Cobra F8 Tour Length driver

[klbcec]

Anyone hit this driver? What is the difference in distance when the driver is .75 inches shorter?

[Jagpilotohio]

It’s actually longer for some people.

 

I hit a 43.5” driver and I’m longer on average than with a stock 45” 917.

[Kwward11]

It all just depends.... You will swing a longer club faster, but you will hit it more solid more often with a shorter driver. Theoretically of course.

 

Finding the sweet spot is key. 46" is very long (in my opinion) for driver length for average sized people, but a 43.5" may not produce enough speed for your liking. I did a lot of trial and error, 44.5"-45" is my sweet spot. Whatever length you can hit solid on a consistent basis will get you the best results.

 

Also may have to change the loft on the head depending on the length because your attack angles will more than likely change with a shorter or longer driver. Just have to tinker with it!

 

The tour length driver is 44" and has the heavier weights in the head. I am a cobra staffer and couldnt even get my hands on one because they are back-ordered. They were built based on Rickie's driver specs. Heavier head with the shorter shaft to make up for the swing weight.

[Jagpilotohio]

It all just depends.... You will swing a longer club faster, but you will hit it more solid more often with a shorter driver. Theoretically of course.

 

Finding the sweet spot is key. 46" is very long (in my opinion) for driver length for average sized people, but a 43.5" may not produce enough speed for your liking. I did a lot of trial and error, 44.5"-45" is my sweet spot. Whatever length you can hit solid on a consistent basis will get you the best results.

 

Also may have to change the loft on the head depending on the length because your attack angles will more than likely change with a shorter or longer driver. Just have to tinker with it!

 

The tour length driver is 44" and has the heavier weights in the head. I am a cobra staffer and couldnt even get my hands on one because they are back-ordered. They were built based on Rickie's driver specs. Heavier head with the shorter shaft to make up for the swing weight.

 

 

Not entirely correct on this. The cobra tour length driver is 44.5”. Rickies is 43.5”. And yes, the driver heads are heavier to keep the swingweight at “normal” levels.

 

[Kwward11]

It all just depends.... You will swing a longer club faster, but you will hit it more solid more often with a shorter driver. Theoretically of course.

 

Finding the sweet spot is key. 46" is very long (in my opinion) for driver length for average sized people, but a 43.5" may not produce enough speed for your liking. I did a lot of trial and error, 44.5"-45" is my sweet spot. Whatever length you can hit solid on a consistent basis will get you the best results.

 

Also may have to change the loft on the head depending on the length because your attack angles will more than likely change with a shorter or longer driver. Just have to tinker with it!

 

The tour length driver is 44" and has the heavier weights in the head. I am a cobra staffer and couldnt even get my hands on one because they are back-ordered. They were built based on Rickie's driver specs. Heavier head with the shorter shaft to make up for the swing weight.

 

 

Not entirely correct on this. The cobra tour length driver is 44.5”. Rickies is 43.5”. And yes, the driver heads are heavier to keep the swingweight at “normal” levels.

 

Sorry for the incorrect statement! But yeah the tour length are based of off Rickie's driver after last year when he shortened it.

 

"

 

KING F8 TOUR LENGTH DRIVER

Inspired by Rickie Fowler’s driver used on tour, the KING F8 Tour Length Driver features a shorter, 44.5” shaft, and is equipped with 16g and 6g weights (compared to 12g and 2g in the standard KING F8) to help golfers achieve straighter and more accurate drives down the fairway."

 

Its not for everyone, I tried a driver at 43.5" but could never find the right weight. My jump to 44" got better and now I am at 44.5" and it feels right. The bulk of your distance is going to come from the center of the face, so whatever it takes to hit the center of the face more often would be my suggestion. Then fiddle with loft and weight from there.

[Ryan19jwu]

I played my Cobra F7 at 43.5 and replaced one of the 2g with a 16g. Loved the setup and found fairways alllll day. Only issue was the shorter shaft caused my swing to be steeper and it could spin up pretty high if I Mis hit it. Playing 44.5 now with a different driver and it suits me a bit better. Much lower spin too.

[Jagpilotohio]

It all just depends.... You will swing a longer club faster, but you will hit it more solid more often with a shorter driver. Theoretically of course.

 

Finding the sweet spot is key. 46" is very long (in my opinion) for driver length for average sized people, but a 43.5" may not produce enough speed for your liking. I did a lot of trial and error, 44.5"-45" is my sweet spot. Whatever length you can hit solid on a consistent basis will get you the best results.

 

Also may have to change the loft on the head depending on the length because your attack angles will more than likely change with a shorter or longer driver. Just have to tinker with it!

 

The tour length driver is 44" and has the heavier weights in the head. I am a cobra staffer and couldnt even get my hands on one because they are back-ordered. They were built based on Rickie's driver specs. Heavier head with the shorter shaft to make up for the swing weight.

 

 

Not entirely correct on this. The cobra tour length driver is 44.5”. Rickies is 43.5”. And yes, the driver heads are heavier to keep the swingweight at “normal” levels.

 

Sorry for the incorrect statement! But yeah the tour length are based of off Rickie's driver after last year when he shortened it.

 

"

 

KING F8 TOUR LENGTH DRIVER

Inspired by Rickie Fowler’s driver used on tour, the KING F8 Tour Length Driver features a shorter, 44.5” shaft, and is equipped with 16g and 6g weights (compared to 12g and 2g in the standard KING F8) to help golfers achieve straighter and more accurate drives down the fairway."

 

Its not for everyone, I tried a driver at 43.5" but could never find the right weight. My jump to 44" got better and now I am at 44.5" and it feels right. The bulk of your distance is going to come from the center of the face, so whatever it takes to hit the center of the face more often would be my suggestion. Then fiddle with loft and weight from there.

 

I realize that’s how Cobra is marketing the tour length driver, but Rickie went from 44.5” to a 43.5” driver a year ago and is still using it unless he’s changed back in just the last couple of weeks. I’ve not read that anywhere.. He also plays his fairway woods much shorter than “standard”, and his irons 1/2 inch under standard length.

 

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/rickie-fowler-finds-shorter-length-driver-to-his-liking

 

Cobra wants you to think it’s “just like Rickies”. But it isn’t. “Inspired by” is not “the same as”. Cobra is too chicken to go down to 43.5” because most people’s maximum speed will decrease and the average weekend golfer is only really concerned with that maximum club head speed number in the launch monitor.

Maximum numbers sell clubs, not consistency of strike or overall averages. That’s why we have perfectly ridiculous 45-46 inch drivers on the rack in the first place.

[rocket500]

I’m pretty sure Ricky is using the F8+ head and not the F8 head?

[AmazinBlue]

I want to get the 16g and 6g weights to put in my F8+ so I can go back down to 44.5”. Hopefully either Billy Bobs or Cobra make them available.

[Modad]

Here was my post this morning about my new F8 Tour Length in another thread:

 

"Played my first round with my F8 Tour Length yesterday. Really loved the overall weight of the club, and I think Cobra has found a 'niche' in offering shorter clubs that have been weighted to compensate for the length. SW was dead on D-2. The EvenFlow Blue shaft was just as I have seen described in other posts: noticeable as it loads in the backswing, and a full sense of release on the downswing, The shaft actually feels less firm than the 6.0 flex implies (95 mph swing speed), but the results were excellent. A high, straight ball flight that was probably at least 5-8 yds longer than the 915 D2 with the Di 6S shaft. As for the F8 club, I couldn't have been happier with the sound feel and look. I was concerned that the nardo gray might be too busy, but it was not distracting at all. I hope it's not just a honeymoon, because this shows to be a long-term keeper!"

 

I played the 915 at 44.5" also; we cut it down and got the swing weight back with a lighter grip and a little lead tape.

[Jagpilotohio]

I’m pretty sure Ricky is using the F8+ head and not the F8 head?

 

Correct as well. Again....the Tour length Driver is “inspired by” Rickies shorter driver. Its quite different than what he actually plays.

[pdaero]

That's funny that they consider 44.5" short - I think it's a healthy/appropriate length for most golfers. I really like this idea, and would totally try it.

[KRW59]

I have 2 F8 driver heads. One I'm testing at 45.5" with a Fuji Diamond Speeder.

The other one I'm playing at 44.5" with a Platinum Speeder.

 

I gave the head for the 44.5" driver the " tour treatment ". I moved the 12 gram

weight to the heel position , and added 9 grams of hot melt to the head , low

and forward , just a bit towards the toe side of center.

 

The shorter driver is noticeably lower launch and spin than the 45.5" driver.

Conditions here are soft , I,m getting about the same total distance from both.

But in dryer conditions I can see the hotmelted head with it's lower angle of

descent will be longer when roll is added in.

 

 

[lefty1978]

I swing my fly z at 43.5", best decision I made. At 5'8", 46" was too long for me.

[LaymanM]

I’m pretty sure Ricky is using the F8+ head and not the F8 head?

 

Correct as well. Again....the Tour length Driver is “inspired by” Rickies shorter driver. Its quite different than what he actually plays.

 

Yup! Plays 43.5" F8+

All marketing hype but at least they are offering a shorter length. Callaway did it with GBB Fusion and now have abandoned the idea. Same 44.5 is a great length for me.

[klbcec]

I want to get the 16g and 6g weights to put in my F8+ so I can go back down to 44.5". Hopefully either Billy Bobs or Cobra make them available.

 

Cobra sells a 16g and 8g weight for the F8+

[Green_in_Reg]

I want to get the 16g and 6g weights to put in my F8+ so I can go back down to 44.5”. Hopefully either Billy Bobs or Cobra make them available.

 

Cobra has 16g & 8g available on their website now!

 

Edit: the guy above me ^ beat me to it...

[Green_in_Reg]

I ordered one about a week ago with the Aldila green shaft and it should be here tomorrow. I’m playing Tuesday morning and I will report back. I’ve played my drivers @ 44.5” for years, so the length won’t be anything new to me... curious to see if it can unseat my Epic.

[JohnKHawk]

So would there be any reason that Cobra couldn't or wouldn't build me an F8+ driver to the specs of the F8 tour driver? It's basically a shorter shaft with 6 & 16 gram weights in it. Correct? Seems doable to me.

[Jagpilotohio]

So would there be any reason that Cobra couldn't or wouldn't build me an F8+ driver to the specs of the F8 tour driver? It's basically a shorter shaft with 6 & 16 gram weights in it. Correct? Seems doable to me.

 

Correct. I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t.

 

And for that matter, if you wanted to actually build a “Rickie Driver”, without using hot melt, you could go 43.5” and use twin 16 gram weights or a 16 and a 12 if you wanted it at D-0.

[casey_0507]

Can anyone with a Tour Length confirm the length of the club? Cobra has a tendency to be 1/4" shorter than their specs on their website. So is 44.5" really 44.5" or is it 44.25"?

[klbcec]

I ordered one about a week ago with the Aldila green shaft and it should be here tomorrow. I'm playing Tuesday morning and I will report back. I've played my drivers @ 44.5" for years, so the length won't be anything new to me... curious to see if it can unseat my Epic.

 

Any report?

[Pawtucket]

I’ve got mine at 44” with a hzrdus yellow and 2x12g weights. Things a fairway finder

 

Oh - and using the F7 “eBay” G30 weights for now. Not paying $25+$8 for a 12g pentagon

[casey_0507]

I've got mine at 44" with a hzrdus yellow and 2x12g weights. Things a fairway finder

 

Oh - and using the F7 "eBay" G30 weights for now. Not paying $25+$8 for a 12g pentagon

 

so the F7/G30 weights fit into the hex on the F8? I need a bit more weight, I filled the plastic "weight" with lead powder, then duct taped over it and screwed it back in, gave me about 5-6 g

[chisag]

I realize that's how Cobra is marketing the tour length driver, but Rickie went from 44.5" to a 43.5" driver a year ago and is still using it unless he's changed back in just the last couple of weeks. I've not read that anywhere.. He also plays his fairway woods much shorter than "standard", and his irons 1/2 inch under standard length.

 

https://www.golfdige...r-to-his-liking

 

Cobra wants you to think it's "just like Rickies". But it isn't. "Inspired by" is not "the same as". Cobra is too chicken to go down to 43.5" because most people's maximum speed will decrease and the average weekend golfer is only really concerned with that maximum club head speed number in the launch monitor.

Maximum numbers sell clubs, not consistency of strike or overall averages. That's why we have perfectly ridiculous 45-46 inch drivers on the rack in the first place.

 

... Some of you guys are such conspiracy theorists when it comes to marketing. As if golf clubs have some special marketing virtually every other product sold here in the good ole USA does not. Cobra is far from "too chicken" and are offering a driver that is a full 1" shorter than standard. Every review I have written about drivers, and several were Cobra's, I have complained about the longer length and said they should offer a shorter length driver. At the Show this year the VP of Club Design told me I was getting my wish. Other than some Rickie Fan Club kids dressed in orange, nobody is interested in playing a driver just like Rickies. "Inspired by" sounds like a perfect description to me, hopefully getting the attention of those that would benefit from hitting the center more often. Considering you can lose 5-7yds for every 1/4" you miss the center, a shorter shaft is just so much better for most. I am playing a Tour Length F8, but I have always played my drivers at 44.5". Stats from Tom Fielding:

 

​Center Hit – 258 yards

1/2 inch off center – 243 yards

3/4 inch off center – 237 yards

1 inch off center – 227

[Pawtucket]

I've got mine at 44" with a hzrdus yellow and 2x12g weights. Things a fairway finder

 

Oh - and using the F7 "eBay" G30 weights for now. Not paying $25+$8 for a 12g pentagon

 

so the F7/G30 weights fit into the hex on the F8? I need a bit more weight, I filled the plastic "weight" with lead powder, then duct taped over it and screwed it back in, gave me about 5-6 g

 

Correct. The F7 weights fit. I have an Ebay (or is it Amazon?) set, from China, that I used in my F7. Cheap way to get a handful of different weights and try it out

[cz13X4]

bump. any more love for the tour length

[klbcec]

I ordered one about a week ago with the Aldila green shaft and it should be here tomorrow. I'm playing Tuesday morning and I will report back. I've played my drivers @ 44.5" for years, so the length won't be anything new to me... curious to see if it can unseat my Epic.

 

Any report on this one?

[chisag]

... Fwiw, here is an old but very informative article discussing Tour length and shorter length drivers. https://www.milesofg...-shaft-length/

 

"Miles of Golf feels one of the very important parts of fitting a customer for a driver is the length of the driver. That is why the Cluboratory, our fitting center, has drivers of varying length. This paper will describe why shaft length is critically important in fitting a driver. We all know how important shaft length is for an iron. It determines impact position on the face, interaction with the turf, and posture at address. Drivers nowadays are being made longer and longer. The average length of a driver 5 years ago was approximately 45” long. In 2011, the average driver length of the brands that we stock is 45.73”, and that number is only going to go up in 2012. In concept, going to a longer shaft is a great idea since in most cases the longer the shaft the faster the head will travel.

 

So if a longer driver will increase swing speed, why write about it? While fitting in the Miles of Golf Cluboratory™, we see a different picture play out that goes much deeper than raw club head speed. The key for hitting the ball far is to translate the club head speed into ball speed. If swing speed is increased, but the ball speed remains unchanged, then the extra club head speed is useless. The true number to pay attention to is ball speed and its relationship with club head speed. This relationship is called Smash Factor, and we use this number to give us an efficiency rating. The maximum speed a ball can come off the face of a golf club is one and a half times greater than the speed of the club head. This is the limit that is set by the USGA.

 

I personally fit more customers into 43” drivers than 46” or longer drivers. The reason I fit for a 43” driver is simple: it performs better. One example is from a guy I fit not too long ago. The player was a strong guy, about a 15 handicap with some consistency issues. Anything longer than 43” resulted in erratic impact all over the face, with erratic ball flight to match. As soon as he had a 43” heavy, stiff driver in his hands, the contact on the face became much more consistent so did his ball flight. His launch conditions (speed, launch angle, spin rate, spin axis, etc…) improved dramatically as well. His club head speed (which is the reason that a person would go to a longer driver) was exactly the same as a 45.5” driver. Despite losing 2.5” of length, the speed was identical. This is a common occurrence during fittings on the TrackMan machine.

[jerryo]

Cobra sent me a F8 head as a warranty replacement for an F6. I have 2 12g weights. I want to replace the stock F6 shaft. Are you guys playing 70ish gram shafts when going shorter or staying in the 60 gram range?