Cobra has always had a bit of history with hybrid type clubs like the Baffler to get you out of trouble. Whilst they lost their way a bit, they really bounced back last year with the Cobra King F6 hybrid, which was one of our Best Buys.
Now that they are back on the rails, that's what they have added to the sole of the Cobra King F7 hybrid.
The 'Baffler Dual Rail System' or the 'two rails on the sole' stop the sole from digging into the ground and enable it to skip through the turf to reduce the effect of friction and keep the head moving as fast as possible.
First seen on fairways in 1974 and now re-introduced to the King F7 fairways, it really feels like the rails have found their spiritual home on the bottom of the King F7 hybrid.
This is because the hybrid is going to be used from longer grass more often and with a more descending swing so will benefit more from what the rails will bring.
On the course this was the case and all the things I liked about the King F6 are still there with the added benefit of the rails sweeping you along the fairways, tees and semi-rough.
The sound and feel are excellent and the look at address is also a little more balanced than before as it is less toe heavy and more rounded.
The Forged 455 steel face is a generous size without looking like a mini-fairway and I find the groove pattern with the circular ball size pattern really helps you line up the club correctly.
There are 3 heads in a 2-3, 4-5 and 6-7 hybrid that cover 3° of loft over five settings using the MyFly8 adjustable hosel.
Like most adjustable hosel the extreme ends of the range don't play as well as the rest, but going from 16.5° to 18.5° on the 2-3 was fine. The SmartPad that was on the sole before to allow the face to pivot back to square when you changed the loft is apparently now incorporated into the contours of the rail to provide the same effect, which it does well.
The 2-3 covers 16° to 19° and the 3-4 goes from 19° to 22°, which is fine, but in this category it would have been nice to also have an 18° to 21° head to cover that 18° to 20° range as well without having to use the extremes of the other heads.
The stock shaft suits the club well and provides all the performance you would need. There is a 'Changeable Fixed Weight' on the sole, which sounds like an oxymoron to me, but it is probably only for tour use as there is no alternative weight to put in when you do unscrew it.
To be honest I am just grasping at things that could be better about the King F7 to hide the fact that I don't think that there really is anything to improve at all.
The rails are a great addition and improve the playability or what is already a good looking, great sounding and competitively priced hybrid, so Cobra can rest assured that the King F7 hybrid is heading straight to our Best Buy list again.