2011 Cobra S3 Driver Review

[Hanks]

I'd still hit it Dent....the shaft needs to be better is all

Agh, that just made me steer away from this driver immediatly. Thanks for this post Hanks that helps me narrow down my choices.

 

[Dent]

I guess I'll give it a try. Atleast I know who the driver is intended for now though. Right now I'm looking for a really hot driver with a loud sound.

 

[Jman]

I dunno dent, I went into GG last night and hit a 10.5 despite the fact that mine will be in Monday and I gotta say I REALLY dislike this shaft...ALOT. I do agree on the sound with Hanks as it reminds me of my Nickent 4DX's but it really seems to be sneaky long. Always worth a look, I do think my C.Kua or RIP in this is going to make it night and day different for me. Blur=Boo.

 

[Dent]

I dunno dent, I went into GG last night and hit a 10.5 despite the fact that mine will be in Monday and I gotta say I REALLY dislike this shaft...ALOT. I do agree on the sound with Hanks as it reminds me of my Nickent 4DX's but it really seems to be sneaky long. Always worth a look, I do think my C.Kua or RIP in this is going to make it night and day different for me. Blur=Boo.

Thanks for the input Jman, doesn't another driver come stock with the blur as well? How do people feel about that one with the blur in it? Sorry I don't know which one it is off by hand.

 

[coolbreeze]

Thanks for the input Jman, doesn't another driver come stock with the blur as well? How do people feel about that one with the blur in it? Sorry I don't know which one it is off by hand.

Burner 2.0 comes with the blur I believe.

 

[Jman]

Burner 2.0 comes with the blur I believe.

I wish that would have clicked in my head if true while I was there, I'd have given it a whirl to see.

 

[Super Tuna]

The Burner 2.0 has the Matrix Xcon 4.8 in it. The R11 does have a 65 gram Blur in it, which much like the S3, does it no favours IMO.

I looking foward to hearing how it goes with the Miyazaki Jman. My theory, much like yours, is that the S3 head is a beast and with a new shaft it'll be amazing.

 

[Dent]

The Burner 2.0 has the Matrix Xcon 4.8 in it. The R11 does have a 65 gram Blur in it, which much like the S3, does it no favours IMO.

I looking foward to hearing how it goes with the Miyazaki Jman. My theory, much like yours, is that the S3 head is a beast and with a new shaft it'll be amazing.

Thanks Tuna. Really stupid how the TP and reg both have the blur. Thats for another thread though.

 

[Jman]

The Burner 2.0 has the Matrix Xcon 4.8 in it. The R11 does have a 65 gram Blur in it, which much like the S3, does it no favours IMO.

I looking foward to hearing how it goes with the Miyazaki Jman. My theory, much like yours, is that the S3 head is a beast and with a new shaft it'll be amazing.

I really think it will be, hopefully thats not just positive thinking but I really did like the feel of it other than the shaft. Time will tell I suppose.

 

[WMac19]

Agh, that just made me steer away from this driver immediatly. Thanks for this post Hanks that helps me narrow down my choices.

Absolutely, the stock shaft is holding back an impressive head. The face is certainly hot but like Hanks said, it just doesn't feel like it. For me though, it's a very low launching head. With the stock shaft, I really couldn't offer too much of an opinion as to its playing characteristics because practically from the first swing, I didn't like it. Didn't even hit many good shots with that shaft, just too whippy with too much torque. Higher ball flight but I didn't hit enough shots to even qualify that statement with a definitive description.

But with the Diamana BB, it's a low-launching cannon. I just had it out on the course today for 9 holes in Myrtle Beach for the first time. I played the Legends' Heathland course because its most forgiving off of the tee and I just wanted to let this thing loose. Besides, I haven't played in two months. :wink:

The starter was a nice enough older fellow who, when he saw me head to the back tees said very politely, "those back tees are only recommended for skilled players, the wind out here today can hurt anybody's game."

I only said, "better to keep it low, huh? I told him that I'd start from here and see how it goes. I tee'd it up, now a bit more anxious in hoping to pop off a good drive in front the starter and a group that had pulled up and had heard the starter's cautioning me.

Thankfully, without any range-time, the S3 didn't let me down. I striped a beautiful med/low draw down the right/center of the fairway.

"Nevermind!" the starter said cheerfully. A couple of the guys waiting even clapped, lol... Way more of a reaction than I'd ever expect but quite a good first drive on the course for the S3.

In varying tee height, I was able to easily gain the increased launch angle that I was looking for and due to the low spin, I hit shots to areas of the course I'd never reached from off the tee before.

Definitely doesn't "feel" especially hot, definitely not loud as it's quite muted, actually. But it did prove itself to be a heckuvalot of fun to hit. I wasn't swinging particularly well today but I enjoyed results FAR better than I deserved.

 

[Hanks]

Knocked this around for a bit yesterday. While the results are there (length, shot dispersion, good trajectory) there seems to be something missing. The sound is definitely muted and has a nice 'thump' to it but there seems to be a missing ingredient. I'm not sure if it's the shaft or just me. It's a very forgiving driver due to some of the technological goodness that I'll touch on in my formal review but I think there may be better options out there for those who want that 'hot feeling, aluminum bat sound' that some driver have. Overall a solid performer so far

 

[Tmex]

What type of length are you seeing? I mean in comparison to some of the other drivers you've tested (Machspeed/K15)?

 

[Hanks]

exact distances aren't known for sure but generally it's longer than the MS Black but shorter than the K15. But it may be the most accurate of the bunch

What type of length are you seeing? I mean in comparison to some of the other drivers you've tested (Machspeed/K15)?

 

[Tmex]

That's good to hear. I thought the MS black was pretty long and the K15 was just beastlike for the most part. I also like the accurate part.

I must say, the "something missing" really has me curious. After seeing pictures of the white S3 I was really wanting to hit it more lol. Look forward to hear how it's treating you Hanks. Always insightful and honest.

exact distances aren't known for sure but generally it's longer than the MS Black but shorter than the K15. But it may be the most accurate of the bunch

 

[JB]

exact distances aren't known for sure but generally it's longer than the MS Black but shorter than the K15. But it may be the most accurate of the bunch

So its fairly long, possibly the most accurate, you said looks great, and has a nice sound. What the heck do you think its missing? Sounds to me like the perfect driver.

 

[TC]

So its fairly long, possibly the most accurate, you said looks great, and has a nice sound. What the heck do you think its missing? Sounds to me like the perfect driver.

+1

tapatalk: even available for lefties!

 

[Hanks]

I know it sounds odd but I just feel like something is missing. Can't explain it. It just feels dead off the face compared to other drivers and makes me feel like I'm not catching it correctly. I've got some simulator time booked for this week so I may have to have some numbers speak to me

So its fairly long, possibly the most accurate, you said looks great, and has a nice sound. What the heck do you think its missing? Sounds to me like the perfect driver.

 

[the_paulo]

I was also disappointed to note the stock shaft option on this driver. Sounds like a good driver, but the blur shaft in the r11 disappointed me so much. I'll be buying a new driver soon, but I don't want to have to swap the shaft out if I can avoid it.

 

[Jman]

I do know what you mean about the sound Hanks, it reminds me personally a TON of my Nickent 4DX's.

Mine is currently sitting on the porch. epoxied the adapter to the C.Kua last night, I'm going to ttry and get to the range tonight.

 

[Hanks]

Tried to charm the snake again today and the results were pretty consistent. I did the same thing I did with the K15 and moved the ball back a bit and teed it a little lower and what do you know? Shots were longer yet still controlled but the sound went from a dull thud to a muted crack which was a real surprise. You don't feel like you're catching the shot full on but when you see the drives consistently going 225-230 carry and only off the target line by 7 or so yards it warrants some further testing which is what I will definitely be doing to see if this driver is as consistent as it has been so far. The only thing I've noticed in a negative way to date is that if you catch the ball too far out on the toe you lose a lot of forgiveness and the shaft seems to either 'twist' or 'overly flex'

 

[Tmex]

Great update Hanks.

Tried to charm the snake again today and the results were pretty consistent. I did the same thing I did with the K15 and moved the ball back a bit and teed it a little lower and what do you know? Shots were longer yet still controlled but the sound went from a dull thud to a muted crack which was a real surprise. You don't feel like you're catching the shot full on but when you see the drives consistently going 225-230 carry and only off the target line by 7 or so yards it warrants some further testing which is what I will definitely be doing to see if this driver is as consistent as it has been so far. The only thing I've noticed in a negative way to date is that if you catch the ball too far out on the toe you lose a lot of forgiveness and the shaft seems to either 'twist' or 'overly flex'

 

[Jman]

Just tore open the box! The blur was immediately banished to the corner and the C.Kua is tightened in. Put the C.Kua in label down and really wish I wouldn't have now, it was really just out of habit.

Pic's tonight after my wife goes to bed and I can play with her camera, C.Kua looks BAD in it.

 

[Ole Gray]

Well, positive results with the S3 have somehow managed to drive my insanity to another level. I'll get to that in a bit.

I made the range three days in a row and compared the S3 to two other drivers and hit the same drivers, equal times, each session. One of the others is my tried-and-true R7 Limited and the other, an Exotics XCG-3.

In all 3 sessions, my dispersion pattern (measured from farthest shot left to farthest shot right) with the S3 could not possibly have been any more consistent. Each session was within inches of the other. My first was 81' 5", second was 81' 4" and today was 80' 5". That's exceptional for me. To put it in perspective, that's roughly only 27 yards apart, 13.5 yards off-center for the worst shots (which is roughly how my pattern played out).

My other drivers also exhibited similar results relative to their other sessions, only their dispersion is MUCH wider. The R7 averaged about 145' and the Exotics averaged about 150'. Most shots with these two drivers were pretty good with just the wayward flare here and there to swell the dispersion. But the worst hits were very bad and entirely unacceptable. While I feel as though I'm swinging exactly the same with the S3, the penalty for less than perfect impact is severely diminished.

The only negative is that I seem to launch the S3 low on average. Although yardage is only a few yards behind my longest driver, the R7 Limited, the S3 offers the highest ball-speed. If I can improve the launch, this club can be an absolute bomber for me.

On to the insanity. As I've already stated, I bought a shaft sleeve adapter for the S3 with the intention of trying out the higher launching Matrix Ozik Code-6 in it. Should be enough for the patient people among us, right? Well, I'm not that guy.

...I just bought ANOTHER S3, this one a 10.5* head. I LOVE this clubhead and I'm gonna make it perfect whether it be loft, shaft, or both. Even so, as of right now, the S3 is in the bag.

Oh my.

Brother from another mother? I think so! Nice to see my insanity can be matched heh.

Gray, I plan on giving you a full S3/c.kua review buddy! You know I'll hook you up!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Just tore open the box! The blur was immediately banished to the corner and the C.Kua is tightened in. Put the C.Kua in label down and really wish I wouldn't have now, it was really just out of habit.

Pic's tonight after my wife goes to bed and I can play with her camera, C.Kua looks BAD in it.

I am very interested in how the C Kua works in that head! Jman do you have the 39 gram stiff or regular?

 

[Jman]

I am very interested in how the C Kua works in that head! Jman do you have the 39 gram stiff or regular?

39 Stiff Gray, she will be on course tomorrow! Pics coming first though, tonight, I promise!

 

[Ole Gray]

39 Stiff Gray, she will be on course tomorrow! Pics coming first though, tonight, I promise!

Shaft length 46 inches?