Q: What could be better than having a set of 3D printed irons in your lineup?
Answer: Why, THREE 3D printed bar sets, of course.
COBRA is clearly all about 3D printing technology. Adding two new sets of irons to complement last year’s amazing 3DP Tour, COBRA thinks it can suit anyone from a tournament-level ball-striker to a 25-and-over handicapper.
With three sets of iron.
I don’t care who you are, that’s pretty impressive.
If, of course, they can pull it off.
That said, let’s kick off this Launch Party with a closer look at the new COBRA 3DP MB and 3DP X irons. We think COBRA might be on to something.
Why does COBRA 3D print bars?
3D printing is not new to golf. COBRA and others have been 3D printing playable prototypes for years. However, COBRA is the first – and still the only – OEM to commercialize the technology. It started in 2020 with a 3D printed meter. In 2024, COBRA tested the two-round iron concept with the limited edition LIMIT3D irons. Those irons were converted at last year’s 3DP tournament. That iron had a blade-like footprint, but with game-improvement-level forgiveness and playability.
(Yes, we know AVODA made 3D-printed irons for Bryson. However, they were one-offs and were 3D-printed because it was the fastest way to get Bryson a playable set of his curved-face irons in time for the 2024 Masters. AVODA does not offer 3D-printed irons and we don’t know for sale).
“3D printing allows us as product designers and makers to do things that we couldn’t do with normal forging or casting,” COBRA Director of Innovation Ryan Roach tells MyGolfSpy. “It has changed the way we think about what is possible.”
By adding a 3D-printed muscle and the player’s distance iron, COBRA believes it has the horses to bring 3DP technology to tournament players, 25 handicappers and everyone in between.
“It depends on a golfer’s needs,” says Roach. “But talking to our fitters, they say with these three models, they can fit anyone.”
Before we continue, we need to understand what 3D printing enables COBRA to create. The iron itself doesn’t magically hit the ball better or farther. What 3D printing does is allow COBRA to separate form from function.
“This separation allows us to get more forgiveness in an iron without sacrificing shape or feel at impact to get there,” explains Roach. “We can affect CG (center of gravity) and MOI (moment of inertia) without having to change the shape of the head.”
Form, function and forgiveness
With traditional forgings or castings, form follows function. For an iron to have game-enhancing level forgiveness, the chassis must be large enough to accommodate a super-low center of gravity and provide enough MOI for stability. After all, there’s a reason why game-enhancing irons look the way they do.
“With 3D printing, we’re actually changing the internal form to get the function we want,” says Roach. “External form is something we can control separately.
“We can tweak the feel we want and the shape we want and then put the forgiveness a player needs in a certain category.”
3D printing allows COBRA to create an interior that is virtually impossible to do with traditional manufacturing. The secret sauce is a unique internal mesh structure that unleashes an incredible amount of discretionary weight for such a small footprint.
For example, the new 3DP MB muscle rear features a slimmer topline than COBRA’s forged KING MB, with an overall chassis that’s smaller than the forged KING Tour. The grille’s internal structure, however, frees up 66 grams of discretionary weight. This allows the COBRA to move 35 grams of tungsten weight to the toe, 23 grams to the heel and eight grams to the forefoot to increase forgiveness and lower CG.
For an iron of that size, 66 grams is significant.
“We could have lowered the CG lower with the MB, but we chose not to,” explains Roach. “UK players usually don’t mind releasing the ball. They want extra forgiveness along with adequate spin, though, so we were mindful not to drop the CG too low.”
The 3DP X, being more of a player’s distance iron, is all about lowering the CG for high launch and low spin.
COBRA 3DP MB and 3DP X specifications
The COBRA 3DP MB is based on the 3D printed muscle back prototype (a single piece without a grille) that Max Homa made. The 3DP MB is also a one-piece blade, but the internal grill allows it to achieve the forgiveness of COBRA’s KING Tec X game-enhancing iron.
As mentioned, the topline is slightly thinner than COBRA’s KING MB forged blade, but has a touch more offset. The loft structure is what you would consider traditional, with a 7-34 degree iron.
“It has the shape and feel that players love,” says Roach. “But it can be played up to a 10 handicap, depending on why you’re a 10.”
Last year’s 3DP Tour also has a smaller head shape than the KING Tour, but with even lighter weight and a lower CG, it has the forgiveness of an iron to improve play. Which makes me wonder, why did COBRA give us a 3DP X?
“Although the 3DP tournament is very forgiving, higher handicappers may want a slightly larger face,” says Roach.
The 3DP X is roughly the same size and shape as the KING Tec-X, but COBRA says it’s even more forgiving than the super-improved DS-ADAPT Max gaming iron.
In terms of loft, the COBRA 3DP X, with a 7-iron 29, is two degrees weaker than the KING Tec-X. As a result, the 3DP X delivers slightly less ball speed and carry distance. The launch angle is higher and the spin is about 800 rpm higher compared to the KING Tec-X in player testing.
“The 3DP X gives more launch, a steeper descent and more playable distance,” says Roach, “but with a much better feel.”
About that feeling…
We like to equate the forged construction with a smooth and soft feel. And while forging and materials play a role, geometry plays an even bigger role.
“It’s very form-dependent,” Roach explains. “If you had a fake back muscle and a cast muscle, it would be surprising how few of us could tell the difference.”
COBRA’s 3DP irons are, of course, 3D printed using a 316 stainless steel powder that is the consistency of powdered sugar. A single metal jet printer (the same used in aerospace manufacturing) can print up to 32 heads over 24 hours. COBRA’s design software not only allows them to fine-tune the mesh structure, but also allows them to determine the impact sound and impact vibration.
“The feel is not exactly the same as a traditional forge,” says Roach. “Some people say it feels better, others say it’s not the same.”
My experience last year with the 3DP Tour irons bears this out. It wasn’t a fake traditional sound and feel. I wouldn’t categorize it as better or worse, just different on a similar level. Overall, I liked it.
What the mesh does is that whether you’re talking 3DP MB, Tour or X, the sound and feel will be consistent with a forged muscle.
“The key is the grid pattern printed on the clubhead during the printing process,” says Roach. “Without 3D printing, you can’t achieve the performance we’re seeing with the feel we’re getting.”
Do we really? need 3D printed braces?
The short answer is no. We didn’t need a perimeter shooter either, but that didn’t stop Karsten Solheim. Did we need a forged back? No, but Hogan created Edge anyway.
We say it again so that there are no misunderstandings. A club like the COBRA DS-ADAPT Max gives you the same forgiveness, distance and, likely, overall performance as the 3DP X. There is no magic in 3D printing except that you can get all that forgiveness and performance in a much smaller chassis with much better feel. Disrupting the status quo, rewriting the rules and opening up new possibilities can’t be a bad thing.
“There are 14 clubs in a golfer’s bag. We think there’s a place for 3D printing in every one of them,” says Roach. “It may not happen tomorrow, but this is our vision of where this is going to go.”
COBRA is confident that anyone from a tournament player to a 25-year-old handicapper will find happiness with one of its 3D printed irons. However, down the road, 3D printing could change the club fit as we know it. Imagine your specs club by club turning into ones and zeroes. A 3D printer whirs into action and, within hours, you have a set of clubs 3D printed to your precise and specific needs.
Talk about by order.
“It’s closer than it was five years ago,” Roach says. “We’re doing this now for tournament players. The writing is on the wall that this is something we can eventually do to consumers. We just don’t know when.”
COBRA 3DP MB and 3DP X features, price and availability
Here’s some news that should make you southpaws happy. Thanks to 3D printing, the 3DP MB and 3DP X irons will be available in left- and right-handed models.
COBRA 3DP MB will come with KBS $-Taper 110 as axle. 3DP X comes with KBS Tour Lite. Both will feature the Lamkin Crossline as a staple. Both will have 4-iron wedges and gap wedges available through custom order, and the UK will also offer a 3-iron.
As with the 3DP Tour irons, the new iron sets won’t be what you call “bargain basement.” Each will cost $1,980 for a six-piece set.
They are available for pre-sale starting today. They hit stores on January 9th.
For more information, click www.cobragolf.com.
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