Former President, John F. Kennedy, famously said in one of his presidential speeches, “We choose to go to the moon this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” Those who want to debate whether we went to the moon, save that for another time; we have much more exciting things to discuss. With a similar spirit and vigor found at Cobra Golf HQ in Carlsbad, CA, Cobra has set forth to take on a battle and become the first to break through a barrier in golf. That barrier is to be the first company in the world to bring a set of 3D-printed steel irons to the market that golfers can purchase worldwide. Introducing Cobra LIMIT3D Irons
Cobra has been leading the way in using 3D printing technology to produce clubs used by professional golfers on the PGA Tour. Over the last 5+ years, they have carried out over 40 3D printing tour projects, resulting in 14 clubs being used by some of the world’s best golfers, including Rickie Fowler, Gary Woodland, and Bryson Dechambeau during his time as a Cobra staff player. Outside of their tour projects, Cobra became the first OEM to bring a 3D-printed steel putter to the market in 2020, which later evolved into a full lineup of KING 3D-printed multi-material putters in 2021.
“COBRA is always looking for meaningful ways to use new technology to create superior products and performance,” said Mike Yagley, Vice President of Innovation & AI, COBRA Golf. “nTop’s computational design tools integrated with 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, allowed us to create an incredible new design that looks and feels like a forged blade but performs like a larger, game-improvement iron. No one has done this before, and we’re excited to introduce these unique irons to the world.”
Cobra decided to collaborate with nTop, a computational design software, enabling them to undertake this massive project. nTop is a well-known name in the 3D printing industry for its ability to assist companies in creating innovative designs made possible through additive manufacturing. With access to nTop’s software, Cobra was able to design an internal lattice structure that was crucial in creating an iron that had never been seen before. Thanks to the fact that these irons are fully 3D printed, the turnaround time for prototype models has been reduced from months to weeks.
Cobra LIMIT3D Irons
Cobra is using 3D printing technology in its LIMIT3D irons to develop a blade design that incorporates the MOI and forgiveness properties of a game improvement iron. These irons have been crafted to look like blade irons, but thanks to an internal lattice structure, there is no compromise on appearance, feel, or forgiveness. Golfers who think this is just another hollow-body iron will be surprised by the innovative design of the LIMIT3D irons.
In general, most hollow-body irons available in the market are filled with foam to reduce the sound while maintaining an unsupported face. This allows for more face flex and ball speed but can sacrifice feel and consistency. However, this is not the case with these irons. The body of the irons is printed 316L stainless steel and features an innovative dodecahedron internal lattice structure that is possible only with 3D printing technology. The Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) process uses 316L stainless steel powder fused together in layers using lasers. One of the benefits of this design is that it provides a feel that is more similar to that of a solid iron as opposed to an iron like the Forged Tec.
Another advantage of the internal lattice construction within Cobra’s LIMIT3D irons is the ability to redistribute the clubhead’s weight strategically. By now, golf nerds are familiar with companies discussing weight savings and how even small amounts can significantly impact club design. Traditional blade irons have a solid core that carries a lot of weight. However, the LIMIT3D irons utilize a lightweight, yet durable lattice structure, allowing approximately 33% of the clubhead weight to be redistributed to areas that benefit the golfer without impacting the overall strength of the head. This weight-saving approach allows up to 100 grams of tungsten weights to be added to the clubhead’s heel, toe, and hosel, resulting in a lower center of gravity and higher MOI without sacrificing looks or feel.
Despite the abundance of cutting-edge technology embedded in the LIMIT3D irons, their appearance is still crucial. The King Tour, King CB, and King MB iron sets that Cobra released last year received rave reviews for their stunning looks. While designing this set, Cobra drew inspiration from the King Tour but made minor adjustments to give the impression of a slightly more compact tour iron.
“Our new Limited-Edition 3D Printed irons represent COBRA’s dedication to pushing performance and technology to the limits,” said Jose Miraflor, Vice President of Product Architecture at COBRA Golf. “These incredible new irons are the most significant technological advancement to happen to the category in the past 20 years and offer a look into the future of golf club design and performance.”
Based on everything we have discussed, the biggest question remains: how well do the Cobra LIMIT3D irons perform? Cobra aimed to create an iron that is a compact blade but still possesses a lower center of gravity than irons like KING Tour and KING Forged Tec while providing distance and forgiveness comparable to Forged Tec and Forged Tec-X. During robot testing, they compared the LIMIT3D 7-iron to the King Tour 7-iron and found that the former produced a 2MPH increase in ball speed, leading to an additional 5 yards of distance. The spin, peak height, and descent angle remained very similar, all with a 1° loft difference. Overall, the LIMIT3D irons proved to be longer and more precise than the King Tour.
It’s easy to get excited about Cobra’s LIMIT3D irons as they offer a glimpse into the future. However, it’s important to note that this is a limited release, with only 500 sets being printed worldwide. In the US and Canada, 350 sets are available. These are right-handed only sets, with a standard configuration of 4-PW. As you might expect, being one of the first to own technologically groundbreaking irons comes at a price – the MSRP is $2,999.99. If you want to be one of only 500 people worldwide to own these irons, they will be available for purchase on June 7th.
More information on the new LIMIT3D irons can be found at www.cobragolf.com.
