Connect with us

Equipment

GolfWRX Spotted: Cobra RF Prototype irons

Published

on

Cobra Golf tour staff members have always had some of the coolest irons in the game. From Bryson’s first single length sets to Rickie’s first black forged CBs—being part of a smaller staff means attention to detail for each player, and in the case of Cobra and Rickie Fowler, that means truly one-off prototypes!

Yesterday, we got a sneak peak when someone at the Floridian Club posted a distance shot of Rickie’s clubs on the back of a cart. Although it was from a distance, an astute eyes quickly noticed that these were not a current model iron and speculation started to swirl.

Starting early this morning photos starting making the rounds on social media after they were initially posted in the GolfWRX Forums by Member J13, featuring what looks to be close up in-hand images of Rickie Fowler Cobra Prototype blades. The telltale signs include Rickie’s signature Tungsten toe weight to help increase head weight in each head, and the obvious RF initials milled into the toe, under a King Cobra Crown.

Although the pictures are now out, we have few details to go on from Cobra. What I do know is at the Cobra SpeedZone event hosted a few weeks ago to showcase the new line, there was lots of hush-hush discussion that we might see something new coming in the better players category soon, but no pictures or other details were released. These pictures certainly indicate that the Cobra iron team has been working on something with Rickie, and gotten them to the point of having them out in the world for testing.

This is merely speculation, but what’s interesting to point out is that nowhere in the iron does it say forged! Could this be because it’s still a prototype and they didn’t want to go the extra step to stamp that on the head or could it mean something else?

The picture above shows the head on a fixed block—something observed during the CNC milling process, but going deeper Cobra has been pushing the limit of iron construction for a long time, and last year did they introduce a (MIM) Metal Injection Molded wedge to the consumer. Could this non-forged blade be the result of using MIM technology to form a mostly finished iron head to then have the face milled?

Like I said, we don’t have any confirmation yet from Cobra and their R&D team, but this could be a very interesting development for full release iron construction come 2020.

Your Reaction?
  • 280
  • LEGIT39
  • WOW27
  • LOL6
  • IDHT1
  • FLOP3
  • OB5
  • SHANK8

Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

19 Comments

19 Comments

  1. Hamish

    Nov 28, 2019 at 8:20 pm

    Look like Yonex Ezone MB’s

  2. uglande

    Nov 28, 2019 at 8:57 am

    These look fantastic. A lot like the new Titleist 620 MB. It seems like the blade length is a little longer than some blades, which I like, but it also looks like they have a pretty sharp leading edge and no camber, which would worry me. But granted, it’s hard to get a definitive look from these pics alone.

  3. Danny Gray

    Nov 27, 2019 at 1:40 pm

    Reminds me of when Nelly Korda turned pro, I just can’t turn my eyes away ????

  4. Soren Bollerup Hansen

    Nov 27, 2019 at 1:47 am

    They look like Mizuno MP18!!

  5. Seth Riser

    Nov 26, 2019 at 9:35 pm

    Are you on the Cobra payroll? How many articles can you write about Cobra? Enough already.

    • Chris

      Nov 27, 2019 at 11:01 am

      When new product gets released, it’s standard procedure to write about it. Don’t you think? Don’t be so triggered, guy!

      • Hoganben

        Dec 4, 2019 at 11:28 pm

        Trendy new term I am seeing everywhere…’triggered’. People who use the term are so ‘with it’. I am guessing that they are the same guys who used to say ‘zombie thread’ or ‘use the search feature’.

  6. Andy H

    Nov 26, 2019 at 5:36 pm

    Does this squash the water cooler talk of RF going to TM….????

  7. Mower

    Nov 26, 2019 at 5:18 pm

    I’ll get ’em if the price is right. (say… $750)

  8. Bird Is Da Word

    Nov 26, 2019 at 4:45 pm

    I knew there was a reason why ive been sandbagging on replacing my 2017 Cobra MBs. I have a set of the OG TW Nike blades and a set of Mizunos that pretty much just sit around bc the Cobras are that much better.

  9. Philly Mick

    Nov 26, 2019 at 2:46 pm

    Gorgeous looking blades, such a good looking port for the tungsten weight to create COG, hope that they come in Lefty!

  10. Chuckie Baby

    Nov 26, 2019 at 1:50 pm

    With these blades, all I need is a basket of bread and sliced butter! Let’s eat, and add 15 strokes to my scorecard!

    • jgpl001

      Nov 26, 2019 at 3:05 pm

      It’s hard not to disagree with these comments
      They are beautiful, but they are mean, very mean, they make the MP20’s look like GI’s…

    • Brandon

      Nov 26, 2019 at 6:36 pm

      Like most amateurs, I’d imagine your poor rounds are caused by hitting drives ob, chunking chips, and 3 putts. I’ve played everything from blades to SGI’s and my scores never change based on the irons I’m carrying.

      • Jack

        Nov 26, 2019 at 9:01 pm

        Ain’t that the truth. Just play what you like. Nobody has actually quantified how many strokes you lose playing SGI vs blades. Of course, if you have a really slow swing speed and have trouble getting the ball in the air, you should be the SGI since even a good strike will not yield a good shot. But for average speed guys it should be OK.

      • jgpl001

        Nov 27, 2019 at 4:14 am

        I can’t disagree with you, if I keep it in play I score well, very well
        Currently swapping in/out P750’s and MP18’s, and the best irons I ever had were 710MB’s
        Not afraid of blades and never played any type of GI club, but these new Cobra’s remind me of my first set of irons that belonged to my father, a set of Wilson Staff blades….now those gave many a stingy finger

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Whats in the Bag

Kris Kim WITB 2024 (May)

Published

on

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @7)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 60 TX

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (15 degrees @13.5)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX

Irons: TaylorMade P770 (2, 4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X

Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 56-12SB, 60-11TW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 WV 125

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord

Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

Your Reaction?
  • 0
  • LEGIT0
  • WOW0
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

Equipment

Welcome to the family: TaylorMade launches PUDI and PDHY utility irons

Published

on

TaylorMade is continuing its UDI/DHY series with the successor to the Stealth UDI and DHY utility irons: PUDI and PDHY (which the company styles as P·UDI and P·DHY). TaylorMade is folding the designs in with its P Series of irons.

TaylorMade outlined the process of developing its new utilities this way. The company started with the data on utility iron usage. Not surprisingly, better players — i.e. those who generate more clubhead speed and strike the ball more precisely — were found to gravitate toward the UDI model. DHY usage, however, covered a wider swath than the company might have expected with six-to-18 handicappers found to be bagging the club.

TaylorMade also found that the majority of golfers playing UDI or DHY utilities were playing P Series irons at the top of their iron configurations.

Can you see where this is going?

Matt Bovee, Director of Product Creation, Iron and Wedge at TaylorMade: “As we look to the future, beyond the tech and the design language, we are excited about repositioning our utility irons into the P·Series family. P·UDI is an easy pair for players that currently play P·Series product and P·DHY is an extremely forgiving option for players of all skill levels. It is a natural fit to give these players the performance in this category that they are looking for.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

TaylorMade PUDI

TaylorMade PUDI technology cutaway (via TaylorMade)

Crafted with tour player input, TaylorMade sought to develop a confidence-inspiring utility iron that blends with the rest of the P Series irons. Also of note: Interestingly, the PUDI has a more compact head than the P790.

In comparison to past UDI products, the PUDI has a more traditional iron shape, slimmer toplines, and less offset with a little of the backbar visible at address.

TaylorMade PDHY

TaylorMade PDHY tech cutaway (via TaylorMade).

Larger in profile than the PUDI, the PDHY seeks to position center of gravity (CG) lower in the club for ease of launch. The toe height is larger and the profile is larger at address — roughly five millimeters longer than PUDI — the sole of the club is wider for improved forgiveness.

Club Junkie’s take

Golfers who feel like they are missing something at the top of the bag could find the PUDI or PDHY a great option. The look of the PUDI should fit the most discerning eye with a more compact look, less offset, and a thinner topline. If you want a little more confidence looking down the P-DHY will be slightly larger while still being a good-looking utility iron.

For being small packages both models pack a pretty good punch with fast ball speeds, even off-center. The feel is soft and you get a solid feel of the ball compressing off the face when you strike it well. Your ears are greeted with a nice heavy thud as the ball and club come together. The PDHY will launch a little higher for players who need it while the PUDI offers a more penetrating ball flight. Both utility irons could be the cure for an open spot in the top end of the bag.

PUDI, PDHY, or Rescue?

TaylorMade offers the following notes to assist golfers in filling out their bags:

  • PUDI has mid-CG right behind the center face to create a more penetrating mid-to-low ball flight
  • PDHY has a lower center of gravity to produce an easier-to-launch mid-to-high ball flight.
  • Both PUDI and PDHY are lower-flying than the company’s hybrid/Rescue clubs.
  • PUDI is more forgiving than P790.
  • PDHY is the most forgiving iron in the entire TaylorMade iron family

Pricing, specs, and availability

Price: $249.99

At retail: Now

Stock shafts: UST Mamiya’s Recoil DART (105 X, 90 S and 75 R – only in PDHY)

Stock grip: Golf Pride’s ZGrip (black/grey)

PUDI lofts: 2-17°, 3-20°, 4-22° in both left and right-handed

PDHY lofts: 2-18°, 3-20° and 4-22° in both left and right-handed

Your Reaction?
  • 15
  • LEGIT4
  • WOW3
  • LOL3
  • IDHT1
  • FLOP2
  • OB2
  • SHANK4

Continue Reading

Equipment

Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/3/24): Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter

Published

on

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter

From the seller: (@wwcl): “Has been gamed as pics show. 33.5 includes original h/c and grip. $575 includes shipping and PP fees.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter

This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules

Your Reaction?
  • 1
  • LEGIT1
  • WOW0
  • LOL0
  • IDHT0
  • FLOP0
  • OB0
  • SHANK0

Continue Reading

WITB

Facebook

Trending