High hopes, then despair … the many reactions to Tiger

Cobra’s new LTDx drivers build on the platform of the original 2016 LTD series, which was the first driver family to achieve zero CGna — a center of gravity located zero millimeters from the neutral axis of the driver. The new LTDx again features zero CG. In contrast to the LTDx, most drivers have a center of gravity above the axis line, which produces higher spin and a less efficient transfer of energy. Zero CG, according to Cobra, yields low spin and fast ball speeds. The LTDx pairs zero CG with 5,200 MOI. The higher the moment of inertia of a club, the greater the resistance to twisting (particularly on off-center hits), and thus the more forgiving it is. How does Cobra achieve all of the above? By utilizing both new features and improving on existing technology. Key technology PWR-COR Technology: Allows Cobra engineers to position weight low and forward in the clubhead. This yields faster ball speeds and less spin for greater distance. Engineers also added a tungsten back weight (part of 15 grams of combined back weighting) for greater forgiveness as the more weight is spread out in a club head, particularly a driver, the more forgiving it will be. H.O.T Face: Using machine learning and data from thousands of impact simulations, Cobra created 15 different zones of the driver face with optimal thickness for optimal ball speed across the face. Multi-material construction: A lighter, more stable titanium chassis. 30 percent more carbon. The design allowed Cobra engineers to maximize weight savings to distribute more optimally for increased ball speed. CNC milled Infinity Face: Cobra updated its CNC milled Infinity Face. The larger face wraps around the leading edge of the driver for more ball speed on strikes low in the face as well as a more traditional topline. “The LTDx driver lineup reflects our team’s continued dedication to innovation and improved performance. With the introduction of PWR-COR and H.O.T Face technology, our engineers have, yet again, developed innovation that improves CG and MOI while making the face hotter and more forgiving,” said Tom Olsavsky, Vice President of R&D, Cobra Golf. “The resulting LTDx family of drivers are the best we have ever produced, and the three distinct driver models ensure that every golfer can achieve optimized performance for their game. We look forward to seeing the LTDx on Tour and also in the hands of amateurs and weekend warriors at courses globally.” Cobra LTDx driver models Cobra LTDx LS Drivers LTDx LS Spin: Low Launch: Low Forgiveness: Medium “LS” stands for low spin. In order to achieve the aforementioned, Cobra positions weight low and forward for maximum spin and ball speed as well as additional workability in the most aerodynamic model in the lineup. The 460cc LTDx LS features 10- and 3-gram adjustable weights that can be interchanged to dial in trajectory. Cobra’s PWR-COR Technology positions weight low and forward in the LTDx, using a 14g internal MIM steel weight and a 5g 100-percent milled, stainless steel external weight (19g total) to help lower spin and increase speed. LTDx Spin: Low Launch: Medium Forgiveness: High Cobra engineers call the LTDx a “unicorn” club owing to the combination of zero CG and 5,200 MOI. The mid-launching Cobra LTDx utilizes 19g total weight positioned in PWR-COR (14g internal MIM steel weight and 5g external CNC milled stainless steel weight) and 15g total in the back using 5g of tungsten and a 10g fixed back weight. LTDx MAX Spin: Low-Mid Launch: High Forgiveness: Extreme Engineered for maximum forgiveness, the LTDx MAX is Cobra’s draw-biased offering. It’s the highest-launching, highest-spinning member of the family. The 460cc head features a back weight setting and an added weight positioned in the heel that affords golfers maximum draw biasing for ultimate assistance in squaring the face. More specifically, the 10-gram weight can be positioned in the back of the club to deliver the maximum amount of forgiveness that Cobra has to offer. Players can also position the heavy weight in the heel for 11 yards of draw bias. The club’s adjustable hosel can be moved to the “Draw” setting for an additional seven yards of shot correction (18 yards total). All three drivers retail for $499.99. LTDx drivers on TOUR Bryson DeChambeau The TOUR’s longest hitter has put both LTDx and LTDx LS models in play so far this season. Here’s what he had to say about the design: “A lot of (the design improvements) were from last year’s input … I would say we’ve worked really hard on making a driver that works very well for me and for consumers that have some speed. And also, because we understand the upper end of speed, the lower end is going to be helped out quite a bit because we understand the parameters. Once you understand both sides of the coin, you can fit really well in between. “(I’m swinging) a lot freer. The ball’s not going to go in places that I’m not expecting. That’s just what happens with speed, in general, with any product out there. This is where (Cobra is) the first ones to really take the dive and go, ‘OK, let’s try and understand this and make it playable for guys with speed like this.’” A final word on DeChambeau: In a recent Cobra media event alongside World Long Drive champion Kyle Berkshire, DeChambeau used a Cobra LTDx prototype to record his all-time high 221 mph of ball speed. Jason Dufner Jason Dufner, who is playing the Cobra LTDx said: “One thing I have been seeing is the strikes have been really consistent off the middle of the face. The last couple models I had, I felt like I had been making good swings but was catching it on the toe a little bit. So these have been really consistent off the middle. I’ve seen really good launch windows to my eye, good spin windows to my eye. “They’ve got three different heads now, so it gives me more options … my particular model has the weight in back, and we put a little more weight in the back so it changes the CG a little bit for me. It makes it launch a little bit higher and spin a little more, which is kind of what I need. I want to have a certain amount of loft so I can get more ball speed. The more loft you have, the less ball speed you’ll have, because it’s not as flat a surface. “For me, with a driver, the most important thing is that when I feel like I make a good swing and hit it off the center, does it do what I want it to do? And I’ve seen that very consistently through the four or five days that I’ve had it. I don’t worry about the mishits as much, because the mishits are mishits. But if you can tighten dispersion a little bit with those, great.” Click here to purchase. Click here to purchase.

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Odyssey first unveiled its new Stroke Lab Ten putters at A Military Tribute at the Greenbrier, and since then, the company reports that it has become its No. 1 putter model on the PGA TOUR. Among those who have switched into a Stroke Lab Ten putter is Phil Mickelson, who put a custom version in play at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. Just over a month after first launching the Stroke Lab Ten on the PGA TOUR, Odyssey has already announced a release date to the public. The new Stroke Lab Ten, and its new Bird of Prey model, will become available at retail on Nov. 1, selling for $299.99 each. In a vidcast as part of an Odyssey media briefing provided to PGATOUR.COM, Odyssey putter designer and former TaylorMade executive Sean Toulon addressed the similarities between the Stroke Lab Ten design, and TaylorMade’s Spider putter, which is another popular model used on TOUR. Talking with Odyssey’s Luke Williams, Toulon had this to say: “We like a lot of the (Odyssey) No. 7 shape, and obviously, this will look to you, to a lot of people seeing this for the first time, like a (TaylorMade) Spider, which has been a shape that golfers have liked, that we felt we could really improve upon.� By adding weights to the rear portion of the soles of the Stroke Lab Ten putters, Odyssey says it was able to create a putter with “extremely high MOI,� or moment of inertia, without making an oversized head. The putters also have new Microhinge Star Inserts that have a firmer feel, according to Odyssey, but have the same roll characteristics as the company’s previous White Hot Microhinge inserts. For better alignment, Odyssey has singular white lines on the crowns of the Stroke Lab Ten and Bird of prey putters, juxtaposing the matte black finish of the heads. Odyssey calls this a “hi-def� alignment system. The Stroke Lab Ten and Bird of Prey putters each come equipped with Odyssey’s multi-material Stroke Lab shaft, which is designed to help improve tempo and consistency throughout the stroke. Since the shaft is lighter than a steel shaft, the weight saved is redistributed into the putter head and the end of the grip. For more photos of the putters, click here.

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