Unless you have been living under a rock, you will have seen a number of different manufacturers over the past 12 months or so, bringing out their own versions of a relatively new club-type commonly known as a ‘mini-driver’ (although not every brand refers to them as such). PXG has its Secret Weapon, Titleist has its GT280, Callaway has its Elyte mini-driver, and TaylorMade’s latest iteration is the somewhat nostalgic R7 Quad.
Scrolling social media over the past few days, I have seen a few posts from out on various global professional tours of what appears to be Cobra’s incoming entry into the space, the King-Tec mini-driver. Some excellent in-hand footage from SMS on Tour gives us a great look at what we might expect if this version hits the retail market soon.
The model in the video seems to utilize the new FutureFit33 loft sleeve and has interchangeable front and back weights to allow the user to dial in launch and spin requirements. Although difficult to tell, at first glance, to me it looks most comparable to the TaylorMade R7 Quad mini-driver from what is currently on the market in both in size and overall shaping. The crown is brilliantly simple and clean, which is something we have come to expect from Cobra since it launched the Darkspeed and subsequently DS-Adapt ranges.
It does seem to feature the same multi-material crown we have seen on the DS-Adapt range, too, with a small banner strip present along the top edge, although it looks to blend in very nicely.
The model in the Instagram post is a 13.5˚ loft, so if it does make it retail (which we strongly suspect it will at some point), it will be interesting to see if Cobra offers it in any other loft settings. PXG and Titleist currently only offer their respective mini-drivers in 13˚, whereas TaylorMade and Callaway give you the choice of either 13.5˚ or 11.5˚, which I much prefer as a higher swing speed player.
Based purely on the exceptional looks (how superficial of me!), I can't wait to get my hands on this King-Tec mini-driver for some testing. I was a big fan of the adjustability of FutureFit33 when it came out, particularly its ability to disassociate loft, lie, and face angle from one another, so to see it in a mini-driver is exciting to me.
I will also be keeping a keen eye on the Cobra staff players' bags at the upcoming US Open, in particular, as with a venue like Oakmont demanding super precise tee shots, a mini-driver could be just what Cobra’s tour players are looking for.
We will keep you updated, as and when we hear any official comment from Cobra in terms of technology, launch dates, and pricing.
