Cobra Smarter Ways To Lower Scores 2018: 7-handicap Andy Wright’s Fitting

Golf Monthly reader Andy Wright enjoys a full driver-to-wedge custom-fitting as part of our ‘2018 Smarter Ways to Lower Scores’ project with Cobra Golf…

COBRA Golf Smarter Ways to Lower Scores 2018

Last year we teamed up with COBRA Golf to help readers Mark Smith and Lawrence Stocker do just that in our inaugural ‘Smarter Ways to Lower Scores’ campaign. ‘Smarter Ways’ has returned for 2018 bigger and better, with COBRA Puma Golf giving two more readers the perfect opportunity to take their games to the next level.

COBRA Puma Golf has long been about innovation and performance, and its exciting new 2018 range is no exception, whether the new King F8 and F8+ drivers with their CNC-milled faces, the forgiving King F8 irons in Variable length or One-Length - as championed on tour by Bryson DeChambeau - or the striking new King Black wedges with their Dimonized Black Metal finish. And this year, the Cobra Connect shot-tracking system in association with Arccos is available throughout the bag to help our two readers analyse all areas of their games from tee to green.

Here, we look at the custom fitting for Andy Wright, a 7-handicapper from Lymm GC in Cheshire, desperate to make it to category one, who feels his handicap “has just hit a wall for the past four years.” Andy is hoping the Smarter Ways project will breathe new life into his category one ambitions.

“For me, golf is about the pursuit of the lowest possible handicap, but despite chopping and changing gear, my handicap is not improving," Andy says. "Most rounds feel like a constant battle to ‘rescue’ a card, and this opportunity could be just what I need to finally achieve my category one dreams.”

Fitted for

Driver: COBRA King F8 10.5˚ (draw setting), Aldila Blue 60 stiff

3/4-wood: COBRA King F8 16˚, Aldila Blue 70 stiff

3-hybrid: COBRA King F8 19˚, Aldila Rogue stiff

Irons 5-GW: COBRA King Forged Tour, Dynalite XP 90 stiff shaft, +1in length, std lie

Wedges: COBRA King PUR 56˚ (bent to 55˚) & 60˚ STD wedge shaft, +1in length, std lie

COBRA PUMA Golf Brand Experience Manager Joe Folker’s fitting analysis Andy uses blades, so we got him to hit our blade, and his bad shot was going right. His swing speed sat between regular and stiff, and the Dynalite 90 in stiff proved perfect – more spin, more consistency, better launch and a better flight. He liked the look of our Forged Tour iron and it gave him a bit more forgiveness.

He only really used one of his two utility irons and hit it more like a hybrid, so we fitted him into a 19˚ F8 hybrid in stiff, which gave him a great launch and perfect gapping to an F8 3-wood. We tried the F8+ driver, but the F8 flew much better. A little bit of left bias neutralised his bad shot to the right and gave him a few more yards. We simplified his wedge line-up too with a 60˚ and a 56˚ bent to 55˚ for consistent gaps from his Forged Tour gap wedge.

Andy’s feedback It was very enlightening, with consistent gaps between clubs the big thing. Before, my driver and 3-wood were going similar distances, but I’ve now got good gapping throughout. The Forged Tour iron still has a compact head, but it’s more forgiving, and worked beautifully with the light stiff shaft.

The F8 fairway wood was probably the most consistent club I hit, and I’m keen to using the Cobra Connect system too as the season unfolds so I know where most work is needed.