Cobra Air-X Women’s Driver Review

Cobra Air-X Women’s Driver Review

The dreaded slice. It’s a distance-robbing shot shape that many golfers endure for life. No matter how many lessons golfers take this destructive swing tendency can be difficult to shake off. A large majority of women golfers manage a slice. It’s often the result of a poor grip, a steep swing move into the ball, and a lack of understanding of how the hands work to produce a release to square up the club. It can be confusing, so it's no wonder manufacturers are constantly working on designs that give you a helping hand. 

The Cobra Air-X women’s driver offers a genuine solution among the very best drivers for slicers. It has a pronounced off-set hosel that’s designed specifically to counteract the typical slicer’s shot pattern by giving the golfer more time to return the clubface to square. To my discerning eye, the clubhead is very obviously closed (pointing left) to the target at address and I found myself wanting to manipulate it back to square, but slicers will appreciate the way this sets up.

If you’re a strong player like me, who already hits a draw, then this is quite off-putting. On the other hand, the vast majority of users who hit a slice will quickly adjust to the look of the closed face, and the benefits will be game-changing. Driving the ball straighter equals hitting the ball further. I was certainly impressed with the high launch, effortless height and super fast speed off the face. The hitting experience placed it among the upper echelon of the best golf drivers for women.

This is a light but well-balanced driver to swing through the air. In my opinion, it will really suit women who lack physical strength and swing speed. The weight-saving made by using a carbon crown material paired with Cobra’s own Women's Ultralite 40 (46.5 gram) shaft and lightweight Lamkin grip is clear. I really felt that I could generate a lot of speed without sacrificing control. The clubhead was also very stable as it traveled through the all-important hitting area, just like we experienced with the Air-X irons. 

The impact sound was incredibly loud, almost like a firework exploding, and the resulting propulsion off the face is impressive. What's more, the faster face has been cleverly designed to boost your distance, no matter where the ball strikes it, so those heel and toe miss hits fly almost as far as good hits. I witnessed this in action when I hit a basket of balls with a Flightscope Mevo launch monitor set up on the driving range to record my ball flight. My dispersion grouping was impressively tight.

The shiny black clubhead will divide opinion, based on whether the distraction of sunlight or your own reflection bothers you or not. I personally think that the Air-X looks luxurious, the paintwork reminds me of those high-quality, chauffeur-driven Mercedes C Class cars you see at airports. I particularly like the silver and metallic pink touches on the sole and complementing headcover.

While you won’t see the Cobra Air-X on your TV screens in the hands of Tour players like Lexi Thompson, it would certainly win the pro shop prize for best ‘slice-buster’ in my book. Ultimately hitting longer, straighter drives is an enticing prospect and this driver delivers.

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