Before we get to 2021 Cobra RadSpeed drivers, let’s take a trip to the recent past.

It was one of the first club launches I had attended in late 2018 when Cobra Golf introduced its new King F9 Speedback drivers to the market. I was very familiar with Cobra products at the time and was already a fan, but that particular day at the Floridian was different.

To a person, every media member in attendance hit the driver, looked around, and was like, “Is this real?” The answer was “YES.” The F9 stunned the golf world. It was fast, forgiving, sounded like a sledgehammer, and it looked awesome.

Fast forward to last year with SpeedZone and its Infinity Face—Not only did Cobra maintain what it did with F9, it took it a step further with a tuned-up milled face that was stable across the board making fades and draws more achievable. If there was one knock on the Speedback it was that it tended to be almost too straight. That’s right—it went too straight. Even more, SpeedZone was the tool used by Bryson Dechambeau to redefine distance in a way we haven’t seen since John Daly came on the scene.

“The F9 DNA is definitely here, the Speedback concept was all about combining weighting and aerodynamics. So even though we talk about MOI a lot (mostly because the trade loves it), we also provided low spin, front CG performance in the F9, specifically with the 9 deg head, which was much more forward CG vs the 10.5.”

“Some of the detail conversation about F9 Speedback shaping was great aerodynamics with low weight, (but not exclusively back weighting) since most aero driver shapes before that always had high CGs. So in thinking about the bigger design philosophy great aerodynamics with weight savings/redispositioning, the lineage is clear.” -Tom Olsavsky Cobra VP of R&D

So now we come to today—two years later—and the introduction of Cobra’s newest modification to a driver that firmly secures the company a seat at the grand table.

2021 Cobra Golf RadSpeed, RadSpeed XB (Xtreme Back), and RadSpeed XD (Xtreme Draw) Drivers

The tech story

Radial Weighting 

It starts with an engineering concept called Radius of Gyration, which in simple terms is the distance from the center of gravity to whichever point of mass is used in the structure. In regards to the RadSpeed drivers, Cobra has taken this idea and discovered that an increase in Radius of Gyration and precise weight placement not only increases stability but also allows engineers to fine-tune spin to each head and increase speed.

In the RadSpeed driver, the Radial Weighting is positioned as far forward and as far back from the CG to give high-speed players that low-spin, low-launch combo they all love.

“The challenge of distance performance in a driver is constant. So to make a driver go farther for many players that would mean even more forward, while still maintaining playability. That’s where the RAD weighting and balance concept comes into play. We could have actually moved in more forward than we did.”

– Tom Olsavsky, Cobra VP of R&D

More photos and discussion in the forums. 

Cobra RadSpeed XB (L), Cobra RadSpeed X (R)

Do most OEMs achieve this? Yes. But I must say, on its face, this feels like a way to leave very little to the imagination in regards to maximizing CG.

In addition, Cobra has implemented a T-Bar Chassis and new thinner Carbon Fiber Wrap Crown that allow engineers to redistribute 13 grams of weight forward and deep to increase ball speed and mitigate spin. As with SpeedZone, the new 2021 Cobra RadSpeed drivers come equipped with Infinity Face that ensures each face is finished with the highest tolerance in the industry. 

Cobra RadSpeed driver: The models

RadSpeed: At 460cc’s, the new 2021 Cobra RadSpeed driver incorporates 28 grams of front weighting (16g fixed, 12g adjustable), and an additional 10 grams in the back (8g fixed, 2g adjustable). This balance, in combination with Radial Weighting technology, gives the player a fast, stable head to ensure distance and accuracy. One of the biggest issues OEMs have faced over the years is achieving the combination of speed and stability. In Cobras’s case, engineers cracked the code initially with F9, but now they have pushed that idea as far as it will go.

Who is it for? 

High speed, lower handicaps. Professional or players needing to knock spin way down.

RadSpeed XB: Taking the same equation, Cobra made some math tweaks and pushed the majority of the weight way back and deep for the XB (hence Xtreme Back) to create a profile that is still fast but now extremely forgiving across the board.

With 28 grams of discretionary weight, the XB features 20 grams positioned in the back (14 grams of fixed weight; six interchangeable weight) and eight grams of fixed weight. This recipe is popular in high MOI drivers, but with Radial Weighting technology, it’s fine-tuned to push this idea to its limit.

More photos and discussion in the forums. 

Who is it for? 

All players looking for speed and forgiveness. You will find this model in the bags of tour players all the way to your 20-plus handicapper. The only real sacrifice you make with XB is the ability (for some) to knock spin and launch way down (sub 1,900 RPM, for example).

RadSpeed XD: Pretty simple here, take Radial Weighting technology and move the weight around to encourage more face rotation/closure. There are 10 grams of fixed weight positioned in the heel to enable easier face closure for straighter, draw-biased drives. Another 14 grams are positioned in the back for extreme forgiveness, while eight grams are positioned in the front to increase speed. 

Who is it for? 

The slicers and/or players looking to hit that high hard draw. Or, oddly enough, a good number of better players are going to this profile to hit hard fades. The idea is it forces the player to cover the ball with their chest and swing hard left. If you follow the WITB of some of the tour players—names like Couples, and Morikawa, and Wolff have adopted face angles that look more to the lead shoulder.

Looks

RadSpeed: Has all the optics that a player would want to see. It sits square at address (open but not too open). Overall very similar shape to SpeedZone with the infinity face top-line framing the ball perfectly set ahead of a rounded back edge for that classic look.

RadSpeed XB/XD: From top line to the middle its very similar to RadSpeed proper but back weighting pushes the back portion into a more triangular sole shape to allow Cobra to raise MOI as much as possible.

Sound/Feel

This is where Cobra has shined for a long time. The heavy hit feel and acoustics have set Cobra drivers apart. If you like a really heavy hit, this is your stick. When you catch one, you know.

Cobra RadSpeed XB (Crown)

Cobra RadSpeed (Crown)

Tour testing: Ben Schomin, Director of Tour Operations)

GolfWRX: With early staff testing, what specifically were you looking to improve on from previous models?

Ben Schomin: One of the design intentions is to always do what we can to maximize ball speed on off-center hits and the RadSpeed nails it. The new face milling pattern provides a consistent feel and also a consistent spin pattern in any playing conditions.

GolfWRX: With BAD doing what he’s doing, how much did his input bleed into RadSpeed?

BS: There are always design cues taken from player feedback and RadSpeed is no exception. Color is one design aspect that we’ve worked hard on including player feedback into. During the COVID-19 break, we would send cosmetic heads to players like Rickie and then jump on a FaceTime call to get his feedback.

GolfWRX: Initial feedback from the crew? Fowler, Dufner, DeChambeau? 

BS: Initial testing has gone really well. It helps to have a few different models to choose from. Players think they’ll automatically fit into a certain category, but that isn’t always the case, so I like to exhaust all options when trying to find the best fit for a player.

GolfWRX: When did the tour testing for RadSpeed begin? How different is the first prototype to what we see now?

BS: We began testing with non-cosmetic heads back in late May. We haven’t changed the original shape, but we did make some tweaks to loft, face angle, and cosmetics, which honestly is pretty common when dialing in a new product. I want to make sure it’s right before we produce it for our staff and consumers alike.

More photos and discussion in the forums. 

Adjustability, per Cobra Golf

RadSpeed driver specs

• Both the 9° and 10.5° driver are available in a Tour Length offering, featuring a shorter shaft length (44.50”) than the standard 45.5”. The RadSpeed comes in RH/LH with a choice of 3 premium aftermarket shafts including: Fujikura Motore X F3 (stiff & reg); the Project X HZRDUS RDX Blue in x-stiff (RH only) and stiff; and the Fujikura Motore X F1 in x-stiff (RH) and stiff (RH/LH). The driver features a Lamkin Crossline (58+) Cobra Connect black grip and is available in Matte Black/Turbo Yellow and a Matte Peacoat Blue/Arsenal Red colorways. 

RadSpeed XB driver specs

• Both the 9° and 10.5° driver are available in a Tour Length offering, featuring a shorter shaft length (44.50”) than the standard 46”. The XB Driver comes in RH/LH with a choice of 3 premium aftermarket shafts: Project X Even Flow Riptide (Reg & Lite flex) available in the 10.5° and 12° lofts; Fujikura Motore X F3 (Stiff & Reg) and the Project X HZRDUS RDX Blue (X & Stiff) available in the 9° and 10.5° lofts. The driver features a Lamkin Crossline (58+) Connect black grip and is available in Gloss Black/Turbo Yellow and Matte Peacoat Blue/Arsenal Red colorway. 

RadSpeed XD driver specs

Available at retail and online: January 29th, 2021

More photos and discussion in the forums.