COBRA AIR-X: The New Right Light?

The brand new COBRA AIR-X is the newest iteration of a COBRA legacy: light-weight merchandise for low to reasonable swing pace gamers.

If you happen to return to the ‘80s, COBRA was cutting-edge with its light-weight choices. The corporate was among the many first to fabricate its personal graphite shafts and it developed a following amongst leisure golfers.

COBRA was nonetheless high of the heap as just lately as 2020 and 2021 as its F-MAX Airspeed irons ranked numero uno in MyGolfSpy’s Greatest Tremendous Sport-Enchancment rankings. Nonetheless, the unique AIR-X, launched in January 2022, completed DFL in that yr’s rankings. This yr, the COBRA T-Rail completed subsequent to DFL.

What offers?

For its half, COBRA is bringing a few of its mainline AEROJET know-how to this new AIR-X line. However in accordance with the corporate, it’d be a mistake to name this AEROJET Lite.

COBRA AIR-X: The Proper Mild?

Practically a decade in the past, Wilson Golf promoted its D-100 irons and woods with the catchphrase, “the proper gentle.” The implication, in fact, is that whereas a golfer can swing a lightweight membership sooner, too gentle will create all types of havoc. Whereas COBRA isn’t borrowing Wilson’s catchphrase (I did that), it is aware of what “gentle” can do for the leisure golfer.

“We’ve been sturdy within the light-weight tremendous game-improvement class for many of our historical past,” says COBRA R&D Vice President Tom Olsavsky. “I’d say 90 miles-per-hour swing pace is likely to be the highest finish for this line. However we’re actually under 90 for males and under 80 for girls.”

In at present’s golf parlance, these golfers are referred to as low to reasonable swing pace gamers. Usually, which means seniors and most ladies.

“This golfer, she or he is all the time needing extra distance,” says Olsavsky. “As you become old, you lose distance. And we all know folks need to get that again.

“One of many enjoyable issues about golf is hitting is lengthy and straight. The AIR-X line goes to assist them try this extra continuously.”

In accordance with COBRA, there’s extra to the new AIR-X line than simply the unimaginable lightness of being. That’s the place some AEROJET know-how is available in.

Distance, Forgiveness and Accuracy

 If you happen to have been to listing the highest 10 priorities for growing old Child Boomers and others on the decrease finish of the swing pace scale, numbers one by seven – presumably eight – can be extra distance. Forgiveness and accuracy would spherical out the listing.

For the goal golfer, the recipe is ball pace, greater launch and doing one thing – something – to assist mitigate a slice.

In our 2022 Most Wanted testing, the unique AIR-X completed lifeless final out of eight fashions examined. It was fifth for distance, sixth for accuracy and seventh for forgiveness. The brand new-for-2024 fashions take lifeless intention at bettering these outcomes.

“We introduced the H.O.T. face know-how down from our mainline merchandise,” says Olsavsky. “That permits us to get these faces slightly bit hotter, so we get extra pace.”

H.O.T. stands for Extremely Optimized Topology.  That’s COBRA-speak for an AI-designed variable-thickness face to maximise a high-COR space in each the irons and the metalwoods.

“You’ll get extra pace profit on mishits,” provides Olsavsky. “Since we’re not speaking about low-handicap gamers, most pace on mishits will certainly assist.”

Loft Jacking?

With all the moaning and wailing and gnashing of enamel over “loft jacking,” you’d assume tremendous game-improvement irons for slower swing pace gamers can be jacked to the hilt, proper?

Flawed. Business-wide, you’ll discover tremendous game-improvement irons are literally weaker-lofted than game-improvement irons. And it has to do with the position launch situations play within the distance method.

“We all know these golfers sometimes don’t have sufficient swing pace,” explains Olsavsky. “To assist them preserve the ball within the air longer, you need to give them the advantages of each loft and spin.”

Particularly, the brand new COBRA AIR-X 7-iron is 30 levels. By comparability, the AEROJET 7-iron is 26.5 levels whereas the KING Forged TEX-X is 27 levels.

The opposite ingredient for distance is, in fact, weight. Extra precisely, the shortage of it. COBRA has a protracted historical past with light-weight designs and particularly light-weight shafts. Your complete AIR-X lineup options COBRA’s proprietary Ultralite shafts.

“We’ve been doing this for a lot of years,” says Olsavsky. “We all know the best specs already and there are a selection of locations the place we will get these made. That retains the prices down and provides the golfer the best spec, the best playability and the best really feel.”

Whereas the Ultralite iron shafts are inventory in each metal and graphite, extra choices can be found through customized order.

COBRA AIR-X Metalwoods

Just like the irons, the COBRA AIR-X metalwoods function H.O.T. face know-how. And just like the irons, the story right here is all concerning the weight: 290 grams for the AIR-X driver in comparison with 330 grams for AEROJET.

“It’s noticeably lighter however you’ll be able to really make the membership too gentle,” says Olsavsky. “Typically whenever you see a membership that’s down round 270 grams complete weight, gamers don’t have a very good sense of really feel. You want some weight to really feel the golf membership with a purpose to swing it constantly and achieve some pace.”

COBRA is providing an attention-grabbing, if not distinctive, possibility with the AIR-X driver: a alternative between an offset hosel and a straight-neck model.

Make no mistake, the straight-neck AIR-X isn’t what you’d name “fade-biased” by any stretch of the creativeness. But when you end up aiming into the left bushes in hopes of discovering the best tough, you may discover a good friend within the offset hosel possibility.

Normally, the lighter the motive force head, the decrease the motive force’s MOI. The AIR-X head itself is available in at slightly below 200 grams. To get MOI over 5,000 g/cm2, the AIR-X drivers function two 13-gram weights – one within the very again and one within the heel. The heel weight provides to the anti-slice design whereas the rear weight improves launch.

The COBRA AIR-X hybrids and fairways additionally function H.O.T. face know-how with a low profile and loads of offset.

“We discover that is what a whole lot of gamers want in a fairway and a hybrid,” says Olsavsky. “They want one thing they’ll stand up within the air and get it going far. These are the easiest-to-hit fairways and hybrids in our lineup.”

COBRA AIR-X: Last Ideas

“Low to reasonable swing-speed” is, in the beginning, code for “senior golfer.” Certain, a number of girls and newer gamers match into that class. Nonetheless, the primary cause OEMs are making light-weight product strains is the rising inhabitants of senior golfers.

You might not want it now however OEMs know this product line is sort of a coffin: you’re going to wish one finally.

Golfers on this class will almost certainly discover the best profit within the metalwoods. The mix of a light-weight grip, a higher-lofted head with loads of offset and a lightweight shaft with a correct bend profile may help seniors reclaim misplaced yards. Quicker and straighter normally equals longer.

Irons, nevertheless, are a trickier proposition. Whereas tremendous game-improvement irons are usually weaker lofted than game-improvement irons, there’s nonetheless the playability problem. Will they spin sufficient and/or have sufficient descent angle to remain on the inexperienced? That may finally come all the way down to a becoming query for the goal golfer.

COBRA AIR-X Specs, Value and Availability

COBRA is providing AIR-X in each males’s and ladies’s fashions and at costs which might be in stark distinction to light-weight choices from XXIO and Callaway.

The inventory males’s and ladies’s AIR-X drivers are $349. The men’s driver is obtainable in both a straight neck or offset hosel. The fitting-handed mannequin is obtainable in 9.5-, 10.5- and 11.5-degree fashions. Lefties can get any loft they need, so long as it’s 10.5 levels.

The COBRA AIR-X women’s drivers function the offset hosel solely. It’s obtainable in 11.5- and 15-degree fashions for each lefties and righties.

The fairways are $229. Men’s models are available 16- and 19-degree fashions for each left- and right-handed golfers. Women’s models are 19 and 22 levels for lefties and righties. A 26-degree 7-wood is for righties solely.

Men’s hybrids are available 19-, 21-, 24- and 30-degree fashions whereas the women’s line is 21 by 30degrees. The 30-degree fashions are right-handed solely. The hybrids retail for $199.

The seven-piece (5-gap wedge) men’s iron set in metal retails for $699. The graphite possibility is a combo set with two hybrids (24- and 27-degree) and 7-GW irons with the COBRA UTLRALITE graphite shaft. It runs $799.

The ladies’s AIR-X set is a combo set in graphite solely, promoting for $799. Each males’s and ladies’s iron units can be found in left- and right-handed variations.

Moreover, COBRA is providing full 12-piece packaged units for women and men. Every set includes a driver, 3-wood, combo iron set, putter and cart bag for $1,499.  Proper-handed solely.

COBRA AIR-X is obtainable now on-line and at retail.

For extra data, go to the COBRA website or shop AIR-X on PGA Superstore.