Gear: Cobra DS-Adapt hybrids
Price: $299 with KBS PG Hybrid shaft and Lamkin Crossline grip.
Specs: Stainless steel chassis with variable-thickness face, internal weight, and updated 33-position adjustable hosel. Lofts – 17 (2h), 19 (3h), 21 (4h), 24 (5h), and 28 degrees (6H).
Available: Jan. 10
Who it’s for: Golfers who are looking for more speed and forgiveness in fairway-wood style, long-iron replacement
What you should know: Cobra made its game-improving hybrid larger, added more internal weight and updated the face to give this long-iron replacement more ball speed and a higher launch.
The deep dive: The Cobra DS-Adapt hybrids bring several of the key technologies found in the DS-Adapt drivers and fairway woods to help golfers get more distance and forgiveness off the tee on long par 3s, the fairway, and the rough.
The DS-Adapt hybrids are larger from front to back than the clubs they replace, the Darkspeed hybrids, and that allowed Cobra’s engineers to pull the center of gravity location down and further back, away from the hitting area. That should not only encourage higher-flying shots that land faster on the greens, but also make the DS-Adapt hybrids more resistant to twisting on off-center hits.
Inside the head, Cobra engineers have added an updated version of its PWR-Bridge. It’s a weight bar that stretches from the heel the toe, behind the face but elevated above the sole. The weight helps top drive the center of gravity down and puts more mass behind the lower portion of the hitting area, so thin-struck shots should perform better.
The DS-Adapt hybrids also feature a variable-thickness H.O.T Face. The acronym stands for Highly Optimized Topology and it blends thick and thin areas to enlarge the sweet spot and protect ball speed on mis-hits.
Finally, Cobra also designed the DS-Adapt hybrids with the same new adjustable hosel system found on the DS-Adapt drivers, FutureFit33. The system allows players and fitters to place the heads into 33 different settings. The loft and lie angle can be increased or decreased by up to two degrees independently to create a draw or fade bias as well as a higher or lower shot and spin rate. This should be very helpful for fitters as they try to help golfers precisely hit shots and manage distance gaps.
To help golfers use the system, Cobra has added a QR code to the heel area of the club so golfers can use their smartphone to view a video that explains the settings and what they do.
