Cobra

What it does: It might sound like a golfer fountain of youth, but these ultralight drivers endeavour to create more swing speed for the same smooth effort. Players with moderate swing speeds (an increasing segment in golf’s growing numbers) could recapture lost speed with a lighter driver. However, the key to making a driver that weighs about 35 grams less than other leading models is to take the weight out in measured proportions – like a lightened grip, a 48-gram shaft and a head that saves weight via its carbon-composite crown. A carbon-fibre panel results in more saved weight that can be positioned in the heel. That heel bias makes squaring the face at impact more likely. An offset option will make that even easier. 

Why we like it: The problem with many lightweight drivers is that there’s no material left over to help the head forgive off-centre strikes or launch shots higher. Not here. The new carbon-fibre crown is 30-percent thinner, allowing more weight to rest lower than before and in the rear perimeter, providing enough forgiveness to reach the R&A/USGA limit for off-centre-hit stability.

lofts 9.5, 10.5, 11.5 (in offset and straight neck)