Equipment

SPOTTED: Rickie Fowler’s unreleased Cobra King Tour irons in Napa

Published

1 year ago

Sep 13, 2022

Rickie Fowler showed up at Silverado Resort and Spa on Tuesday ahead of the 2022 Fortinet Championship with a new set of unreleased Cobra King Tour prototype irons (4-PW) in the bag.

During an interview with GolfWRX, Fowler revealed he’s switching into the new irons this week after testing three different models of irons: an MB (muscleback), a CB (cavity back), and the King Tour that he had in the bag Tuesday.

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Here’s what Fowler had to say on the new irons:

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“[Cobra Tour Rep Ben Schomin] and the guys built me up a few new sets. Some of our new MBs, a CB, and then a King Tour. These ones are definitely bigger than what I’m used to, but I was also excited to hit them to see…I knew they were going to be more forgiving, but I also wanted to make sure the numbers were as consistent, make sure there wasn’t going to be any higher spin, or lower spin depending on contact.

“I took them out, did a day of testing between the MB, CB and the King Tour. I saw one with a wider sole a little more bounce in the front half. Super clean and quick through the turf. Numbers were very consistent, all the lofts and lies were the same, so I wasn’t using different lofts. All the numbers as far as distances – everything you look at as far as when you’re testing irons. They were very consistent.

“One of the things that I did like and what I saw, mishits a little off center, or a little low on the face, or heel-toe bias, really stable. Especially the ones a groove or two low, the misses weren’t as short. I’d see some, if I hit the MB or the CB a little thin, distances could drop anywhere from 7, 8, 9 yards. I was seeing these more in the 4, 5, 6 [range]. A few yards here and there can make a big difference.

“Overall, I just saw more forgiveness, but at the same time, keeping the characteristics that I want with flight and spin. We’re going to give them a go.

“Cavity backs have been in and around every once in a while, but I’ve been primarily blades or MBs. Always have loved the look and the feel, but if I’m able to basically get still a great look, really good feel with these. It feels like there’s a lot of mass behind it, but at the same time get a little more forgiveness, why make it harder on yourself?”

For more photos of Rickie Fowler’s irons, click here!

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Andrew Tursky

He played on the Hawaii Pacific University Men's Golf team and earned a Masters degree in Communications. He also played college golf at Rutgers University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.

6 Comments

Pingback: Club Junkie Review: Cobra’s new King Tour irons - Fly Pin High
Pingback: Club Junkie Review: Cobra’s New King Tour irons – GolfWRX
Bhickey

Sep 14, 2022 at 5:31 pm

Ain’t nothin gonna fix Rickie. He’s toast. Go LIV Rickie.

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Frank

Sep 14, 2022 at 12:08 pm

He needs forgiving clubs hes in a real slump right now. Those clubs look like a good match for me Mr. 10 handicap.

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pi

Sep 13, 2022 at 10:55 pm

Well, at least that sounds a bit smarter then when he produced the ultra thin copper blades he himself ditched in no time. Maybe this time he will switch gear less often than his socks..

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- Brandon
  
  Sep 15, 2022 at 11:07 pm
  
  Those rev33 blades were the beginning of his downfall.
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Spotted: TaylorMade Qi10 driver joins Qi10 LS on USGA conforming list

Published

17 hours ago

Nov 27, 2023

Brian Knudson

This is the time of year when most of us are searching for photos and details on next year’s golf equipment. Fortunately, what appear to be TaylorMade’s new drivers have made it onto the USGA conforming list. Last week, we reported on the Qi10 LS driver (which Rory McIlroy put in play at the DP World Tour Championship). This week, TaylorMade’s Qi10 has appeared on the “List of Conforming Driver Heads.”

TaylorMade has chosen “Qi10” as the driver name and as of now, there are two different models that are approved for play by the USGA. The folks in Carlsbad aren’t giving out any official information on the new clubs, but we can speculate some things from the photos we have seen.

TaylorMade Qi10 LS

This driver looks to replace the Stealth 2 Plus that is currently in the lineup. We will assume the LS is the lower spin model as it has a moveable weight on the sole up near the face. Moving weight forward (towards the face) usually shifts the center of gravity forward to lower the spin rate and launch angle. The weight and its adjustment have changed from the Stealth 2, and it looks like TaylorMade is using a similar sliding weight as in the Stealth 2 Plus fairway woods. A single screw is attached to the sole, and when a golfer loosens it, the weight slides towards the toe for more fade bias or towards the heel to promote a draw.

In front of the weight is TaylorMade’s Speed Pocket slot that helps keep ball speed up on shots struck low on the face. What looks like a single weight is on the back of the driver (away from the face) just like the SIM and Stealth models before. The sole still has the “Carbonwood” logo on it, and we can assume the sole plate, crown, and face will all be made from carbon fiber. Yes, the face is carbon fiber on the Qi10 LS, but it is painted blue instead of red, and we can be pretty sure that a revised Twist Face technology will be part of the design.

TaylorMade Qi10

If you need a little more spin, launch, and forgiveness, then the Qi10 driver might be a better fit than the Qi10 LS head. The standard Qi10 should replace the Stealth 2 driver that was so popular with us amateur golfers, as well as getting some play on tour.

The big difference between this head and the Qi10 LS is the lack of a movable weight on the sole. There is a smaller weight on the sole, near the heel of the driver, that adds a little draw bias to the head, but it is likely mostly used for dialing in the swing weight of the driver when it is built at the factory. This Qi10 looks to have a similar weight in the back of the driver, but it looks to be a little larger and takes up a little more space on the sole. This larger weight could add some stability and forgiveness, as well as helping increase the launch compared to the Qi10 LS.

You can also see more of the ring that goes around the driver — on the Stealth 2 it was called the Carbon Reinforced Composite Ring — that helps bring all of the carbon panels together. The ring looks to be larger than the one on the LS model, potentially moving more mass to the outside of the club head for greater MOI.

Both drivers look to be going with a gloss black finish and black and white accent colors. This will give them a more subtle look from the Stealth and Stealth 2 red that some people were not fans of. The blue carbon faces on the drivers blends in well, and I think will not be noticeable when you are out on the course.

A final note: Tiger Woods is rumored to be putting the Qi10 driver in play at this week’s Hero World Challenge, which he was spotted with at last week’s Bridgestone Golf commercial shoot. GolfWRX will certainly be keeping its collective eyes peeled.

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