I first saw the Cobra ZL (Zero Limits) driver at the 2009 BMW Championship, before it was released to the general public, and at that time Ian Poulter was testing out the driver. Up to that point I wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about, it’s not like adjustable face drivers are a new concept. The Cobra ZL driver is designed to help all golfers with accuracy and distance, and I was really interested in finding out if the ZL could accomplish this.

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Look and Feel
The Cobra ZL driver is made from what their engineers refer to as Advanced Multi-Material Construction, which is a carbon fiber crown and sole insert that is blended together with the titanium 6-4 clubhead body and clubface. The titanium face on the ZL features Cobra Golf’s patented Milled Rhombus face insert, along with a thinner perimeter area for faster ball speed and consistency across the face of the club.

On the sole of the ZL you have a swingweight screw, which helps with shifting the Center of Gravity (CG) toward the heel, optimizing ball flight, and MOI. The Cobra ZL also features Adjustable Flight Technology, which is an adjustable hosel that golfers can set into one of three face angles (O-open, N-neutral, C-closed) for a quick and easy way to optimize your ball flight.

The Cobra ZL driver has a great classic pear shape and profile that sets up really nicely at address, and makes it one of the best looking drivers that I have tested from Cobra Golf. Gone are the crown dimples that were on previous Cobra driver models. Round this out with the 46″ 59g Aldila VooDoo shaft and Cobra/GolfPride grip, and you have a very lightweight and innovative driver.

Performance
Accuracy and distance are two qualities that any golfer would want when selecting a driver to put int their golf bag, and that’s what I set out to test. How does the Cobra ZL do in terms of accuracy? The ZL does a very good job of being one of the more forgiving Cobra drivers I’ve tested, thanks to the swingweight screw that moves the center of gravity toward the heel and gives the driver a high MOI. This makes the ZL very stable and easy to hit.

The Cobra ZL driver has their patented Milled Rhombus face insert and a thinner perimeter area of the titanium face maximizes the Coefficient of Reinstitution (COR) for faster ball speed and shot consistency across the face, for a wider hitting area. COR is the spring-like effect that happens to the driver face when it depresses as the ball is struck, then rebounds-providing a little more power to your drive. In the case of the Cobra ZL driver, this translates into longer drives and higher ball trajectory. During my tests I was able to gain 5 -7 yards more per drive, because of the increased ball speed.

The Adjustable Flight Technology is so simple to use, just loosen the screw in the sole of the club with the provided torque wrench and you can change the face by up to 3 degrees for either a draw, fade, or straight/neutral bias. Three positions may seem too simple, but I actually kind of liked having only three options. When you have more incremental options for face angle adjustments, you spend more time having to dial in the driver to find out which increment you like best.

The flight trajectory on my drives were very high for a driver of this caliber and one of the reasons you get a lot of distance off the tee with the ZL. My only concern with a high flight trajectory is playing the ZL in windy conditions, which would lead to less distance off the tee. If you live in a windy part of the country, like Chicago, you might want to consider a different shaft or alter your ball position.

Another hallmark of Cobra drivers is the high-pitched “ting” sound they made at impact, which a lot of people didn’t like. The Cobra ZL does an excellent job of frequency tuning and making a more quieter sound at impact, than previous models.

The Cobra ZL driver is probably the best driver that Cobra Golf has to offer and does a great job of achieving maximum distance and accuracy. If you’re looking for a driver that can easily be adjusted, provides maximum distance, accuracy, and forgiveness. No wonder it’s in the bag of J.B. Holmes and Ian Poulter.

Cobra ZL Driver $349.99

Do you have a tendency to fade or slice your drives? If your answer is yes, then the Cobra Speed LD M driver might be a good fit for your golf game. The Speed LD M Driver maximizes distance on hits across the entire clubface. With one of the largest faces on the market, the Speed LD M is forgiving, which, combined with extra-high launch and a draw bias design, provides increased distance.

Look and Feel
One of the first things you’ll notice when you look at the Cobra Speed LD M driver is the large face of the club, that features a dual rhombus face insert technology to maximize COR. The benefit of having a large sweet spot is greater transfer of energy to the ball for increased ball speed and greater shot distance. The next thing you’ll notice is how the crow slopes back and the deep dimples that lower the center of gravity of club, which produces high launching shots for added distance and increased MOI. I really like the look of the crown and dimples, giving the club a stealth like look to it. I also liked the use of the Cobra logo for the aim line, a nice little design touch in my opinion. The 10.5 * loft club comes equipped with a 45″, regular flex, 56/62 gram, Cobra Tour AD YS graphite shaft and Cobra/Golf Pride Tour Velvet 45D grips round out the Speed LD M driver.

Performance
The Cobra Speed LD M claims it will help increase your distance and hit more straighter drives by designing a driver that pushes the MOI  dimension limits set by the USGA. The engineers at Cobra Golf, pushed the center of gravity lower and deeper into the club that results is a club with 5000+ MOI, which produce longer and straighter drives. Who wouldn’t want to be able to hit the ball longer and straighter? I know I do, and the Speed LD M driver seems to be able to do just that. I was able to hit my drives about 5 yards longer when using the Speed LD M driver and lot of it had to do with large face of the club that allowed the more energy to be transferred to the ball at impact, resulting in faster ball speed and high launch angle for my drives. The other big factor was the enhanced fast-back crown and deep dimples, which lowered the center of gravity into the back of the club, make this a very forgiving driver. Even when I did not hit the ball squarely, or came in too steep on my downswing, the Speed LD M driver did a nice job of correcting my shots. The draw bias of the Speed LD M, performed well, by promoting more of a draw on my shots, which also promotes better accuaracy and distance . Another feature of the Cobra Speed LD M driver that you can’t visibly see is the Internal Frequency Tuning, which gives this club the perfect sounding ping when you hit this driver. The Speed LD M comes in both a Straight Neck and Offset head designs, I tested the Straight Neck version of this club.

If you have tendency to fade or slice your drives and have moderate ball speed, than the Cobra Speed LD M driver, would be a great driver to add to your bag.

Cobra Speed LD M Driver retails for $299