REVIEW: Cobra Fly Z Plus Driver and Fairway Wood
Cobra Golf has been receiving a lot of buzz in the equipment industry since releasing their new Fly Z and Fly Z Plus metalwoods earlier this season. Word on the street is that these clubs -- especially the Fly Z Plus -- are providing big distance gains to golfers. Will they perform well enough to find their way into my golf bag? I got my hands on the Fly Z Plus driver and 3-wood last week and tested them out. Let's take a closer look.
Cobra Fly Z Plus Driver ($399)
Depending on your swing tendencies and impact position, you may be a golfer who would benefit from a driver with a center-of-gravity (COG) toward the back of the clubhead. Others may prefer a COG toward the club's face. The Cobra Fly Z Plus driver addresses either specification via an adjustable weight on the club's sole.
Yes, this Flip Zone weighting system means you'll need to spend time with a professional clubfitter and a ball launch monitor to find your right "fit." Throw in the fact that you can also adjust the driver's loft (8.5-degrees to 11.5, plus three draw-biased settings) and you've got a plethora of combinations at your disposal. This could be intimidating to the casual player.
The driver also offers a patented Speed Channel around the perimeter of the clubface. Alterations of this technology are offered by other companies and all basically do the same thing: increase ball speeds while maintaining forgiveness. The Cobra Fly Z Plus accomplishes both wonderfully.
Overall, this driver was incredibly impressive. I tested multiple settings during my test session and was surprised at how each provided a distinguishable difference from the last. After a few tinkerings and outputs from my ball launch monitor, I found that moving the Flip Zone weight closer to the face produced lower spin ratings and longer distances. A small loft adjustment (from 9.5 to 10 degrees) kept my drives in the air longer and provided my optimal club setting.
Rating: 5/5
The Cobra Fly Z Plus driver surpassed all of my expectations and performed better than my current driver. The club felt "soft" yet solid and distance numbers don't lie. It is going directly into my golf bag.
Cobra Fly Z Plus Fairway Wood ($249)
Much like its driver big brother, the Cobra Fly Z Plus fairway wood features the golf Flip Zone COG weight on its sole. It is non-adjustable, however, and is permanently set in a low-and-forward position. The club's loft can be adjusted (12 - 15 degrees plus three draw-biased settings) to help you find your perfect ball flight and distances.
I especially liked the fairway wood's compact head design that set up square and shallow to the golf ball. Fairway woods should not look like "mini-drivers" on the turf yet more like a hybrid. The Cobra Fly Z Plus fairway wood fit my eye at address nicely and assured me that the club will do its job.
While the club's feel and sound was a bit "hard" -- perhaps even too tin-like -- the club's performance was incredible. The golf ball explodes off the clubface and stays on-line with a penetrating trajectory toward the target. The ball hung in the air nicely, giving me added confidence that I can carry hazards on par-5's without worry.
Rating: 4/5
While there are better-feeling fairway woods on the market, I again could not argue with how well the Cobra Fly Z Plus fairway wood performed. The golf course just got shorter for my game thanks to this club, which is also going into my bag immediately.
