Two release cycles ago, Cobra came out with a head unlike others we have seen. Their technology advanced to the point where they could eliminate large amounts of headweight by wrapping carbon around the traditional ‘edges’ and provided extreme weight saving opportunities alongside a milled face that promoted consistency. They took it a step further in their next release by sending that milled face through the hard edges of the crown and sole to promote better aerodynamics (and let’s be honest, less chance of skymarking), with a brilliantly designed metal exoskeleton that further promoted weight efficiencies. It is simply hard to fathom how you can build off that kind of design. Enter the Cobra RADSPEED Drivers.
A name that absolutely begs to be explained because it is somewhat out of left field after “F9 Speedback” and “Speedzone” by comparison. Where does it originate? A concept we as basic consumers are probably unfamiliar; “Radius of Gyration.”
If you ask Cobra what that means (I thought about Googling but decided to commit to their smart people definition), “The distance away from an object’s geometric center that an engineer or designer can position mass or a technology. The further away from the center it is, the better the performance gain.” In short, locating weight away from the CG offers different benefits. The more forward, the higher the ball speed. Going lower promotes the lowest spin. It seems like that critical give and take between forgiveness (MOI), spin, and speed.
Now that we have mentally unlocked what radius of gyration is, and can only assume based on “RAD” that it is a big part of this release, where does it come into play? For Cobra, it came down to their engineers finding the perfect blend using extreme weighting to maximize the critical elements of performance for all types of players, continuing their trend of low back weighting but also taking into consideration extra weight low and forward to gain on that ball speed metric. And, for the benefit of our golf swings, have three heads to deliver performance where we need it.
First, RADSPEED- the primary source for ball speed and low spin workability. This head is designed for the better player hunting for maximum performance with extra weight forward by comparison. Taking full advantage of their TBar Speed Chassis, they were able to save enough weight to get apply 16g of locked weight in the front of the head, with 8g locked into the back. Weight ports of 12g in the front and 2g in the back (that can be changed out) produce in total, 28g forward and 10g in the very back of the head. It will be available in 9.0 and 10.5 degree heads.
For RADSPEED XB (or ‘xtreme back”), the design lends itself more to forgiveness while maintaining solid speed. In this head, the near-to-face weighting is dropped to 8g and a whopping 14g of secured weighting in the back, with a 6g movable weight. This is definitely looking like the next generation of the Xtreme lineup for those who enjoyed the forgiveness and support of the last offering. It will be available in 9.0, 10.5, and 12.0 degree heads.
Finally, RADSPEED XD (or ‘xtreme draw”) – built on the same basic platform as the XB but have moved 10g of radial weight to the heel side halfway between the hosel and the back of the head to promote a draw bias. There are still 8g of weight locked into the front and 8g in the back, with a 6g movable weight. It will be available in 10.5 and 12.0 degree heads.
It is an awful lot to take in, but the basic reality is, Cobra has taken radial weight placement with their new driver head, and allocated weight to places that promote benefits for all levels of golfers. They were able to do this because of new carbon wrap technology that saved six grams of weight from the crown, and continue to promote consistent performance with their infinity face, which is a 25 minute milling process that results in a level or precision that greatly exceeds hand polishing. Continuing from previous models, the dual roll tech (where the face operates slightly different when hit high vs low), and their tri bulge face (basically autocorrect for golf balls) are still very much present. Slight improvements to the face milling came from solid tour feedback and additional research, which include the decision to introduce a horizontal milling pattern in the central location for moisture management, and a new laser etching of the central circle and infinity logo to further support that moisture control.
It would not be a Cobra driver release, however, without discussing color. To continue with their last couple models, they have added a fresh version of the yellow using what they call “turbo yellow” as an option, offering a matte black in the RADSPEED head, and gloss black in the XB and XD offerings. While this type of discussion will be a totally personal perspective, I believe the yellow they selected was a great transition from former offerings. A little livelier, more ‘current’ so to speak.
Additionally (and from my perspective the greatest thing ever), they have brought in their ever popular peacoat blue color for the RADSPEED and RADSPEED XB heads. A perfect combination of blue, white, and red accents compliment the overall presentation and present two outstanding cosmetic choices for consumers looking for variety in the RADSPEED and RADSPEED XB heads. Anyone who is familiar with Puma knows that Peacoat is a popular color throughout their apparel, and it makes perfect sense to bring that subtle yet solid presentation onto a driver. For the first time, I am not totally for one color and indifferent on the other. This is about two great choices, and it would not surprise me to see people feel the same way (although the right answer is of course, blue).
Each setup comes with a couple popular shaft options, Cobra connect in the grip, and tour length will return with the RADSPEED head. On the junior head, Cobra is still honoring the free shaft upgrade which is a great feature. MAP for all three heads is $449.
I for one am incredibly excited to give RADSPEED a try. F9 came in with a bang, redefining what could be done with carbon fiber, and showcasing that there are numerous ways to achieve consistent performance off the face of the head. They doubled down on Aerodynamics for Speedzone, and are now going another direction to make sure that we as golfers make only the concessions we need to promote the performance we seek.
The Details
Available: January 29, 2021
Price: $449
Website: www.cobragolf.com
I will be giving all the Radspeed drivers a swing next week. Hopefully I can find a stock shaft in regular flex that is similar to my counter balanced Tensei Orange.
That sounds fun
So far I’m thinking standard Radspeed. I went with the Xtreme last year and no matter what I did it was just way way too high and spinny for me. Plan is to get the Radspeed and get a couple of extra shafts and play with the weights a little. I play the Epic Flash SZ at the moment which is their low spin version so gambling this will carry over to the Cobras. Might be a bit risky, but looks like I’ll not get a chance to be fit before the deadline. Am confident enough it will work though, never in doubt!
And it is GORGEOUS!
Sounds like you have a plan.
Oh I always have a plan John, is just the execution that sometimes goes a bit squiffy
I hear you on that. That’s why given the choice between the smart play and the potential disaster, I always choose the latter.
That’s not very internet golfer-ish of you.
It is weighing heavily on me.
But your whole team is playing REV 33s right? ??
You should, I was very impressed
You do you! If that means all irons, rock them proudly to that Cup retention for Team Paradise!
With a midsized grip in a 6X perhaps? Swing high and let it fly.
My days of swinging X shafts are far in the rear view mirror, LOL.
Sounds fun!!!
Question is, will the Bryson driver be on the first tee this year?
That would be fun. I am not sure I could square that face but I would give it a good try. I definitely ain’t hitting it Bryson distance though.
I’d not get it any higher than 6 feet off the ground, and be lucky to carry it 150
The old Tiger Stinger
View attachment 8999595
150 carry works on hole 1
Aye, going live and I thin a driver on the first hole. Not easy to come back from that
I didn’t see any Top Tracer on the video from last year, just hold your pose and give he club a twirl. Nobody will know.
Boom, gaze off into the distance and just mutter "crunched that one" and swagger back to the cart. I’ve got this.
That might actually help avoid the dreaded ? shot in the first place.
I already play a CB driver shaft, so this is right up my alley. Can always cut it down/reshaft if it doesn’t work.
Beat me to it! This is something I’m really keen to know given I’m unlikely to be able to get a fitting prior to ordering. I hit the Xtreme high last year. Like HIGH high. And very very right a lot of the time. I play a Epic Flash SZ currently and get on absolutely fine and dandy with that, so totally undecided about where to go for the driver spot this year…
That is one of my goals in the fitting I have tomorrow is to hit the XB, the RADSPEED Front, and the RADSPEED Back.
Close, but not the same. Hard to say how much spin and forgiveness will change based on the golfer, but more adjustability in RADSPEED. But I seemed to find a bit of a sound difference, but honestly if you find one you like, choose it.
Thanks JB! Yes, think most of us are planning on trying all the combos before deciding. I have my fitting at Golf Galaxy scheduled for Tuesday and am very excited to get out and look at all these options
I had a fitter tell me, but obviously do not know whether it is accurate, that on a linear scale, moving the heavy weight of RadSpeed back will get it about 2/3 of the way to XB.
I went in hoping to get fitted for the RAD, but I talked to the cobra rep who was there, told him what I played previously, how I play off the tee and what I am looking for and about my consistent strong fade and he immediately went to the XB and was altering shafts, shaft lengths, and stiffness for me every 5 hits until we found one we liked, even tried the XD, told me based on how I swing the XB was best option, so I trusted him and got the recommendations. Hope you find what works out man. I’ll tell you what though, standing over it was intimidating at first! That club head is beautiful and very strong looking
Wow, I would have bet you’d go standard this time for distance purposes.
They will grt it figured out for sure. Hopefully they find someone as helpful as you did. Each participant in the THP event gets a full bag of clubs of their choice, so choosing gets harder haha
Just read about the THP event. That sounds like A, an amazing deal, B, makes choosing even harder, I’d be like a kid in a candy store and C, super jealous!!! Is it sad that I am ready for an opportunity to get selected for 2022 ????
Lots of THP Experiences all year long. Signups for a couple of them take place next week.
I guess it depends how much your dispersion changes with the standard. If, and I am assuming, the weight in back brings the standard close to the XB, it seems like the best of both worlds to have a bomber option or fairway finder in the same head.
It wouldn’t be for me, but recently I haven’t’ experienced what folks would call a fairway finder
I sprayed the XB all over the park last week while sending RadSpeed down broadway, which is counter to the design thoughts but who knows? Will be spending most of my fitting time on Wednesday trying to get that dialed in
That’s interesting. Yeah my memory of your video with the standard head is what made me think it was a done deal.
I wish I could have those kind of ball speed problems.
Nice, you’ll like that combo!!! I almost went with it myself
I’ve got a couple of easy on the top thoughts so far that I have been eager to share;
First, the presentation is awesome. I really like the way it sets up to the ball, and as much as I don’t want to admit it, the crown wrapping the top of the head is a big confidence booster when it comes to not only hitting it without fear of high on the face, but letting others hit it without the dreaded skymark whoopsy.
Second, the ball speed I saw went over 170mph on the GCQuad, which is about as fast as I’ve ever seen if memory serves. That is just monstrous for me.
Third, the launch when I square the head is quite a bit lower than I’d expect. I’m used to a high ball and I am definitely not getting a high ball even with the driver dialed up to 10 degrees of loft, which is AWESOME. I love that kind of result because it means I have a chance in hell of getting roll.
Finally, the sound definitely surprised me. When I hit it square on the middle of the face, it is definitely louder than I’d expect and maybe louder than I would prefer. I pretty much base anything Cobra does against the F9 now, as I found that head to be spectacular in so many ways, and this is definitely louder. I’ve head some feedback suggesting the same, and I really want to get a couple of my local friends to hit it for themselves as they both have F9 in the bag. At some point, I’ll be able to bring that feedback but I’d prefer to do it on the range where we can get their shafts plugged in so they can have an apples to apples.
this just goes to show how individual sound and feel are. Coming from a TS3 I find the RAD to be super muted and pleasant.