Equipment: Cobra King Ltd driver video review

First impressions

The King Cobra was an iconic driver of the 1990s, used by Greg Norman at the height of his powers.

Cobra said they now have a product, and a player in Rickie Fowler, worthy of the King name.

– New gear: Cobra King Ltd fairway woods and hybrids 
– New gear: Cobra King forged irons
– What’s in Rickie Folwer’s bag?

I’d already been lucky enough to attend a launch event in London and have a hit of the Cobra King Ltd driver but couldn’t wait for a sample to arrive in the office.

It was well-worth the wait when it arrived. Cobra had gone to a lot of trouble to make it a special delivery.

A driver is quite a significant financial investment these days so you want to feel that you’re getting something special.

It was a bit like assembling a sniper rifle putting all the component parts together.

The finished product looks stunning and you’re instantly drawn to the ”˜Spaceport’ on the sole which, among other things, lets you see all of the technology going on inside the driver head.

The King Ltd has a launch SRP of £349.

The Tech

So what is a Spaceport and what does it do?

Well, the technology is part of the work Cobra have undertaken with CASIS – the Centre for the Advancement of Science in Space.

It’s a 16g moveable weight which helps drive the centre of gravity down. The way the weight screws into the sole of the club uses space-inspired technology so no weight is wasted by attaching the weight to the sole.

The carbon-fibre crown also utilises aerospace technology to allow more weight to be positioned lower.

Cobra say this is the first ”˜Zero Gravity’ driver as they have managed to get the centre of gravity on the neutral axis line – rather than above it like in most other drivers.

This low centre of gravity helps promote better launch conditions, more ball speed and more forgiveness.

The thin titanium face with Cobra’s patented Speed Channel technology also helps increase ball speeds right across the face.

We’ve got the Aldila Rogue Black as a stock shaft and the My Fly adjustable loft system allows you to chose between 9Ëš, 9.5Ëš, 10.5Ëš, 11.5Ëšand 12Ëš.

Performance/NCG Verdict

On my first hit of the King Ltd I was very impressed with the performance – particularly  on off-centre hits. As a 17 handicapper this is crucial for me.

After getting the driver on our ES14 portable launch monitor (available from golfswingsystems.co.uk) I was keen to see if the numbers backed up my initial thoughts.

The driver feels light and easy to swing and has a head shape that doesn’t intimidate at address.

It seems to me that this driver would suit any ability level. There’s also a Pro version for the really good players.

Straight-away I was getting good ball speed numbers ranging between 140 and 145mph.

My distance was just nudging past 260 yards and I wasn’t really hitting anything which didn’t go over 240 yards.

So the performance when hit out of the middle was excellent and the off-centre hits weren’t hurting me too much.

Something which impresses me about the King Ltd is the low spin. I have a tendency to get up past 3000rpm which is too high but here I was staying between 2200 and 2500rpm which is perfect.

I think the lack of spin was a factor why I wan’t losing too much distance on the off-centre strikes.

All in all, I was really happy with the numbers and their consistency.

There’s also a nice sound and feel. You can feel that the ball is coming off the face quite hot but there’s no harshness to it at all. There’s a sweet, high pitched sound which will really let your playing partners know about it when you hit a good one.

The fact you can remove the Spaceport and have a look at the internal driver technologies is a nice feature and is something you won’t get on any other driver out there.

But I’d prefer to judge the King Ltd on it’s performance and from my experience – this is right up there with anything else that I have tested so far this year.

Star Rating: ★★★★★ (5)

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Details
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King Ltd
Adjustable?: Yes
Lofts: 9Ëš, 9.5Ëš, 10.5Ëš, 11.5Ëš, 12ËšÂ
Stock shaft: Aldila Rogue Black
Available: October 15, 2015
SRP: £349

King Ltd Pro
Adjustable?: Yes
Lofts: 7Ëš, 7.5Ëš, 8.5Ëš, 9.5Ëš, 10ËšÂ
Stock shaft: Aldila Rogue Black
Available: October 15, 2015
SRP: £349