Equipment

2024 Cobra Darkspeed drivers, woods, hybrids – GolfWRX Launch Report

Published

2 years ago

Jan 11, 2024

What you need to know: Cobra’s bid to build a successor to the Aerojet has taken a dark turn. Which is to say, the blacked-out Darkspeed family of drivers (Darkspeed LS, Darkspeed X, Darkspeed Max) and woods are here. They feature, in addition to the (almost) all-back aesthetic, reworked shaping and re-engineered PWR-Bridge and weighting system, PWRSHELL, and H.O.T. Face Technologies.

2024 Cobra Darkspeed drivers: What’s new, key technology

Aero shaping, tailored weight configuration: These elements work in combination for the specific needs of each player type across the three drivers. Reduced drag for faster speed while configuring the driver head for the launch and spin needs of Max, LS, and X players is the goal here.

The weight system in each model is precisely configured as well. For the Darkspeed LS, three weight ports with two three-gram weights and one 12-gram weight. Two ports are situated in the front of the club and one in the rear for players to dial in draw/fade or preference spin versus forgiveness. In the Darkspeed X, players can adjust flight (spin) by adjusting front and rear weights. For Darkspeed Max, weight ports are positioned on the heel side of the club and the rear of the club for draw bias.

PWR-Bridge: Designed with help from artificial intelligence, PWR-Bridge positions a suspended weight low and forward in the club for faster ball speed.

PWRSHELL: The PWRSHELL face insert is 13 percent larger and it works in conjunction with Cobra’s AI-designed H.O.T. Face Technology for better ball speed across the face.

Lightweight carbon crown, sole plates plus multi-material chassis: A 30-percent lighter carbon fiber crown is 30-percent thinner, which allowed engineers to distribute more weight low and forward within PWR-Bridge. The crown and sole are supported by a titanium frame for stability.

Cobra Darkspeed drivers: Additional model details

Darkspeed LS: With the most compact profile in the lineup (albeit with a higher crown peak), Darkspeed LS is designed for high-clubhead-speed players seeking lower spin with shot shape control. The LS also comes in a Kyle Berkshire-inspired 8-degree model with a smaller shape and greater aerodynamics.

Darkspeed X: Designed for the widest portion of the fitting bell curve, Darkspeed X balances speed and forgiveness. Larger profile, less adjustability than the LS.

Darkspeed Max: Cobra’s draw-biased model is built for the player who needs forgiveness. Depending on the weight configuration, either greater forgiveness or more draw bias can be targeted.

What Cobra says

“The aerodynamic package in the new Darkspeed family of drivers is our most advanced to date,” said Mike Yagley, Vice President of Innovation, Cobra Golf. “We continue to push aerodynamic shaping, mass properties and resilience to drive technology and innovation, providing golfers the most advanced and high-performance clubs possible.”

Pricing, specs, availability

Lofts:

LS: 8, 9, 19.5
X: 9, 10.5, 12
Max: 9, 10.5, 12
Women’s: 10.5, 12

Stock shafts:

LS: UST Mamiya LIN-Q M40X White; Project X HZRDUS Limited Edition Matte Black Gen 4, and UST Mamiya LIN-Q M40X Blue
X: UST Mamiya LIN-Q M40X White; Project X HZRDUS Limited Edition Matte Black Gen 4, UST Mamiya LIN-Q M40X Blue; MCA Kai’lI Blue
Max: Project X HZRDUS CB Red, UST Mamiya LIN-Q M40X Red
Women’s: UST Helium Nanocore

Grip: Lamkin Crossline

Price: $549

On sale/at retail: 1/11, 1/19

Cobra Darkspeed fairway woods, hybrids

Cobra Darkspeed LS fairway wood: This titanium-bodied club is built for high-swing-speed players seeking low spin. Weight is low and forward in the head thanks to PWR-Bridge technology, 68 grams of tungsten, and a lightweight carbon crown. Two 15-gram weights are positioned in the front of the club and a three-gram weight sits in the rear for ball flight adjustments.

Cobra Darkspeed X fairway wood: Like the X driver model, this club targets players seeking a forgiving, easy-to-hit fairway wood. Featuring similar technology to the LS model, the Darkspeed X has a single eight-gram weight in the rear of the club for ease of launch and higher MOI.

Cobra Darkspeed Max fairway wood: The draw-biased Max model is the most forgiving in the lineup. Here the weights are 12 and three grams and are situated in the rear and heel of the club to achieve the desired launch and ball flight.

Cobra Darkspeed hybrids: Leveraging PWR-Bridge and PWRShell H.O.T. Face, Cobra touts the added speed, launch, and forgiveness relative to the previous generation. Additionally, the company continues its tradition of offering a One Length version for use in conjunction with players of single-length irons.

Pricing, specs, availability

Lofts:

Darkspeed LS: 13, 14.5, 17.5 degrees
Darkspeed X: 15, 18, 21 degrees
Darkspeed Max: 15.5, 18.5, 21.5 degrees

Stock shafts:

Darkspeed LS: UST Mamiya LIN-Q M40X White
Darkspeed X: UST Mamiya LIN-Q M40X Blue
Darkspeed Max: UST Mamiya LIN-Q M40X Red

Grips: Lamkin Crossline

Price: $429 (LS), $329 (Max), $279 (Hybrids)

Pre-sale/at retail: 1/11, 1/19

Hybrid specs, below.

Equipment

Then and now: Comparing Rory McIlroy’s current setup to his record-breaking 2019 Canadian Open victory

Published

2 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Alistair Cameron

In Rory McIlroy’s first appearance at the 2019 RBC Canadian Open, he crushed the record books to earn his 16th PGA Tour title in dominating fashion, winning by seven shots over Shane Lowry and Webb Simpson.

McIlroy’s score of 22-under-par 258 is the lowest 72-hole score to date at the Canadian Open, and his closing 61 is also the best final-round score in the history of one of golf’s oldest tournaments. Finally, with his win in 2019, McIlroy became only the sixth player to win the career Triple Crown, adding to his victories at the U.S. Open in 2011 and The Open Championship in 2014, joining Tommy Armour, Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino and Tiger Woods in a coveted list.

So, with that, why not compare his current setup to the clubs he used to break all the records?

Driver

2019: TaylorMade M5 (9 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D (9 degrees @8), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 7X (45 5/8 inches)

McIroy led the Tour in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in 2019; he’s doing the same in 2026. Between now and then, McIlroy has switched from the Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 70 TX (a shaft with slightly more feeling in the tip) to the original Fujikura Ventus Black 7X, having just made the change to the heavier version from playing the 60X.

What’s interesting about McIlroy’s 2019 setup is that the weighting on his driver is actually set in the high-draw setting, using the T-Track weighting system, whereas in the Qi4D, he’s currently using a heavily rear-weighted setup. (Two 13-gram weights in the rear and only two 4-gram front weights.)

The TaylorMade M5 driver he played in during his Canadian Open win was the company’s first head that they claimed to design to initially exceed the USGA’s COR limit, and then injected with tuning resin to bring it back in bounds.

Fairway woods

2019: TaylorMade M6 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX; TaylorMade M5 5-wood (19 degrees), Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 90 TX
2026: TaylorMade Qi4D 3-wood (15 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8X; TaylorMade Qi4D 5-wood (18 degrees), Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9X

The TaylorMade M6 fairway wood that McIlroy was using during the 2019 season is still in the bag of some of the best golfers on Tour in 2026. Just check out Justin Rose’s winning setup from the Farmers Insurance Open earlier this year. This year, though, McIlroy has still been searching for his top-end-of-the-bag setup, having played both the new Qi4D and the Qi10, which he won the Masters with.

The same shaft swap can be seen in the fairway woods as the driver, along with slightly less loft on the 5-wood.

Irons

2019: TaylorMade P750 (4) Buy here, TaylorMade P730 (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0
2026: TaylorMade P760 (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9), Shafts: Project X 7.0

The biggest difference between McIlroy’s custom set and the stock P730s is the groove design. While the P730s were constructed with 14 MX-9 grooves on their milled faces, McIlroy’s proto heads instead use the higher-spinning, 16-groove layout of the TW2 grooves. Other big differences between the sets are that McIlroy’s 7- and 8-irons have thinner toplines, are 1 degree stronger in loft, and are 1/4 inch longer than the original P730 builds.

With McIlroy’s 4-iron, the switch from P750 to P760 sees a transition to a two-piece construction with Speed Foam in it, which allows McIlroy to launch the ball slightly higher, with more workability.

Wedges

2019: TaylorMade Milled Grind (48-09SB), TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09SB, 56-09SB, 60-LB09), Shafts: Project X Rifle 6.5
2026: TaylorMade MG5 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB, 60-08LB @61), Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Between 2019 and 2026, McIlroy’s focus on his short game has been much more apparent. It was the reason why he switched back to the TP5 golf ball, to help with launch, spin and control with his wedges leading up to his career Grand Slam victory in 2025. The most apparent changes to McIlroy’s wedge setup are his lofts and bounce. He’s slowly delofted his pitching to a sand wedge, but has increased the loft on the lob wedge, bending his current 60-degree to 61. With that, adding more loft to his lob wedge also slightly increases the bounce and leading-edge sit point, so, as a result, he plays a lower-bounce lob wedge compared to 2019. The MG5 wedges are also softer than the first Milled Grind option from 2019. McIlroy also no longer plays the full-face grooves found on the Hi-Toe.

Putter

2019: TaylorMade Spider X
2026: TaylorMade Spider Tour X

Notice anything similar. Yes, the copper finish on Rory McIlroy’s Spider X putter in 2019 is a slightly more reflective finish than the recently released torched PVD finish. McIlroy was using the True Path alignment system, but now uses only a single white sightline.

Ball

2019: 2019 TaylorMade TP5 (#22)
2026: 2025 TaylorMade TP5 (RORS)

As mentioned above, McIlroy had transitioned from the TP5 to TP5x golf ball since his victory in Canada in 2019, but now is black with the same style of golf ball as his victory at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.

Grips

2019: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
2026: Golf Pride MCC

Interesting, McIlroy actually used Golf Pride’s Tour Velvet Cord grips during his victory in 2019 (it was during a 2+ year switch to the corded TV) as opposed to his usual MCC grips, which he has played for most of his career.

Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: Titleist Vokey Proto Wedges 54M, 60T

Published

4 hours ago

Jun 11, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who 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, @Putt4Dough is selling some prototype wedges from Vokey Wedgeworks. These include a 54 degree wedge with the M grind and a 60 degree wedge with a T grind.

From the listing:

(1) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 54M with a Tour Issue DGS400 shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet (logo down). Standard length, lie, and loft. BB&F ferrule. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

(2) Titleist Vokey Proto Wedge 60T with a KBS Tour 130X shaft and Golf Pride Tour Velvet. Standard length, lie, and loft. Raw wedge in good condition. No initials. Price is $200 shipped. Buy both wedges for $380 shipped.

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules.