WHAT IS SPEEDBACK?

A driver's aerodynamic performance through the air during a swing has often been overshadowed by the more headline-grabbing features found in the face or head of a driver.

Part of the reason for the relatively untapped potential of aerodynamic performance in drivers is the fact there is a yin and yang scenario between aerodynamic efficiency and optimal CG location.

When a driver's efficiency through the air is off-the-chart, it is almost guaranteed that the CG has to be raised to a higher position in the club head – a big distance killer because it creates more spin and reduces launch angle.

Likewise, when the only consideration is positioning the CG as low-and-deep as possible, the resulting design inevitably makes the club head move through the air more like a house brick than a bullet. Aerodynamic drag is a thief of both club head speed and distance off the tee.

Cobra’s Speedback technology is the perfect compromise between aerodynamics and optimal CG. The Cobra F9 is 17 per cent more efficient through the air than the Cobra F7 driver and some clever engineering keeps the CG low and deep.

The result is more speed, distance and forgiveness, with Cobra confident of a 2.4km/h increase in ball speed because of Speedback technology in the F9 driver.

THE COBRA F9 AERO PACKAGE

The front and trailing edges of the Cobra F9 Speedback driver have been streamlined and the aerodynamic strips on the crown that sprouted on the previous Cobra F8 driver have been remodelled for additional efficiency. A rounded sole and the addition of aerodynamic 'skirts' on the sides and rear also make the latest Cobra driver slice through the air easier than ever before.

The new aero package on the Cobra F9 Speedback doesn't just assist already outrageously fast swing speeds to reach terminal velocity. It actually makes the driver easier to push through the air even with slower swings, making it possible for any player to achieve an increase in their maximum swing speed (although the performance will become more noticeable as swing speeds increase).

COBRA F9 CG: GO LOW OR GO HOME

A low CG gives a driver the sought after high launch/low spin properties that literally translate into extra distance off the tee.

The Cobra F9 Speedback manages to achieve a low CG without affecting its aero performance, a pivotal development that makes the driver perform so well.

Cobra have juiced up the carbon fibre to keep the CG low and deep. A carbon fibre crown, the largest Cobra have ever employed on a driver, wraps entirely around the edge of the driver to save weight up high and redistribute the mass in the sole, where it can be of more use.

Speaking of which, the sole of the Cobra F9 Speedback also features a rear assembly that contains a tungsten weight that further concentrates the CG low and deep within the driver.

But importantly, the optimisation of the CG doesn’t diminish the gains in swing speed achieved through the aero package.

CNC – IT’S DYNAMITE

The Cobra F9 Speedback sports a CNC-milled club face that first featured on the previous Cobra F8 driver.

The refined milling process was employed to manufacture the thinnest and most precise driver face ever, with the F9 Speedback 3 per cent thinner and 10 per cent lighter than the F8.

Cobra are confident the F9 is good for a 2.4 km/h increase in ball speed. But of equal significance, the CNC milling optimises the performance of mis-hits and dodgy strikes from all over the face through an enhanced curvature and bulge across different zones.

The new shaping sees more roll on the top half of the club face for extra launch but a less pronounced roll on the bottom, which makes those nasty low and skinny strikes still launch and carry.

Strikes from the heel and toe also get special attention thanks to the CNC shaping on the F9’s face, which introduces a subtle curve and roll in those problem spots of the face.

Miscues emanating from those areas get a distance boost through a superior launch angle while a clever exploitation of the ‘gear effect’ curves shots back to the intended target: a high fade bias from the toe and a low draw bias out of the heel.

The Cobra F9 Speedback is not just longer - it’s straighter too.