The genre of the ‘anti-slice’ or ‘draw-bias’ driver is a competitive one, with many manufacturers trying to address the shot that afflicts so many. The best drivers for slicers all achieve an all-round package of flight correction, ease of use, and high-quality, premium looks. Can the new Cobra DS-ADAPT Max-D driver fill that brief and sit among the best golf drivers of 2025?
WATCH: Joe Ferguson takes a deep dive into the full Cobra DS-ADAPT driver range...
In terms of the individual tech story of the MAX-D model, it has been designed with all of its discretionary weight positioned in the heel for increased slice correction and exceptional stability. The wider tech story of the range is a more complex and detailed one with the new FutureFit33 shaft adapter being the main event, and I would encourage you to head over to either the DS-ADAPT X driver review or DS-ADAPT LS driver review to read about that in more detail.
The upshot of this clever new adapter is that it will provide the user with more options than ever before and the ability to decouple loft and lie when making adjustments, which can only be a good thing.
Visually the DS-ADAPT MAX-D is a tale of two halves. From the shelf appeal or in-bag perspective I think it looks excellent. The visible carbon and subtle red accent colors give off a really premium look which follows on nicely from the Darkspeed Max of last season. However, down in the playing position, this particular model just doesn’t do it for me. The playing profile lacks a little uniformity of shape to me when compared to say the DS-ADAPT X or LS models, and just looks a touch awkward to my eye. Furthermore, I am not a big fan of how the multi-material junction on the crown flows - or more accurately doesn’t - into the hosel section of the crown, which I think negatively impacts a strong-performing driver.
I said last year that I thought the Darkspeed Max may have been one of the most draw-bias drivers I had ever tested and its successor has picked up the mantle where Darkspeed left off. As with this entire range of drivers from Cobra, each model shamelessly delivers on its marketing promises through its performance characteristics. If you want a low spinner, Cobra can give you that in bucket loads with LS, if it’s versatility you are after, the X can mold to just about any requirements, and the same can be said of MAX-D. If you want to get rid of your slice, then this is just about as much as can be done in a clubhead, and that’s before you get stuck into the 33-setting adapter.
Launch is easy to come by with this driver, and throughout testing, I was impressed by a high level of stability at impact even on some very questionable passes at the ball.
Even above how well it delivers on its promise of slice correction, the star of the show throughout this whole DS-ADAPT range for me is the feel and acoustics. With measurable data-related gains such as ball speed becoming more difficult to achieve, sometimes the biggest victories are found in the less quantifiable areas, and DS-ADAPT family-wide, that is the case.
Cobra has produced one of the best-feeling driver families I have personally reviewed here and the impact acoustic that accompanies it is superb also. Describing something so personal and subjective well is a tall order, but the best way I can do so is to say that for me there seems to be a sweet spot right in the middle of ‘thuddy’ and dull, and ‘clangy’ and high-pitched that the DS-ADAPT range has dissected perfectly.
The DS-ADAPT MAX-D does pretty much everything you could ask from for a driver in this category and, as has become the norm for Cobra, it is priced a touch more conservatively than some of its competitors at $549/£469. My reservations in terms of the playing position visual were certainly mitigated by the very impressive performance.
The DS-ADAPT X Driver comes in RH/LH (*LH available in stock Denali Blue 60, (R and S), with all other shafts custom) with a choice of five premium aftermarket shafts in select flexes including: True Temper Denali Black 60 (S and X); True Temper Denali Blue 60 (R and S); True Temper Denali Red 50 (A); Fujikura Pro Black 60 (S); MCA Tensei AV Blue 60 (R). Lamkin Crossline grips (50g) come standard.
