Discover the Brand New Cobra DarkSpeed Range

When asked to name the top golf manufacturers, we often refer to the likes of Callaway, TaylorMade, and Titleist. But another company that is equally at the forefront of introducing new technologies and moving the design of golf equipment forward is Cobra Golf.

Cobra has a rich heritage in golf, with players like John Daly, Greg Norman, and even Tiger Woods wielding Cobra golf clubs to major success in the 90s. Today, Cobra Golf is equally strong, with Rickie Fowler, Lexi Thompson and Gary Woodland heading the tour staff and Kyle Berkshire using Cobra golf drivers to dominate the long-drive world.

2024 sees the highly anticipated release of the Cobra DarkSpeed range, and we'll be interested to see how Darkspeed moves the game on from the highly successful Aerojet family of 2023.

If you're in the market for a change of golf clubs, we recommend you take a look at Cobra's 2024 offering, and to help you understand why you should consider the Cobra Darkspeed range, we'll share with you:

• 2024 Darkspeed Range - What's Available?
• What Technology Can We Find in the Darkspeed Range?
• What Are The Reviews Like?
• Maximising the Potential of the Darkspeed Range

2024 Darkspeed Range - What's Available?

Like other manufacturers, Cobra Golf applies their new product title across a range of golf clubs, so for 2024, the Darkspeed name applies to:

• Drivers
• Fairway Woods
• Hybrids
• Irons

Drivers

Cobra has consistently produced a strong driver lineup in recent years, and the Cobra Darkspeed range looks set to follow in these traditions.

There are three models in the Darkspeed family:

• Darkspeed LS
• Darkspeed X
• Darkspeed Max

We'll cover the technology in these drivers shortly. Still, the one thing you immediately notice with these drivers is their matt black look. Even the Cobra Golf logo on the crown is black, which might make the driver a little harder to line up. Small colour accents on the sole indicate which model is which: black accents for the Cobra DarkSpeed LS, blue accents for the Cobra DarkSpeed X model, and red for the Cobra DarkSpeed Max. The lack of colour or contrast between carbon fibre and titanium gives these golf drivers a stealth fighter-type look at address.

Darkspeed LS

The low-spin Cobra DarkSpeed LS Golf Driver is aimed at the better players who don't have any problems generating clubhead speed and are consistent with their ball striking. The LS head is marginally smaller with a deeper face than the X and Max models. The LS is available in lofts ranging from 8 degrees to 10.5 degrees.

Darkspeed X

The Cobra Darkspeed X Golf Driver is the middle-of-the-road model in the golf driver lineup and will likely suit a wider variety of golfers from low to mid handicaps. The Darkspeed X features a 460 CC head with a shallower face, giving it a more friendly look at address.

Darkspeed Max

Cobra Darkspeed Max Golf Driver is all about maximum forgiveness on off-centre hits while offering strong performance for golfers who don't generate high clubhead speeds or regularly find the centre of the face. The Darkspeed Max driver enters a competitive market going up against the new releases from TaylorMade's Qi10 Max Golf Driver, Callaway's Paradym Ai Smoke Max Golf Driver, and more established models like the Titleist TSR2 Golf Driver and Titleist TSR1 Golf Driver models.

Both Cobra Darkspeed X and Cobra Darkspeed Max models are available in 9 to 12-degree lofts. Cobra also offers a Darkspeed Max model specifically for lady golfers, featuring the same technology we'll cover shortly.

Fairway Woods

The Cobra Darkspeed fairway wood lineup follows the same pattern as the golf drivers, with three models on offer:

• Darkspeed LS Fairway
• Darkspeed X Fairway
• Darkspeed Max Fairway

The fairway woods have similar aesthetics to the drivers with the matt black looks across the heads. The Cobra DarkSpeed LS model will work for better players who want to control their fairway woods' spin and shot-shaping capabilities. The Darkspeed X Fairway sits in the middle of the range, offering strong performance with more forgiveness. The Darkspeed Max Fairway offers the most forgiving option, with the biggest footprint behind the ball for confidence-inspiring performance off the tee and the deck. Cobra also offers a ladies' version of the Darkspeed Max Fairway woods.

Hybrids

The Cobra Darkspeed range also includes an updated golf hybrid for 2024 that is built for high-launching shots to maximise peak height for softer landing approaches. The Cobra DarkSpeed DarkSpeed Golf Hybrid is available in standard length in men's or ladies' versions or the Cobra DarkSpeed one-length golf hybrid, allowing it to be blended in with Cobra's one-length iron models.

 

Irons

Completing the Cobra Darkspeed lineup is the Cobra Darkspeed irons. The Darkspeed irons are aimed at the performance end of the market, offering high ball speeds and high launch angles through the head's construction. There are Darkspeed options for men and women, plus the Darkspeed is also available in the Cobra one-length series.

What Technology Can We Find in the Darkspeed Range?

Cobra golf clubs certainly don't lack performance and consistently score highly in reviews regarding outright distance and feel, especially with the golf drivers.

Cobra's story around the Darkspeed drivers differs slightly from that of other manufacturers this year. Where the likes of TaylorMade promote high inertia levels through the launch of the TaylorMade Qi10 Max Golf Driver, Cobra is still focused on all-out performance. Starting with the Cobra Darkspeed driver lineup, let's look at the technologies and materials that make up the Darkspeed range.

Extensive Use of Carbon Fibre

Cobra quickly realised the benefits of using carbon fibre when it came to improving golf driver performance, and the Cobra Darkspeed range takes full advantage of extensive use of the material. Using carbon in the crown and sole reduces the head's overall weight compared to a full titanium head.

That saved weight can then be strategically repositioned within the head to improve the club's forgiveness (Darkspeed Max) or moved closer to the face to reduce spin, as seen in the LS model.

The carbon used over the crown on the Cobra Darkspeed drivers is 30% lighter than last year's Aerojet. But it's not just carbon fibre that makes these drivers fast. Cobra also relies heavily on aerodynamic efficiency to improve performance.

Aerodynamic Efficiency

Cobra has worked hard on the aerodynamic efficiency of their golf drivers in a number of their previous models. Still, you really get the sense that they are at the peak of their game with the Cobra Darkspeed models.

Borrowing heavily on time spent in the wind tunnel, Cobra can maximise the efficiency of each golf driver's head. This plays out in the Cobra Darkspeed range, with the LS model being the most aerodynamically efficient head befitting of a club aimed at the fastest club swingers. The Cobra Darkspeed Max head has been designed to the highest tolerances of aerodynamic efficiency while being the driver option, offering the highest moment of inertia out of the model lineup.

To understand the differences between each golf driver, the best way to understand the subtleties in design is to look at each side profile of the heads face-on. You'll see the LS model rises sharply from the sole to the back of the crown while the Max model has a flatter sole and less aggressive rise into the back of the crown.

The attention to detail in maximising aerodynamic efficiency can also be seen in how the face curves into the sole and how the moveable weight ports sit flush in the club's sole, minimising airflow disruption along the sole.

PWRSHELL H.O.T. Face

Cobra's embrace of technology in their clubhead design can also be seen in the PWRSHELL H.O.T. Face. Cobra Golf has employed AI to create a face with variable thickness, culminating in 15 hot spots across the face to maximise ball speed even on the most extreme off-centre hits.

These 15 hot spots are advanced in the Cobra Darkspeed lineup as Cobra's engineers have managed to increase the size of the face by 13% from last year's Aerojet range.

PWR Bridge

First introduced in the 2023 Aerojet family, PWR Bridge returns for the Darkspeed range in 2024 with subtle modifications. The basic principle behind the PWR Bridge was creating a strip of mass placed low within the club head and anchored close to the heel and toe section to aid the face's rebound qualities, leading to a larger transfer of energy between the face and ball at impact.

For 2024, the PWR Bridge is now unsupported and positioned lower in the head and closer to the face to increase the energy transfer between the face and ball at impact.

Fairway Woods/Hybrids

We see a similar technology story within the fairway wood lineup, with the improved PWR Bridge doing the same job as within the drivers in terms of improving the energy transfer between clubface and ball for faster ball speeds. The PWRSHELL H.O.T. Face is also employed to maintain consistent ball speeds across the face regardless of strike location.

The fundamental difference between the Darkspeed fairway woods and DarkSpeed drivers is that the fairway woods are 100% titanium - no use of carbon fibre yet. The Darkspeed hybrid's tech story is similar, where we see the benefits of the PWR Bridge, PWRSHELL H.O.T. Face blending into a head design. The Cobra engineers have increased the bounce between the face and sole to aid turf interaction and a fixed 12-gram weight positioning in the centre of the sole to reduce the hybrid's centre of gravity and help get the ball airborne.

Darkspeed Irons

Cobra isn't pulling any punches in maximising the performance of the 2024 Darkspeed irons, making sweeping improvements over the Aerojet irons from last year. While the Darkspeed is a hollow body construction similar to that of the Aerojet, there is a big difference between what the cavity is filled with between the two irons.

For the Cobra Darkspeed irons, Cobra has used an ultra-light foam, which is 4 grams lighter than the Aerojet's polymer insert. Cobra also claims that switching to foam improves the acoustics and sound at impact. The switch to foam positively impacts performance, adding as much as 25% to the spring-like effect off the face, leading to faster ball speeds.

Cobra has also revised the PWRSHELL H.O.T. face, making it 21% thinner than the Aerojet face with new CNC-milled scorelines to create consistent spin and better-stopping power on the greens. Forgiveness comes from improving the variable face thickness internally, meaning better performance on off-centre hits.

Cobra has also revised the PWR Bridge technology for the new Darkspeed irons, benefiting from the saved weight used in the new softer foam insert, which is now held in position by a single post instead of the two posts used in the Aerojet irons. The PWR Bridge is featured in the 4 to 7 irons, with its positioning low in the face to improve the centre of gravity, helping to get the ball airborne more effectively.

What Are The Reviews Like?

As we've alluded when Cobra launches new clubs, they generally score well, and the same can be said for the new Cobra Darkspeed range. All models, from drivers to irons, are on Golf Digest's Gold list, meaning that the Darkspeed range rightly sits at the top table of performance and design for golf clubs in 2024.

Cobra also scores highly in that the Darkspeed range comes in marginally cheaper compared to TaylorMade, Callaway, and Titleist offerings. This more competitive price point can put Cobra on the radar for more golfers as costs, especially for drivers, continue to increase. Another central theme that comes from the reviews and plays perfectly to what we do at Golf Tech UK is that the best way to maximise the performance of the Cobra Darkspeed range is through custom fitting.

Maximising the Potential of the Darkspeed Range

Cobra designs their golf clubs to be tailored to golfers' needs in several ways. Looking at the Darkspeed drivers and DarkSpeed fairway woods, interchangeable weight ports are located at different points in the sole that can either increase the club's forgiveness or turn it into a low-spinning monster.

Looking at the Darkspeed Max models, weight is not only positioned as far away from the face as possible but also a weight port positioned close to the heel of the club, helping golfers to square the club face up easily if they tend to slice their shots.

As experienced fitters, we can set the optimal weighting to help you get the most out of the Darkspeed drivers and DarkSpeed fairway woods. Honing the correct launch and spin numbers can also be achieved through Cobra's easy-to-use adjustable neck, where the loft can be increased or decreased by up to 1.5 degrees.

Within the Darkspeed iron range, Cobra has made it simple to blend the Darkspeed hybrids to replace the long irons, and Cobra also offers the Darkspeed irons in one-length form if you fancy going down the Bryson DeChambeau route. If you have used Cobra clubs previously, you might have used their Arccos sensors to record all your shot data, which you can share with us during a custom-fitting session.

Cobra is consistent in designing and building some of the best-performing clubs in the marketplace, and at Golf Tech UK, we firmly believe that the Darkspeed 2024 lineup is set to continue a strong lineage. If you are ready to upgrade, you can book a custom-fitting session with us in our new GC Quad-powered fitting studio at Golf Tech UK.

You can sample the new Darkspeed lineup for yourself, coupled with our extensive range of golf shafts for drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, and irons to custom-build your ultimate set of Cobra clubs.You can also look at the new 2024 Cobra Darkspeed clubs on the Golf Tech UK website and see all the customisable options available in the range.

If you need more information on the Cobra Darkspeed range or any of our other clubs and custom fitting options, please get in touch with us; we'll be happy to assist.