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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Whats in the Bag
Steve Stricker WITB 2024 (April)
- Steve Stricker WITB accurate as of the Zurich Classic. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist TSR3 (9 degrees, C4 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 7.2 X
3-wood: Titleist 915F (13.5 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei CK Pro White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist 816 H1 (17 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Motore Speeder VC 9.2 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (3, 4), Titleist T100 (5-9)
Shafts: Project X 6.5
Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM8 (46-10F @55), Titleist Vokey SM10 (54-10S @53), Titleist Vokey SM4 (60 @59)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 w/Sensicore
Putter: Odyssey White Hot No. 2
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Grip Rite
Check out more in-hand photos of Steve Stricker’s clubs here.
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Whats in the Bag
Alex Fitzpatrick WITB 2024 (April)
- Alex Fitzpatrick what’s in the bag accurate as of the Zurich Classic.
Driver: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Black 7 X
Hybrid: Ping G430 (19 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 10 TX
Irons: Ping iCrossover (2), Titleist T100 (4-PW)
Shafts: Fujikura Ventus Black HB 9 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 120 X (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (50-12F, 56-12D, 60-08M)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus 3 Tour 120 X
Putter: Bettinardi SS16 Dass
Grips: Golf Pride MCC
Check out more in-hand photos of Alex Fitzpatrick’s clubs here.
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Equipment
What’s the perfect mini-driver/shaft combo? – GolfWRXers discuss
In our forums, our members have been discussing Mini-Drivers and accompanying shafts. WRXer ‘JamesFisher1990’ is about to purchase a BRNR Mini and is torn on what shaft weight to use, and our members have been sharing their thoughts and set ups in our forum.
Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.
- PARETO: “New BRNR at 13.5. Took it over to TXG (Club Champ but TXG will always rule) in Calgary for a fit. Took the head down to 12, stuck in a Graphite Design AD at 3 wood length and 60g. Presto- numbers that rivaled my G430Max but with waaaaay tighter dispersion. Win.”
- driveandputtmachine: “Still playing a MIni 300. The head was only 208, so I ordered a heavier weight and play it at 3 wood length. I am playing a Ventus Red 70. I play 70 grams in my fairways. I use it mainly to hit draws off the tee. When I combine me, a driver, and trying to hit a draw it does not work out well most of the time. So the MIni is for that. As an aside, I have not hit the newest BRNR, but the previous model wasn’t great off the deck. The 300 Mini is very good off the deck.”
- JAM01: “Ok, just put the BRNR in the bag along side a QI10 max and a QI10 3 wood. A load of top end redundancy. But, I have several holes at my two home courses where the flight and accuracy of the mini driver helps immensely. Mine is stock Proforce 65 at 13.5, I could see a heavier shaft, but to normal flex, as a nice alternative.”
Entire Thread: “What’s the perfect Mini-Driver/Shaft combo? – GolfWRXers discuss”
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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……..