The mini driver class continues to develop and COBRA’s KING TEC-MD arrives with a well-known tech bundle and one of the vital adjustable setups we’ve seen.
What time is it? It’s mini driver time!
What began as a distinct segment PGA Tour-driven experiment has slowly labored its means into the luggage of higher amateurs—and, more and more, into the broader shopper dialog. With the revealing of the KING TEC-MD, COBRA Golf is formally getting into the mini driver area.
And, sure, they’re little late to the sport.
That mentioned, the class itself remains to be in its relative infancy. Adoption is rising, curiosity is rising, and extra choices usually profit the patron so I assume what I’m saying is, higher late than by no means.
COBRA’s tackle the mini driver (KING TEC-MD) doesn’t reinvent the idea however it does lean closely on adjustability, becoming and flexibility in ways in which ought to resonate with golfers of various skill ranges.
Execs vs. Common Joes
Mini drivers aren’t catching on as a result of common golfers immediately determined they wished smaller heads. The momentum began on Tour.
Over the previous 12 months, an growing variety of Tour gamers have experimented with mini drivers as managed tee-shot options, notably on programs the place the usual dispersion patterns produced by a full-sized driver could be a legal responsibility. The smaller footprint, shorter shaft and added workability make the mini driver a compelling possibility when accuracy issues greater than uncooked distance.
However what works for Tour gamers doesn’t all the time translate cleanly to amateurs.
COBRA appears properly conscious of that. Whereas Tour validation helps legitimize the class, the KING TEC-MD is clearly positioned as a membership for golfers who need extra management off the tee with out fully giving up distance. It’s aimed squarely at gamers who battle to maintain a 460cc driver in play however nonetheless need one thing sooner and extra forgiving than a 3-wood.
In that sense, I suppose the KING TEC-MD is predictably just like different mini driver choices.
A small-ish mini
At 303cc, the KING TEC-MD is 23cc bigger than the Titleist GT280, a virtually imperceptible 2cc smaller than TaylorMade’s and PXG’s choices, however nonetheless significantly smaller than Callaway’s outsized mini driver.
Just like the others, the KING TEC-MINI sits comfortably between driver and fairway wooden territory. Pair that with a 43.75-inch shaft (nearer to fairway-wood size than trendy driver spec) and also you get a membership that’s simpler to regulate than a full-size driver.
That’s the sort of efficiency attribute that interprets to just about each golfer.
The inventory loft is 13.5 levels, which reinforces the purpose. No one is anticipating max distance off the tee with a mini. The thought is to tighten dispersion whereas preserving sufficient distance to place you in good place off the tee. For golfers who routinely membership all the way down to a 3-wood (which knowledge suggests is not any extra correct off the tee than a driver), the enchantment of a real-world accuracy profit needs to be apparent.
Not a lot new, and that’s simply nice
The KING TEC-MD borrows acquainted parts from the model’s metalwood lineup and packages them in a mini-driver format.
The KING TEC-MD’s titanium physique is paired with a light-weight carbon crown that enables mass to be redistributed decrease within the head. The result’s a extra playable launch window with some forgiveness regardless of the smaller head dimension.
Ball pace comes courtesy of a PWRSHELL face insert with H.O.T. Face Expertise. By increasing the high-CT space across the middle of the face, COBRA is aiming to guard ball pace on off-center strikes.
Once more, not new, however nonetheless totally related.
CG (and by extension, trajectory) tuning is dealt with through two interchangeable sole weights: a 12-gram heavy weight and a two-gram mild weight. Inserting the heavier weight ahead lowers spin and promotes a extra penetrating flight whereas positioning it within the rear will increase MOI and forgiveness. In a class the place small CG shifts can have a significant affect on efficiency, that adjustability issues.
As with different COBRA metalwoods, you additionally get FutureFit33 hosel adjustability.
COBRA’s FutureFit33 hosel affords 33 impartial loft and lie combos, permitting golfers to regulate loft and lie by as much as +/- two levels in each course. For a mini driver, the place launch, spin and directional bias have to be dialed in exactly, FF33’s becoming flexibility is a official differentiator.
A aspect word about FF33: Typically, COBRA finds that higher gamers have a tendency to suit into one of many extra central settings (smaller trajectory modifications) whereas common golfers (and maybe beneath common golfers as properly) usually profit from the extra excessive settings.
A late, however logical, market entry
It’s truthful to surprise why COBRA waited this lengthy. Different producers have already examined the waters and validated shopper curiosity. From the surface, the delay feels curious—particularly for a model that’s traditionally been on the forefront of innovation.
Nonetheless, timing isn’t every little thing.
Mini drivers aren’t a passing fad however they’re additionally not absolutely mainstream. The class is rising intentionally, largely amongst golfers who perceive the issue they’re attempting to unravel. In that context, COBRA’s entry feels much less like taking part in catch-up and extra like arriving with a totally fashioned, extremely adjustable possibility.
Between the movable weight system and the FutureFit33 hosel, there are many causes to at the very least give this one a glance.
Backside line
COBRA could also be late to the mini driver dialog however the KING TEC-MD makes a reputable case for itself. It’s Tour-inspired with out being Tour-only, adjustable with out being gimmicky, and versatile sufficient to earn a spot in luggage the place a fairway wooden (and, in some circumstances, a full-sized driver) isn’t the fitting device.
For golfers who perceive the worth of management off the tee and wish becoming flexibility in a compact bundle, COBRA’s first mini driver arrives late—however absolutely fashioned.
Specs, pricing and availability
The COBRA KING TEC-MD encompasses a 303cc head and comes customary in 13.5 levels of loft, paired with a 43.75-inch shaft. Inventory shaft choices embody the Mitsubishi Kai’li, with customized builds accessible utilizing any 3-wood–size shaft by COBRA’s customized program.
Retail pricing is $479.
The KING TEC-MD can be accessible for pre-sale starting Jan. 12 with in-store and full retail availability beginning Jan. 16.
For extra info, go to COBRAGolf.com.
The publish COBRA’s KING TEC Mini Driver Is Lastly Right here. Is It Value The Wait? appeared first on MyGolfSpy.
