50 Words or Less
The Cobra Fly-Z XL fairway woods were designed to be forgiving and make the game easier for the higher-handicap player as well as beginners.
Introduction
If you do a little research on fairway woods it doesn’t take very long to figure out that they are notoriously one of the most difficult clubs to hit. Unfortunately, very few players consistently hit the ball 285-305 yards off of the tee, so they need a club that is still going to get them significant distance on their second shot. Enter the Cobra Fly-Z XL fairway woods. These are fairly basic fairway woods designed to make it easier for average players to get distance from anywhere on the course.
Looks
The Cobra Fly-Z XL fairway wood has a pretty modest appearance and gives you a little bit of that “you get what you pay for” feeling. This is not a deal breaker – the club still has a perfectly acceptable appearance – but it bears mentioning.
The shape falls somewhere right between pear and half-moon and the crown is black with a slight accent around the trailing edge. The size is moderate, the face is shallow, and the branding on the bottom is modern and basic. The Fly-Z XL does have offset, but it is not overwhelming like a lot of the offset fairway woods we saw circa 2005. Personally, I like the minimal offset because it will make transitioning to a more advanced club easier when the beginner player is ready to make that move.
Sound & Feel
Cobra put a lot of effort into the forgiveness of the Fly-Z XL fairway woods, which impacts the tones that come from the club. The sound from the sweet spot of the Fly-Z XL is pretty metallic, and it stays pretty consistent across the face. This sound is consistent with Cobra using a thinner face in order to achieve the performance characteristics they want. Similarly, the feel is springy and forgiving across the face. Mishits don’t sting but there is a slight loss of feedback when you’re off center. All this means is that mishits will be a little less obvious at impact.
Performance
Much like Cobra Fly-Z XL driver, the Cobra Fly-Z XL fairway woods excel in performance. The Fly-Z XL is designed to help more average golfers find a more squared club face at impact, a better ball flight, and better distances than they would see out of other fairway woods. Cobra designed a trench around the face of the club that they call the “Speed Channel” which is designed so there is minimal thickness in the face for more of that trampoline effect at impact resulting in more distance and forgiveness. I can’t tell you that I found a ton of distance in the Fly-Z XL 3 wood, but that’s in part because the club has 16º of loft.
The offset of the club is designed to square the face at impact and allow for more of a draw flight. I had to take a bit off of my swing to not hook the ball, but once I did, I found very few balls going right. I was consistently hitting draws with a nice launch angle.
I think the biggest win in the design is the placement of the center of gravity. Cobra placed the CoG low and in the back of the head which I found useful in getting the ball in the air off the deck. A 13º launch angle is pretty big for me, especially when it doesn’t balloon and maintains a drawing shot shape. What this is going to translate to is more golfers being able to get their 3W up in the air and actually carry the distances they need to carry.
Conclusion
Golf is supposedly a sport with participation numbers in significant decline at the moment. I think a major issue is that the game is simply too hard. If more companies made clubs like the Fly-Z XL woods from Cobra, then more players might find themselves in clubs that actually get them hitting the ball the right direction which would help to grow their game.
Watch the Video
Cobra Fly-Z XL Fairway Wood_0021
Cobra Fly-Z XL Fairway Wood_0023
Cobra Fly-Z XL Fairway Wood_0026
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Cobra Fly-Z XL Fairway Wood_0038
Cobra Fly-Z XL FW LM Data
Bill Bush
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I wouldn’t have liked to known how this 3 wood differs in performance off the fairway vs. off the tee. Thanks.
All testing is down off the deck unless otherwise noted. Frankly, there really wasn’t that much of a discernible difference in the results so I did not go into great detail.
Best,
Bill
I am a 78 year old, 21.5 handicapper with 75-80 mph swing speed in need of a 3-fairway wood. I purchased the first adjustable Driver from Titleist 910 D2, 9.5 degrees and it is the best I have ever hit; hardly any sound off the club face at impact and I don’t even feel the ball leaving the club head.
I went into my regular golf shop and asked the salesman what he would recommend; he showed me an advanced promo club from Cobra which he said was going to be a game breaker. It was the Cobra King LTD Fairway Wood. I hit it and it felt better than the others I had tried over the years.
When they came out my daughter gave me one for Christmas and a couple of days later I went to the range and hit a large bucket of golf balls but could not replicate the feeling I had the first time I hit it. Took it back to the main store and told the store manager I needed help finding a 3-Wood. He pointed me to the ten hitting stalls and said anyone there with a black shirt would help me.
His name was Anesto and he picked out four woods from the demo buckets and said to try them; the only one that felt good was the Cobra Fly-Z XL 16 degree 3-Wood. I was surprised to watch the ball flight on the swing monitor as the golf flew 165 -170 yards and rolled until it recorded 185 yds. Wow! I hit my driver 200 yds and this club was just what I needed; it felt somewhat like my driver and I noticed it had a Senior Lite Shaft which may have given me a little lag. So for this new year, I am going to re-shaft my entire bag with a senior lite shaft from the regular flex hoping that will help my game.
Need Cobra Fly-Z 7-wood,red,regular shaft, right hand
I’m not sure what you’re asking? We’re not a retailer, we’re an equipment review site. Let me know if there’s a question I can answer in regards to the review.
where can i get a fly z xl 5 wood with a regular matrix shaft 65 g mid torque/kick
John,
If you can’t find one new at a golf retailer, I’m sure you can find one on eBay.
Best,
Matt
Thank you! I’m a 63 yr old female who started 3 yrs ago became addicted and currently plays 2 times a week I’m looking to upgrade from my Starter set . Is this cobra fly XL set the answer ? I’m a high handicapper looking to Step up my game . This set got my attention since it includes a 5w and a 7w which is quite rare in golf club sets . Seeking out a forgiving 3 wood since my current club ( tour express starter set) is difficult to manage from the fairway
Bethany,
The best advice I can give you is to get fit. It will be a little more expensive than buying off the rack, but you’ll learn a lot about your game and you’ll get clubs that you know will work for your swing. Buying to try is much more expensive and frustrating in the long run.
Best,
Matt