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2011 Cobra S3 Irons Preview

SuperStroke
teedoff00 said:
Interesting. Thanks for the info. How did you feel about the set in general? As to how well the mid irons played and the low irons in comparison to other you've played (maybe the Burners or other GI irons). I ask because I know the S3s supposedly have the "redesigned" strike zone that is more elliptical in the long irons and round in the low irons.
Thanks!
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Sorry for the delay in responding. Regarding your question, I would say that I was very surprised how easy the 4i and 5i were to hit and get into the air. For reference, I didn't actually play an iron below the 6i last year. If I were to game the S3's, I would definitely feel confident with the 5i in my bag. I've found them to be forgiving from top to bottom.
 
Thanks for the response HAWK. I am really just trying to gauge how much "better" the S3s might be than the S2s. The S2s are at least a 120 dollars cheaper (thinking of getting a 5-PW, as I already have wedges and have never gotten ball flight from the 3 and 4 irons and rarely need them). But I find myself trying to find reasons to buy the S3s because they are newer and have "improved" technology.

I will most likely have these for a while, so I don't want to miss out on a better club for not very much money. But if the S3s are essentially the same club, then I think I would prefer the S2s as the price and look is slightly more appealing (although the S3 ain't bad looking either).

Hopefully my proshop will have the S3s in before the S2s aren't customizable anymore, which some places I've called already say they can't special order them, so that scares me...

Thanks again for the replies.
 
Tee - I have not hit the S3 irons yet so I can not compare them with the S2's. I can tell you (IMO) you can not do wrong with the S2's. I hit my irons really solid with good distance so I am very pleased with them. The S3 irons, I have heard from a couple of testers on here, are solid irons as well. It just depends on how much you want to spend and whether or not you desire to own the latest equipment out there. It sounds from your post that owning the latest is not part of the equation. I will be testing the S3 irons fairly soon. JB mentioned the S3's have more feel and that is certainly something to consider. It would be smart if you could hit them side by side and then make your decision.
 
A playing partner of mine picked up the S3's last Friday. On Sunday I hit his Gap Wedge 4x during our round (left mine in the garage) and really enjoyed the ball flight, feel and ease of use. I put each shot within 8 feet. Now I hit his 4 iron 2x and that was a disaster, I lost distance to my i15 4 irons and just couldn't get thru the ball and compress it.
 
NoLine said:
A playing partner of mine picked up the S3's last Friday. On Sunday I hit his Gap Wedge 4x during our round (left mine in the garage) and really enjoyed the ball flight, feel and ease of use. I put each shot within 8 feet. Now I hit his 4 iron 2x and that was a disaster, I lost distance to my i15 4 irons and just couldn't get thru the ball and compress it.
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That's interesting.... one of the design features of the S3 is that they used a different, supposedly springier steel in the long irons to increase distance. Personally, I've found the long irons to hold up pretty well so far (in limited on course play). Were his shafts anywhere near optimal for your swing?
 
It was the NS Pro steel - I've historically played R300's - specifically for the weighting.
 
NoLine said:
It was the NS Pro steel - I've historically played R300's - specifically for the weighting.
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Yeah, depending which model, pretty significantly lighter than the R300s

Hopefully as the weather outlook improves (good forecast starting Monday), I'll get to try out the 4 and 5 irons more myself and see how they work. As usual for me in a round, I've had many more shots with the GW-8 iron than the other clubs, and they have worked very well for me to this point.
 
golf4life said:
Yeah, depending which model, pretty significantly lighter than the R300s

Hopefully as the weather outlook improves (good forecast starting Monday), I'll get to try out the 4 and 5 irons more myself and see how they work. As usual for me in a round, I've had many more shots with the GW-8 iron than the other clubs, and they have worked very well for me to this point.
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looks like there is going to be some upper 50's weather down that way towards the end of next week...
 
golf4life said:
Yeah, depending which model, pretty significantly lighter than the R300s

Hopefully as the weather outlook improves (good forecast starting Monday), I'll get to try out the 4 and 5 irons more myself and see how they work. As usual for me in a round, I've had many more shots with the GW-8 iron than the other clubs, and they have worked very well for me to this point.
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Agreed - I'm playing with him on Sunday (63 and Sunny here!) and may grab his irons again, assuming he hasn't traded them in.
 
ddec0418 said:
looks like there is going to be some upper 50's weather down that way towards the end of next week...
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Yep!!!! Gonna get some S3 and hopefully TM forged action outdoors on my home turf soon!
 
NoLine said:
Agreed - I'm playing with him on Sunday (63 and Sunny here!) and may grab his irons again, assuming he hasn't traded them in.
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Cool, give us an update after the round.
 
what turf is that? the turf covered by snow or the turf that will be muckity muck after the snow melts this weekend? lol
golf4life said:
Yep!!!! Gonna get some S3 and hopefully TM forged action outdoors on my home turf soon!
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Hanks said:
what turf is that? the turf covered by snow or the turf that will be muckity muck after the snow melts this weekend? lol
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Hey now mr. downer! By end of next week all snow and muck should be history!
 
you know my digits....I'd love to see these irons up close and personal
golf4life said:
Hey now mr. downer! By end of next week all snow and muck should be history!
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Ole gray- Yeah I don't care much that they are the latest and greatest... I have two pro-shops here near Ann Arbor, MI. One says they can order the S2 and the other says they can't. The one that can't has S3 demos, but none in a +1 shaft... So I'm at a loss as to what to do. Should I hit the S3 at a standard length, knowing that they are a bit longer than most irons of standard length? Or should I wait a week or possibly two and risk not being able to order the S2s anymore?

I really just can't believe what a good price the S2s are... 449 for 4-GW... But the S3 isn't bad either at 599 for 4-GW. And I just realized that my Maxfli C3 wedges are a black satin finish and even have C3 in yellow in the cavity... would match the S3s well ha ha.

Also, if i move on the S2s or S3s are there any shaft/grip combos I should upgrade too? Or are the stock Nippon (stiff flex) and Cobra grip (golf pride I think) pretty good?

Thanks for the advice guys. Looking forward to any "reviews" and feedback from these irons.
 
The grip (for me) is very good. Not aftermarket good, but for a stock offering I've found it to be worth keeping. Personally, I wouldn't change it, but others may differ. The Nippons seem like a great match to the head. They launch to ball mid/high. Depending on your needs, you may want to change them. If it were me, I'd get over there and try both out while you still have time to order the S2's.
 
teedoff00 said:
Ole gray- Yeah I don't care much that they are the latest and greatest... I have two pro-shops here near Ann Arbor, MI. One says they can order the S2 and the other says they can't. The one that can't has S3 demos, but none in a +1 shaft... So I'm at a loss as to what to do. Should I hit the S3 at a standard length, knowing that they are a bit longer than most irons of standard length? Or should I wait a week or possibly two and risk not being able to order the S2s anymore?

I really just can't believe what a good price the S2s are... 449 for 4-GW... But the S3 isn't bad either at 599 for 4-GW. And I just realized that my Maxfli C3 wedges are a black satin finish and even have C3 in yellow in the cavity... would match the S3s well ha ha.

Also, if i move on the S2s or S3s are there any shaft/grip combos I should upgrade too? Or are the stock Nippon (stiff flex) and Cobra grip (golf pride I think) pretty good?

Thanks for the advice guys. Looking forward to any "reviews" and feedback from these irons.
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It sounds like to me you like the black finish of the S3 irons and for $100.00 more bucks you can have what appeals to your eyes. Like Hawk said, you can not go wrong with the Nippon steel shafts. I am not familar what the graphite shaft options are for the S3. I have not hit the graphite in the S2 either so not much help there. I changed my grips not because of the quality but I added mid size which if you order them, make sure the grip is custom to your needs. I would also get them fit for lie & length from the get go. Fitted clubs are the way to go. Buying off the shelf is a gamble at best. You can not bend the S2's because of the material the head is made with. I believe the S3 heads are the same so you need to order what fits your swing. Good luck and happy golfing for 2011!
 
Thanks for the responses, I really do appreciate the advice.

I planned from the get-go that I would get my clubs fitted and that is why I am having a hard time with the S2/S3. If I wait until I can actually hit an S3 with the right shaft (+1 inch or close) then I might no longer be able to order the S2. I don't know if hitting the S3 like they are, with out the right length but with a stiff shaft would give me the feedback I would want to compare them to the S2 which I hit well and really liked the feel and ball flight.

As to the shaft and grip. I figured I would change the grip if my size called for a different one and the shaft sounds like what I want, since ball flight and trajectory have always been a struggle of mine. I am sticking with the steel shafts so graphite is out.

I guess I just want your guys opinion on what I should do about testing the S3 and S2 side by side. When I hit the S2 it was +1/2" the other irons I played where +1" (TM Burner 2.0, Titleist AP1, Mizuno JPX-800, and Nike Machspeed). I hit the S2s best out of all and when I heard the price, I was pretty floored. But having not tested the S3s, its hard to pass them up for around 100 bucks.

My current clubs aren't custom and are standard length and lie and that is most likely why I felt more comfortable hitting a "shorter" Cobra club. (+1/2" compared to +1"). But if I am fitted with the S2s at +1/2" or the S3s at stock length, is that going to screw with the fitting? It really sucks that they don't have these clubs available in all the options. I don't even know what lies they have available to try... I'm at a loss as to what to do.

Once again, thanks for the help!
 
Well, your fitting will be based off of what they have there, which will most likely be standard. You should get them on a lie board and then they can tell you how the standard lie works for you, and if not, what degree up/down you need them bent. From the way it sounds to me, you already like the S2's alot. My advice would be to see if you can order them custom after a fitting and go with them.

Here were my thoughts after demoing the S2's in September at the THP outing:

I tried out the S2's in steel shafts and graphite. The graphites just didn't feel right to me. The weigthing was not like I am used to and I couldn't adjust. I've never played a graphite iron and now I know that they aren't really for me. I liked the steel shafted irons. I found them to be very forgiving with a high and fairly straight ball flight. They weren't the longest, but they were right in there with the majority of irons I tried. The were not my favorite in terms of feel, but they were not bad. For me they were good, but not perfect. I think that anybody looking to buy some irons should give them a shot though.
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Thanks for the advice Hawk.

My only concern is if they don't have my measured shaft length, won't the lie be off? at least how I understand it which maybe incorrect. Also having played the S2s and S3s what would you say are differences that can be quantified (instead of changed weighting, sweet spot, etc.)? I know you have mentioned that they had increased "feel". Meaning more feedback from off center hits? Better feel (forged like) when the sweet spot was hit? etc.

Do you think I should try the S3 in standard length to try and gauge a difference between the S2 and S3? Or will it be like apples and oranges because of shaft, etc? I guess I wonder how great my fitting will be, if they don't have all the lies available for demo in my needed shaft length. I would probably just wait the week or two to try the S3s. But if some shops already say they can't customize the S2s, and I am leaning towards them because of price and imagined similarity between them and the S3s, I don't want to miss out by waiting.

Any input you can offer would be great! Thanks
 
It's been a long time since I hit the S2's, so I am a bit foggy on details, but I will say that when I pick up the S3's I feel completely different (mentally) holding them. The black two toned finish really makes them pop and I have more confidence with them in my hand. That, of course, is completely personal and probably somewhat silly, but it is how I feel. I think well struck shots feel fantastic with the S3's and when you couple that with the ball taking off and getting up in the air quickly, it's a great combo. I honestly don't remember how the S2's felt on mis-hits, but I will say that you can definitely tell if you've missed out on the toe with the S3's. In colder temps, they were a bit harsh for me on mishits, but it seems that most clubs are (to me).

I think you should be able to compare both even though they aren't completely built to your specs. I have been able to get quite an idea of how I feel about these irons, while I could benefit from they being a bit upright. That said, I think you should post your question in the fitting section and maybe GolfTec or amollerud can help you out more.
 
Sure thing. The full review should be complete pretty soon as well. Good luck on your shopping :)
 
teedoff00 said:
Thanks for the advice Hawk.

My only concern is if they don't have my measured shaft length, won't the lie be off? at least how I understand it which maybe incorrect. Also having played the S2s and S3s what would you say are differences that can be quantified (instead of changed weighting, sweet spot, etc.)? I know you have mentioned that they had increased "feel". Meaning more feedback from off center hits? Better feel (forged like) when the sweet spot was hit? etc.

Do you think I should try the S3 in standard length to try and gauge a difference between the S2 and S3? Or will it be like apples and oranges because of shaft, etc? I guess I wonder how great my fitting will be, if they don't have all the lies available for demo in my needed shaft length. I would probably just wait the week or two to try the S3s. But if some shops already say they can't customize the S2s, and I am leaning towards them because of price and imagined similarity between them and the S3s, I don't want to miss out by waiting.

Any input you can offer would be great! Thanks
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The S3 irons may come standard 0.25 + in length just as the S2's do. You can go to Cobra's home page and it should have all the specs you need. You can also find Cobra Golf on facebook and they will answer all your technical questions. If this does not work send me a pm. I will give you a poc who you can speak with ,about your fitting issues.
 
When I looked at cobragolf.com the lengths were about the same as the S2s. The only thing that changed was loft on a few clubs... I thought about making a post on the Cobra Facebook page about the difference in the two irons, but I figured they would just state the obvious, I figured you guys would give better feedback about how the changes really changed the playability of the clubs if they did at all.

I did post in the fitting section to see if anyone had any ideas on how the length and lie availability of demo irons would affect the fitting. I may just call GolfTec near Detroit as well... even though I doubt I can make it out there anytime soon :)

Thanks for the help!
 
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