Cobra’s Vintage putter range aims to combine classic shaping with cutting-edge technology. So, have they found the right balance?
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What’s new? How much does it cost? And how does it perform? Hannah Holden brings you the low down on the new Cobra Stingray Vintage putter
Cobra’s Vintage putter range aims to combine classic shaping with cutting-edge technology. So, have they found the right balance?
This is a great putter which will suit a wide variety of golfers.
I love the clear, bold alignment aids on the top of the club head and the more compact nature of this mallet.
The new Pebax face delivers a lovely soft sound and feel and really helps you control the ball well, especially on fast greens.
PROS
CONS
This was the putter that first caught my eye among Cobra’s new models. This is clearly a mallet offering, but I like that it is more compact and has high-end details and finishings.
I love the one long line across the middle of the putter as it makes me feel really confident when aiming the club head. I also found the more raised front and middle ‘T’ shaped structure frames the ball very nicely.
The Stingray model is a face-balanced mallet with a single bend shaft. This worked really well for my fairly straight back and through putting stroke, and I found it really easy to start the ball on line with the model. If you like this shape but have more of an arcing stroke the Stingray-30 offers the same head design but with a short slant neck hosel which adds more toe hang.
Lots of the Vintage series new technology is inside the club face. There is a new Pebax face insert, a lightweight and responsive thermoplastic elastomer. I really liked the feel of this, and it was definitely softer than we saw in last year’s iterations and softer than the 3D Printed Line from Cobra. I found this was especially helpful on quick downhill putts when I was trying to keep control of the golf ball.
The putter face also features LA Golf’s descending loft technology. The club face offers four different lofts with 4° at the top of the head and 1° at the bottom. This allows optimal launch on every putt regardless of where you strike it on the face. This is key for a consistent end-over-end roll.
All models in the Cobra Vintage range feature adjustable weights on the sole so players can dial in the weight and feel of the putter head. There is a choice of five different sole weights (5g, 10g, 15g, 20g, 25g) which are easily changeable to personalise your putter.
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I think the only slight disadvantage of this range is the models are only offered in 34 and 35-inch length shafts, which doesn’t leave loads of options for golfers who may want something different. Having said that, the adjustable weights do mean, it would be fairly easy for me to cut this down the 33 inches and then balance out the weighting of the club.
Overall, I really enjoyed testing this putter. I think Cobra has done a great job of balancing a more classic aesthetic (compared to the 3D Printed Series) and new technology to make a putter that looks great and delivers high-quality performance.
SPORT 40: Plumber neck blade with 40 degrees of toe hang.
WIDESPORT: Face-balanced, oversized blade with single bend shaft for face-balanced performance.
NOVA: Face-balanced, fang-style mallet with three alignment lines.
NOVA-30: Fang-style mallet with slant neck, 30 degrees of toe hang, and three alignment lines.
STINGRAY: Face-balanced mallet with single bend shaft and single alignment line.
STINGRAY 30: Fang-style mallet with slant neck, 30 degrees of toe hang, and single alignment line.
CUDA: A face-balanced mallet with a single-bend shaft and three alignment lines.
Available: Now
RRP: £229
Shaft lengths: 34″ & 35″
Shaft: KBS CT Tour
Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol 1.0
More information: Cobra website
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