Gear: Cobra Darkspeed and Darkspeed One-Length Irons, Price: $999 (4 PW or 5 GW), with KBS Tour-Lite steel shafts. Lamkin Crossline grips.
Specifications: Hollow-bodied mid and long irons with faces made of 17-4 stainless-steel, a 431 stainless-steel chassis, CNC-milled groves, and internal weights.
Available: Jan. Available: Jan. 11 presale and Jan. 19 in-store
Who they’re for: Golfers with a mid- or higher handicap who have trouble with inconsistent contact and need more distance.
The skinny: A hollow-body design and low center-of-gravity combine to give Darkspeed irons greater ball speed, height, and a soft feel at impact.
In 2023, Rickie Fowler won on the PGA Tour again with Cobra irons. Fowler used Cobra King Forged Tour Irons while Rose had a blend of Cobra King Tour (4) irons, King CB (5-8), and King MB (7-7-PW). All of these clubs were designed to be used by accomplished ballstrikers who can make powerful and repeatable swings.
Most amateur players would also benefit from an iron that improves their game by delivering more distance and forgiveness when they make a mistake. Cobra’s new Darkspeed and Darkspeed one-length irons are designed to be this type of iron.
Darkspeed Irons feature a thicker topline that is reassuring and a slight offset. This helps golfers with varying handicaps to square their face on the downswing.
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The PWR Bridge lowers your center of gravity, while the PWR Shell wraps around the sole. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The Darkspeed Irons have hollow heads inside the 4-iron to pitching wedge to allow thin stainless steel faces of 17-4 to flex better at impact. The gap wedge and sand wedge are both half-hollow with an open chamber in the back of the hitting area.
Cobra’s 4-iron to 7-iron now have a PWRShell Face, which is 21 per cent thinner than last year’s AeroJet Iron. The PWRShell wraps around the clubhead and the sole of the iron in order to increase the sweet spot.
The irons were also designed with a single-post in the head to support a weight called a PWR Bridge. The PWR-Bridge extends from heel to toe and lowers the centre of gravity, allowing golfers to hit shots that are higher flying, quicker stopping.
The grooves and hitting area have been CNC milled, ensuring the face is flat and perfectly aligned.
Cobra has added 924D microspheres of foam to the hollow chamber in the pitching wedge and 4-iron. This material absorbs excessive vibrations for improved sound and feel. The material is elastic and allows the ball face to flex quickly, without affecting the speed of the ball. Cobra’s studies revealed that the addition of foam reduced spin and increased distance.
Standard Darkspeed is a dark finish on the stainless steel 431 body. This helps to reduce glare. The lofts of the set are very strong. A 5-iron is 21 degrees, and a pitching wedge is 42 degrees. These lofts allow golfers to achieve greater distances, and the low center-of-gravity allows shots to fly higher than expected.
Cobra offers the Darkspeed Iron in a One Length Edition, where each club is 37.25 inch long (the length of a 7-iron). Golfers who use irons of the same length find it easier to make solid contact and maintain consistency.
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Here are some images of the Darkspeed and Darkspeed one-length irons.
