Equipment
Cobra Design Lab offers totally custom Bio Cell+ drivers
One of the most impressive performers in our 2014 Gear Trials: Best Drivers club test was Cobra’s Bio Cell+ driver, even though it didn’t crack the top-5 in our “Distance-First,” “Forgiveness-First” and Balanced Performance” categories.
How do we explain that? The No. 1 reason for the snubbing of the Bio Cell+ was the solid performance of the Bio Cell driver, which offers more forgiveness than the Bio Cell+ thanks to its 20cc-larger head size, as well as a very similar launch and spin.
For some players who struggle to keep their spin down, however, the Bio Cell+ driver will be a better choice. Its smaller head and Venollum alloy crown insert lower the driver’s center of gravity, which can knock off about 300-to-500 rpm of spin depending on a golfer’s swing characteristics and contact point. That can lead to quite a few more yards if the driver is properly fit.
Above: A stock Bio Cell+ driver in orange.
Although looks don’t play a factor in our Gear Trials testing process, several members of our panel of custom fitters expressed concern over the look of the Bio Cell+’s dual-colored crown. That’s why Cobra’s new Design Lab makes so much sense. It allows the minority of players who need the Bio Cell+’s low-spin performance — they ones who are usually the pickiest about the looks and shafts in their driver, by the way — to customize the head, shaft and grip of the driver to their preference.
Choosing a blue Venollum insert resulted in Cobra adding blue paint fill to the sole of the driver.
Pricing starts as low as $449, which allows golfers to choose two different head colors (white and black), as well as eight different Venollum insert colors. Those insert colors can be customized to have different patterns as well, such as “Matte,” “Bio Cell,” “Matte DigiCamo” and “Marble.”
Cobra also offers 39 different grips options and 58 different shaft options, some of which have an upcharge. There’s even a special requests section, where golfers can specify how much the want the shaft tipped and how golfers would like Cobra to align the driver’s shaft and grip logos (logo up, logo down, and if golfers want those alignments to correspond to a specific MyFly8 loft and lie angle setting).
Cobra sent me a custom Bio Cell+ to show off just how detailed the Design Lab is. I opted for a Bio Cell+ with a black crown and a blue marble Venollum insert. The shaft is a Mitsubishi Rayon Kai’li 70X ($150 upcharge) tipped 1 inch at 45.5 inches, which is 0.25 inches longer than Cobra’s stock loft. The shaft and Golf Pride Z-Cord grip ($5 upcharge) are alignmed to be logo down in the driver’s 9.5-degree setting.
To experience the Cobra Design Lab for yourself, click here.
Click here to see what GolfWRX Members are saying about Cobra’s Design Lab in our forum.
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head
From the seller: (@lasallen): “For sale is a BRNR mini 11.5 deg head only in brand new condition. $325 shipped.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: TaylorMade BRNR mini driver head
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (4/18/24): Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.
It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.
Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, there is a listing for a Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made.
From the seller: (@DLong72): “Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made. ?: $1150. ?? 100% milled collectors item from the limited releases commemorating when Ping putters won every major in 1988 (88 putters made). This was the model Seve Ballesteros used to win the 1988 Open Championship. Condition is brand new, never gamed, everything is in the original packaging as it came. Putter features the iconic sound slot.
Specs/ Additional Details
-100% Milled, Aluminum/Bronze Alloy (310g)
-Original Anser Design
-PING PP58 Grip
-Putter is built to standard specs.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Ping PLD Limited Anser – 1988 Open Championship – #2 of only 88 Made
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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Equipment
Inside Collin Morikawa’s recent golf ball, driver, 3-wood, and “Proto” iron changes
As you probably know by now, Collin Morikawa switched putters after the first round of The Masters, and he ultimately went on to finish T3.
The putter was far from the only change he made last week, however, and his bag is continuing to change this week at the 2024 RBC Heritage.
On the range of The Masters, Morikawa worked closely with Adrian Reitveld, TaylorMade’s Senior Manager of Tour at TaylorMade, to find the perfect driver and 3-wood setups.
Morikawa started off 2024 by switching into TaylorMade’s Qi10 Max driver, but since went back to his faithful TaylorMade SIM – yes, the original SIM from 2020. Somehow, some way, it seems Morikawa always ends up back in that driver, which he used to win the 2020 PGA Championship, and the 2021 Open Championship.
At The Masters, however, Rietveld said the duo found the driver head that allowed “zero compromise” on Morikawa’s preferred fade flight and spin. To match his preferences, they landed on a TaylorMade Qi10 LS 9-degree head, and the lie angle is a touch flatter than his former SIM.
“It’s faster than his gamer, and I think what we found is it fits his desired shot shape, with zero compromise” Rietveld told GolfWRX.com on Wednesday at the RBC Heritage.
Then, to replace his former SIM rocket 3-wood, Morikawa decided to switch into the TaylorMade Qi10 core model 13.5-degree rocket head, with an adjustable hosel.
“He likes the spin characteristics of that head,” Rietveld said. “Now he’s interesting because with Collin, you can turn up at a tournament, and you look at his 3-wood, and he’s changed the setting. One day there’s more loft on it, one day there’s less loft on it. He’s that type of guy. He’s not scared to use the adjustability of the club.
“And I think he felt our titanium head didn’t spin as low as his original SIM. So we did some work with the other head, just because he liked the feel of it. It was a little high launching, so we fit him into something with less loft. It’s a naughty little piece of equipment.”
In addition to the driver and fairway wood changes, Morikawa also debuted his new “MySymbol” jersey No. 5 TP5x golf ball at The Masters. Morikawa’s choice of symbols is likely tied to his love of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.
Not enough changes for you? There’s one more.
On Wednesday at the 2024 RBC Heritage, Morikawa was spotted with a new TaylorMade “Proto” 4-iron in the bag. If you recall, it’s the same model that Rory McIlroy debuted at the 2024 Valero Texas Open.
According to Morikawa, the new Proto 4-iron will replace his old P-770 hollow-bodied 4-iron.
“I used to hit my P-770 on a string, but sometimes the distance would be a little unpredictable,” Morikawa told GolfWRX.com. “This one launches a touch higher, and I feel I can predict the distance better. I know Rory replaced his P-760 with it. I’m liking it so far.”
See Morikawa’s full WITB from the 2024 RBC Heritage here.
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RAT
May 19, 2014 at 5:38 pm
This is a turn to the right direction , but we want a gut bust,n bad hombre of a driver that not only does it look the part it is the part distance and roll out.But 500 bucks ain’t going to cut it.This needs to be a Henry Ford priced monster.. Lead the rest don’t follow..
Mat
May 19, 2014 at 1:32 pm
As for everyone offering it, I’d really like to see stickers for IRONS. Little cutouts that sit in there and change the whole look. There have been a few sticker companies for drivers, and they haven’t seemed to catch on. I think OEMs might have better luck because who wants to screw with a driver… but wedges get stamped and no one cares. I think those stamps look very cheap, and would love to see more finished, higher quality ways to individualize.
paul
May 20, 2014 at 9:11 am
I can’t tell if this is sarcastic… Stickers? Really?
Mat
May 19, 2014 at 1:29 pm
No way to change total club head mass without tape… no thanks.
Curt
May 19, 2014 at 1:18 pm
All the manufacturers need to offer this……..