The Cobra Fly-Z driver features a lot of what has made Cobra drivers successful over the last few years, so the two Fly-Z driver models are really building on a solid base.
Cobra Fly-Z Driver Review
The main change is the addition, at least visually, of the Back CG Zone where a yellow removable sole weight is positioned low and back to increase the forgiveness and the MOI through a deeper Centre of Gravity (CG) location.
This is accommodated within a 460cc titanium head that has one of the biggest footprints in the market to get that CG location as far back as possible.
The clever use of some shading graphics around the rear of the head helps to mask the size a little and I think it does this well.
New to the Fly-Z is the Speed Channel around the outer rim of the face which is there to enable it to flex at impact to generate a little extra ball speed. Combine this with the very forgiving Forged E9 face and you get a driver that feels and performs very well on off-centre hits.
Aside from the weight and the face, not much else has changed from the previous Cobra Bio Cell driver and the Fly-Z features a lot of tried and tested Cobra technology.
The MyFly8 Loft adjustable hosel still offers the choice of five loft options 9°, 9.5°, 10.5°, 11.5° and 12° and three draw options at 9.5°, 10.5° and 11.5°.
You can see them through the little window on the hosel which is great because, unlike most other adjustable drivers, you don't have to unscrew the shaft fully in order to see the loft numbers as you rotate the shaft to your chosen loft.
The half loft changes at each end seem a little odd and there because they can be, but they all do the job and manage to keep the face angle square thanks to the Smart Pad on the sole of the club. This is again is a Cobra favourite and I think it is one of the best systems for coping with the change of face angle and lie that comes from adjusting loft.
The Smart Pad is a raised area of the sole that sits a little back from the face and allows the head to pivot so that it always appears square at address and helps the large head almost surround the ball.
Compared to the Fly-Z fairways and hybrids, I feel the driver has the best balance of the current range of woods and feels firm, but not too heavy, to swing relative to the wider market.
The familiar Cobra crash sound is still there, which is prominent without being overbearing. The flight was a medium height and adjusting the loft using the MyFly8 hosel did change it a little and it seemed to perform best in the more central loft settings of the range.
For what could be viewed as a 'grip it and rip it' driver, it was good to see a 45.5 inch length Matrix VLCT SP shaft in there, as sometimes manufacturers put a longer shaft in that just makes the club more unwieldy, so full marks to Cobra for resisting that.
The Fly-Z driver is a good all round club that will suit any golfer in the teens handicap and upwards who also wants to add a little colour into their game. The performance was right up there with all the other drivers in the market, so it will come down to whether you look the sound and style of the Cobra over other brands.
Cobra Fly-Z+ Driver Review
Whilst the Fly-Z driver maybe for the majority of golfers, those better players or those with higher swing speeds will probably appreciate the Cobra Fly-Z+ model that is designed to put less spin on the ball.
This has a fractionally smaller 455cc head that is taller and not as deep front to back. That in itself is enough to reduce the spin and give it a lower flight than the standard Fly-Z driver when they are both set in the same loft.
However the clever part of the Fly-Z+ driver is the 15 gram sole weight in the FlipZone which can be loosened and then flipped and slid to the other end of the central channel on the sole of the club, to move the CG forward and reduce the spin.
This produces a much lower flight than the standard version and you really need to have a swing speed in 3 figures to get the benefit from this, as the back setting should reduce the spin enough for most players.
There is still the adjustable MyFly8 hosel and the SmartPad so getting fitted on a launch monitor would be best to get the right combination of weight position and loft that delivers the best performance for you.
The Fly-Z+ also features carbon fibre in the sole and crown and this creates a duller sound which is OK in the back setting, but not so great in the forward setting.
However the Fly-Z+ does look more composed at address thanks to its more traditional shape and with a wide choice of colours, the Fly-Z+ offers better players the chance to stand out on the course for their style as well as their play.
As you may have spotted, the Fly-Z & Fly-Z+ drivers come in the same choice of 4 head colours and matching grips. They all look pretty good, particularly the white, which together with orange, black and blue make up the UK range.
You may also see green and red heads around too, but they are currently only available in other international markets so if you prefer one of these, better get holiday booked to go and get one.
