The story of the COBRA DARKSPEED driver family is relatively straightforward. If you’re a higher swing speed golfer—let’s call it 100 mph or more—COBRA is going to deliver more speed by way of its best-in-class aerodynamics.
But what if you don’t swing fast?
No problem.
For golfers who don’t generate enough clubhead speed to find quantifiable benefits from COBRA’s aerodynamic shaping, you’re still getting three (well, maybe four) outstanding drivers to choose from.
COBRA’s Unfortunate Reality
Before we dig into the tech, allow me a brief diversion to talk about something I think sucks.
The data says most golfers will typically demo three drivers before making a buying decision. In most cases, those three will be some combination of TaylorMade, Callaway, PING and Titleist.
I get it. Those are the biggest brands in golf, they account for the lion’s share of market share in the metalwoods category and, not for anything, they all make good stuff. Unfortunately (and this is the part that sucks), that leaves COBRA on the outside looking in, defeated without ever having the chance to compete.
I’m not here to tell you COBRA makes the best drivers for everyone and that you absolutely must buy one (as I said, everybody makes good stuff) but if you like what you see here, make a point of adding COBRA DARKSPEED drivers to your demo list.
Come back and let me know how it went.
Moving on …
COBRA DARKSPEED Aesthetics
What stands out immediately about the COBRA DARKSPEED driver family is the simple yet dramatic dark color scheme. Whether you call it black-on-black or murdered-out, it’s not going to appeal to absolutely everybody but, given what we know golfers order from other manufacturers that offer custom paint options, the evidence suggests it’s a look that should resonate with a lot of golfers.
At a minimum, it’s clean and that hasn’t always been the case with COBRA’s offerings.
When doing the industrial design on DARKSPEED drivers, COBRA took inspiration from fast cars, airplanes (I’m getting strong stealth fighter vibes) and maybe Bob Parsons’ closet. If you wanted to go with Star Wars, Darth Vadar and his TIE Fighter, I think that’s fair as well.
Other than the shafts, the only splashes of color are an understated amount of blue and red on the DARKSPEED X and MAX models, respectively. The goal is to make it easy for golfers to understand where each fits in the lineup.
The color coding is borrowed from standard shaft industry conventions. With that, the DARKSPEED LS (black) is low launch and low spin. The DARKSPEED X (blue) is your mid-launch and mid-spin offering,while the DARKSPEED MAX (red) is your highest-launching and highest-spinning option. Keep in mind that’s all relative.
The MAX is also draw-biased, but the shaft industry hasn’t color-coded for that (yet).
DARKSPEED – GENERAL IMPROVEMENTS
As I mentioned, COBRA’s tech story this year is largely driven by aerodynamics but that shouldn’t suggest that aero is the only thing going on with the COBRA DARKSPEED.
We’ll dig into the aerodynamic stuff in a bit but, first, it’s worthing mentioning a couple of other areas where COBRA’s DARKSPEED improves on AEROJET.
Larger H.O.T. Face
A quick refresher: H.O.T. (highly optimized topology) Face is COBRA’s version of face technology designed with the help of AI and machine learning. Yup, COBRA has computers, too.
The signature characteristic is 15 discrete pads on the back of the face. Like other face technologies, the objective is to sustain ball speed when contact is less than perfectly centered.
The improvement DARKSPEED brings to the table is a 13 percent larger face. The increase was made possible by COBRA’s laser welding technique that yields tighter tolerances than traditional plasma welding allows.
Re-Engineered PWR BRIDGE
PWR BRIDGE, effectively a big chunk of mass anchored in the front of the driver, was introduced with AEROJET. With the DARKSPEED drivers, COBRA was able to remove the anchor points, creating a suspended design that allows the weight to be pushed farther forward.
In addition to expanding the radius of gyration (sorry, just love the phrase), PWR Bridge allows for a more efficient transfer of energy to the ball without restricting the flex of the face.
Carbon Construction
Finally, just so it doesn’t get overlooked, I’ll mention that all DARKSPEED drivers feature carbon fiber crowns and sole plates. Not much has changed here. The story remains weight savings.
COBRA DARKSPEED Drivers – Aerodynamic Benefits
With its DARKSPEED drivers, particularly the LS but also the DARKSPEED X, COBRA is leaning hard into aerodynamics, an area where there’s some evidence to suggest it was already the industry leader.
Again, it’s not that COBRA doesn’t provide speed in other ways,but for all of its rules and regulations, the USGA doesn’t restrict aerodynamic efficiency. So if a design helps you swing faster, more ball speed and distance are going to follow, regardless of the CT limit.
Within the bigger picture, COBRA’s goal with DARKSPEED was to create the most aerodynamically optimized shapes it could while still serving the performance needs of golfers within the target demographic for each model.
So, as we move from LS to X to MAX, what you see is COBRA progressively trading away aerodynamic optimization for higher inertia and forgiveness. Again, the idea is that if you don’t have the horsepower to realize a speed benefit from the aerodynamic benefits of the driver, it’s still going to perform well in ways that matter to you.
As we transition the discussion to the individual models, look closely at the side profiles and the face-on views where the shaping differences between models can be dramatic.
Also notice the rounded leading edges where the face meets the sole and crown. Finally, on the soles, it’s worth pointing out how tightly everything comes together—weights sit flush with the sole and there aren’t any forward-facing edges (or ledges) that might create aerodynamic disruptions.
COBRA DARKSPEED DRIVERS – 3* Models
It’s becoming a trend that something as seemingly basic as the number of models in a club family isn’t cut and dried. While, technically, the COBRA DARKSPEED lineup consists of three models (the LS, X, and MAX), there’s a fun little twist here that warrants an asterisk.
COBRA DARKSPEED LS
Among the DARKSPEED models, the LS has the highest skirt, the highest peak crown height and the most aggressive transition from the heel and toe sections into the face. Those same comparisons hold up when made to AEROJET LS as well.
Said another way, it’s the most aerodynamic of the models.
The twist I mentioned is that the eight-degree version offers even more aggressive aero shaping. In COBRA’s robot testing, with the same force applied, the eight-degree model was just shy of one mph faster than the nine-degree on average.
It should go without saying that not everyone is going to fit into an eight- degree driver. Toss in the inconvenient fact that we’re talking about a low-spin, flat trajectory eight-degree driver and the percentage of golfers who will fit into an eight-degree COBRA DARKSPEED LS is insanely low. But for those who do, the potential speed increases are compelling.
Granted, we’re talking about some of the fastest swingers in the world, but Kyle Berkshire gained 3.7 mph of clubhead speed with a DARKSPEED LS Long Drive prototype. Another golfer we’ll call “Player B” gained three mph over the LTDx Long Drive model.
The average golfer isn’t swinging anywhere near 150 mph so the gains won’t be as significant. But if you’re above 100 mph, I’d wager you’ll see enough to believe the aero benefits are real.
To my eye, the differences between the eight- and nine- degree versions of the COBRA DARKSPEED LS are most visible in the face and address views. The nine-degree isn’t quite as aggressive in the transition to the face while the trailing edge of the eight-degree looks a bit longer front-to-back and the curve of the trailing edge isn’t as gentle.
For comparison purposes, COBRA says the DARKSPEED LS was 1.2 mph faster (ball speed) than the Stealth 2+ despite a built length that’s a half-inch shorter. To hammer the point home, most of that speed benefit is coming from the shape.
3-Weight System
The most significant change—or at least the one that will benefit the most golfers—is the move back to a three-weight system in the COBRA DARKSPEED LS.
The back weight has been missing for the last couple of generations of COBRA’s low-spin driver. Bringing it back offers low-spin guys the option of adding a bit of forgiveness back into the design.
With the heavy weight in the heel port, you can expect a relatively neutral ball flight. In robot testing at 105 mph, moving the heavy weight to the toe will introduce about 13 yards worth of fade bias (that’s Tour-level stuff right there), while the rear position created a small amount of draw bias while increasing spin by about 300 rpm.
The COBRA DARKSPEED LS isn’t designed to be forgiving and, with that, MOI is appreciably lower than the other DARKSPEED models, though it is worth mentioning that the back weight position is good for +/- 300 MOI points relative to the heel (neutral) position.
The eight-degree model has lower heel-to-toe MOI still but, again, ultimate aerodynamic performance, not MOI is the primary objective of the design.
The COBRA DARKSPEED LS is available in eight, nine and 10.5 degrees.
COBRA DARKSPEED X
As the one in the middle, you might expect DARKSPEED X to command the bulk of COBRA’s retail business. COBRA predicts X will account for 40 percent of sales which is perhaps a bit less than the middle one usually accounts for. That’s due, in part anyway, to the fact that COBRA’s middle driver should prove to be lower spinning than most anybody else’s.
While the aerodynamic shaping of the DARKSPEED X isn’t as pronounced as it is in the LS—the skirt isn’t as high, the peak height of crown is lower and the transition into the face isn’t as aggressive—it’s still offers above average, perhaps even outstanding, aero relative to the market as whole.
With spin properties I’d classify as mid-low, DARKSPEED X probably isn’t ideal for golfers chasing MOI. It’s for the guy who needs low spin but maybe not LS low spin.
Two Weight System
Trajectory tuning is accomplished with COBRA’s two-weight flip system that goes back to the legendary Fly-Z.
In the forward position, the DARKSPEED X should produce a relatively neutral flight while the back position will introduce a hint of draw bias.
You’ll also find roughly 200 rpm of spin difference between the front and back positions.
As always is the case, the front position will produce higher ball speeds and a flatter trajectory while the back position offers higher flight and higher MOI.
Heel/toe MOI maxes out just below 5,000, which won’t put it anywhere near the market leaders but is solid for a driver that’s trends to the low spin side.
COBRA says it’s about four yards longer than AEROJET X. That’s coming from a mix of aerodynamic improvements and center of gravity location.
The COBRA DARKSPEED X is available in nine, 10.5 and 12 degrees.
COBRA DARKSPEED MAX
The DARKSPEED MAX has the … shaping. It has the lowest skirt and the flattest crown. And while that’s not to suggest it had bad aero or even no aero, of the three designs it’s the one that emphasizes playability and forgiveness over speed.
I’m also not going to suggest the DARKSPEED MAX is exclusively for slower swingers. Of COBRA’s DARKSPEED designs, it’s most accepting of the reality that not every golfer can take advantage of aggressive aero shaping.
Two-Weight System
Like the DARKSPEED X, trajectory tuning in the DARKSPEED MAX is accomplished via a two-weight system. The critical difference is that the MAX splits weights between the heel and rear of the driver.
The back position is the most forgiving (heel/toe MOI in the 5,600 range) while the heel position adds an additional six yards of draw bias (with the heavy weight back, the MAX is more draw-biased than the X). While the back position is more forgiving, MOI remains above 5,000 with the weight in the heel.
Spin differences between the two positions are roughly 240 rpm, with the back position being the higher-spinning option.
The COBRA DARKSPEED MAX is available in nine, 10.5 and 12 degrees.
Women’s and junior versions are available.
Stock Shafts
Stock shaft offerings for the COBRA DARKSPEED LS are the UST Mamiya LIN-Q M40X White and Project X HZRDUS Matte Black.
Shafts for the DARKSPEED X include the UST Mamiya LIN-Q M40X White and Mitsubishi Kai’li blue.
The DARKSPEED MAX is offered with the Project X HZRDUS CB Red, UST Mamiya LIN-Q M40X Red.
It’s a competent stock shaft offering but it’s worth pointing out that COBRA is particularly bullish on the LIN-Q options which performed particularly well in player testing.
The stock grip across the lineup is a Lamkin Crossline.
Limited Edition Offerings
While additional embargoes prevent me from being overly (or any kind of) specific, you can expect a few additional (not black-on-black) colorways to join the DARKSPEED family early in the season.
COBRA DARKSPEED Drivers Pricing and Availability
The retail price for the COBRA DARKSPEED driver family is $549 ($449 junior). Pre-sale begins Jan. 11 with full retail availability Jan. 19.
For more information, visit COBRAGOLF.com.
