Golf manufacturers struggle to outdo and out-hype each other in their attempts to separate us from our hard-earned cash. Twist Face. Jailbreak. Dragonfly technology. You’ve seen the ads and surfed their web sites. You know what I’m talking about.
Last year Callaway’s Epic drivers wiped the floor with every other manufacturer as it was the top-selling driver in the world. That success sent the competition straight back to the drawing board to cook something new and exciting up for 2018.
Cobra has always been a little different. In their case, competing with the likes of Callaway, TaylorMade and Titleist, Cobra has had to have unique, innovative products just to play on the same field with the big boys. The drubbing issued them (and everyone else) by the Epic turned out to be a good thing, because the product they produced in response is arguably the most unique and innovative driver on the market for 2018.
Indeed, the Cobra F8 and F8+ are more than just a product refresh, they use the kind of visible technology that grabs consumer attention and, hopefully, loosens those purse strings. Whether it’s enough to compete with the big boys and their new offerings this year remains to be seen but there’s one thing for certain, the features of the F8 line make it one of the most compelling drivers of 2018.
True to form, Cobra has put out two F8 drivers; the F8 and F8+. The standard version features what Cobra calls a full profile. That means it has a shallower face and is more elongated than the traditionally shaped F8+. The latter offers a taller face and is more compact overall.
The standard F8 is more forgiving and offers higher launch, while the F8+ is more workable and offers a flatter, more penetrating trajectory.
Both models feature Cobra’s MyFly8 adjustability. The F8 is adjustable from 9°-12° (draw settings at 9.5°, 10.5°, 11.5°). The F8+ is adjustable from 8°-11° (8.5°, 9.5°, 10.5°). Both are CG adjustable too, though it’s notable that Cobra has shifted from the F7’s 3-weight design to a new 2-weight system.
The reason for the simplification was that Cobra discovered that very few people (15 percent total of people that had bought the F7 and F7+) were taking advantage of the settings that were provided. So, instead of offering a myriad of settings that customers were largely ignoring, Cobra simplified the design and provided only the settings that their customers were actually using.
Both F8 drivers have two weights (one much heavier than the other). Moving the heavier weight to the front lowers the launch angle and backspin, and adds a bit of ball speed at impact, albeit at the expense of some forgiveness. Moving the heavier weight to the back raises the launch trajectory, raises spin and forgiveness slightly and, in the F8’s case, adds a bit of draw bias to the trajectory.
The most significant feature of the F8 driver is the industry’s first 100-percent CNC milled face. By using a 100-percent milled face, Cobra is able to eliminate the hand polishing necessary to remove the outer face welds. Because milling can be done to much tighter tolerances that what you can achieve with humans, Cobra can design closer to the limits prescribed by the USGA and R&A. The company isn’t claiming every head is at the limit, but it’s saying it can get closer than its competitors can with traditional manufacturing technologies.
Milling the face also gives Cobra more precise control over the thickness in the various regions of its E9 face. The result is higher ball speeds over portions of the face; most appreciably in the high toe area where Cobra is claiming ball speed gains of 1.6 mph. The 25-minute milling process also results in more consistent bulge and roll, which means more consistent performance from driver to driver.
More visible technology stares right back at you at address. In the quest for ultimate performance, equipment manufacturers have added aerodynamic packages to all their drivers. Cobra calls theirs Aero Trips.
As with similar features used by the competition, Aero Trips are designed to keep airflow close to the head and reduce turbulent wake (drag) leading into impact. What differentiates Cobra’s offering from its competitors’ is that, instead of using the same material used in the crown (titanium or carbon fiber), its drag-reducing features are made from a polymer that’s 90 percent lighter than titanium. The weight savings mean that the aerodynamic features don’t raise the center of gravity in any appreciable way, which helps Cobra keep comparatively more weight low in the head.
Cobra has also refined the shape of the hosel transition area to reduce drag during the part of the downswing where face isn’t square. Finally, Cobra has added titanium Aero Trips to the sole, as well, something not done by the competition.
Cobra is specifying real-deal shafts in the F8 line. All manufacturers have shafts made for them in slightly different specifications than the aftermarket line. Cobra received flak for doing so in the past, but this won’t be the case with the F8. Our market will be getting global spec Fujikura shafts, something that serious golfers will appreciate greatly.
As it did in 2017, Cobra will include Arccos/Cobra Connect sensors with every driver. Building on the Arccos Driver functionality, all F8 clubs (drivers, fairways, hybrids and irons) will come with Arccos sensors installed in the grip, which means that golfers who buy Cobra drivers get Arccos Driver, while golfers who buy Cobra irons will be able to leverage the full power of Arccos 360 under the Cobra Connect system.
Cobra Connect now includes a driver-tuning feature, which takes data from rounds recorded with the system and leverages Arccos’s AI to make recommendations on club setting adjustments to improve your driving. There will be no extra charge for Cobra Connect.
Cobra has eschewed bright colors for the F8. Perhaps, the colorful clubs were too frivolous for the serious performance features of the new Cobra drivers but, whatever the case, the F8 drivers are available in Black and Nardo Gray. Nardo Gray is a popular color in the automotive industry and with some sports teams, so Cobra thought it would make a good addition to the now more limited F8 palette. It will certainly stand out on the tee box.
No word yet from J-Ten Enterprises on when the Cobra F8 and F8+ drivers will be available in the country, but don’t pull the trigger on a new driver before you test the F8s. You might regret it.