All posts tagged featured

As part of their 2011 lineup, Cobra recently released the brand-spanking new S3 Driver. Building upon the foundation laid by the S9, and then the S2, the S3 features a new ‘E9’ face technology… a technology that creates a 30% larger sweet spot. Plus, the Adjustable Flight Technology built into the club head and shaft allows you to make adjustments to fine tune your shot shape or compensate for shot tendencies.

So what is the Cobra E9 Face Technology all about? It’s pretty darn simple, really. The face of the S3 features a taller elliptical face with a beveled perimeter. The end result is a 30% larger sweet spot, allowing you to grip it and rip it down the middle more often. Distance, accuracy and forgiveness are all built-in.

Digging deeper into the E9 Face Technology, Cobra has tested and proven that 99% of shots hit by golfers miss the center of the face in a tilted, elliptical pattern from low heel to high toe. With that in mind, they created a taller and more elliptical face to mirror that miss-hit pattern.

The S3 offers a ‘hotter’ club face in comparison to the S2 driver… take a look at the comparison of the S2 and S3 clubface below.

The Adjustable Flight Technology (AFT) built into the shaft and head is exactly the same as previous models (the S2 and ZL). The club comes with three settings, open, neutral and closed. While these three settings aren’t as many as some of the other technologies available today, some might argue that anything more than 3 settings is overkill. I do enjoy the simplicity of the Cobra AFT… Open, neutral or closed… pick your poison and work with it. Easy as that.

The Cobra S3 is available in 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 11.5 lofts. All models are available in 45.5″ lengths with D5 swing weight (the 11.5 is available in a D4 as well) and multiple shaft flexes. The Fukijura Blur is the stock shaft of choice, available in the TX006 and TX005 models. The tX006 is available in regular, stiff and extra-stiff, all having a mid kick and 5.5 degrees of torque. The TX005 comes in lite flex only, with a low kick point and 5.6 degrees of torque.

Cobra S3 Photo Gallery

For more information, head on over to Cobra Golf.

I had been wanting to get my hands on the Cobra S2 Driver for some time now. A few months back, the good folks at Cobra Golf were nice enough to send me the Cobra ZL Driver for review… and after putting that one through its paces, I loved it. Naturally, with the S2 as their other big driver option, I wanted to do the same. Without hesitation Cobra obliged my request, so… the other day I took the S2 to the range, and then out on the course for some testing. What I found was all good.

The club in my hands was a 10.5 with stiff Cobra Fit-On Max 65 gram shaft. On the range, my first few drives were straight and true. Much like the ZL, the feel at impact was solid as a rock, and I was able to work the ball either direction with ease. It’s important to note that the Cobra S2 Driver has Adjustable Flight Technology (AFT) built-in as well, so if you’d rather not make changes to your setup, simply adjust the clubhead to the open, neutral or closed position to help you work the ball (or straighten out that slice!).

Out on the course, my drive off the first tee made me smile. Straight down the pipe, right down the middle of the fairway leaving me a gap wedge into the green. Needless to say, I was loving the Cobra S2 already. Never mind the fact that I missed the green and 3-hacked it from there for a bogey… the purpose of my round was to get some initial impressions of the S2 🙂

The Cobra S2 Driver taking its place in my bag. You may also notice the Cobra Baffler Pro Hybrid in there too. Solid club.

As the round went on, one thing became quite apparent to me. The 9 Point Face Technology that Cobra touts was clearly in effect. If you have never heard of this, Cobra advertises that their drivers have 9 ‘hot’ points across the clubface, giving you consistently long and accurate drives no matter where you strike the ball. As long as you make contact in the area containing these 9 points, you’ll feel the difference. And, I’ve got to say… in comparison to the ZL I really felt this in the S2. Maybe it’s because my swing was a little bit off, but I was hitting quite a few drives off the toe-side of the driver, and all of them took off like a rocket. The feeling of these drives off the face was as if I had pured it off the sweet spot. It felt great, to say the least.

Much like the Cobra ZL Driver, the S2 sets up nicely to the ball, and inspires confidence. The overall look and feel of the club is sharp as well. In fact, I prefer the styling on the S2 over the ZL. Not by much, but I have to admit, the S2 wins in overall looks.

I’m going to stop here for now, but expect a more thorough review (with pictures) in the near future. I’ll probably put the S2 through some more testing, and form some takeaway conclusions for you to keep in mind.

At first blush though, the S2 is certainly getting my seal of approval. Solid distance, great accuracy, and a consistent feel off the face.

For more information on the Cobra S2 Driver, head on over to CobraGolf.com.

Stay tuned for more.

Note: As always, a special thanks goes out to Terra and the team at Cobra Puma Golf.