Let’s start this short journey with some clarifications.
DS-ADAPT is COBRA’s home to its premier drivers, fairway woods and game-enhancing hybrids. The KING family is where consumers can find tournament-inspired iron designs as well as hybrids for top players. And to clarify, better meaning hybrids that prioritize performance and agility over maximum stability and forgiveness. Or, if you want to think of it as hybrids that tend to behave more like irons than fairway woods, I guess that works too.
Let’s dig in.
It starts with FF33
If you’ve seen any of the DS-ADAPT coverage, FF33 (FutureFit33) is likely a familiar term by now. If not, what you need to know is that this is COBRA’s new tube adapter which offers 33 unique loft/lie settings. Of particular note is that the FF33 allows the loft and lie to be adjusted independently. Some golfers may find the FF33 overkill. For others, it’s a welcome invitation to tinker on a level you never have before. My understanding is that FF33 is not for the golfer after all; rather, it is another tool for the skilled assembler. Beyond that, it’s not lost on me that, as with the DS-ADAPT, it rarely leads to a suitable platform. It also reasonably suggests that improvements in fit may be more influential than year-to-year changes in materials and bulk properties. Food for thought.
More details “TEC”.
The balance of the technology history is largely a list of evolutionary, incremental changes carried over from the December launch of DS-ADAPT.
A lightweight carbon crown frees up mass which is repositioned to shift the location of the CG where it can produce better ball speeds and more forgiveness, even though the overall shape suggests a smaller address profile. When manufacturers have discretionary weight, a recent wood and freeway hybrid trend is to shrink the footprint while increasing the UK. It’s part of what allows for more separation between models in a given line.
COBRA’s Variable Face Geometry (HOT Face) uses 15 individual “hot spots” on the face to optimize performance on off-center hits. This works in concert with the forged PWRSHELL face insert to provide more flexibility over a larger percentage of the face.
(Side note: When we broach the topic of forgiveness, it starts with understanding an optimal outcome. In my world, anything a club does to help achieve an outcome that approximates the optimal is an element of forgiveness.)
Along with the FF33, the new KING TEC hybrid features two adjustable weights (one 12 grams and one two grams) which can be positioned to help fine-tune trajectory and spin. As with other iron-like hybrids, the neutral structure is 12-grams in the heel and two-grams in the toe. Changing the weights should produce more of a proper flight tilt (for right-handed players).
Finally, the geometric design of COBRA’s SMARTPAD sole ensures a square face at address, regardless of the loft or lie environment.
ONE Length version
The KING TEC Hybrid is also available in the ONE Length option (7-iron length of 37 ¼ inches). Compared to the standard KING TEC hybrid, the main differences are the shape (the ONE Length is slightly larger with a more rounded profile) and weight (the ONE Length has a fixed 12-gram rear weight to help promote a longer launch high and greater stability). Put another way, the ONE Length version is built on the same platform as the standard KING TEC hybrid, but offers more game-enhancing features that may be convenient for the player with a set of ONE Length irons.
Price and availability
KING TEC Hybrid ($299) is available in 2H (17 degrees), 3H (19 degrees), 4H (22 degrees) and 5H (25 degrees), KING TEC ONE Length Hybrid ($299) is available in 3H ( 19 degrees). ), 4H (21 degrees) and 5H (24 degrees).
Both will be available at retail on March 13th.
For more information, visit cobragolf.com
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