Cobra has released a whopping FOUR fairway woods with their RADSPEED line of clubs: the original RADSPEED (what this article is about), the RADSPEED Tour, the RADSPEED Big Tour, and the RADSPEED Draw. That’s a lot to get through. I was lucky enough to try them all out first hand – ah, the benefits of working at a country club.
The Cobra RADSPEED fairway wood is the high launching, “more forgiving” option. It should BY FAR be the most popular model of the RADSPEED family.
Here’s my unbiased review of the Cobra RADSPEED fairway wood.
Appearance
The Cobra RADSPEED fairway wood comes in two different color options: red/blue and black/yellow. Personally, I’m a big fan of the red/blue option. I’ve always been drawn to red/white/blue color schemes, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Check out the bottom of the club head. The main technology (that you can see) in the Cobra RADSPEED fairway wood is radial weighting. This is simply using weight placement to influence trajectory and spin rates. Every driver ever does this – “radial weighting” is just Cobra’s way of making you think something special is going on here.
The front weights and one back weight create a great combination of lower spin and higher launch. The front weights help with the lower spin, and the back weight helps with the higher launch.
I’m not a huge fan of the sole of the RADSPEED fairway woods. They are more rounded that I’d like, which in general aren’t as forgiving as a flatter sole like Ping or Callaway fairway woods.
Performance
Overall, the original RADSPEED fairway wood (not the Tour, Big Tour, or Draw) was my favorite fairway wood to hit of the series. It was a good mix of distance, forgiveness, and versatility. However, keep in mind that every golfer is different. Even though it was great for me, the case may be different for you and your swing. If you can, find a place to let you demo all of the models just so you can make a more accurate assessment to fit your game.
My perfectly struck shots were incredible. High ball flight and super long. But my off-center shots were horrific (far worse than expected). My mishits shots were extremely low and off-line. I’m betting it’s due to the more rounded club face & sole. I’m just used to a flatter sole. I’m sure it wouldn’t be a problem once you get used to it over time.
I will say that it felt far more versatile than my current gamer. I hit a few shots from thicker rough that came out with no problem. The curved sole definitely helps in this aspect, as it’s harder for the club face to get turned over through the grass. However, there aren’t many great opportunities to hit fairway woods from bad lies.
Who It’s Best For
The Cobra RADSPEED fairway wood is a great fit for a golfer that wants higher launch while keeping spin low. Most clubs are marketed as one of the other: either super high launching (and high spin) or super low spinning (and lower launch). This is a great in between option. If you struggle with getting enough height on your shots but also sometimes struggle with too much spin, then this is the one for you.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- great mix of forgiveness, distance, and versatility
- combination of high launching and low spin (which is really, really tough to combine). I’d say it’s far better with the high launching than it is with the low spin.
- adjustable hosel to adjust loft (up or down 1.5 degrees) and potentially add a draw bias
- come stock with Arccos Caddie grips
- available in two different color options
Cons:
- $280 is still pretty steep for a fairway wood. Far better value options out there.
- I wish the sole was flatter to help with the ball flights on off center hits (slightly left and right of the sweet spot)
Compared to Other Cobra RADSPEED Fairway Woods
With four different models of fairway woods in the RADSPEED family, it’s hard to compare them all. I’ll try to make it as easy as possible with the picture (above) and the differences (below).
Compared to the other three models, the Cobra RADSPEED fairway wood:
- is the highest launching of the four.
- is more forgiving than the Tour and Big Tour, but slightly less forgiving than the Draw due to its draw bias.
- is more spinny than the Tour and Big Tour, but lower spin than the Draw.
- is larger profile than the Tour, but roughly the same size of the Big Tour and Draw.
Better Value Option
If you want a better value high-launch/low-spin fairway wood, consider the Ping G400. It’s my personal favorite fairway wood for many different reasons. Great performance. Great look. Great price (around $150 in great condition). Launches the ball high, but nothing too spinny.
