REVIEW: Cobra King F9 SPEEDBACK Driver
Setting the Bar for 2019
2019 has been labeled the year of the driver. It appears that looking across all manufactures that this is a year of advancements in driver technology. While it is early in the year, it looks like companies have stepped up their game and made improvements to their drivers. Cobra has stepped up in a big way, and in my opinion has set the bar pretty high in 2019 for the competition. The distance equation has some variables and some standards. The ball and COR restrictions are set by the USGA to the limit. The other limit is the ability of the golfer. Within those parameters golf companies must work to squeeze out ever mph, every CG, every smash factor, every spin number and every yard. Cobra set the bar for 2019 by getting the most out of my driver swings.
While there are golfers that claim the driver “war” was over years ago once the COR limit reached. While this is potentially true if every golfer swung the same and hit the same sweet spot every time, but since that isn’t the case, there is still plenty of room to improve driving distance and accuracy. The Cobra King F9 has all the features to improve your drives. The biggest talking point on the new F9 driver is the Speedback aerodynamics. These features are designed to help the clubhead move faster through the air on each swing. This isn’t the first driver to improve aerodynamics, but it certainly accomplished it with a bold design across the entire head. The combination of crown, sole, and face designs to get the most speed out of the head as possible. Simple math says: increase clubhead speed = increase distance. I used Flightscope Xi Tour for my testing and I had 1 mph more with the Cobra King F9 Speedback Driver than I did with the other drivers I was testing.
Yes; the Cobra King F9 Speedback Driver is about speed, but the changeable weights work to reduce spin and launch too. It is simple, forward or back. This makes it easy to test and figure out what works for you, I went forward because I had a 10.5* head so I could handle the lower settings of this driver. I was impressed that the feel and sound didn’t suffer much by moving the CG. Some drivers are significant, but the F9 wasn’t drastically different, just a slightly firmer feel with the weight forward, but the benefits were well worth the change.
For me the biggest surprise and positive change that Cobra made in the King F9 Speedback driver is the launch and spin. I’ve had problems with Cobra drivers in the past launching too high, even with a + model in a low loft. Cobra sent a 10.5 head in the King F9 Speedback driver which wouldn’t be my preference, but surprisingly with it set -1.5* so it was at 9* it played really nice and had a mid launch with low spin.
If you’ve read any of my reviews over the years about Cobra drivers, I really like the face tech that Cobra has been using for years. I always find amazing forgiveness with every model. The milled variable face with E9 tech offers excellent ball speed and forgiveness all over the face. The tuning that they’ve created with the milled face really works. Their dual roll tech creates zones for maximizing miss hits. The Cobra King F9 Speedback Driver has all the best Cobra face tech for forgiveness and speed off the face.
Flightscope Xi Tour Launch Monitor
Cobra King F9 SPEEDBACK Driver
- Spin: 2065 rpms
- Launch Angle: 13.6*
- Dispersion: 5.8 yds
- Club Head Speed: 108.9 mph
- Ball Speed: 161.9 mph
- Total Distance: 299.9 yds
- Carry Distance: 282.6 yds
The Cobra King F9 Speedback Driver is also tuned for sound that is next to perfect for my ears. I like a good crack at impact, but nothing harsh, I like the muted tones of composite drivers. The Cobra King F9 Speedback sound is dialed in to balance out to have a good sound and feel at impact, without any harsh tones or feels. The ProjectX HAZRDUS Smoke shaft also has a nice feel which translates into less vibration at impact too. It is a smoother version of the HAZRDUS Black shaft with similar launch and spin benefits.
The final feature that sets the bar for 2019 is the ARCCOS sensor in the grip. Cobra has fully adopted this technology in all their clubs and I appreciate that I can run my ARCCOS app for tracking stats without having to buy new sensors, but I can just load the Cobra clubs into their slots. The Cobra King F9 Speedback Driver was able to track along with all the other clubs in my bag.
The Cobra King F9 Speedback Driver has set the bar pretty high in 2019. While I haven’t hit all the other new drivers coming out, they have some legitimate competition on their hands with the F9 driver. The Speedback design is real tech that can help golfers increase clubhead speed and the other Cobra features of the milled face, composite crown, adjustable weights and hosel all make for a driver that could be the King of 2019. You need to check this driver out and see if it is the driver that will be the King of Speed in your bag.
For more information: www.cobragolf.com
Quick Hits:
+Fast
+Great feel
+Awesome sound
+Good looks
+Long
+Low spin
+Forgiving
