Cobra King F9 Speedback Review

The F9 was the first driver to argue that aerodynamics and a low centre of gravity are not a trade-off, and it mostly won the argument. The Speedback sole is a rounded aerodynamic hump that reduces drag at the top of the downswing, but the mass in it also sits low and toward the back, so the head moves faster and still launches high with sensible spin. The face is CNC milled after forming, which is the honest way to reach the legal limit rather than hoping the press got there.

Two weight ports, two grams forward and fourteen back or the reverse, cover most spin problems without a full fitting cart. It is loud, in a sharp metallic way that divides players, and the standard head is not the most forgiving Cobra ever built on the heel. But it launched at $449 with a stock shaft people actually paid for and a grip-mounted tracker included, which made everything above $500 that year look poorly argued.