree with Evenflow blue 76g stiff and we quickly realized it was not enough launch and spin. Next was F9 10.5 with Atmos Blue Tour Spec Stiff (stock offering) and was blown away with the launch and feel. Much higher and it felt so smooth but stable. He said my Adams was launching at 12 degrees and this combo was 14 degrees. We went to the trackman numbers and we immediately saw an extra 11 yards of carry and about 2300 spin was where he wanted me at. I said "done!! Write up the specs! " He says "you're gonna make it that easy on me?" I laughed and said what else can you do?

 

He takes out the UST Helium Proto F4 59 gram. I absolutely blast the first shot high and straight. He quickly tells me 2500 hundred spin, 15 degree launch and an extra 5-7 yards of carry over the Atmos TS Blue. I continue to hit more shots with the same result. It was very consistent and he was quick to point out it didn't go left which was my miss. In golfwrx club ho fashion I question him and say well are you sure this shaft won't balloon on me? I told him of my plans to increase my SS this year and try to get back to 105 he says no this shaft is super stable and to 'watch this". He effortlessly hits the same combo in front of me trying his best to dial it down to 105mph but unsuccessfully his two dialed down swings were 118mph and 113mph with no ballooning and a beautiful flight. We look at trackman and he shows me see even with those swings still only 3300 spin. :rofl: I guess that's one way to convince me that shaft is good enough for me!! Haha.

 

So to summarize my current driver and what I thought was great was just ok. I conservatively have added 15-18 yards of carry with more launch and more spin. He said one of my drives got out to 280 after roll. I am very excited to order this combo F9 10.5 with Helium and see the on course results but this experience was really eye opening. I think what took me so long to actually do this was I was never really happy with my swing so why would I get fitted to something I am not happy with. Lesson's have been paying off so I am glad to have got this fitting to get even more optimized for what my new swing can do. I would say if you are happy with your swing get fitted! What you think you know may work but may not be optimal.

 

By the way this driver checks all the boxes for me. Looks fast! Sound and feel is perfect to me and the shape behind the ball fits me eye. I love the Adams XTD but it sure is ugly!

 

I will report back after some real world testing once I get the driver! I am having trouble yellow or avalanche?

I’m so excited to read your post! I ordered the 10.5’ with Atmos Blue TS in Regular flex. It really should be absolutely spot on for my 49yr old smooth 105mph low cap swing. I’m really stoked about this setup. Can’t beat the Atmos Blue TS as a STOCK offering. It’s like stealing kinda ?

[3woodvt]

I'm a recent convert and absolutely love everything about the F8+ woods. These things are as long as anything I've played before (almost exclusive Ping G25 and up). Great sticks. Bet f9 is similar...

[Xdmike20]

Does anyone know if they are going to come out with a tour driver as well like they did with the Bio Cell Pro? I am an old school guy and the smaller heads just appeal to me a bit more

[Kmac]

Whats the deal with the white head? You can pre-order the tour length but only in yellow.. :(

[ode1]

Had the day off and went to DSG to get some lie angles checked on my irons, but the L and L was out of commission. They had the f9 lineup. Not a big fan of how the driver looks at address, it was the gloss black finish. I hit it with the stock Atmos blue 6, shaft way too light for me, then went to the atmos blue 7 and center strikes better, feels really good. #s were just.ok, but then again the fit is not the best for me as I go with a heavy head and 80+ gram shaft are sub 44".

 

The OL f9's, as bad as they look from the cavity, they look pretty darn good at address. They had the hybrid, and then 7-pw....I wished they had the long irons as that was what I was most interested in. Topline moderate, offset moderate/low. I hit 7, 9, and PW. 7i appears to be gi/sgi, 9 about the same, and PW more like a players CB vs gi/sgi. It's def weird looking down at a PW at 37.5". Tried the stock kbs 80 and 90, way too light for me, but the PW had the kbs tour regular weight and it was a better fit. Despite the wrong.shaft I was able to center up after slowing down. I would like to hit these with a heavier stock shaft. It appears all the typical custom shafts are available on line, most at no up charge!

[MtlJeff]

Just announced today....549$ Canadian for an F9 with Atmos Black 7....

 

Dear god.

 

Basically the least expensive mainstream driver with a Bada** stock shaft.

 

And the new forged CB's are a good deal too

 

Mtljeff may be going more Cobra

[jvincent]

Just announced today....549$ Canadian for an F9 with Atmos Black 7....

 

Dear god.

 

Basically the least expensive mainstream driver with a Bada** stock shaft.

 

And the new forged CB's are a good deal too

 

Mtljeff may be going more Cobra

 

Interesting that the pre-order only shows the Black TS 7 available with the 9* head.

[Big Ben]

Are we getting any feel for custom order delivery dates? I’m looking forward to mine arriving!

[Z1ggy16]

I really wish Cobra would release the tour 3w head in lefty. I had the F8 and it felt lovely but I wasn't getting the spin and ball speed I needed out of it and switched to Rogue SZ. Didn't love the sound/feel from Rogue so went back to Cobra with the LTD head. It's awesome but I miss that soft feel that the F8 had.... Obviously F9 would feel just as nice, but I'm going to assume it would still be too high spin. Sigh...

[300_Straight]

Cant wait to try F9 vs LTD Pro with the same shaft. If the feel is anything like the Pro, they will have a winner. Bryson has been smashing it.

[EddyVN]

I'd love if someone did a full head to head with same lofts, same shafts of all these new heads. That other website will post it soon but it'll have Srixon as the winner despite it coming 4th in most categories... (joking).

 

For those of us without a decent golf shop anywhere nearby (hello SF how I dislike your variety...) testing H2H is impossible. At 449 the Cobra is 100 less than the new TM/Callaways - def not chump change if its up there

[Z1ggy16]

Cant wait to try F9 vs LTD Pro with the same shaft. If the feel is anything like the Pro, they will have a winner. Bryson has been smashing it.

My guess is at your speeds, you'll probably see like 4-5 yards increase due to ball speeds, but I think LTD pro is fairly low spin high launch. For me, gaining even like 7 yards isn't worth throwing down $500. Right now if you look on eBay, F8+ heads are going for as low as $100 bucks. That's insane...I can wait a year for some gains and saving $400. Besides, I'm pretty sure I could even lose distance and still lower my HC this year.

[Z1ggy16]

I'd love if someone did a full head to head with same lofts, same shafts of all these new heads. That other website will post it soon but it'll have Srixon as the winner despite it coming 4th in most categories... (joking).

 

For those of us without a decent golf shop anywhere nearby (hello SF how I dislike your variety...) testing H2H is impossible. At 449 the Cobra is 100 less than the new TM/Callaways - def not chump change if its up there

If I had a puller and people sent me the heads I'd do it :-p.

 

Have access to Trackman. I mean... I'd do it if somebody provided me everthing. However, the Youtube channel TXG pretty much already does this (and Matt's swing is much better to boot). They just released a video today on Flash SZ and Flash. They hit shots with each then compared to G400LST. Same shaft, same guy, same swing, etc.

[SwooshLT]

I'd love if someone did a full head to head with same lofts, same shafts of all these new heads. That other website will post it soon but it'll have Srixon as the winner despite it coming 4th in most categories... (joking).

 

For those of us without a decent golf shop anywhere nearby (hello SF how I dislike your variety...) testing H2H is impossible. At 449 the Cobra is 100 less than the new TM/Callaways - def not chump change if its up there

If I had a puller and people sent me the heads I'd do it :-p.

 

Have access to Trackman. I mean... I'd do it if somebody provided me everthing. However, the Youtube channel TXG pretty much already does this (and Matt's swing is much better to boot). They just released a video today on Flash SZ and Flash. They hit shots with each then compared to G400LST. Same shaft, same guy, same swing, etc.

 

 

Flash SZ was longer but he felt that he personally needed more spin for comfort and control....he liked the shape more of the std flash also

[Z1ggy16]

Ian is probably one of the best fitters I've ever come across. I got fit there a few months ago and it was completely eye opening. Watching that channel alone has filled my brain with so much knowledge on equipment, golf club design, insider industry info, etc.

 

But yes you're correct, the SZ was crazy low spin. Will be nice for guys with negative AoA's if it ends up being a high launch low spin bomber... but probably will not be practical for like 99% of us, even some pro's. 15* launch at 1700 rpm looks sexy but it's not really ideal for golf, especially with an AoA of +5. That would be a total hook machine for me as soon as my face got even touch closed to path.

[thevaporz]

I'd love to see a head to head against the LTD Pro.

[sjp]

Folder and website are saying 3w Tour in lefty??

[Z1ggy16]

Folder and website are saying 3w Tour in lefty

What, where? I just checked last night ont he F9 page. For pre order, 3w Tour was only RH option. Will it become available mid launch or something?

[sjp]

Cobragolf.com, go to the fairways, select Tour fairway and select Custom in the dropdown menu. It is LH custom only.

[Z1ggy16]

Nice!! I swear last night it said rh only. Maybe was just a website error.

 

I may be trying to find a used tour head then as I use 3w quite a bit off the tee.

[300_Straight]

Cant wait to try F9 vs LTD Pro with the same shaft. If the feel is anything like the Pro, they will have a winner. Bryson has been smashing it.

My guess is at your speeds, you'll probably see like 4-5 yards increase due to ball speeds, but I think LTD pro is fairly low spin high launch. For me, gaining even like 7 yards isn't worth throwing down $500. Right now if you look on eBay, F8+ heads are going for as low as $100 bucks. That's insane...I can wait a year for some gains and saving $400. Besides, I'm pretty sure I could even lose distance and still lower my HC this year.

Perhaps more ball speed is possible. We will see.

 

Like you said, TXG is awesome. I am jealous you were able to get your fitting there!

I'd love to see a head to head against the LTD Pro.

Stay tuned. Going to try and use the same shaft as well if possible. Not sure if the adapter is the same.

[Cruisin1966]

Stay tuned. Going to try and use the same shaft as well if possible. Not sure if the adapter is the same.

 

I believe the adapter is the same, just marked differently. LTD Pro with 7-10º (plus fades), F9 (9º) with 7.5-10.5º (plus draws)

[Z1ggy16]

Cant wait to try F9 vs LTD Pro with the same shaft. If the feel is anything like the Pro, they will have a winner. Bryson has been smashing it.

My guess is at your speeds, you'll probably see like 4-5 yards increase due to ball speeds, but I think LTD pro is fairly low spin high launch. For me, gaining even like 7 yards isn't worth throwing down $500. Right now if you look on eBay, F8+ heads are going for as low as $100 bucks. That's insane...I can wait a year for some gains and saving $400. Besides, I'm pretty sure I could even lose distance and still lower my HC this year.

Perhaps more ball speed is possible. We will see.

 

Like you said, TXG is awesome. I am jealous you were able to get your fitting there!

I'd love to see a head to head against the LTD Pro.

Stay tuned. Going to try and use the same shaft as well if possible. Not sure if the adapter is the same.

Definitely post results, I'd be very interested. My LTD gives me such awesome speeds on misses. One day I swear I was necking shots and I still hit 160 ball speed off ~110 swing. On my old M2 that would have barely made 155 and it would have cut into the next fairway (or OB in my case usually...).

 

I'm much more interested in how the drivers can keep balls more online these days really. When I picked up the Z785, I played multiple rounds where I never lost a ball which helped lower my HC by a few strokes. With M2 I feel like it was more prone to making balls squirt around the course. So far LTD reminding me of Z785, just feels different. Much higher and stable flight.

[boycer]

I cant wait to see some reviews how the f9 compares to rest of the big name brands.

[Z1ggy16]

I cant wait to see some reviews how the f9 compares to rest of the big name brands.

Mike Newton did an F8 vs F9 test where he kept the weights in the back. I believe lofts and shaft was the same. The F9 was much better for him.

 

Also, Alex Etches (golf box) did an F8 vs F9 and also gained a few yards, although not as much as Mike Newton. I'm probably the most interested in F9 vs Z785 vs G410. I'm not really into Flash due to looks and sound, although I suppose those coul dbe fixed. M5/M6 sound nice but the looks I think would have to grow on me. In all reality, being above scratch means X vs Y driver probably won't matter too much when it comes to lower my scores now, as everything is very good. I may just stick with Cobra since I already have a bunch of shafts/adapters with Cobra tips.

[boycer]

I cant wait to see some reviews how the f9 compares to rest of the big name brands.

Mike Newton did an F8 vs F9 test where he kept the weights in the back. I believe lofts and shaft was the same. The F9 was much better for him.

 

Also, Alex Etches (golf box) did an F8 vs F9 and also gained a few yards, although not as much as Mike Newton. I'm probably the most interested in F9 vs Z785 vs G410. I'm not really into Flash due to looks and sound, although I suppose those coul dbe fixed. M5/M6 sound nice but the looks I think would have to grow on me. In all reality, being above scratch means X vs Y driver probably won't matter too much when it comes to lower my scores now, as everything is very good. I may just stick with Cobra since I already have a bunch of shafts/adapters with Cobra tips.

 

Yes I saw that Mike Newton's review. Looks really promising. I want to do my own testing but reviews can be good to see until I can get that done.

[Z1ggy16]

I cant wait to see some reviews how the f9 compares to rest of the big name brands.

Mike Newton did an F8 vs F9 test where he kept the weights in the back. I believe lofts and shaft was the same. The F9 was much better for him.

 

Also, Alex Etches (golf box) did an F8 vs F9 and also gained a few yards, although not as much as Mike Newton. I'm probably the most interested in F9 vs Z785 vs G410. I'm not really into Flash due to looks and sound, although I suppose those coul dbe fixed. M5/M6 sound nice but the looks I think would have to grow on me. In all reality, being above scratch means X vs Y driver probably won't matter too much when it comes to lower my scores now, as everything is very good. I may just stick with Cobra since I already have a bunch of shafts/adapters with Cobra tips.

 

Yes I saw that Mike Newton's review. Looks really promising. I want to do my own testing but reviews can be good to see until I can get that done.

Yup, it's just a starting place. I really only use reviews for ball speed "checks". Spin, distance, etc I don't look too much in to because every swing is different. Mike tends to swing with a negative AoA so he spins the ball quite a bit due to that plus his high CHS. I on the other hand have usually a +2 to +5 AoA with similar speeds so I tend to be a lower spin player. I can't use drivers that are already very low spin because they tend to hook much easier and are less accurate.

[300_Straight]

I find myself to be a mid-high spin player, despite my 15*+ launch angles with Driver (moonballs, yikes). Just bought a KK DC XT 70tx to try and help with the spin. I will most likely be testing both the F9 and LTD Pro with this shaft. Hopefully this will help keep the spin down! I heard the F9 isn't an overly low spinning driver, but still classified as such. Should be an exciting test. Once I get the shaft and test I will post my results. Might take 1-2 weeks, though, if I use this shaft. If not, I can get it done sooner.

[Rbert831]

Going to have to give the F9 driver a shot. I have tried almost everything but I always go back to my F7 Fujikura Pro stiff. I might be the only person who ever dropped their G400 max and the G400 LS and went back to the F7 I just don't miss with it.

[DBill]

Got my tracking for the F9 driver. Bought direct from Cobra website, looks like it will be to me tomorrow.