Gear: Cobra King TEC utility irons. Price: $299 each. Includes KBS $-Taper 120 stainless shaft and Lamkin Crossline grip. $249 with Mitsubishi MMT80 graphite shaft.
Specifications: Hollow-body construction with a forged ST118 stainless steel face, internal vibration dampening foam, and tungsten weight.
Available: Feb. 3
Who it’s for: For golfers who desire a hybrid-like distance with a long iron.
The Skinny Designed to be a hybrid option for golfers who want to improve their distance, the King TEC utility irons are a powerful, lightweight, vibration-dampening, and sound-enhancing tool.
The Deep Dive: Cobra’s utility irons have been offered to accomplished golfers for several seasons. They combine the best of both long and hybrid clubs. Why? Flat-faced irons are a great choice for golfers in the 70s who want to shape the ball. However, hollow-bodied hybrid clubs can provide greater distance, forgiveness, and versatility.
Cobra’s 2023 offering is the King TEC Utility Irons. They have hidden technology to give golfers more power and feel.
Cobra King utility irons feature a slightly offset topline and a relatively clean design. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The King TEC Utility Irons look almost like a muscleback blade from the outside. The topline is thicker and has more offset than an elite golfer’s, but that is what accomplished golfers want to see in their driving irons and utility clubs. Visual distractions are what they don’t want to see. Clean utility irons from King TEC are available.
The body is made of cast stainless steel and the face is forged ST118 stainless steel. Except for the grooves on the outside, the hitting area’s surface is flat. However, the inner-facing side of the hit is covered in thin and thicker areas. It is also known as a H.O.T. by Cobra. Face stands for highly optimized topography. Variable-thickness faces broaden the sweet spot so shots in the heel or toe area are not penalized and fly almost as far as shots taken from the center.
The faceplate is shaped like a L by Cobra, which Cobra refers to as PWRShell. It allows the hitting area of the plate to move more efficiently when shooting thin shots
The PWRShell face protects ball speed and broadens the sweet spot for off-center hits. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Cobra has added a 56-gram tungsten-bar to the King TEC utility 2-iron head and a 61g tungsten-bar inside the King TEC utility 3-through 5-iron. This was done in order to lower the center gravity and make it easier for you to hit higher-flying shots.
Designers injected Expancel 920 DU40 into the hollow chamber of King TEC Utility Irons to enhance sound and feel. The polymer expands when heated to fill the head. It is light and full of microscopic air bubbles, making it unique. The polymer absorbs excessive vibrations and bends the face when a golfer hits the ball. It does not prevent the face from bending. Therefore, improved sound and feel are not at the cost of ball speed or distance.
