King Cobra is a name that is synonymous with the Cobra Golf brand, recalling memories of Greg Norman dominating the World No. 1 ranking for 331 consecutive weeks in the late 1980's and early 1990's.
In deciding to bring back the line Cobra realised it would need to produce a special club that lived up to its venerated predecessors.
To achieve that Cobra has taken to outerspace to inspire the state of the art technology found in the King LTD driver, which according to Cobra, is the longest and straightest they've ever made.
Through a partnership with the Centre for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the Cobra design team has been able to carry out research on the International Space Station, creating some of the most technologically advanced golf products in the world.
A clear influence from the Space Station seen in the design of the King LTD driver is the SpacePort found on the sole of the club. This is a multi-purpose 16g weight, made from aerospace aluminium, that positions weight in the driver, helping create the combination of low centre of gravity (CG) and high MOI that Cobra has put together for the distance and forgiveness package of the King LTD.
The SpacePort also comes with a unique twist as it's construction allows you to look into the interior of the club to view the intricate internal design inside the head of the club.
Zero Gravity is another link to the world of space and Cobra are claiming that the King LTD is the first driver with a Zero Gravity CG position. Most drivers on the market have a CG that is positioned above the neutral axis line - a line from the centre of the face to the back of the club - but the King LTD is the first driver Cobra have been able to position CG on this neutral line.
As a result the King LTD produces a more efficient transfer of energy at impact without sacrificing forgiveness and results in a combination of higher launch and less spin at impact for more ball speed.
This is complemented by a lighter, stronger crown, fashioned in a striking black, from TeXtreme Carbon Fibre, a product 20% lighter than standard Carbon Fibre. This allows the weight to be redistributed to the outside of the club to increase forgiveness and promote a stronger and straighter ball flight.
The King LTD also includes some proven Cobra technology in the shape of the E9 face and Speed Channel that we have seen in previous generations of Cobra drivers.
The E9 face, re-engineered from a Forged 8-1-1 Titanium, has a variable thickness to create a larger sweet spot across the face, with the thinner areas creating greater deflection at impact to increase ball speeds, especially on off-centre strikes.
The Speed Channel, an engineered trench that encircles the perimeter of the face, works with the E9 face by allowing the designers to minimise the thickness of the face and increase ball speed to maximise distance.
Another familiar feature is the MyFly adjustable hosel with SmartPad that gives players the choice of eight loft settings, three of which are draw settings, to fine tune the launch conditions to suit their individual swings.
The King LTD family also includes a Pro version of the driver that comes with fade bias loft settings in the MyFly hosel to promote the flight and control demanded by better players as well as a King LTD fairway which includes all the technology found in the driver to deliver forgiveness and performance from the fairway or the tee.