Reader test: Cobra Fly-Z drivers
By NCG
There may be some sceptics out there who are unconvinced of the benefits of adjustability.
We couldn’t think of a better way to prove the doubters wrong than by sending three readers to The Belfry for a custom-fit session with the new Cobra Fly-Z range of drivers.
With guidance from an expert fitter, could our trio ‘Flip it and Rip it’ with Cobra’s revolutionary Flipzone weight system?
Our readers Matt, Graham and Stuart were our lucky winners of the opportunity to get fitted for Cobra Golf’s newest driver range for the 2015 season.
To ensure we had a nice varied group each of our lucky readers were chosen based upon their respective handicaps and fitted to the driver that would help them to make the most gains, improving both distance and spin.
Reader 1: Matt Abbott
Handicap: 5
Club: Breadsall Priory
What Matt said: My driving is very inconsistent, I can miss it to the left or right.
I also struggle with a high spin rate so can balloon it up. I was fitted into the Fly-Z+ with a low-spinning shaft and we put the weight at the front which also kept the spin down massively.
We got it to around 2,400 rpm and I’ve never got my spin rates that low before.
I went for the white head for a bit of a change.
What the Cobra fitter said: Matt hits it very high.
We went to 8.5 with a standard stiff shaft which took a bit of the spin off.
We then went up to an extra-stiff shaft and the spin came down again.
Matt was worried about losing forgiveness with the weight forward but his dispersion improved.
The Result
Model: Cobra Fly-Z+, 8.5˚, Matrix VLCT ST shaft, x-stiff flex.
Reader 2: Graham Hubbold
Handicap: 9
Club: Little Aston
What Graham said: My current driver hits it low and it’s not very forgiving.
We started with the Fly-Z+ head with the weight at the back but the spin was a bit high.
We moved the weight forward, upped the loft and it became very easy to hit.
Even the bad shots were going straight so that was a massive plus.
It was incredible to see the difference in ball flight simply by moving the weight forward.
What the Cobra fitter said: Graham has a low ball flight so we put the weight back in the Fly-Z+ head with a standard stiff shaft.
Moving the weight forward lowered spin but also moving to a lighter shaft with a lower kick point really helped the launch.
There was also much less curvature.
The Result
Model: Cobra Fly-Z+, 11.5˚, Aldila Tour Green shaft, stiff flex
Reader 3: Stuart Dryburgh
Hanidcap: 22
Club: Litchfield Seedy Mill
What Stuart said: I struggle with a bit of left-to-right movement and don’t hit it very high.
We tried the Fly-Z first and got better ball flight but I wasn’t gaining any distance.
After being fitted into the Fly-Z+ we noticed the carry distance improved by about 15 yards.
We went into a lighter shaft which really helped up my clubhead speed too.
We kept the weight back for added forgiveness.
What the Cobra fitter said: We saw a left-to-right shot shape which was quite low.
There was improvement with the Fly-Z but we got distance numbers up with the Fly-Z+ and a lighter shaft with a low kick point.
His attack angle was slightly down on the ball so some extra loft really helped.
The Result
Model: Cobra Fly-Z+, 11.5˚, Matrix VLCT ST shaft, regular flex.
Cobra Fly-Z Pro and Fly-Z+ irons
