The past three years have marked an evolution for Cobra Golf. From bright colors to bright ideas, they have set out to establish themselves as true competitors in the golf market. This year marks the release of what Cobra considers their most advanced lineup yet – the Bio Cell. Last year there were questions from golfers to Cobra about why they chose not to release the “pro” version of the Amp Cell fairway wood, so this year they decided to bring the people what they were asking for.
Information from Cobra about the Bio Cell+ Fairway Woods:
- 3-4 Wood w/ MyFly8 Technology
- 12.0° / 12.5° / 12.5°D / 13.5° / 13.5°D /14.5° / 14.5°D / 15.0°
- 43” Length – D3 Swing Weight
5-7 Wood w/ MyFly8 Technology
- 16.0° / 16.5° / 16.5°D / 17.5° / 17.5°D /18.5° / 18.5°D / 19.0°
- 42.5” Length – D3 Swing Weight
Stock Shaft Options
- Matrix Red-Tie 6Q3 – R, S, and X (60-64g)
- Mitsubishi Diamana D+ – S and X (72-74g)
- Project X PXv Tour 52 – R, S, and X (50-54g)
Available in Black, Blue, Red, Orange, Silver
Key Traits
- Tour proven head design – Compact, pear-shaped head design delivers a lower CG for greater distance. Inspired and designed in collaboration with our COBRA Tour players.
- MyFly8 with SmartPad™ technology – Eight adjustable loft settings to maximize distance, manage trajectory, and optimize yardage gaps.
- High strength face insert – Forged thin, shallow high strength steel face inserts (Driver like construction) enables more face flex for faster ball speeds, longer distance, and higher trajectory.
The Cobra Bio Cell+ Fairway
For the purpose of this review THP was able to spend time with the 3-4 Bio Cell+ fairway finished in blue with the stock Matrix Red-Tie in Stiff flex.
- Aesthetics:
The new Bio Cell+ fairway is the direct result of interactions between Cobra’s R&D and their tour staff with the intent of creating a more compact and traditional shape than that of the standard Bio Cell. All it takes is holding this one in hand and at address to realize that they definitely accomplished their goals. The Bio Cell+ fairway is in its essence a throwback. It has an incredibly compact footprint and shallower face (the 3-4w is 148cc compared to the regular Bio at 181cc) that is intended to make for a club that is playable from the tee and the deck. As far as pure aesthetics it is one of the cleanest overall packages out there in a player’s fairway wood.
Offered in a variety of colors (including black, a shrewd move by Cobra) the head’s compact size is the star here even with the various colors. The crown features only a Cobra logo as the alignment aid and the light shadowed Bio Cell paint scheme on the rear half of the head. This paint actually shows the exact shape and size of what is going on inside of the head with the utilization of these cells on the overall club design. To round out the package the stock Matrix Red-Tie has been finished in a white pearlescent paint that will match with any color option available.
- Adjustability:
With the Bio Cell+ fairway there is a full range of loft adjustability thanks to the utilization of Cobra’s SmartPad technology and all new MyFly8 adapter. The adapters allow for eight different loft options in both the 3-4w and 5-7w including three draw settings. As with the driver, the removal of the fade settings was due to feedback that Cobra got from their various fitters.
In testing the 3-4w Bio Cell+ was tried on every loft and the SmartPad does exactly what is supposed to by keeping the head at a neutral setup while still allowing visual feedback of loft changes. Each setting had a direct impact on the ball flight, and in the case of the draw setting it did help bring the natural flight that direction. Cobra’s MyFly and SmartPad tech is still one of the easiest to use out there, as adjustments are straight forward and the “window” cut into the heel provides visual assurance of the desired setting being selected.
- Feel/Sound:
Although the sound/feel is clearly the most subjective, the Bio Cell+ does have some distinct traits in this area. The smaller size and steel face insert are what shines through, as the head possesses a very short and sharp metallic “tink” at impact. The sound however is not in any way hollow, so there is no resonating that leads to an abnormally loud sound and feel. In fact, the ball feels like it jumps off of the face regardless of where across the smaller surface area that impact is made.
- Trajectory/Dispersion:
The Bio Cell+ fairway features weight repositioned from crown and face thanks to Cobra’s utilization of bio mimicry with the actual Bio Cells. The result of this leads to the club having a lower CG, higher overall MOI, and a larger sweet spot than Cobra has previously attained in a fairway wood. The club by its nature will be a lower launching and lower spinning design than the regular Bio Cell, making it the more demanding of Cobra’s options this year.
Time spent with the Bio Cell+ showed a significant drop in spin as compared to the Amp Cell, however the pairing of the mid-launch and mid-spin Matrix Red-Tie seemed to maintain a solid level of playability regardless of the loft setting utilized. Clearly the lower the loft (12* for example), the higher swing speed would be needed to properly utilize the club off of the deck, but off of the tee it elevated quite well, which could make for a handy driver alternative for some . In “normal” 3-4w settings (15 degrees and up) the Bio Cell+ showed to do exactly what was intended by Cobra, as turf interaction and elevation off of the deck maintained a piercing ball flight that still provided the ability to hit into greens.
This club was designed with precision and workability in mind and testing certainly showed this as a strong suit of the club. The smaller profile allowed for the ability to turn shots when need be. Additionally, both off the tee and off the deck the overall shot dispersion was surprising for the class of club that this is in. Shots just inside or outside the center of the club face were rewarded with results that were still very playable. While there was distance loss and increased spin, it was manageable. The further out to the extremes the misses got, the more penal the club was, just as should be expected. There is some correction/forgiveness that is packed into the head for sure, but it should be kept in mind that it is still definitely the more demanding of the two offerings from Cobra in the Bio Cell line this year.
- Distance:
The weight distribution changes due to the Bio Cells along with the addition of high strength steel inserts in the face are the key elements when it comes to distance seen with the Bio Cell+ fairway. The reinforced face inserts are supposed to help deliver driver-like ball speeds with more face flex. During review, recorded ball speeds affirmed that this fairway wood is a small package that carries with it some punch. In fact, for this reviewer it was one of the longer fairway woods that has been tested in some time, providing solid distance off the deck and even more off of the tee. This seemingly makes the Bio Cell+ a very interesting club for the player out there with a repeatable swing who can sacrifice some overall forgiveness for the potential distance and versatility gains that it can offer.
Parting Thoughts
The decision to release a fairway wood like the Bio Cell+ to the market is definitely an intriguing one at first take. From a size standpoint it is certainly a departure from the going trend of fairway woods essentially becoming miniature drivers in their size and stature. However, there is a lot packed into such a small package, and those players who are seeking a much more workable option that still offers an impressive amount of distance from all lies should certainly take notice. Time with the Bio Cell+ affirmed that all the R&D that went into this part of the Bio Cell line delivers on much of what it is claimed to do. Although the size and demands of such a club will not be the best for all golfers, it achieves the goal of branching out into demographics of players that previously overlooked their fairway woods.
The Bio Cell+ fairway wood comes in five different colors, has three different no-upcharge shaft options and carries an MSRP of 249.00. More information about this and the rest of Cobra’s Bio Cell lineup can be found at www.cobragolf.com.
