Cobra King F7 - Hybrid

I was looking to re-engineer and bring back my golf life since I have always said "golf as in life, play as it lies". You know the world out there is a loud place. With savvy marketing and relentless advertisement, you are bombarded through all kinds of media to part with your hard-earned pittance of a salary for many as there are just so many needs and wants in life where everyone just wants  your money. Now you even have facebook or mobile apps and every facet of social media where you are being directed to buy all kinds of things you do not need. Well, there is good and bad in everything. The good thing is the bots or whatever you may call it are more and more intelligent so you get targeted and directed ads to you. 

For example golf. I have played all kinds of equipment, brands and models of all types of clubs - drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons, wedges, putters and even shafts to experiment and learn. They are all touted as powerful, long, forgiving, has more spin, less spin, blah, blah, blah. They are quite right and also wrong. Too many types of equipment, too many types of different golfers with different swings. I have played Gosen, Maruman, McGregor, Mizuno, Callaway, Ping, TaylorMade, Titleist, Cobra, Nike, Cleveland, Srixon, Adams, Odyssey, Scotty Cameron clubs. Stock shafts and other shafts such as Aldila, Fujikura, Mitsubishi, KBS, Nippon NS Pro, Graphite Design Tour AD and Nano Reloaded, True Temper, Grafalloy, UST Mamiya, Dynamic Gold, whatever. They are all good or else nobody buys or uses them. The biggest question is are they suitable for you? Even if they were, are they currently? I just remembered Robbie William's song - Better Man like as in better golf. "Give me endless summer. Lord I fear the cold. Feel I'm getting old, before my time. As my soul heals the shame, I will grow through this pain. Lord I'm doing all I can. To be a better man...and better golfer. 

Just like I have never shower with hot water, now sometimes I do. Just like I have been playing with steel shaft irons, now I feel the age. While I grow through this pain - aches and elbow, I need to play with graphite shafts and lighter shafts. Yes, Lord I am doing all I can for better golf and be a better man. So, recently I revived an older driver - the Cobra Fly-Z that I have fitted with a Graphite Design Tour AD-DI 6 SR (64g Stiff Regular) and I was wowed by it. I began to look at Cobra again. I shared the story before about how Australian Thomas Crow found the company in 1973, in 1975 he developed the first utility wood called the Baffler (which I have played once before), he introduced the first 46 inch driver in 79, offered the first graphite shafts for irons and woods in 85, got the Shark Greg Norman using his equipment in 91, intro first over-sized irons in 92, set a new standard for over-sized irons by 94. The rest is history. Cobra was sold to American Brands (Acushnet) in 96 and then sold to Puma in 2010.

What I do know is that Cobra makes quality golf clubs that plays well, makes your game easier and sell their equipment at much more reasonable prices. Good performance for less money. Why not? I have once toyed with a Cobra Baffler, at the time hybrid was not coined and I think it was called a rescue where at the bottom there were two parallel rails to glide through the turf. I wanted those rails on a hybrid and for it to come with a lighter shaft but as it was not the latest it was hard to find. I found one but it was the last piece and only in silver crown and so I search online and found that Cobra Golf was selling it through Lazada. 

Cobra King F7 3-4 Hybrid

It was not the first time for online payment but it was the very first time I bought a product for my own use online and certainly for a golf club. It was quite a breeze. The date and time was like 3-4 week's time but the goods were delivered two weeks earlier. I guess 3-4 weeks was a safe timeline for marketing and delivery but nevertheless it was good and prompt service. 

They sent two women and were stopped at the main guard house as they were enquired what they were here for and where they were from. One of them said that they were from Lazada and here to deliver a cobra and the guard in disbelief said: " you are delivering a snake?"

If I remember correctly, they had the Bio Cell not so long ago and then came the Fly-Z, the King F6 and now King F7. I have a Fly-Z in Orange that came with a simple thick sock-like grayish head cover but this one is different.

Cobra hybrids are already easy to hit, have solid sound and feel. Adding those rails may make it their best hybrid yet as it provides "forgiveness from every lie".

It does not look like the bulkier fairway wood but yet has a generous size to provide you sufficient assurance. You can see the little white dots on the face six on each side forms a curvature that actually frames the ball and align it properly and correctly. This is a 455 forged steel face which is lighter and thinner for maximising face flex and ball speed.

The orange 12g weight is positioned low for a deep CG for towering ball flight, distance and forgiveness. The Baffler dual rail system are progressive providing shallower or deeper rails depending on club loft and angle of attack with improved turf interaction and consistency from any lie. I hit my hybrids pretty well and not that I needed this rails to help but if they are there to help make things easier, why not. If it makes it almost impossible to hit a fat shot then this is it. I want it. I do not pretend to be a pro. If you hit a shot digging into the ground, the club head get twisted during and through impact. If this works so darn well, every club should have rails. 

I have chosen a 3-4 hybrid where you can have your own settings from as low as 19 degrees to 0.5 to 1 degrees increases at 19.5, 20.5, 21.5 and 22 degrees. You could even set 'draw' options at 19.5D, 20.5D and 21.5D. A total of 8 loft setting in one club. 

In place of the previous snake logo, now it is simply the word cobra for your alignment.

These rails are reliable, better than some train systems. It does not breakdown but help breakdown your shots by gliding through any turf preventing you from digging into the ground. It is like water skiing, the two rails skip through turf and reduce friction keeping the head moving as fast as possible maintaining speed and direction. This is a spiritual homecoming for Cobra. 

You may be wondering if rails get in the way since it may be a little elevated. The answer is no. In fact, it gets everything out of the way. Besides it playability and versatility, the Cobra system for adjustment of loft is idiot-proofed.  

As it is an Asian Specs, it came with A Fujikura 5R shaft which I believe is less than 60g perhaps at 58g. 

So now that I have 2 Cobras in my bag - the Fly-Z and King F7, what do I do withe them.

I shall touch on that later. Meantime, let me show you those rails again and the pretty orange accents.

The look at address is well rounded and balance. 

See those circular white dots on the face to frame the ball and the cobra alignment. 

A head that gives you confidence to go for it.

And to be fearless. 

The muscles are evident. Like 3 or 4 irons on steroids.

This is the 40.5 inches Fujikura 5R (regular shaft) in classic black and grey. 

If you carry a 3-wood and a 5 iron and only wanted to carry a single hybrid, then this is your solution - the 3-4 hybrid that you can adjust from 19 to 22 degrees. I opt to carry two - a 3 and a 4 or more accurately a 19 degrees and a 22 degrees (as not all brands give the same numbers with the same lofts). 

When I first had the orange Fly-Z, I set it at 19 degrees I did not play too well with it but when hit flush, it was very good indeed. Since I have both I was studying and debating how to set both. A 19 degree loft is harder to hit so it has to be the more forgiving. As the King F7 looks slightly larger on the foot print plus the help of rails, I chose to set it at 19 degrees and reset the Fly-Z to 22 degrees. Now the 22 degrees Fly-Z is a definite go to club. It is flying with a Fujikura Speeder 58g shaft. to give me an average 170m. 

The King F7 has a slightly wider sole and the 19 degrees setting to give me about 185 to 190m distance. 

It is very good looking, great sounding and very competitive priced. It has a sturdy feel with plenty of forgiveness and easy to hit. I think it is one of the best hybrids around. I like Cobra sound and feel. Sound and feel are subjective but I know how I like mine. Hybrids have to be versatile and can be utilised off the tee, on the fairways, bunkers and the rough. Some tests suggested that the King F7 could do all these and delivers a 3 mph ball speed quicker and 5 yards farther on average. I like its simplicity and effectiveness. I wonder if they should put rails on every club. 

Golf as in life, play as it lies.