Gear: Cobra RadSpeed irons
Price: $899 with KBS Tour 90 steel shafts and Lamkin Crossline Connect grips, $999 with UST Mamiya Recoil 460 ESX graphite shafts
Specs: 17-4 stainless steel with carbon fiber and 3D printed nylon
Available: Jan. 29
While pros like Rickie Fowler and 2020 U.S. Open winner Bryson DeChambeau use irons that are designed to maximize control and feel, when it comes to the most important traits in irons made for recreational golfers, distance and forgiveness rank high. To provide mid- and higher-handicap players with both, Cobra developed the new RadSpeed irons.
Looking down at the Rad-Speed irons, golfers will see a relatively thick topline, ample offset and a portion of the back of the club. While there is trailing-edge relief, the soles of these irons are wide. These irons might be off-putting for accomplished golfers, but they are reassuring to golfers who struggle to get the ball airborne and who hit fat shots.
Extra weight in the heel and a weight screw in the toe add stability. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Like the RadSpeed family of woods, the key design feature in the RadSpeed irons is the distribution of weight. Engineers saved weight in some areas and redistributed it to other spots where it could enhance performance. For example, instead of making the topline completely out of the stainless steel used to make the chassis of the club, Cobra made it using carbon fiber to save 3 grams of weight. They also designed the 17-4 stainless steel face plate, which wraps under the leading edge and extends into the sole, to be thinner and lighter.
The RadSpeed’s lattice-shaped back badge is 3D printed. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
The most interesting place where weight was saved is on the back of the head. The back badge is 3D printed into a lattice shape using nylon. The material absorbs excessive vibrations to improve feel and sound while also saving weight.
Much of the discretionary weight created by these technologies has been redistributed in the form of 3 extra grams of mass positioned in the heel area and a 10-gram weight screw in the toe. The extra mass in those spots dramatically increases the perimeter weighting and lowers the center of gravity. That should make the RadSpeed irons resist twisting on off-center hits more effectively and create a higher launch.
Cobra RadSpeed One Length irons. (David Dusek/Golfweek)
Like other set of Cobra irons that have been released over the last few years, the RadSpeed irons are not only available in traditional lengths, but also in a One Length version. Many golfers who try One Length irons, which all measure 37.5 inches in length (like a 7-iron), find they are easier to hit consistently.
Finally, both versions of the RadSpeed irons come standard with Arccos-powered Cobra Connect grips. The grip has an Arccos tag designed into the butt cap that can link to a free smartphone app to allow golfers to track their performance and learn detailed stats about their game.