Has Cobra Golf gotten your attention yet? Cobra RADSPEED Irons should.
You would be hard pressed to find a company that is pushing boundaries as hard as Cobra is, and not only that, but literally creating new ones with never before seen processes and design applications in golf.
Well, fresh off the heels of releasing a fully 3D printed putter, THP rundown can be read here, they are bringing that application and much more to their game improvement iron release this year. If you have been paying attention, then you know that the feedback from THP’ers as well as golfers everywhere on the last two entries from Cobra in the F9 and SpeedZone irons has been nothing short of superlative. So how to you follow that up? You get RAD.
Cobra RADSPEED Irons
Yes, RAD. No, they didn’t take radical and create some lame attempt at being fun or some such shenanigans. In 2021, the RAD in RADSPEED stands for Radial, as in radial weighting and Cobra’s deeper knowledge of weight placement and what it can do in terms of performance and forgiveness in the segment which golfers put it to the test the absolute most.
The SpeedZone irons were one of the fastest and most playable iron sets on the market last season, but Cobra believed they could do better, not just in performance via the weight placement, but also how the placement could allow them to improve the shape and profile. The shape has changed from the SZ’s, most notably Cobra is touting a rounded trailing edge with a better radius and blending which makes for a cleaner, faster, and more slim appearance which should make the RADSPEED more interesting to a wider range of golfers. The soles definitely look thinner based on what we have seen, but there are four other aspects which must be delved into as well.
First, the Carbon Fiber topline introduced in the SZ irons is returning. Yes, it was a departure compared to, well, every other iron on the market. With that, some struggled to acclimate to it visually, but the performance benefits were real with the weight savings it offered without sacrificing stability. This year, they have moved to a black carbon fiber which Cobra believes give the irons topline a thinner look overall. Thinner soles and thinner looking topline should definitely gain the irons more eye appeal.
The initial performance aspect with the RADSPEED irons is PWRSHELL. I have been on record for years stating that Cobra does not get the credit that they should for PWRSHELL. This is in my opinion the engine of Cobra irons, and it is a powerful one. The design consists of their E9 variable face thickness and L-cup forged face which now feature a deeper flange on their internal speed channel for more flex, which means more speed.
Radial Weighting is the biggest part of the story here, as it should be since it is the root of the RADSPEED name. As mentioned, Cobra did a ton of research into how and where the weight placement in the iron can make them more playable. What they found is by placing the weight in the extreme heel and toe, the furthest points from the center of gravity (CG), they could then optimize speed, forgiveness, and directional control. Thus, Cobra has added 3g of weight to the heel and 10g to the toe of each iron in the set. The heel weight is set internally, but in the toe, Cobra is using a screw. These two weights combined help put the CG precisely behind the hitting zone and add stability and forgiveness on misses. A very cool aspect to the toe weight is that it is adjustable from 4g to 16g for more precise fitting adjustments.
Finally, 3D Printing has come to a major golf manufacturers main club releases. While we learned all about the Cobra partnership with HP in the Supersport 35 putter release, this is taking it to a wider level. No, the whole club isn’t 3D printed, but the medallion in the cavity is. This is one of the first applications of a 3D printed polymer in golf, and through a complex lattice structure Cobra claims to have saved 3-6 grams which was redistributed while maintaining all of the fine tuning and stability of the old methods. While at a glance some my roll their eyes at 3-6 grams but rest assured, that is a ton when it comes to golf design and has a true impact on what Cobra was able to do with CG placement in the RADSPEED irons.
The RADSPEED irons come standard in an all chrome finish similar to that of the SpeedZone and F9 irons before them, but in a move that will perk up some ears a black PVD version which features a chrome sole to decrease wear will also be offered via custom orders for a $100.00 upcharge. The stock pairings will be KBS Tour 90 in steel and the UST Mamiya Recoil 460ESX in graphite, paired with the Lamkin Crossline Connect which of course is powered by Cobra Connect and Arccos.
Specs on the Cobra RADSPEED irons are below:
But wait! There’s more! YES, there is a One Length RADSPEED option coming as well, which you would absolutely expect and demand from the leader in One Length golf irons. The OL version features slightly wider soles and a lower CG in the long irons than the standard RADSPEED irons in order to optimize the launch/flight differentiation through the set. Additionally, lofts are a bit weaker in the 4, 5, and 6 irons. The stock shaft pairings here are KBS Tour 80/90/120 in steel and UST Mamiya Recoil 460/480 ESX in graphite, also with Lamkin Crossline Connect grips.
Specs for the Cobra RADSPEED One irons are below:
What are your thoughts on what Cobra is bringing to the table with its new RADPSEED irons? Do you plan on hitting them? Jump into the conversation below and let us know!
The Details
Release Date: January 29, 2021
Price: 5-GW (RH/LH; Steel – $899) or 4-PW (RH; $899), 5H, 6-GW (RH; $999)
Options: RADSPEED and RADSPEED One
My 9 iron was making me laugh yesterday, hit a couple of approach shots yesterday and the guy I was playing with asked where it went right after the strike, I said wait a second and pointed toward the green, and here it came down out of the stratosphere. ?
Yep my miss is a left hook. Sometimes I will catch it off the toe, but need to make sure my address is correct. Still a work in progress, but when I reach the green it’s a one hop and stop on the land.
Snakebite
Tried showing off, now back to playing
As they’d say in Scotland – "that one came down with snow on it"
Another great day of golf today…
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It amazing what you can get away with when hitting these irons, it’s also great that they do not look look bad address!
Chunky but not funky in my eyes! ?
Anyway, I picked up a set of black ones (can’t resist) in 5-GW as a fun/forgiving second set. These are LOL good. I can’t believe how freaking high/far these go.
You’re peaking at just the right time Dan, can’t wait to see you pull these out of the bag in a couple of weeks!
Decided to add a 5 iron to the set and ordered it on Friday and have it in my hands today (Wednesday).
I’m thinking about replacing my forged Tec 5 (23 deg) with a RadSpeed iron. Leaning 6 at 23.5 deg but I also know you can’t just go loft for loft.
Any insight is appreciate.
when folks say play the most forgiving one you can look at, including the club designer, we should probably listen
I guess I should have listened to myself in May ?
The "Cobra Ambassador" that works at the store told me I was lucky to get Radspeed irons now as he had an email last week stating that Cobra have suspended all Radspeed sales in Europe indefinitely. They are so short of the heads in America that they’ve all been shipped over there to make up the shortfall in that territory.
Also mentioned that there are no new Cobra irons coming until the middle of next year. Probably announced in Mar/Apr.
I am using my 6 iron for just this. I find utility irons are too blade like so a big old GI iron is great for this purpose as they launch the ball so darn high and reduce spin. The RADSPEED are a really nice GI set. I like them as a club better than Hot Metals and about the same as a T300. Should have gotten the standards instead of OL, would have enjoyed them even more.
Mine just showed up last week. Hoping it gaps well between the 4 hybrid and forged tec 6 iron. I hope to get to the range with it this week.
I agree from having both the king utility and now RadSpeed long irons in hand. Very similar in appearance.
For me I just wanted black (????) and felt the RadSpeed would gap better in my particular case compared to trying to make the 4 utility fit.
In general rather than Cobra specific. I have not tried the King Utility.
It took the spot of the Forged Tec 5 iron. The lofts are close and a quick chat with Yagley confirmed the FT 5 and the RS 6 should be comparable in terms of distance. At least enough to start with stock and tweak from there if needed.
Had three shots with it today. The first two gapped really right at the distances I was seeing with the FT 5. The third was a tee shot on a dogleg left where you run out of room right around 200 yards. I didn’t rotate at all and caught it WAY out on the toe. I was frustrated but the ball held its line like a champ, lost maybe 10 yards of distance but I was still able to split the fairway, knock a 7 iron onto the green for an easy par.
That shot right there is why the club will likely be a mainstay in the bag.
Very much so. They should be quite hot for him and give him center face like strikes much more often.
Thanks for the information! He’ll be excited about it. Me not so much. I enjoyed being a few yards ahead of him ???
Hey, you can buy easy to hit irons too. ?
What did you move on from to game the Rads ? Any low spin issues ?
Anyone have them and move on? If so why and to what ?
@DataDude
I believe he is using LTDx irons now.
You’re right, good call as I had forgotten that. Moving on the same line makes sense.
I forget what he came from pre-RadSpeed. I’m sure we will find out soon.
I was gaming these on OL. I loved the RADSPEED setup and forgiveness, but was not a huge fan of OL (really high ball flight with the scoring). I had no low spin issues. Plenty of launch to create a nice soft landing on approach. The distance consistency is really nice with them as well. I also think the Cobra profile in this segment is the best look at address alongside the Mizuno Hot Metal because they don’t use a ton of offset. I liked them so much I quickly upgraded to LTDx in VL.
Pre RADSPEED I had 2019 Titleist T200/T300 mixed set from the 2019 Titleist Experience
Sounds like a plan.
With the recent price reduction and because I like the colorway on the Rads better I went 6-GW.
Ordered this afternoon. I need launch and spin and so I have them coming at 2* weak. I’ll still be lucky to make the 6i work even at 25.5*. May end up just gaming the 7i on down. 7i Bent weak is 29*. My current 6i is 28*
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6-GW 2* weak 2* up Lamkin Sonar Tour grips
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