Product Spotlight: Cobra's new DS-Adapt driver, 3D-printed irons are changing golf club fitting and design

Cobra Golf looks to take golf club design and innovation into the future with the new Cobra DS-Adapt lineup and 3D-printed Cobra 3DP irons. Featuring an industry-changing FUTUREFIT33 hosel, combined with an updated weighting system, the DS-Adapt driver lineup unlocks a new level of custom fitting for golfers, along with an improved and more aerodynamic clubhead to produce the fastest and most stable driver Cobra Golf has produced.

Cobra Golf is also embracing the future by using 3D-printing technology to create the Cobra 3DP irons, giving a forged feel but with optimized weight distribution for greater stability and dependability.

Unlocking new fitting potential

The DS-Adapt driver family features Cobra’s new FutureFit33 adjustable hosel, a revolutionary system that features 33 different loft and lie settings that can be adjusted independently. All 33 settings can be made quickly and easily, adjusting the loft and lie by + or - 2 degrees in any direction to help players attain their desired shot shape and trajectory. The DS-Adapt’s “Smartpad Technology” on the sole of the club ensures the face remains square at address regardless of the loft or lie setting, as well. The advancement in technology and design can help both professional and amateur golfers unlock new areas for custom fitting.

“The FUTUREFIT33 is going to put us in a category from a fitting standpoint that's just going to make the head so much more dynamic,” said Ben Schomin, Cobra Golf Tour Operations Manager. “It's been very good, very, very good from a fitting standpoint, being able to make some of the more finite tweaks. Tweaks that honestly enable us to get the head into a position where previously we wouldn’t have been able to.”

Golfers can find their ideal setting using Cobra’s FF33 interactive guide, which can be found by scanning the QR code on the driver's heel. The guide helps users dial in their game off the tee.

“The QR code on the back, I've had players say that's really cool,” said Schomin. “Honestly what’s really cool is that players on their own will call after and be like, ‘I switched to this position, this is better. ’... Rickie Fowler loves playing with it … He'll put a head in and then he'll just change settings and look at it. For him, it's just as much of a visual appearance that he needs. If it fits well, but just as importantly he feels and looks the best to him. it’s a win-win.”

Along with Cobra’s R&D team, six-time PGA TOUR winner and Cobra athlete Rickie Fowler was heavily involved with creating DS-Adapt and the increased customizability.

“Now we have 33 different settings, and going from kind of being limited in what you can do … to now being able to have obviously a lot more options,” said Fowler, who has made a huge jump with his driving since switching into a DS-Adapt driver, climbing from 137th to 41st on the PGA TOUR in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee. “I think the biggest thing is being able to do loft and lie independently. … Having the ability to do that, it's great on the driver but also when you start going into 3-wood, … it opens up just a lot more possibilities and stuff that you can test and see how it reacts to you.”

There are four head options in the DS-Adapt driver line, each featuring Cobra’s “Progressive Aero” shaping to reduce drag and increase club and ball speed. Each model has discrete shaping to tune performance for specific player types. To optimize performance for individual player types, each of the new DS-Adapt drivers implements an internal “Adaptive Weighting” system utilizing an advanced version of Cobra’s “Pwr-Bridge” weight that is tailored for each loft and model. Each driver also features Cobra’s H.O.T face which utilizes machine learning to create 15 hot spots across the face to maximize ball speed and help with off-center contact.

The DS-Adapt X is the newest addition to the lineup and is designed to fit a wide range of skill levels. At the usual 460 cc, the X uses balanced weighting from front to back to create a proportion between speed and forgiveness.

The DS-Adapt LS is designed for golfers with higher-end swing speed looking to reduce spin rates. The LS model features the most aerodynamic design of the four models through a raised rear, higher crown peak, new heel aero shaping, and compact address profile at only 445 cc. Both the LS and X drivers feature adjustable weights for added customization.

The MAX-K features the highest moment of Inertia (10K) of the four models with an oversized profile at 460cc. The MAX-K is designed to maximize stability on off-center hits for straighter ball flights and help players launch drives at optimal heights.

The DS-adapt MAX-D has a 460 cc shows a slightly oversized head, that features a low, heel-biased center of gravity to help those looking for a draw bias. The configuration of weight and shaping is perfect for players looking to eliminate a fade.

TOUR length, women’s and junior versions are also available in the DS-Adapt lineup.

Innovating the future of iron design

The 3DP Tour irons take iron creation into the future. 3D printed from 316 stainless steel Cobra Golf creates a new realm of performance, unlocked by developing an internal-latticing design. Only achievable through 3D printing, the game-changing design optimizes weight distribution in the head to create the most forgiving blade out there.

“You're never going to be able to forge or cast a structure that has an integral lattice on the inside,” said Mike Yagley, vice president for Innovation and AI at Cobra Golf. “That makes the iron just as stiff as a forged blade and stiffness is what feels good.

“The beauty of it is we've removed 100 grams roughly of material, and we're talking about a 275-gram head. A hundred grams is a huge amount of weight.

The unheard-of weight savings allow for 100 grams of tungsten to be positioned low in the heel and toe, creating a low center of gravity and high moment of inertia that mirrors a game improvement iron but in a blade profile.

“Gary Woodland, Max Homa, Rickie Fowler, they'll look down at it and go, ‘Oh, that's a forged blade,’” said Yagley. “... But when they mishit one, they'll look up and they go, ‘Well wait a minute. I missed that. I didn't lose 15 yards. I lost like 3 yards.’”

It’s this unmatched performance in an iron that Cobra Golf can create using the lattice technology available through 3D printing.

“It's very forgiving, gets up in the air,” said Yagley. “The center of gravity is really low, and really easy to hit relative to what it looks like. It's an awesome golf club.”