Cobra launches new SpeedZone drivers, fairway woods, hybrids, irons

Cobra has officially announced the release of its new King SpeedZone drivers, fairway woods, hybrids and irons for 2020 that will replace its King F9 Speedback products that were released in October 2018. Throughout 2019, Cobra staffers Bryson DeChambeau and Rickie Fowler employed Speedback drivers, and the recently-signed Cobra staffer Jason Dufner used a Speedback driver as well, even before signing with the company. Those athletes now have new products to test out, given this launch of SpeedZone products.

As the names imply, the goal of SpeedZone products was to improve performance in different “zones,” or areas, throughout the club head designs. Below, we’ll highlight the upgrades and new features of the SpeedZone products compared to the Speedback products from 2018, and provide retail pricing, availability, loft options, stock shafts and more.

Each of the new clubs, which release on January 17, come equipped with Cobra Connect powered by Arccos embedded in the grips to track performance.

King SpeedZone and King SpeedZone Extreme drivers

The most visibly different technology, compared to other drivers on the market, is what Cobra calls a “CNC Infinity Milled Face.” As with the Speedback driver, the face is milled by a CNC machine to increase precision, and Cobra has increased the milling area in the new SpeedZone designs. This allows for greater precision over leading edge and face thickness, and curvature, according to the company.

Cobra also created discretionary weight by increasing the amount of carbon fiber, a lightweight material, used in the head. The carbon fiber crown now wraps around the head into the sole, thus increasing the amount of carbon to 50% of the driver body, according to Cobra. With the extra weight, Cobra could move CG (center of gravity) lower and more rearward in the head to optimize launch conditions.

The company also emphasizes its aerodynamic shaping of the driver head and high MOI (moment of inertia) construction, a combination that both increases clubhead speed by reducing drag, and maximizes stability on off-center hits.

The standard SpeedZone driver has CG adjustability, with interchangeable weight ports in both the front and back portions of the sole. The SpeedZone Extreme driver, on the other hand, has just one fixed 17-gram Tungsten weight in the rear of the sole to increase stability; Cobra says this design is the company’s highest MOI driver to date.

Both the SpeedZone (9 and 10.5 degrees) and SpeedZone Extreme (9, 10.5 and 12 degrees) drivers come in Gloss Black/Yellow or Matte Black/White colorways. Stock shafts include UST Helium, Mitsubishi Tensei CK AV Blue, Project X HZRDUS Smoke Yellow and Aldila Rogue Silver, but over 20 shafts are available at no upcharge through custom orders. They will each sell for $449 apiece.

King SpeedZone, King SpeedZone Tour and King SpeedZone Big Tour fairway woods

Although they cover a smaller area of the club, the faces of the fairway woods, like the SpeedZone drivers, have CNC milled faces for greater precision. Cobra says this technology helps Cobra create a thinner and hotter face on the fairway woods while also increasing precision over a polished face.

The soles of the fairway woods have Cobra’s familiar rail technology that helps the club remain stable through impact as it slides across the turf, but they have a bit of a different look this year. The SpeedZone “split rails” differ from front-to-back. The front portions (silver in color) are hollowed out to increase flex at impact for higher ball speeds and greater launch. The rear portions, on the other hand, are black in color and have a solid construction.

A carbon fiber crown helps to save 10 grams of weight that’s been moved lower in the head to increase launch and forgiveness, which is important for fairway wood shots that need help getting airborne.

The standard SpeedZone fairway wood (3, 5 and 7) has back weighting and a shallower face, according to Cobra, for a higher launch; the SpeedZone Tour fairway (3 and 4) has a more compact shape and forward weighting for a lower trajectory, and the SpeedZone Big Tour fairway (3 wood, 12-15 degrees) has the largest shape and strongest loft for high launch and low spin.

Each of the fairway wood options will sell for $279 each.

King SpeedZone hybrids

The SpeedZone hybrids have a matte black crown instead of the gloss crowns seen on the drivers and fairway woods, and the hybrids are available in both variable length and one-length options. The faces are made from 455 stainless steel, and the overall shaping is made slightly larger than traditional hybrids, according to Cobra, for increased forgiveness.

The variable-length hybrids (17, 19, 21 and 24 degree) and the one-length hybrids (19, 21 and 24 degrees), which use a 7-iron length build, will each sell for $229 each.

King SpeedZone and King SpeedZone One-Length irons

In a number of events in 2019, Fowler used a King SpeedBack long iron to take advantage of the greater forgiveness and distance. The new SpeedZone irons are replacements for those designs, so it will be interesting to see whether or not he upgrades in 2020.

Either way, like the old SpeedBack irons, the new SpeedZone irons are made with ultra-low CG for increased ball speed. Looking down on the product at address, golfers will easily detect Cobra’s new carbon fiber topline, which replaces steel in the 4-7 irons to save weight. According to Cobra, the carbon fiber saved 3 grams that was placed lower in the heads, ultimately increasing ball speed and launch.

Additionally, Cobra uses perimeter weighting, wide bodies and an undercut speed channel to increase speed and forgiveness in the SpeedZone irons. To optimize spin and trajectory throughout the set, the long irons (4-6) have V-grooves to reduce spin, the mid irons (7-PW) have U-grooves to “optimize spin,” according to Cobra, and the wedges (GW and SW) have wedge grooves to increase spin on shots around the green.

The SpeedZone variable length and SpeedZone One-Length irons will sell for $799 per set. The one-length irons have matching 37.5-inch lengths, but they have progressive shaft weighting for higher launch in the long irons and lower launch in the short irons, and “fine-tuned lie angles,” according to the company.