Joel Tadman tests the new Cobra Radspeed drivers to discover if more golfers can now benefit from using a low-spinning driver. The Radspeed has some extreme front and back weighting claiming to offer low spin with forgiveness, but what are the sacrifices in performance if any? He also tests the Radspeed XB driver up against two older models to see how the performance has evolved.
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00:00 (golf club clacks)
00:03 - Hello everybody, Joel Tabman here from Golf Monthly
00:05 and welcome to a wintry Burley Park Golf Club
00:08 here in Stanford where I'm gonna be answering the question
00:10 as to whether you can now get away
00:12 with playing a low spin driver.
00:14 Historically, low spin drivers only really been
00:17 for very fast swingers or low handicap golfers
00:20 that use very little of the club face.
00:22 They're using the center of the face more often than not.
00:25 But is there a case now that more golfers
00:27 can benefit from low spin performance
00:30 without sacrificing accuracy out on the golf course?
00:33 That's the question I really wanna answer
00:34 with the launch of this new Cobra Rad Speed driver,
00:38 new for 2021, comes out at the end of January.
00:41 I've been giving this a thorough test
00:42 in its various different weight positions,
00:44 various different models,
00:45 up against the prior generation drivers as well
00:48 to see how the performance has evolved with this driver.
00:51 Are there distance gains to be had
00:52 without sacrificing accuracy
00:54 from the design of this new driver?
00:56 Let's find out.
00:57 (upbeat music)
00:59 Right, so Cobra Rad Speed driver,
01:10 all about pushing weight to the extremities
01:12 in terms of that front and back area,
01:14 getting it further away from the center of gravity,
01:17 giving you forgiveness, but with low spin
01:19 to maximize performance for different player types.
01:22 So you'll notice with this driver,
01:23 you've got two new weights here
01:25 right at the front of the head,
01:26 two eight-gram weights that are designed
01:29 to give you more ball speed and lower the spin.
01:30 And then you come back to the rear of the head,
01:33 you've got this Rad Speed weight right at the back,
01:35 similar to the speed back design we saw prior from Cobra,
01:39 dragging the mass low and back,
01:41 increasing launch, MOI, spin as well to give you forgiveness.
01:45 So you combine those two together,
01:46 you think it's the ideal blend of performance.
01:49 You've also got two adjustable weights here
01:51 in this standard model.
01:52 You've got a 12 and a two-gram weight,
01:53 which you can interchange if you want to
01:56 to adjust those launch and spin characteristics.
01:59 This is one of three models now from Cobra in the new range.
02:02 You've also got the XB model, which stands for extreme back.
02:05 So no adjustable weighting, more weight is back in that head
02:08 to give you more forgiveness and a bit more stability.
02:10 So that's really designed for players
02:12 that utilize more of the face
02:13 and really want more forgiveness from their driver.
02:16 Then you've also got a new XD model,
02:18 which stands for extreme draw.
02:19 So if you're struggling with a slice,
02:21 you should be able to get more distance
02:22 by opting for the XD model.
02:25 So it's really getting about distance
02:27 in different ways from this rad speed range.
02:30 The big question I want to answer, of course,
02:31 is can you get away with playing a low-spin driver like this
02:35 or how low-spinning is this driver
02:37 compared to the rest of the market?
02:38 So I gave these drivers a really thorough test
02:41 down at Foresight Sports HQ on the GC quad launch monitor
02:44 using Titleist Pro V1X golf balls.
02:46 And I'll flash the data up on your screen now
02:48 'cause I think it is really, really interesting.
02:50 And there's no question, this driver,
02:52 especially compared to the prior generation drivers
02:55 from Cobra, so the King F9 Speedback,
02:57 the King Speedzone drivers,
02:59 this driver is unquestionably lower-spinning
03:02 than those drivers.
03:04 And you'll notice, from that lower spin,
03:05 this driver was delivering me more distance on average
03:10 than those other drivers.
03:11 So this is all with the same shaft tested.
03:13 So I've got the new Fujikura Matora X-Dish shaft.
03:16 So I was able to retrofit this shaft
03:18 into those other drivers.
03:20 Same loft, so nine degrees of loft.
03:22 And my first impression was, well, okay,
03:23 it's great to get low spin,
03:25 but getting a spin number under that 2,000 RPM mark
03:29 is a little bit of a concern for me.
03:30 So obviously, there are ways you can
03:32 just raise the spin a little bit.
03:34 Certainly, I thought I needed to try and do that
03:36 to get it closer to optimum.
03:38 So I started by moving the 12-round weight
03:40 into the rear of the head.
03:42 And you'll notice from the numbers
03:43 how the spin really, really popped up there.
03:44 So I was expecting it to go up by one or 200 RPM,
03:47 but actually it went up by more like 400 to 500 RPM,
03:51 running about the 2,400 mark average.
03:53 And for me, that's a little bit too high, actually.
03:55 You notice the distance really came down.
03:57 The spin numbers were higher,
03:59 but they were more consistent.
04:00 And the flight was a lot more consistent as well.
04:02 So while I wasn't getting as much distance in that setting,
04:06 I was loving how straight the ball was going.
04:09 Then I tested the Cobra RadSpeed XB driver.
04:13 And typically, I've found that their extreme drivers,
04:16 so the Kingspeed Zone Extreme driver from last year,
04:19 you know, that was really, really too high spinning for me.
04:21 I lost about 10, 15 yards by switching into that driver
04:24 because it was too high spinning.
04:25 But actually, the XB driver gave me
04:27 a surprisingly good middle ground.
04:29 In a bit of a dilemma into which model I want to choose,
04:31 I'm kind of torn between this one and the XB.
04:33 They both perform very similar,
04:35 but I think the differences and the decision
04:37 will come down to the looks of these drivers,
04:39 because they do have two very different looks.
04:42 So I prefer the shorter look of this RadSpeed driver,
04:46 and also the matte finish on the crown,
04:48 I definitely prefer that,
04:49 versus the stretched out look of the XB driver.
04:53 This is a really, really cool looking driver.
04:56 It's got loads going on on the bottom.
04:57 You've got carbon fire panels,
04:58 you've got loads of weight ports.
05:00 That turbo yellow color really pops through.
05:03 Really, really cutting edge.
05:04 I love the look of the driver.
05:05 Feel and sound as well,
05:06 definitely improved with this driver.
05:08 I think, you know, where the King F9
05:10 was quite a low pitched thud sound,
05:14 and the King Speed Zone driver
05:16 was quite a loud high pitched sound,
05:17 this is somewhere in the middle,
05:18 I think Stripes are really nice middle ground
05:20 in terms of that feel and sound.
05:21 Feels really, really solid out the middle.
05:23 You've obviously got that Infinity face here,
05:25 which I think also helps a little bit
05:27 with alignment as well,
05:28 that kind of contrast between the crown
05:29 and that Infinity face,
05:31 the way it wraps over the top section of the crown,
05:33 just gives you a little bit more
05:34 alignment assistance on offer.
05:35 So, yeah, definitely food for thought there.
05:38 Wasn't confident as to which model would be best for me.
05:40 Yes, that low spin driver, in its low spin setting,
05:43 gave me the best average carry,
05:45 but I really wanted to find out
05:46 if that was playable out on the golf course.
05:49 (ball thuds)
05:52 Okay, so I've hit some shots here on the range
05:58 with this Cobra King Rad Speed driver
06:00 in its low spin setting,
06:01 and I've got to say, I was surprised
06:03 at how stable and consistent the ball flight was
06:06 in its low spin setting.
06:07 Yeah, I'm a five handicap golfer,
06:09 so I'm peppering kind of around the area
06:10 on the circle on the face where this Infinity logo is.
06:13 I'd say the ball flight was very, very straight,
06:15 very consistent.
06:16 On those kind of off-center hits,
06:19 especially in the toe, outside that area,
06:21 where you do see spin dropping off quite a lot,
06:23 yeah, there is a case to say,
06:24 yes, you are getting a bit more
06:26 kind of curvature to the left.
06:28 It's not quite as stable in that setting
06:30 on those slight off-center hits.
06:32 This driver does have more fade-bys built into it
06:36 than the other models,
06:37 which I think definitely helps me,
06:38 as a drawer of the golf ball,
06:39 achieve a more stable, neutral ball flight.
06:42 But, you know, switching the weights around,
06:44 having that heavy weight in the back
06:45 definitely gave me more consistency.
06:48 But I would say, in its low spin setting,
06:50 there was more forgiveness on offer than I was expecting.
06:53 I think whether you opt for that setting
06:55 will depend on a lot of different factors.
06:56 Obviously, it depends on your own swing.
06:59 Would low spin generally be helpful to you?
07:03 Maybe you're quite a high spin player already,
07:05 and therefore knocking some RPMs off
07:06 wouldn't be a bad thing.
07:09 Is your attack angle down?
07:10 Obviously, that will contribute to more spin,
07:12 and therefore something like this
07:14 would really help you out.
07:16 You know, as a golfer that hits quite a lot up on the ball,
07:18 I don't necessarily want lower spin to get me more distance,
07:22 but, you know, that said,
07:23 the numbers would show that this driver
07:25 did unlock more performance for me,
07:27 or the most performance, in its low spin setting.
07:29 But for me, whether you opt for a low spin driver like this,
07:32 I think it's actually quite course-dependent.
07:35 You know, if your course is quite open,
07:37 and you can get away with those miss hits
07:39 and those offline drives more,
07:42 then maybe a low spin driver could work for you.
07:44 So same with the longer shaft debate.
07:46 You know, if the course is quite open,
07:48 you can get away with wider shots.
07:49 But if your course is quite tight,
07:51 you know, for me,
07:52 Burley Park Golf Club here in Stamford,
07:53 it's quite a tight course, tree-lined.
07:55 I need, it's quite short as well,
07:57 so I need more control than I do distance,
07:59 so therefore, you know, a low spin setting
08:02 isn't really overly beneficial.
08:03 I think dragging that weight back
08:05 and having a bit more spin,
08:07 maybe sacrificing a few yards,
08:08 but finding a few more fairways
08:10 would definitely help me out more
08:11 than hitting the ball a little bit further.
08:14 That said, if I'm swinging the driver really well,
08:17 I think there's definitely a case
08:18 for swapping those weights around,
08:19 having the heavy weight in the front,
08:21 and benefiting from that extra distance
08:24 if you're hitting the center of the face more often.
08:26 If you're swinging it well,
08:27 that's a really good option to have.
08:28 And that's why I think this Cobra Rad Speed driver
08:30 is quite versatile,
08:31 because you can set the driver up differently,
08:33 depending on the course and how you're playing,
08:36 and give you two quite different types of performance.
08:38 We've seen from the numbers
08:39 how the difference in the RPM
08:40 was significant in those two weight settings.
08:42 And therefore, you've always got two drivers in one.
08:44 You've got a low spinning bomb driver.
08:47 If you wanna hit high bombs like Phil Mickelson,
08:48 you can do that with this Rad Speed driver
08:51 in its low spin setting.
08:52 But then if you want a bit more control,
08:53 you can switch those weights around
08:55 and you're getting something that's a bit more stable,
08:57 while still looking nice and compact down behind the ball.
08:59 So I think it's a really thoughtful offering from Cobra.
09:02 Really, really versatile, as I mentioned.
09:04 And when you consider the price tag,
09:06 369 pounds, significantly cheaper
09:08 than a lot of the mainstream brands on the market.
09:11 And this performance from this driver,
09:12 I would say, is pretty comparable with those.
09:15 You know, I've not even custom fitted for this driver.
09:17 Definitely, if you go through a custom fitting process,
09:19 I think you'll unlock potentially even more performance
09:22 from this driver than I did.
09:23 When you factor all those things in,
09:25 as well as the Cobra Connect shop tracking system
09:27 that comes included with this driver,
09:30 I think this is a mightily enticing package
09:33 for the club golfer,
09:35 especially when you consider, in addition,
09:36 those two other models to choose from.
09:38 So the XP driver, if you want even more forgiveness,
09:40 you can go for that one.
09:41 If you want more slice correction,
09:43 you've got the XD model as well.
09:44 So really, really comprehensive package from Cobra.
09:47 Looks fantastic, feels great.
09:49 Nice variety in the setups that are available to you,
09:52 depending on what you are looking for from your driver.
09:55 But for me, if I had to choose the driver
09:58 and the setting that I would go for,
09:59 it probably would be this Rad Speed driver.
10:01 I'd probably opt for the weight at the back,
10:04 just to give me a bit more stability initially.
10:05 And then, as I kind of got used to it,
10:07 might think about having that heavy weight forward
10:09 to give me a bit more distance.
10:10 But, in answer to the question at the start of this video,
10:13 can you now get away with playing a low spin driver,
10:16 say that definitely the potential has increased
10:18 with the launch of this Rad Speed driver,
10:20 but do do it with caution, because it won't be for everyone.
10:24 Guys, I hope you enjoyed this video,
10:25 and it's given you a good idea
10:26 as to what the performance of this Rad Speed driver
10:29 is all about, how it compares with what came before,
10:31 and what driver model might be best for you
10:33 from the new range.
10:34 I've really, really enjoyed my time
10:35 testing this Rad Speed driver.
10:36 Now, do click the like button down below
10:38 if you like what you're watching,
10:39 and comment on the video, tell me,
10:41 you know, are you interested in hitting high bombs
10:43 with low spin, or do you want a bit more control
10:45 and accuracy on your drives?
10:46 But that's all for me, from Burley Park Golf Club
10:49 here in Stanford, I'll see you next time.
10:51 (upbeat music)
10:53 (upbeat music)
10:56 (upbeat music)