Equipment

Cobra unveils new King Tour, King CB and King MB irons

Published

1 year ago

Jan 12, 2023

Cobra Golf has today unveiled the new King Tour and King CB and MB irons.

Aimed at advanced players, a traditional forged muscleback (King MB), compact muscle cavity back (King CB), and a technical cavity back model (King Tour) cover the full spectrum of golfers who value feel, feedback, and shot shaping ability.

All three new models are crafted from 1025 carbon steel using Cobra’s 5-Step Forging Process. While other forged irons have traditionally used a four-step process, Cobra utilizes a fifth forging strike in design to deliver unmatched soft feel and precision shaping.

The forging process begins by heating carbon steel billets to 1200-degree Celsius. The billets are then Rough Forged three times (steps 1-3), a process in which the metal is bent and forged to form the rough shaping of an iron head. Step Four involves applying

1200 tons of pressure at 800-degrees Celsius to each rough clubhead, refining the shapes and placing detail lines and logos.

During the final fifth step, each iron head is subjected to 2000 tons of pressure at 700-degrees Celsius, forming an extremely uniform and isotropic internal grain structure. After cooling, each clubhead is polished and made ready for the faces and grooves to be precision milled using a CNC (Computer Numerical Controlled) machine.

“The five-step forging process is critical to both the feel produced at impact by each of our new King irons as well the consistency of performance. Players who desire the feel of forged want a soft sensation at impact rather than one that’s overly crisp, and our process delivers the desired sensation.

“But forgings can also be lacking in consistency due to the challenges involved in the forging process, all of which we’ve improved on by creating forged irons with superior precision from clubhead to clubhead. Players who favor forged irons now have the option to enjoy all the benefits of a forging with the consistency normally associated with cast products.” – Tom Olsavsky, Vice President of R&D for Cobra Golf

King Tour Irons

Unlike the CB and MB irons which are one-piece forgings, the Tour irons feature an aluminum medallion, and a TPU insert in the back cavity.

A key to the enhanced forgiveness and overall performance of Cobra’s new Tour iron are CNC undercuts in the back cavity of each iron, which allow weight to be repositioned from high center to lower center and heel and toe areas of the clubhead, in design to create improved launch conditions and more forgiveness on off center hits. These cavities progress from deeper in the long irons for enhanced stability, to shallower in the short irons for enhanced control.

To improve feel, each CNC undercut is filled with a soft TPU material and topped with an aluminum co-molded medallion, which both aim to damp vibration for a more pleasing sound and feel at impact.

The shaping of the Tour irons is progressively more compact than the King Forged TEC model, featuring a thinner topline and reduced offset.

The updated Tour shape also features a slightly shortened blade length than the previous King Tour MIM Irons to inspire improved control and workability. The Tour model also features 2 degree stronger lofts than the CB & MB irons in design to produce more explosive distance off the face.

The Tour irons are available in 3i-GW (RH/LH), with the stock set offered in 4-PW steel stiff, RH only.

King CB/MB Irons

The new King CB/MB irons feature the most compact shapes in the King lineup, and are built with attributes that better players typically desire including thinner toplines for aesthetics, minimal offset for control, thinner soles for precise turf interaction, and shorter blade lengths for enhanced shot-shaping ability.

Due to the precision of the 5-Step Forging Process, the CB and MB irons feature perfectly centered CG locations without the need for added Tungsten to manipulate the CG.

The CB irons have a more forgiving cavity back shape with slightly more offset, and the traditional MB muscle back offer players a variety of customizeable set configurations to fit their gapping and aesthetic preferences.

The stock set is available in a flow combo set that comes with the CB model in the 4-6 irons, and the MB model in the 7-PW (Steel Stiff, RH Only). Both CB (Cavity Back) and MB (Muscle Back) models are available as full CB or MB sets in 3i- GW through custom (Full CB sets are available in RH & LH, while MB are available in RH only 7-PW in LH).

Pricing & Availability

All three irons from Cobra are at retail from February 3rd with the King CB/MB irons costing $1199 per 7-piece set and King Tour irons costing $1299 per 7-piece set.

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Equipment

A shocking Backstryke putter appearance + 7 interesting gear photos from the Zurich Classic

Published

13 hours ago

Apr 25, 2024

Andrew Tursky

Welcome to New Orleans, where TPC Louisiana plays host to the 2024 Zurich Classic. In between breakfast beignets and nightly Creole feasts, PGA Tour players are also competing in the unique two-man format at the Zurich this week.

Although the vibes in Nawlins are a bit lighter-fare than the recent back-to-back competitions the Masters and the RBC Heritage signature event), the gear news was no less serious this week.

We spotted some recent changes from Rory McIlroy, a very rare Odyssey Backstryke putter, dove into the bag of legendary New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees, and spotted Patrick Cantlay continuing to test new equipment.

Get your beads out and crack your crawfish, because it’s time for an equipment rundown from The Big Easy (meaning New Orleans, of course, not Ernie Els).

See all of our photos from the Zurich Classic here

Rory’s on-and-off lob wedge

Since the end of 2023, Rory McIlroy has had an on-again, off-again relationship with a Titleist Vokey K-Grind lob wedge. In his last start, it was on, and the wedge is back in the bag again this week. We got a great look at the complicated grind that McIlroy uses.

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A full look into McIlroy’s bag above also shows that he switched out of the TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper that he used at the RBC Heritage, and he’s back into the Qi10 core 3-wood. As we discussed last week, McIlroy will likely keep the BRNR around as a course-specific club, trading it in and out for the 3-wood.

See Rory McIlroy’s full 2024 WITB from the Zurich here

Turning Back the clock

Unless Tommy Gainey is in the field, it’s unlikely you’ll ever see Odyssey’s Backstryke technology make an appearance on the PGA Tour.

But then, when you least expect it, Russ Cochran shows up.

For more than a decade – since the 2013 Sony Open in Hawai’i – Cochran has been stuck on 599 PGA Tour starts. This week will be his 600th.

Cochran is in the field at the Zurich this week playing alongside Eric Cole, whose regular caddie is Reed Cochran, Russ’s son.

The Backstryke putter was first released back in 2010, and its unique design helps shift the axis point of the putter closer to the CG of the head. And, the putter is getting a nod this week at the Zurich Classic, thanks to Cochran’s 600th career PGA Tour start.

The putter is certainly awesome, but don’t forget to check out Cochran’s full WITB from this week.

Drew Brees with a Super Bowl winning Scotty Cameron putter

Drew Brees, a legendary retired quarterback for the hometown New Orleans Saints, made an appearance at the Zurich’s Wednesday Pro-Am, playing alongside Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, and current Saints QB Derek Carr.

Brees’ bag included a TaylorMade Stealth2 Plus driver, a BRNR Mini 13.5-degree, a Stealth 5-wood, a mixed set of P-790 and P-760 irons, Milled Grind Hi-Toe wedges, and a custom Scotty Cameron “New Orleans Saints” putter, which Scotty made for Brees following his Super Bowl MVP-winning performance in 2010.

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It should also be noted that Brees has his Venmo QR code as a bag tag.

If you’re gambling with Brees on the course, just know that not having cash won’t work as an excuse.

Brilliant.

See Drew Brees’ full WITB from the Zurich here

Stricker’s unrecognizable putter

Steve Stricker has made numerous upgrades to his bag recently, including a new TSR3 driver and T100 irons, but his longtime Odyssey White Hot No. 2 putter is still going strong. It’s the most recognizable unrecognizable putter ever.

Here’s a better look at Stricker’s flatstick, which he started using back in 2007.

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Patrick Cantlay has opened the equipment-switching floodgates

Over on the PGA Tour’s Equipment Report this week, we covered Cantlay’s recent switch into Ping Blueprint S irons, and a Titleist TSR2 driver.

Cantlay hadn’t switched irons for about seven years, so the iron switch he made at The 2024 Masters came as a shock to the norm. He simply isn’t one to change gear very often, so anytime Cantlay makes a switch, it’s news.

It seems the floodgates of equipment testing have opened up a bit for Cantlay, who was also spotted testing a custom Scotty Cameron blade putter on Tuesday this week. By Wednesday, Cantlay was back practicing with his familiar Scotty Cameron T5 Proto mallet, but it’s certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Daniel Berger’s custom Jailbird site lines

Berger, who’s currently using Odyssey’s Ai-One Mini Jailbird mallet putter, has a unique 3-dot, 2-line alignment on the crown of his navy-white-navy-white mallet putter. Looking down at the putter, it’s easy to see why this alignment system would help; it just seems impossible to set up to the ball off-center, or misaligned to the target.

Also, for anyone worried, you can rest easy. Yes, he’s still playing the 2013 TaylorMade TP MC irons, which we highlighted in our recent “Modern Classics: Old vs. New” video testing series.

FitzMagic teams back up

Brothers Matthew and Alex Fitzpatrick are teaming up once again at the Zurich this year, and Bettinardi Golf hooked them up with some festive “FitzMagic” headcovers to match this week.

See what else is in Alex Fitzpatrick’s WITB here

And, with that, we say goodbye to the Zurich Classic in New Orleans. Don’t forget to check out all of our photos from this week, including 30 unique photo galleries full of equipment photos.

We’ll see you next week in Texas for the 2024 CJ Cup Byron Nelson!

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