Review: Cobra S2 and ZL Driver
The “Black Mamba” and the “Techno-Snake.”
Cobra Golf was recently sold to Puma. In the deal, apparently all intellectual property and tour staff were included. It will be interesting to see where this brand heads in the future under Puma’s guidance. In the meantime, they are poised with not one but two very promising drivers in their lineup. Offering lots of choices in face angles and resulting launch characteristics, the S2 and ZL offer similar performance with some perceptible, yet subtle differences. Cobra has been marketed of late as more of a “young person’s” brand, which will fit nicely with the Puma image. Still, they have stayed very committed to their “core” customers as well, which tends to be the higher handicap golfer needing forgiveness. With the S2 and ZL, Cobra gives you choices, but tries not to confuse or overwhelm with TOO many choices.
First up out on the course this spring was the S2 driver. Upon viewing the design of the S2, it appeared fairly shallow overall in terms of face height, and has a long front to back “footprint.” In using similar designs, I have noted the center of gravity tends to be far back to give that high launch, low spin combination we seek. With this in mind, I went with the 8.5 degree head. I guessed correctly, as it is not difficult to elevate at all. Spin rates seemed to be under control for the most part. Most difficulties I encountered with the S2 were due to an incorrect shaft fit for me, and the 46 inch length of the shaft was much longer than I am accustomed to. Still, the head exhibited great forgiveness (which saved me more than once with the too-long shaft.) Fitted with the stock Fujikura “Fit on Max” shaft, trajectories were high with ample carry. At 65 grams, it has enough weight to it to feel it in the backswing (resulting swingweight was a respectable D4.) It has a mid kickpoint and the torque is listed as “mid” as well.
The real spotlight with both the S2 and the ZL is Cobra’s "AFT" or “Adjustable Flight Technology.” This was my first foray into adjustable hosels, and it was easy and painless. A quick turn of the included torque wrench allowed me to choose my preferred face angle (I set it to “open” immediately, as I tend to fear the hook.) The only limitation I could see to this feature was the head itself. When hovered, the S2’s face angle opened up when held in its more natural balanced position. But when soled on the ground, it still wanted to close down slightly; -something to keep in mind depending on your pre-shot routine and preferences. The resulting flight was straight with a few shots fading nicely about 5 yards. The longer shaft forced me to use a very controlled tempo, and when I did so, fairways were found. When I got a little quick, things started to disintegrate a touch. All in all, however, the distance was impressive.
The S2 driver is a real “looker” with its all black head and face. More impressive, however, is the sound and feel at impact. The S2 elicits a meaty “thwack/crack” sound at impact. My contact at Cobra predicted this audible aspect would really catch my ear, and they were right! All shots sounded crisp and powerful, adding to the sense of distance on each drive. With a non-optimized shaft, I was seeing the 300 yard barrier broken quite often. It’s with this in mind that the S2 seems to have great potential, and leaves me wanting to try it with a better fitting shaft. I have no doubt it will be long and straight, with ample forgiveness. The sheer size of the clubhead at a more manageable length will certainly give it a “can’t miss” appearance. The S2 is the all-titanium head of the pair, and it will very much appeal to those seeking a muted, more traditional sound at impact. It’s forgiveness will make it appropriate for a large segment of golfers, -especially when paired with the “flight control technology” and choices in face angles (“neutral” and “closed” being the other two choices in addition to the “open” face angle position.) The stealthy black head and powerful, meaty feel at impact had me dubbing it the “Black Mamba.”
The ZL driver, while similar looking in its footprint to the S2, has a little more going on. Again the “AFT” adjustable hosel is used (side note: the S2 and ZL hosels and shaft adapters are interchangeable and I was able to use each stock shaft in both heads for comparison.) The head is a titanium/carbon composite head, and features a removable swing weight screw that uses the same torque wrench as the hosel. If you order a custom shaft from Cobra, they include a swingweight screw to correspond with the shaft.
The ZL, ultimately, was my favorite head between the two. The simple reason for this was that the 8.5 degree head sat more open at address when soled. The overall distances I saw were similar to that of the S2 driver. The forgiveness, thanks to the extra weight shift the carbon composite allows for, seemed to be just a touch more forgiving than the S2. The heel to toe look at address made the face look a little longer compared to that of the S2 as well. It just “looks” easy to hit, and it is.
Paired with the stock Aldila Voodoo (a made-for Cobra version) I saw similar trajectories to the S2. The Voodoo is not a good shaft for my swing, and the 4.5 degrees of torque for my 114 MPH swing speed was less than optimal. Still, the forgiveness of this head once again saved me, and kept the ball in play. The 46 inch shaft, once again, had me scratching my head a few times standing on the tee wondering where the ball was to end up. When I tried the Fujikura “fit on max” from the S2 in the ZL, it seemed a little stouter and kept things under control just a tad better, along with its larger butt end which felt a little more stable under my hands.
Once again, the sound and feel of the ZL driver was quite impressive. It is slightly more muted than the S2. The sound at impact is just a little higher and sharper than that of the S2. It was not loud or offensive in any way, while still providing a hot enough sound to feel like you “caught it” at impact. That dull “thud” of composite drivers that we have come to know is not present with the ZL, and it may be the best feeling and sounding composite driver I’ve had the pleasure to put into play.
Trajectories out on the course with the ZL were mid-high to high (again, mostly shaft related.) The slightly more open face angle provided a nice controlled fade, but I was still able to turn it over when I wanted to (and sometimes, when I didn’t want to!) Carry distance was quite good, and only in high winds did the stock shaft tend to make it balloon. Check out Cobra’s PDF from their web site to see where the stock and custom aftermarket shafts compare for their respective launch and spin. It is truly one of the best shaft matrixes I have seen on an OEM website!
http://media.titleist.com/images/cobragolf/products/drivers/pdfs/CustomShafts.pdfCobra has a lot going for them in their S2 and ZL drivers. Both offer a lot of choices for finding your preferred look and shot trajectory. Their respective prices are not that far apart from one another, which should allow people to go with their favorite of the two and not break the bank. Forgiving enough for most anyone to use, and providing excellent distance, looks, and acoustics, the S2 and ZL are up to challenging most any heads on the market. Proper fitting seems to be the key. The only “demerit” I can think of is the overly long shaft lengths on both. The “Black Mamba” and the “Techno-Snake” will prove to be great drivers for a large segment of the golfing populous. Some players might prefer the ZL simply for its more open face, but each driver has its merits and distinct “personality.” Finding a demo day might be necessary to see which snake is your “King Cobra.”
Michael White
Independent Equipment Reviewer
GolfDiscussions.com
