[PHOTO: justinkosman.com]
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Cobra launches its second generation of putters, the 3D Printed and the Vintage collections. With eight models in each, the putters all feature faces with LA Golf’s descending loft technology, where the loft changes from four degrees at the top of the face to one degree at the bottom of the face to ensure the same ideal launch angle for consistent forward roll. The multi-material 3D Printed Collection uses an aluminium face insert for firmer feel, while the Vintage Collection is fronted by a softer Pebax thermoplastic elastomer insert.
OPTIONS, AVAILABILITY & PRICE:
3D Printed Collection:
Agera: Full mallet with single bend shaft
Agera RS: 15 percent smaller footprint, single bend shaft
Agera RS-30: Agera RS, slant neck
Agera CB: Counterbalanced version, 38 inches with 17-inch grip
Agera AL: Heavier head with 41-inch shaft for armlock-style putting
Supernova: Parallel fang mallet, single bend shaft
Grandsport-35: Heel-toe weighted cavity blade with plumber’s neck
Grandsport AL: 41-inch shaft with heavier head for armlock-style putting
Vintage Collection:
Sport 60: Flow neck heel-toe weighted blade
Sport 40: Heel-toe weighted Plumber neck blade
Widesport: Face balanced, wide-soled blade, single bend shaft
Nova: Parallel fang mallet with single bend shaft
Nova-30: Fang-style mallet with slant neck
Stingray: Face-balanced mallet with single bend shaft
Stingray 30: Fang style mallet with slant neck
Cuda: Modern rounded mallet with single bend shaft.
Available for pre-sale now, at retail from February 23. Stay tuned for Australian pricing.
3 COOL THINGS
1. Two different builds. Visually, the 3D Printed and Vintage lines differ like Ferraris from two different generations, and those differences are more than skin deep. As its name implies, the 3D Printed Collection, like its predecessor the King 3D Printed line, is constructed using internal pieces made through a three-dimensional printing process. It’s part of Cobra’s partnership with HP, using its “multi-jet fusion technology”, which is a way of creating thin, light and complex geometries that cannot be achieved with typical casting techniques.
A rigid lattice-work cartridge made of nylon (about one-seventh the density were the same space cast out of steel) provides structure with less mass. The 3D-printed piece also helps to enhance sound.
“If you simply left that area of the putter empty or even injected some kind of filler, it would still sound and feel worse, so this structure saves weight but strengthens the body to damp vibration for a better sound and feel,” said Tom Olsavsky, Cobra’s vice-president of research and development.
Meanwhile, the Vintage Collection of putters, much like its predecessor the King Vintage line, uses a one-piece solid body, but rather than a traditional casting, its shaping comes from metal-injection moulding process. The benefit is more precision in the shaping of the heads, which neatly falls in line with the more classic models in this collection.
The reduced mass internally, as well as a weight-saving carbon composite crown, frees more weight to be selectively distributed to the perimeter and in adjustable sole weights to provide enhanced stability on off-centre hits.
“The key thing really is the fit and finish,” Olsavsky said. “In putters, looking extremely precise is very important, and these look much more precise than a casting. We also can do certain things with finishes and textures that you can’t do easily in casting.
3. One consistent roll. Despite these differences in shapes, constructions and feels, there is an overriding consistency in both the 3D Printed Collection and Vintage Collection, and that consistency is in the most important job of a putter: roll. Specifically, as in past versions, these putters feature face inserts with LA Golf’s “Descending Loft Technology”. Originally developed by SIK Golf, the face features four loft planes that start with four degrees at the top and descend to one degree in the bottom fourth of the face. The end result is that whether the stroke is level, slightly upward or slightly downward, the varying loft will yield a consistent launch angle. That consistent launch angle of 1.5 degrees yields a more consistent forward roll for better distance control.
