Our Cobra F9 driver review took place at the brand’s launch event at Oulton Hall in Leeds.
This review is done very much on a ‘first look’ basis with some more in-depth testing and comparisons planned for January when the product is available to buy.
Cobra F9 driver review: First impressions
It’s difficult not to be struck by the black and yellow colour of this new driver which the brand say has been inspired by sports cars.
Well, the inspiration here is speed.
But I think the brand are also trying to recapture something which was perhaps lost during their F8 launch last year.
Cobra have always had a reputation as being a bright, youthful and vibrant brand.
But they are also serious innovators and have been breaking new ground with technology for the past few years.
So they didn’t just want to be thought of a ‘loud’ brand which put style over substance.
That makes sense but at the same time they don’t just want to blend into the background.
It’s quite hard to find the right balance but I think they are on the right lines with the new F9 Speedback driver.
“Business on top, party on the bottom,” is what Rickie Fowler said when he was first shown this driver.
Cobra want this driver to stand out. When Fowler, Bryson DeChambeau and Lexi Thompson are using this driver on tour, they want it to be instantly recognisable.
It feels to me like this is a product for the Cobra fans out there rather than a product which is trying to be all things to all people.
But if the performance is right on the money, then people would be foolish to not put it on their testing list – especially when it’s considerably cheaper than some other drivers on the market.
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Cobra F9 driver review: The technology
Cobra said the F9 driver was built on the back of asking golfers what was most important to them in a driver.
Distance, accuracy and forgiveness were the top three answers. No surprises there.
The three key elements of the Cobra F9 Speedback driver are the streamlined design for more club speed, optimised weighting and a very precise CNC milled face.
Cobra say the streamlined front perimeter face, raised skirt, trailing edge and crown create their fastest ever driver.
Weight savings have allowed the centre of gravity to be placed low and deep.
And the milled face – which we first saw on the F8 driver – has tilted bulge and roll where the lofts vary slightly across the face to accommodate for heel and toe misses.
Yes, it does sound a little bit like TaylorMade’s Twist Face but it’s something Cobra have been doing for a while.
And like with TaylorMade’s M3 and M4 drivers, there’s nothing to notice when you address your ball.
In terms of adjustability we have a moveable weight which can be deployed in a front or back position and the MyFly loft sleeve.
If you don’t fancy the yellow, there are white and pink options available too.
Heads are available in either 9˚, 10.5˚ or 12˚.
We’ve got some good stock shaft options with the F9 driver, including the UST Mamiya Helium, Fujikura Atmos TS Blue and Black and the Project X Hzrdus Smoke.
That’s the lowdown on the technology – find out how the F9 performed on the next page…
Cobra F9 driver review: The results
We haven’t had the opportunity to test the F9 driver out properly yet.
But we did take our SkyTrak unit along to the launch event and hit some shots on Trackman.
The ball speed numbers were very good and seemed to be right up there with the best drivers we have tested over the past 12 months.
We did a little comparison with my custom-fit Titleist TS2 driver using the same Hzrdus Smoke shaft.
The numbers were very similar. It seemed to me like the F9 driver was equally impressive on off-centre hits as the TS2.
Cobra F9 driver review: NCG verdict
I’m keen to stress that there is a lot more testing which needs to be done with this product but the initial signs are very good.
Cobra are very confident that this driver will outperform your current model.
They are talking a very good game here but it seems to me like the performance will back it up.
Over the past few years the Cobra drivers have been right up there when it comes to ball speed and distance.
The F9 driver seems to be no exception. From my initial testing there seems to be no weaknesses.
We’ve got fantastic ball speed and distance, forgiveness, a bit of adjustability and some tidy shaft options.
So with the added bonus of the Arccos Cobra Connect technology in the grip, it’s looking like another very appealing package for the consumer.
We will bring you some more in-depth results over the coming months.
Cobra F9 driver details
SRP: £349
In-store: January 2019
More information can be found on the Cobra website
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