Tag: New Cobra Drivers

Rickie Fowler, Gary Woodland and Justin Suh detail why they’ve switched to Cobra Darkspeed driver

“The benefit for me of going to more loft is more control, but at the same time I didn’t sacrifice any speed or spin”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Cobra ambassadors Rickie Fowler, Gary Woodland and Justin Suh played a version of speed-dating on Wednesday evening with members of the media at Continental Golf Club before taking part in some after-hours glow golf.

All three players have transitioned into the club maker’s newest driver, the Darkspeed, which comes in three models (X, LS and MAX) and features a forged titanium face with carbon fiber crown and sole panels, moveable weights and adjustable hosel. Golfweek’s equipment expert David Dusek says, “it’s designed for golfers who want an aerodynamic driver that delivers more ball speed and trajectory control.” The pros all have opted for the LS, which stands for low spin, but according to Cobra’s Ben Schomin, former major winner and gearhead Jason Dufner is looking to use the Darkspeed Max.

Not surprisingly, all three players at the Cobra media event gushed about the new club but they were refreshingly honest about the process to find the right specs and shaft combination to maximize performance. And to hear them tell it, that search isn’t necessarily over. Here’s what we learned about how Fowler, Woodland and Suh made the move to Cobra Darkspeed LS.

Best golf drivers in 2024: New drivers from Callaway, Cobra, Ping and more

Check out Golfweek’s list of the best drivers available to purchase in 2024.

Everyone wants to hit the ball farther, so distance is always going to be important when it comes to new drivers, but if there is a buzzword or concept that is going to dominate the scene in 2024, it’s moment of inertia or MOI.

[anyclip-media thumbnail=”https://cdn5.anyclip.com/LV0-eo0Bs3gt_DyisZMp/1707153157478_248x140_thumbnail.jpg” playlistId=”undefined” content=”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”][/anyclip-media]

In golf equipment – and specifically, drivers – the higher a club’s MOI, the more it will resist twisting on off-center hits, so shots hit toward the toe or the heel will fly straighter and farther.

The USGA and R&A cap the heel-to-toe MOI in drivers at 5,900 g/cm2, but several major golf equipment makers are offering their highest MOI drivers ever in 2024, including Ping and TaylorMade, which are both now featuring a driver than as a combined MOI (heel-to-toe plus sole-to-crown) over 10,000 g/cm2, which should make the Ping G430 Max 10K and the TaylorMade Qi10 Max the most stable and forgiving drivers those brands have ever made.

These gains in driver stability are now possible because more companies are using weight-saving materials like carbon fiber in drivers, which allows engineers to redistribute mass into performance-enhancing locations. Several driver makers are also offering multiple models in 2024, with each driver being ideally suited to golfers who are looking for different specific traits. For instance, Callaway is offering four different Paradym Ai Smoke drivers including the high-MOI Max, the low-spin LS, the Max D for slicers and the Max Fast for slower-swinging players. Ping offers four G430 drivers and Titleist has TSR drivers available too, while Cobra, Mizuno, Srixon and TaylorMade each have three different options.

The key to finding the driver that best suits your game and your budget is to work with a custom fitter and hit several different clubs using a launch monitor so you can accurately compare things like ball speed, spin rate, launch angle and carry distance. Good fitters can help you find the ideal shaft, tweak the lie angle and the loft of your driver and explain why one model might be a better option for you than another.

Pro tip: During a driver fitting, be sure to wear your golf shoes and test clubs using the golf ball that you use when you play so you can get information that will translate more accurately to the course.

Below are many of the most popular drivers that you are likely to see in pro shops and golf specialty stores this season, along with a brief description of each club and a link to Golfweek’s fuller review. Use this as a jumping-off point to educate yourself about the new drives for 2024 before you go for a fitting.

Most popular drivers in 2024: