Equipment
Cobra Fly Z, Fly Z+ and Fly Z Pro Irons
What do golfers really want from a new set of irons? More distance? More forgiveness? Better looks? Awesome feel? Before Cobra went about designing its new family of irons, its leadership wanted the answers from real golfers.
The consensus? Easy-to-hit irons were important, but feel also scored high in the minds of golfers. With that in mind, Cobra built the Fly-Z family of irons with a focus on feel.
Fly-Z Pro Irons
The Rickie Fowler’s.
If the Fly-Z Pro’s look like the AMP Cell Pro’s to you with a “Fly-Z” badge on them, that observation isn’t terribly far off. According to Cobra, Fowler loves his irons, and doesn’t want to change too much.
[quote_box_center]”Other irons feel crisp, ours feel soft,” Fowler says.[/quote_box_center]
There is one major difference between the AMP Cell Pro irons and the Fly-Z Pro’s, however, which better golfers will notice and tour professionals have had in their irons for years. The Fly-Z Pro’s have a tungsten screw in the toe, a trick that Rickie Fowler uses in his irons to move the center of gravity toward the center of the face, away from the heel.
To improve feel, Cobra uses a five-press forging process, giving the 1020 Carbon Steel forged irons consistent weight, texture and smooth feel throughout the set. They also have milled faces for spin control and small blade lengths with minimal offset — exactly what you’d expect from a tour-caliber iron.
The Fly-Z Pro’s employ a progressive flow-set design — from full muscle (9-PW), to single cavity in the 7-8 irons, to dual cavity in the 3-6 irons. A full set of muscleback irons can be ordered through Cobra’s custom department.
The Fly-Z Pro’s ($899, 3-PW) will be available March 1 and come stock with True Temper Dynamic Gold S400 shafts.
Fly-Z+ Irons
If the thought of blades scares you, but you’re a better player looking for a forged feel, the Fly-Z+ irons are a good iron to test.
The majority of complaints about last year’s Bio Cell+ irons were that they were clanky, clunky and clicky. Cobra took note, and decided to make some changes that will benefit feel players and add a bit more distance and forgiveness as well.
Cobra uses the same 5-press forging process in the Fly-Z+ irons — as well as the same 1020 Carbon Steel — to give them a softer, blade-like feel. There’s also an array of engineering improvements throughout the set for more forgiveness and control where golfers need it.
The mid-to-long irons (3-8) have milled undercuts behind the face to increase perimeter weighting, which leads to more forgiveness on off-center hits. The 3-7 irons have three tungsten weights in the toe and one in the heel to further improve forgiveness on mishits. The tungsten weights also move the center of gravity closer to the center of the face, which improves feel and energy transfer. To further improve feel, each iron has a thermoplastic urethane (TPU) insert with an aluminum backplate that reduces vibrations.
Fly-Z+ irons ($899, 3-PW) will be in stores March 1 and come stock with KBS’ Tour shaft.
Fly-Z Irons
Cobra’s Fly-Z irons have deep undercuts behind their face, creating a hollow-back design that improves ball speed (for more distance) and adds forgiveness.
The irons also have Cobra’s new Speed Channels on their soles and faces — you might recall them from the company’s Fly-Z driver and woods line — which help the club faces flex more at impact for more distance.
In order to dampen the sound and feel from the hollow-body construction, Cobra used a harmonic insert in the cavity behind the face.
The Fly-Z irons have the wide soles that are typical of game-improvement irons, but use thinner top lines, medium offset and a more compact shape than previous models for a better look at address.
Cobra also used what it calls progressive spin technology in the irons. The long irons (3-6) have V-grooves for more distance, while the shorter irons (7-PW) have U-shaped grooves for more spin.
The Fly-Z irons ($699, 4-PW) are available in Black, Blue, Orange, Red and White, and will be in retail stores on March 1. Combo sets that include Cobra’s Fly-Z hybrids are also available.
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- Kris Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @7)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 60 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (15 degrees @13.5)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (2, 4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 56-12SB, 60-11TW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 WV 125
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.
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TaylorMade is continuing its UDI/DHY series with the successor to the Stealth UDI and DHY utility irons: PUDI and PDHY (which the company styles as P·UDI and P·DHY). TaylorMade is folding the designs in with its P Series of irons.
TaylorMade outlined the process of developing its new utilities this way. The company started with the data on utility iron usage. Not surprisingly, better players — i.e. those who generate more clubhead speed and strike the ball more precisely — were found to gravitate toward the UDI model. DHY usage, however, covered a wider swath than the company might have expected with six-to-18 handicappers found to be bagging the club.
TaylorMade also found that the majority of golfers playing UDI or DHY utilities were playing P Series irons at the top of their iron configurations.
Can you see where this is going?
Matt Bovee, Director of Product Creation, Iron and Wedge at TaylorMade: “As we look to the future, beyond the tech and the design language, we are excited about repositioning our utility irons into the P·Series family. P·UDI is an easy pair for players that currently play P·Series product and P·DHY is an extremely forgiving option for players of all skill levels. It is a natural fit to give these players the performance in this category that they are looking for.”
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TaylorMade PUDI
TaylorMade PUDI technology cutaway (via TaylorMade)
Crafted with tour player input, TaylorMade sought to develop a confidence-inspiring utility iron that blends with the rest of the P Series irons. Also of note: Interestingly, the PUDI has a more compact head than the P790.
In comparison to past UDI products, the PUDI has a more traditional iron shape, slimmer toplines, and less offset with a little of the backbar visible at address.
TaylorMade PDHY
TaylorMade PDHY tech cutaway (via TaylorMade).
Larger in profile than the PUDI, the PDHY seeks to position center of gravity (CG) lower in the club for ease of launch. The toe height is larger and the profile is larger at address — roughly five millimeters longer than PUDI — the sole of the club is wider for improved forgiveness.
Club Junkie’s take
Golfers who feel like they are missing something at the top of the bag could find the PUDI or PDHY a great option. The look of the PUDI should fit the most discerning eye with a more compact look, less offset, and a thinner topline. If you want a little more confidence looking down the P-DHY will be slightly larger while still being a good-looking utility iron.
For being small packages both models pack a pretty good punch with fast ball speeds, even off-center. The feel is soft and you get a solid feel of the ball compressing off the face when you strike it well. Your ears are greeted with a nice heavy thud as the ball and club come together. The PDHY will launch a little higher for players who need it while the PUDI offers a more penetrating ball flight. Both utility irons could be the cure for an open spot in the top end of the bag.
PUDI, PDHY, or Rescue?
TaylorMade offers the following notes to assist golfers in filling out their bags:
- PUDI has mid-CG right behind the center face to create a more penetrating mid-to-low ball flight
- PDHY has a lower center of gravity to produce an easier-to-launch mid-to-high ball flight.
- Both PUDI and PDHY are lower-flying than the company’s hybrid/Rescue clubs.
- PUDI is more forgiving than P790.
- PDHY is the most forgiving iron in the entire TaylorMade iron family
Pricing, specs, and availability
Price: $249.99
At retail: Now
Stock shafts: UST Mamiya’s Recoil DART (105 X, 90 S and 75 R – only in PDHY)
Stock grip: Golf Pride’s ZGrip (black/grey)
PUDI lofts: 2-17°, 3-20°, 4-22° in both left and right-handed
PDHY lofts: 2-18°, 3-20° and 4-22° in both left and right-handed
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/3/24): Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
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 Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
From the seller: (@wwcl): “Has been gamed as pics show. 33.5 includes original h/c and grip. $575 includes shipping and PP fees.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
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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M-Herd4
Feb 19, 2016 at 3:50 pm
Just switched from Ping S55’s to the FLY-Z’s and couldn’t be happier. I needed something a little more forgiving and I got it. So impressed that I ended up replacing my entire bag of Ping’s with Cobra’s for this year. They look better, feel better, sound better, and launch better. I’m excited for the season to start!
Scott
Oct 2, 2015 at 9:45 pm
Not a huge cobra fan but the fly z pros look unreal so figured I had to try them out, currently rocking 712 CB/mb combos. Went to local golf town to try the new 716’s and these fly z pros.WOW! These clubs are pure!!! Best feeling irons I’ve ever felt, forgiving, long and the weight differential is perfect. Didn’t think it would ever happen but Can’t wait to pick up a set during Christmas! Good job cobra
tom
Jan 31, 2015 at 4:21 pm
When are the fly z+ irons going to be available?
Flow
Feb 2, 2015 at 11:47 am
@tom I believe March 1st.
Flow
Jan 30, 2015 at 10:05 am
I hit the Z+ irons at the PGA Show last week and they are real nice! I have the AMP Forged Irons and love them. The Z+ irons have a slightly thinner top line and were carrying 5-7 yards further then my AMP’s. I will be updating this spring!!!
Jonny B
Jan 29, 2015 at 2:53 pm
I sure hope these feel better than the Bio Cell+ irons I demoed last year. Almost had to have wrist surgery after a couple mishits on those suckers.
Horror
Jan 29, 2015 at 2:28 am
What is that, an inverted cone? The horror!
Bob
Jan 28, 2015 at 1:56 pm
The pro model looks really great. I play 714 AP2’s now can you compare the forgiveness to the ap2’s
ck
Jan 28, 2015 at 1:10 pm
Jason-you can typically order sets in any combination you desire through the Cobra Custom dept.
Your local golf shop that carries Cobra Puma products should be able to help you.
Jason
Jan 28, 2015 at 12:51 pm
These look like a great iron, haven’t hit Cobra irons but I love my bio cell 3 wood and hybrid. I would really love it if sets configured 5-A wedge were offered, I have no need for a 3 or 4 iron in my set of irons and I would think with the ease of hitting hybrids most people would agree. This would make the sets cheaper and I would be able to upgrade more often and for better prices.