Golf Monthly's Cobra King F6 Baffler fairway wood review, a club designed to offer a high ball flight and be easy to hit from different lies thanks to two rails on the sole
This club was designed originally at the request of Cobra staff player Rickie Fowler, who wanted a club that launched the ball higher and was forgiving through the turf.
There’s no question it delivers on both of these objectives. It also has 3g and 15g sole weights that can be switched in the front or back position to alter launch, spin and ball flight.
The first thing that strikes you is how high this club hits the ball. I started with the heavier adjustable sole weight in the back position, achieving a peak height of 34 yards and carrying the ball on average 217 yards.
Then after switching the heavier weight to the forward position, this peak height average came down by two yards to 32. Distance remained very similar while spin came down by only around 100rpm.
So while the sole weight adjustability didn’t seem to have too much affect on performance, the two sole rails were the opposite. I was genuinely blown away by how easy this club was to hit consistently well from poor lies. I hit shots from shallow divots, deep divots and even with the ball sitting down in the rough and the sweetness of the strike didn’t change, nor did I hit the bad shot I was expecting to.
The clubhead itself is very small and doesn’t inspire a great deal of confidence but the shorter shaft at 41.75 inches aids control and also encourages you to hit it more like an iron with a steeper angle of attack. Knowing the rails are there to help you if you catch the ground slightly before the ball is a reassuring feature to have.
Pros Generates a high towering ball flight that seems easy to control and offers excellent versatility from different lies.
Cons
The very small address profile fails to inspire confidence in a consistent strike.
GM Verdict
An impressive, versatile fairway wood that comes into its own when the ball is sitting down. Creates a high, towering ball flight ideal for when hitting into par fives and long par fours and also features simple, intuitive adjustability.
