Cobra S3

[G.Review]

What do you think?

 

 

[pitbull808]

After a seeing the White Cobra ZL Driver that Poulter was playing, my interest in Cobra grew enough for me to get a used black headed version. I figured it would be a cheap enough investment to try a brand that I hadn't used in a long time. I was surprised at the feel/sound of the ZL which led to my interest into what was coming out from Cobra in 2011. After seeing some sneak pics here of the upcoming S3 driver, like the S3 irons, I had to get my hands on one....

 

 

Cobra S3 Driver

 

Pros-

Larger elliptical sweetspot creating a “smarter” sweetzone using Cobra’s new E9 Face technology. New muted sound that thankfully is unlike past Cobra models. A $299 MAP price! That is definitely unheard of in the adjustable driver market!

 

Cons-

Adjustable for only three face angles. Unlike many of the competition which are allowing everything from face angle, trajectory and sole adjustments, the Cobra is limited in its adjustability.

Bottom Line- Simple done well! Forgiveness across the face and the ability to launch the ball well no matter how bad you hit it! How’s that for a plus??!!

Review-

 

Cobra S3 Driver

Shaft- Mitsubishi Fubuki Alpha 60 X

Loft-9.5

Length-45.5”

Swingweight-D5

460cc / Titanium 6-4 head and face/aluminum hosel

 

Looks-

460cc titanium head with an extremely deep face. A beautiful charcoal black metallic paint job that would probably look as great on a Porsche as it does on this S3. An all black sole with sleek polished steel and yellow embellishments. A traditionally shaped head with the Cobra logo for alignment. Clean and simple AFT/Adjustable flight technology that blends very well with the head and provides a seamless transition from the hosel to shaft. This driver looks just right to my eye as I prefer deep faced drivers and normal shaped heads.

Performance/Playability-

AFT/Adjustable flight technology allows you to simply adjust the face angle from open, neutral, closed with the twist of a screw and movement of the head. Although the competition may have much more adjustability, I for one have never felt there was a great need for nothing more then either a square head or slightly open. The AFT with it’s three available adjustments is plenty enough for me. I set it at open and the face is just right to my eye.

 

Like what you would expect from a Cobra driver, the S3 is very forgiving. According to Cobra, the new taller elliptical face and beveled perimeter reduced the overall thickness of the face and allowed Cobra to shift more weight low and to the rear to produce ideal launch and distance. The “smarter sweetZone” as Cobra calls it is 30% larger as well and it’s elliptical shape is patterned after checking the shot patterns of 25,000 shots made by golfers.

 

In testing, although I don’t hit the ball all over the face to probably make use of all of the E9 face technology (thank goodness!), my common miss is towards the heel. The few that I did catch towards the heel traveled surprisingly well. Absent was my low duck hook. Trajectory overall was predictable for me. Distance was excellent as well.

 

The S3 is also easily workable in both directions although when set to open, you will have to turn it over a bit more to get the draw out of it. It would suggest that should you have a problem with the left/rights the three way adjustability of the AFT may be enough to help aid you in your problems.

 

I found the S3 to be very low spin. Although I didn’t have a chance to jump on a launch monitor yet, I could tell immediately it was lower then my ZL driver in comparison but I wasn’t seeing my ball falling out of the sky dead either. Which was good because I'm not a terribly high spinner of drivers to begin with. I did observe even a bad miss doing a good kick and roll down the fairway. I think this is where I noticed the difference in length versus some of my other drivers the best. When I missed, my ball still got me length that I definitely did not expect.

Feel-

I know we’ve all read it before in these reviews how each new iteration is 10x better, longer, less spin and hotter. The new S3 I can’t help but say is easily the best feeling titanium head Cobra’s come out with. Why? Because it feels so much more solid and lacks the usual thunderous clamor that past Cobra’s have had. I have liked past Cobra titanium drivers but the high pitched "Twinnnkk” that echoed after hitting one was enough for me to put it back on the shelf. The S3 is much more muted in sound that I doubt if anyone would know without looking what you were hitting on the driving range.

Overall bottom line-

The S3 driver makes simple work! Simple adjustments, no giant scoop behind the head, no odd shape to suggest you’re hitting with a vegetable, and no gaudy paint. The S3 driver is classy yet with enough pizzazz to get you interested in trying it. Hidden technology to make this the most forgiving Cobra driver yet is an excellent plus. Being longer on your misshits and simple ball flight optimization adjustments, I know it’s everything I’m looking for in a driver. Give it a shot; I think you’ll enjoy the experience

 

[LARON]

Great review! I think you need to show this to the Cobra-PUMA rep in Hawaii

[pitbull808]

[quote name='LARON' timestamp='1299775371' post='3043673']
Great review! I think you need to show this to the Cobra-PUMA rep in Hawaii
[/quote]

I know him and he's been on Gwrx for ages. I actually ordered the GD Di6 shaft that's now in my S3 from him.

[LARON]

[quote name='pitbull808' timestamp='1299778666' post='3043824']
[quote name='LARON' timestamp='1299775371' post='3043673']
Great review! I think you need to show this to the Cobra-PUMA rep in Hawaii
[/quote]

I know him and he's been on Gwrx for ages. I actually ordered the GD Di6 shaft that's now in my S3 from him.
[/quote]

Nice! What is his name on here? and thats cool. I just ordered some new TM woods&rescue cant wit to try them!

[Edawg]

I bought this driver (S3) 9.5* off Ebay for $200 brand spankin' new to replace my Mizuno Mp600.

After playing 5 rounds and hitting 500 range balls:

Great driver and no regrets purchasing it. It has all the distance I need (as with most drivers these days). Currently, I have the stock Fujikura Blur S-Shaft in it, but I am looking at replacing it with something a tad stiffer. It's easy to hit this club high, and I would even feel comfortable dropping down to an 8.5* head and keeping this shaft.

The shaft is a little longer at 45.5", so accuracy is diminished a little for distance. While Cobra claims to have an eliptical sweet spot that runs from the lower heel of the club to the upper part of the toe, I've not noticed anything different from other drivers on the market in this aspect. Overall, offcenter hits don't seem to lose that much distance.

The look of the driver is superb. Very similar to the S2, the main difference is the change back to a normal colored face which definitely aids alignment.

The sound is not your previous harsh Cobra "ping." It's a very pleasant crack.

If I could get my hands on a couple new Mizuno MP001s, I think I would play those the rest of my life. Since that won't happen, I am incredibly happy that I found this club. I would suggest to anyone shopping around to hit up a Cobra demo day or your local golf shop and try it out.

[erik11]

I bought this used to replace my L5V. Ended up selling it and keeping the L5V. Maybe the stock shaft just didn't match my swing, but I just couldn't hit this anywhere near as consistent as my other driver.

[sschull]

Just bought this driver as my first club to replace one of my beginner set clubs. There are some specials going around and I got it for $200 new. I really enjoy this club. I'm only a month into golf so my drive still is far from great but this driver is giving me more potential. I hit a few 220-230 yard drives straight on the fairway when playing 9 the other day which I would never do. This club at the address just gives confidence. It's lighter than a lot of drivers I tried out but not the lightest out there. I like the simple open, closed, neutral option with the wrench. The only knock I've seen and I think I agree is the shaft should be switched out.

[jwolf02]

Awesome review, thanks!

[Ryan7870]

I am not that big of a fan of Cobra. They make pretty decent clubs. But from what I hear, they are a little harder to use than most clubs out there.

[bubbha70]

Good driver. Nice design. Average adjustability features. Nice sweet spot, like you'd come to expect from Cobra. But the performance was average. It's easy to hit and you'll get it in the fairway, but you will not be winning any long drive money. I could have lived with the S3, it kept me in the fairway, with OK distance, but the one thing that I didn't care for was the sound. It sounds like muffled thud, not too awe inspiring. My older X/Speed sounded like a train wreck and it really got out there.

[abovepar03]

Took the 9 deg, S3 with stiff shaft out for a test drive last year and after a few holes fell in love with it. Very forgiving, great ball flight, long and sounded way better than previous Cobras. Traded my RAZR Black in and enjoying the extra yards.

[HR Dave]

Actually replaced newer clubs with this one this year after screwing around with it at the range, why? It is simple and straight, super forgiving.

[cgorman0]

I have used this driver for some time now and it's great

[howiedoing]

Life long Callaway guy. Hit one drive with my buddy's S3 after staring at it all round. It just looks right. Felt great looking down at it. Loved the feel. Ordered one off of Ebay next day.