Cobra 13 Degree 3 Wood

[James Gillock]

The2008 Cobra Speed LD three wood is lofted at 15.5 degrees. This year they have the Speed LD series (63 grams) shafted up to 43 inches with the Graphite Design Tour AD YS fairway wood shaft. It is a bright fire engine red in color and it looks great in contrast to the black colored head. I chose the stiff flex, but these shafts appear to play softer than the stated flex. If your swing speed goes past the 95 mph mark, I would seriously think about something much more stout. This shaft gets the ball up in the air quickly and distance is excellent.

This fairway wood has found a place in my golf bag for quite sometime. I traded in my previously beloved Nike T-60 three wood on this Cobra Speed LD and have not suffered any regrets. No regrets what so ever. Give the 2008 Speed LD-F a shot, it is well worth it.

The best way to determine the best fairway wood, therefore, is to pose that question to golfers who have hit them all and let them decide. Thus, we have Members Choice: The Best Fairway Woods of 2017, where GolfWRX Members describe their experiences with the latest fairway woods. With in-depth descriptions from their testing, GolfWRX Members illuminate the pros and cons of each fairway wood, providing the real information you need when making your purchasing decisions.

Our advice when reading through this story is to think about what you want from your fairway wood. Do you want max distance, max forgiveness, or a combination of both? The feedback from GolfWRX Members on each fairway wood will lead to toward a few models that match your needs and desires. Then test them out for yourself. Everyone interprets the performance of golf clubs differently, so personal testing and professional fittings are imperative, especially in this particular category. View the full results from the poll testing here.

Pros: Dialing in trajectory and spin is more in the hands of the player than ever with SureFit CG adjustability. Feel and sound have improved, and 915 users will likely see a jump in distance.

As with the 917 drivers, the 917 fairway woods have SureFit CG technology to give golfers the ability to tweak the draw/fade bias of the clubs. In the fairway woods, the SureFit CG system is also positioned slightly crooked, as seen in the driver, which has the same purpose; lower-spinning fades and higher-spinning draws. When in the draw position, the weight system will add spin to keep the ball in the air longer, and will decrease spin in the fade setting to keep shots from ballooning. The design also maintains the moment of inertia (MOI) of the fairway woods, keeping forgiveness high regardless of the weight setting.

In the SureFit CG system, weight is changed using interchangeable weights* or tubes, made of a mixture of different materials. The neutral weights have a uniform weight throughout, while the draw-fade tubes have a heavier side.

On the course is where the M2 fairway wood really shines. Off the deck, I was getting great numbers on the simulator, but on the course I was hitting the M2 places where I have never hit a 3 wood before.

Overall, they are pretty similar fairway woods. When hitting the fade shot on the simulator, they were almost identical. Both have great ball speeds, both are forgiving, and both pretty easily hit that shot.

But on the course, the M2 ended up being a better club for me. The Vapor Fly has an open face angle, and it is harder for me to work shots both directions. I can hit fades with it all day, but I struggle to square the face and hit draws with it. The best hits on the simulator showed the M2 as the longer of the two, and that showed up on the course as well, especially off the tee. I thought I loved an open face, but it ended up not being good for me overall and my testing proved it.

Upon opening the box, one of my favorite things to do, I was very pleased with the sleek look of the head. I like the silver/ steel line at the back of the head. It will serve as an alignment marker.Overall, I give the club an A for looks. It all flows together very well and looks great at address.

Not a fan of the sock like headcover. Just not my style. If it stays in my bag, it well definitely be switched.Also, my club came with a stiff shaft and I play an x stiff. We had ordered it with the x stiff but haven't received the new shaft yet so I will proceed with the stiff shaft.

After hearing I was going to be involved in the testing of the Fly Z+, I took the time to look at the specs and couldn't wait to compare it to my current three wood, Titleist 915 Fd, to see how much smaller the head was and what the shape looked like in comparison.

I have played Cobra drivers in the past. From the King Cobra (loved the distance, hated the frying pan bang!) to the ZLE (loved it!), but I have never used any other club made by them. While I am a fan of Rickie Fowler's golf ability, his style is not mine so I have never given much thought to the brand. I have noticed their clubs as of late and will say the looks and style have definitely been improving in their latest models. For that reason, I was very excited to play and write a review on the new Fly Z+ fairway wood.

Like others on this site, I have a confession to make: I am a club ho and an equipment junkie. I am always excited to try out new stuff and to see how it compares to what is in my bag. That said I had high hopes for this club. I have played Titleist, Taylormade and Callaway fairway metals in the past and wanted to see what the new clubs and changing, aggressive club manufacturers were offering.

I use the range as place to develop a feel for my clubs. I want to see how it feels and what can I do with the club. You can't expect much from range balls, so I'm looking for ball flight and how well I can move the ball with my shots. With the Fly Z+, the shaft caused me to slow my swing down so it took some time with the club before I felt comfortable taking it to the course. My range time was very extensive.

I have to consider the 3 wood the toughest club to find. Because it can be hit off the tee and off the deck it is, in my opinion the hardest club to fill in the bag. It needs to be long, accurate and stable. I have played a variety of 3 woods from the Taylormade R7TP to the Titleist 910 Fd, Then to the Callaway XHot Pro and back to the Taylormade SLDR and finally back to Titleist with the 915 Fd. Out of all of them, the Titleist clubs have been my favorites. I was also fond of the Cally XHot Pro. The Cobra sets up very nice and has a small compact head that is very similar to the 915. The silver strip along the back gives it an image of being even smaller. The swing weight feels good and the club just looks good! The shaft is an altogether different story. I found the stock shaft to be less than a typical stiff shaft. So I took to my clubfitter and measured it on the frequency machine and it came out as a regular flex.

Accuracy: The FlyZ+, when compared to my 915, was not even close!. I have a very loaded swing and found myself having to back off considerably with the Fly Z+ because the shaft couldn't handle the load. If I gave it a full swing, which is 85%, I consistently lost this to the right (I am a left hander). I was swinging at 60% and could hit the ball with a controlled draw with this club. Advantage: 915Fd

Distance Because I couldn't swing as hard with the Fly Z +, distance was not even close. But, I will say this about the head, if it is paired with the correct shaft, it has the potential to be a bomber! You can feel the ball come off the face and it does feel like it wants to go far. I am thinking of putting another shaft in this after the trial to see what the head will do with the proper shaft. In my opinion the stock shaft isn't a good match for me. Advantage: 915Fd

Trajectory: I am a naturally high launch hitter. So, I have to find what works best to keep my launch levels in control so I can get optimum launch and roll. The 915 paired with the Motore Speeder TS is great. I would like to see the Fly Z + paired with a similar shaft. I did find that with a controlled swing, I could keep a very medium height trajectory with the Cobra and saw no ballooning at the end of the shot. It did achieve good roll , 15- 20 yds at the end of the shot as well. Advantage: 915Fd

Control: I like to work the ball, especially with the 3 wood as it is my go to on a tight par 4 where placement is key. I can't control that as well with the Fly Z + because of the shaft. Advantage: 915Fd

I knew that the Fly Z+ would serve me well as long as I swung with a more controlled tempo. It has helped me find a tempo that slows my space down and gives me a more fluid swing. I was excited to see how this compared on some holes that always seemed to have my number.

I played my normal courses with both clubs and got 7 rounds in with the Fly Z+. I found my accuracy numbers went up as I hit 6 of 7 fairways where I used the Cobra and 4 of 7 with the Titleist (2 of the Titleist misses were just barely in the first cut). But I did notice I was consistently 20 yds shorter or more off the tee. On approach shots, I on ly had two per round, the distance gap was about the same. I will attribute that to the drop in power usage that I was going with to keep the shaft in control. I will say this, because I was swinging with more control, I was very confident my shots would end up where I had planned.

It is hard to argue with the looks of this club. It has a smaller head and a very clean design. There are no funky logos or garish designs to distract you. The silver along the back gives a great outline and frame for the club. I wouldn't change a thing. Great job.

The FlyZ+ is a very solid candidate for someone looking for a new fairway wood. Make sure you try it witht eh stock shaft and see if it fits your swing or if you'll be replacing it. The head performs very well off the tee and the deck. I would definitely get a new headcover.

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