There’s no denying that hitting fairway woods solidly is one of the hardest skills to master in the game of golf. While some more confident players will look for a compact looking head that creates workability, others want something that’s easy to hit and get up in the air. The new Cobra DS-ADAPT range looks to have something for every golfer, I took the Cobra DS-ADAPT Max fairway wood out for a practice session and on the golf course to conduct some serious testing and see if it can truly be considered one of the most forgiving fairway woods money can buy.
Let’s start with the looks and just take a moment to appreciate the beauty of this club. Cobra has done an excellent job in ensuring the style of the heads match up throughout the family, with each head just showcasing slightly different colored accents to help golfers identify which model they are looking at. The Max is the most forgiving fairway wood in the lineup and has some red highlights which I think work brilliantly with the satin and gloss black tones to rival the looks of any of the best fairway woods on the market.
There are three different heads in the Cobra DS-ADAPT fairway wood range and they all feature different face depths depending on the model and who that club is targeted towards. The LS has the deepest face and is tailored towards the better player. Next is the X model and that sits between the LS and the Max. The Max has the most shallow face which sits really flush to the ground and will inspire confidence to those that need it most with their fairway woods, particularly when striking them from the fairway. I found the shallow face really worked well from balls sitting down in the rough and I even managed to sneak a few out of a fairway bunker!
The H.O.T. face technology is the same as that found in last year's Darkspeed Max model and this really helps with consistency of ball speed across the face. I found there was a good amount of ‘pop’ behind the strike of the DS-ADAPT Max fairway wood, making it feel fast off the face, similar to the likes of the TaylorMade Qi10 fairway wood that was one of the best fairway woods released last year.
I found the combination of the shallow face and the two rear removable weights really helped create a high launching ball flight thanks to the center of gravity being positioned further back. One weight is situated in the middle rear while the other is placed further towards the heel to help promote a more draw-bias shot shape and fight against the dreaded slice. As someone who plays with a natural draw this certainly isn’t the right head for me, although I pay testament to the fact it definitely will work the ball considerably to the left as a right-handed golfer.
To aid with launch and help promote that desired, towering ball flight, the Max fairway wood model is set as standard at 15.5°. This however can be changed in a multitude of ways thanks to the new FutureFit33 hosel, which allows golfers to customize their own club like never before and configure their club in 33 different settings. Each of the fairway woods is fitted with Smartpad technology which keeps the clubface square to target regardless of what setting you choose to put your club in.
As a whole I couldn’t really knock the Cobra DS-ADAPT Max fairway wood. It produced a really solid feel through impact and generous distance all while packed in a confidence inspiring shape. If you are looking for a fairway wood that launches high and will get you out of trouble, both in terms of lie and strike, then the DS-ADAPT Max is worth testing for yourself.
The Cobra DS-ADAPT Max fairway wood as well as the whole new DS-ADAPT family will be available to purchase from the 17th January with the Max fairway wood coming to retail at $329/£289.
