Are Cobra in trouble now?

[RogerinNewZealand]

PEI

im with you,

Ricky has huge following, One Length is um 1% or 0.5% of sales and hence 10% of fire sales....Cobra need Greg Norman type back again, hire 5 next gen Morikawas......got great irons,always have ,need wedges,putters and fairways ,drivers that have same torx screw as all others.

[chouls19]

16 minutes ago, RogerinNewZealand said:

PEI

im with you,

Ricky has huge following, One Length is um 1% or 0.5% of sales and hence 10% of fire sales....Cobra need Greg Norman type back again, hire 5 next gen Morikawas......got great irons,always have ,need wedges,putters and fairways ,drivers that have same torx screw as all others.

Their Tour fairways are highly rated as are the hybrids. The drivers especially the XB/Xtreme line are excellent and comparable to Ping in stability and forgiveness 

Edited July 20, 2021 by chouls19

[Hstead]

Full disclosure, I have never owned a Cobra club.

 

What Bryson said absolutely harmed Cobra, hence their response.  People watch what the longest hitter on Tour plays and Cobra was smart, maybe not now in hindsight, by signing Bryson.  The best thing that will come of this though, is that Bryson has harmed himself.  Will Titleist or Callaway pay him big bucks once his contract is up in five months?  No doubt someone will sign him, but you can bet your rear end it will be for less  money now than it would have been if he had kept his trap shut and you can bet there will be a clause in his next contract regarding saying moronic things.

 

I know several guys that bought and tried SL irons, all because of DeChamdouche.  The guy is supposed to be a professional.  Professionals do not harm their sponsors, you know the guys paying millions to represent them.  Bryson harmed Bryson, and I love it.  He needs to lose money from future endorsements and he absolutely did it to himself.  Companies will still pay him, but they are going to pay him less because he isn't a real pro.  He is no Arnold Palmer that is for certain and therefore will never make Arnold Palmer endorsement money, because Arnold was the definition of a Professional.

 

[jordan2240]

In the past few year, I've played Taylormade, Callaway, and a set of Cobra one length.  The only set I chose because of a pro was the one length - not because Bryson was playing them, but because he's the one who introduced me to the concept.  I didn't care for them, and sold them.  The other sets I play because I randomly came across them somewhere, and they were inexpensive (the Callaways I play now were among the used sets I found in an Edwin Watts store I was browsing in in FL).  So, I do think more than any other brand, Cobra might benefit from a player's endorsement.  Honestly, not sure Fowler or Lexi matter much at this point.  But I also think that Bryson's tantrum, given his rep. as a bit of a complainer, will not hurt them, especially if he continues to use them.  I also think those who know him as an experimenter will feel Cobra's pain in trying to make him happy, and have a greater appreciation for them after they revealed just how hard they work to do that.

[elwhippy]

Nope. They make excellent products at good prices. 

[kasting333]

6 hours ago, chouls19 said:

I disagree that it’s bottom tier certainly not in quality anyway. I think the top 3 are all marketing and that’s what it comes down to. I see Cobra more like a bigger budget Adams. Quality stuff, great components (real deal shafts) and innovative designs.

I was thinking of the OEMs that sponsor players with 13 club deals. 

[JayMas]

15 hours ago, MPAndreassi said:

You mean the apology that sounded like Cobra wrote it and forced Bryson to read it? 😂

Hahaha, totally could be the case. If that's how it played out...Cobra is even more okay.

[mogc60]

Cobra will be just fine. Odd thing is Bryson has his Ltd that he’s hit for years. Sounds like he’s the fool for playing a model he doesn’t like when he has a proven driver he’s confident in. 

[puttingmatt]

The Cobra brand will be just fine ,

The Bryson brand ?

Not so much.

[vtpachyderm]

I also think Cobra will be just fine but it does interest me as to why they don’t push for a larger presence on tour. Their MIM Tours should be able to hang with most high end clubs and their previous CB’s and MB’s were as good as anybody else’s. 
 

I’ve hit the MIM tours and compared them to my Apex Pro 16s and the 21 Apex Pros and with the same/similar shaft the Cobras felt buttery soft and the price point was substantially cheaper than the mainstream brands. But marketing by the bigger brands seems to have worked perfectly that those brands are only being touted as top tier. 
 

My guess is that Cobra feel their sales to the non-wrx market are good enough that they don’t have to invest in tour marketing?

 

 

Edited July 20, 2021 by vtpachyderm
Autocorrect on the phone

[sociojeje]

43 minutes ago, mogc60 said:

Cobra will be just fine. Odd thing is Bryson has his Ltd that he’s hit for years. Sounds like he’s the fool for playing a model he doesn’t like when he has a proven driver he’s confident in. 

I am sure Cobra wanted him to play the new one. I think that's the part he blamed Cobra. To me, his comments hurt him more but sill damage Cobra too. 

[Chuck_IV]

People seem to forget how much trouble Tiger had with his Nike driver, back in the day. So much so, they allowed him to go back to his old(Titliest drive I believe) for a time, while they worked with him to find something that worked.

 

Only real different here is Bryson couldn't keep his yap shut about it and wants a driver that no matter how hard or badly he swings, will put the ball in the middle of the fairway every time. That type drive doesn't exist.

 

IMO, this hurt Bryson more so than Cobra.

[NorCal678]

They are fine.  When he said "My driver sucks", he wasn't talking about the product.  

[cwilk]

Bryson didn't hurt Cobra because the only people that even pay attention to golf drama like that already know Bryson can be a baby.  

 

Cobra's problem is they try to be too unique.  Nobody cares that their irons are MIM or putters are 3D printed. They need to stick to the basics and execute the products to the best of their ability.  They need to stop trying to be different with their ridiculous neon colors on everything and they might actually pick up some customers.

[bogeyk]

I hate when a player, in fact anyone, refers to themselves as a brand. It just makes me think that their whole persona is contrived and crafted to put out an image that isn’t genuine. For me, that is off-putting and I intentionally avoid following and supporting them. 

[BlkNGld]

IMO, Bryson didn't hurt Cobra.  Bryson hurt Bryson.

 

Bryson makes news with the things that he's willing to do to try to get better, but what has he done for actual sales?   AFAIK, Cobra is #8.   Pretty much where they were pre Bryson.

 

Put another way, if Tiger (and later Rory) weren't able to sufficiently move the needle enough to keep Nike in the club business, why would Bryson?

 

Even when it comes to OL clubs, Cobra is offering them because Bryson plays them, but they remain the only major OEM to do so in an industry where anything slightly successful that can be copied, will be. 

 

Bottom line is that I think Cobra would be fine without Bryson, and a parting at this time would do more damage to Bryson's brand.

 

So again, Bryson hurt Bryson.  Obviously he's polarizing.   Those that do things differently often are.  But it's possible to be polarizing but remain likable to most.   Fowler comes to mind.  

 

Sponsors want to be associated with successful people.   But if they come off as not likable, their  opportunities are going to be limited.  

Edited July 20, 2021 by BlkNGld

[quizzylish]

I agree with most.  Cobra will be fine and this will hurt Bryson more than them.  Sure it was a mistake and he apologized but I respected Cobra's response more than anything.  

[BHI 99]

It won’t matter one bit. If I sold drivers I’d want the tour player with the longest driving average. 

 

The rest doesn't matter. Biggest major of the year and the only talk has been about pissy pants and Cobra. 

 

The marketing department couldn’t have done a better job.  

[Phabs]

[NevinW]

No effect at all.  Another modern internet calamity.  

[Drumdog]

I seriously doubt that Cobra will suffer at all over BD's comment. It just stirred up more buzz about them.

[pollock21]

1 hour ago, cwilk said:

Bryson didn't hurt Cobra because the only people that even pay attention to golf drama like that already know Bryson can be a baby.  

 

Cobra's problem is they try to be too unique.  Nobody cares that their irons are MIM or putters are 3D printed. They need to stick to the basics and execute the products to the best of their ability.  They need to stop trying to be different with their ridiculous neon colors on everything and they might actually pick up some customers.

 

They offer basic putters as well as 3D printed. I find it hard to believe that a company pushing the boundaries of what can be done with club manufacturing is a bad thing.

 

You have cast vs forged already. MIM and 3D printing allow design options to be integrated into the design that you can't achieve with casting or forging. Or could be achieved but with a higher cost.

 

The amount of MOI they've been able to achieve in the supernova putter is awesome. Haven't tried it yet, but perfect example of what they can achieve with 3D printing. They also offer tried and true cast and forged options as well.

 

So yes, they have the basics covered, and also some high tech stuff. They also offer drivers $100 under the big boys with the same performance, so there's that too.

 

So we can have companies pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved in club design, or just everyone doing the same old thing all the time. Improvements in tech are a good thing last time I checked. Pushes everyone else to innovate and the result is usually better clubs for all of us to buy.

[cwilk]

14 minutes ago, pollock21 said:

 

They offer basic putters as well as 3D printed. I find it hard to believe that a company pushing the boundaries of what can be done with club manufacturing is a bad thing.

 

You have cast vs forged already. MIM and 3D printing allow design options to be integrated into the design that you can't achieve with casting or forging. Or could be achieved but with a higher cost.

 

The amount of MOI they've been able to achieve in the supernova putter is awesome. Haven't tried it yet, but perfect example of what they can achieve with 3D printing. They also offer tried and true cast and forged options as well.

 

So yes, they have the basics covered, and also some high tech stuff. They also offer drivers $100 under the big boys with the same performance, so there's that too.

 

So we can have companies pushing the boundaries of what can be achieved in club design, or just everyone doing the same old thing all the time. Improvements in tech are a good thing last time I checked. Pushes everyone else to innovate and the result is usually better clubs for all of us to buy.

 

Tech doesn't mean improvement.  Even MOI doesn't mean improvement.  It might be a gain in stability with a loss in feel/touch resulting in difficulty lagging putts for some players.  I think they are wasting a lot of time and effort for things that amount to nothing on course/in actual play.  If they actually did anything better than other OEM's more of the best in the world would use their equipment.  But they don't...

[chouls19]

24 minutes ago, cwilk said:

 

Tech doesn't mean improvement.  Even MOI doesn't mean improvement.  It might be a gain in stability with a loss in feel/touch resulting in difficulty lagging putts for some players.  I think they are wasting a lot of time and effort for things that amount to nothing on course/in actual play.  If they actually did anything better than other OEM's more of the best in the world would use their equipment.  But they don't...

The best in the world use their equipment because they re paid to. I agree free agents go with the TM  a lot but I’m still not sure there’s not a little cash changing hands. Woodland has the RAD in the bag and they re sponsoring a lot of golfers in the lower tiers. Like I said I see Cobra being a bigger version of what Adams used to be

[cwilk]

4 minutes ago, chouls19 said:

The best in the world use their equipment because they re paid to. I agree free agents go with the TM  a lot but I’m still not sure there’s not a little cash changing hands. Woodland has the RAD in the bag and they re sponsoring a lot of golfers in the lower tiers. Like I said I see Cobra being a bigger version of what Adams used to be

I currently play a Cobra driver (F9). While it’s good, it does nothing better than any other quality driver. Only, it’s uglier. I play it because it was cheap. 

[Texas Golfer]

I don’t think Cobra will be affected by this incident.  I don’t know what their financial health is, so I won’t speculate if the company is doing ok or not. They are known for their drivers and woods, much like Taylor Made. Whether that’s enough to support the brand anymore, I don’t know. 

[ProjectX]

16 hours ago, john myrbch said:

If you don’t think Bryson has more influence than Matt Kuchar when it comes to moving product, I can’t help you.

18 months ago I would have agreed with you. Now, he's radioactive. Brands can't touch him. The more exposure he gets the worse he makes things for himself and his sponsors.

[BHI 99]

Al they have to do is release a model called the SUK and they’ll rake in more dough...

[bobfoster]

Well it certainly will hurt sales of Cobra's 5* driver hahahaha. 

[johnseg]

5 hours ago, bogeyk said:

I hate when a player, in fact anyone, refers to themselves as a brand. It just makes me think that their whole persona is contrived and crafted to put out an image that isn’t genuine. For me, that is off-putting and I intentionally avoid following and supporting them. 

That was exactly how I took it. I played 36 on this past Sunday. In the morning my driver sucked and in the afternoon my driver was on.