Review: Cobra King Pro Irons

When You Want to be on Top of the Leaderboard
Imagine that feeling of posting a low number and being at the top of the leaderboard in a golf tournament. Not all of us play golf to win tournaments, but even if we play for fun, we’d like to play like the pros play. The reality is, very few of us are that good and we can use all the help we can getting around the golf course. But if you put in the time and energy into practice you can become a good ball striker. This often mean you don’t want “game-improvement” that go high, straight and long with every shot. You want something that gives you a little more feel, more control over the ball and certainly much better looks. The Cobra King Pro Iron set gives you all those things that a better player will want so they can be on the top of the leaderboard.
Cobra is bringing back the “King” badging for 2016.  The King LTD, King F6, the King Pro, etc; everything has the King name.  The King Pro irons are the tweaking of that last couple models of “pro” irons Cobra has made for Rickie Fowler.  This Cavity Back/Muscle Back flow set is worthy of pro play, yet will play nicely in the hands of a low-handicap amateur.  With the King name comes the black and orange combo for 2016.  From the driver all the way through the bag, they have a stealthy looking set.  The King Pro irons have a nice matte black finish with orange/white paint fill.  They are a stunning set just to look at in the bag.
 

The more sets of irons I test, the more I gravitate toward certain design features that benefit my game the most.  They might not be the things that everyone talks about or thinks about, but I’ve found them to be most influential in my success with any set of irons; CG and sole grind.  It seems that driver CG is all the talk right now, but irons still aren’t there yet.  Most irons I have success with have done something to move mass out toward the toe.  Cobra uses tungsten plugs in the toe of each irons head.  This pulls some mass away from the hosel and toward the center of the face.  I really like how they did it in the King Pro irons.  Every head feels very balanced and the weight feels good behind the ball at impact.

The sole grind is the second quality I look for, because turf interaction is huge.  It is also why testing club on a mat in your garage or at the range doesn’t fully tell the story of a club.  These look to have a sharp leading edge with almost no offset but the sole itself have plenty of camber so that they don’t dig or bounce, negatively affecting the shot.  I honestly felt like my rounds with these clubs I’ve had some of my best ball contact of any iron set I’ve put in play.  I just didn’t have thin or fat shots with them, it was clean contact shot after shot.

The Cobra King Pro irons come in a couple versions, all CB, all MB or the flow set. (which is stock).  3-6 iron are CB and 7-PW are MB.  I really like the flow set as the little extra forgiveness in the long irons means I can still manipulate the ball flight, but won’t get extreme results, just small movement one way or the other.  I was impressed how easy the CBs were to launch, even a 3-iron, yet how strong of trajectory they have.  Think in terms of an airplay, it takes off with a quick assent, then flattens out and stay on a that flight until it returns to the ground.  Others have more of a rocket like pattern, way up and then way down.  The MB heads for the shorter irons offered great control on just about any shot you want to hit.  The better player will enjoy making the ball move just a little in the direction they desire.  Again I’m not about hitting big sweeping draws or monster slices, but holding the flight against the wind or sneaking it toward a back corner of the green at the flag.
 
Cobra has been making great forged irons for years and these are no exception.  They feel as good as any iron you will hit.  Their soft forged steel is covered with a matte black finish or you can get them in chrome.  I really like the black finish, it has been very durable.  After 6 rounds with them, they are holding up exceptionally well.  The heads are paired with KBS C-Taper 120 shafts which also have a sleek look of their own, with a satin silver finish.  What I really liked was the great KBS feel with a more controllable launch of the C-taper.  It wasn’t my first time with these shafts, but this combo was excellent.
 

FlightScope Xi Tour Launch Monitor

Cobra King Pro Irons – 8-iron

  • Spin: 6976 rpms
  • Launch Angle: 25.3*
  • Dispersion: 2.9 yds
  • Club Head Speed: 80.8 mph
  • Ball Speed: 102.2 mph
  • Total Distance:  154.9 yds
  • Carry Distance:  146.2 yds

If you are a better ball striker and want to control your shots, the Cobra King Pro Irons are the same ones that Rickie Fowler plays with great success as you’ve seen him at the top of the leaderboard.  These irons are going to guarantee that kind of success, but if you have the game, you will really enjoy the great feel, excellent control and great results with these irons.  Maybe, just maybe, you’ll be on the top of some leaderboard with these irons in your bag too.

For more information: www.cobragolf.com

Quick Hits
+Playabilty of a pro iron
+Black finish is good looking and durable
+Great CG balance with tungsten in the toe
+CB are easy to hit
+MB are precise
+KBS C-taper 120 is a perfect match to the head