50 Words or Less
The women’s Cobra Fly-Z driver is a nice blend of performance and forgiveness that should make this club desirable for a wide range of skill levels.
Introduction
It’s no secret that PluggedInGolf has been a fan of Cobra golf equipment for quite some time, but this is the first foray into the women’s side of the brand. Our expectations were high and we were curious to see how well the women’s line hung with the men’s equipment. To conduct our testing, we targeted our wives, friends, their friends, friends of friends, and so on to see what a group of ladies thought about the Fly-Z driver.
Looks
The differences in appearance between the men’s Cobra Fly-Z driver and the women’s Fly-Z driver are very minimal. Most notable are the different color club head options such as rasberry (pink), ultramarine (blue), and silver flower pearl (silver/white-ish, shown here), the shaft graphics are more washed out, and the grips are women’s Winn wraps. In regards to the finish, the flake in the paint is much more prominent in the women’s Fly-Z than the men’s version of the driver. At address, the Fly-Z has a good looking footprint with good shape and enough size to induce confidence. On the sole, you’ll find the signature fixed weight at the rear of the club to make the center of gravity back and low in the head to make the driver more forgiving and easier to launch.
Sound & Feel
The sound of a golf club is largely dependent on how hard you hit the ball, which is determined by how fast you swing the club. One observation I have often made with women’s clubs in the past is that they tend to sound very “tinny” and hollow with the slower swing speeds and don’t leave you feeling like the ball is jumping off the face. When companies make efforts to counteract this, the club often ends up sounding and feeling dead. The women’s Fly-Z driver hits a happy medium. It doesn’t have the crack sound of a 110+ mph swing speed, but it does have a premium “pop” sound off the face.
At impact, the feedback we received was that the head feels very solid, well balanced, and that it has a good amount of pop. The biggest feedback we got from our group was that the club had a better quality feel overall. Most of the group, my wife especially, had more familiarity with “packaged sets” of clubs and the consensus was that this driver had a smoother flex, more action in the shaft, and they felt more in tune with the club throughout the swing than they did with their drivers. This led to the feeling that they were able to put a better swing on the ball.
Performance
The performance of the Cobra Fly-Z women’s driver seemed to directly correlate with the sentiments above regarding the feel of the club. The feedback we received was the driver felt really good throughout the swing and that it was easier to hit the ball well. This seemed to lead to more “thoughtless” and aggressive swings which in turn resulted in higher ball speed. The weight being low and back in the head did get the ball in the air easier for our testers, so when they found the extra speed, they were getting a decent amount of extra yardage. Specifically for my wife, she pointed out to me that her old driver made it feel like she had to do all of the work to get the ball down range, but with the Fly-Z driver she was able to rely on the club to do some of the heavy lifting and saw a significant upgrade in performance. Admittedly, she had an inferior driver, but most people reading this review are likely looking to upgrade from a similar set of equipment to hers so hopefully that will be valuable information in making an educated upgrade decision.
Conclusion
Though I was confident that Cobra made a decent club in the women’s Fly-Z driver, I couldn’t be 100% positive until we got it in the hands of our testers. What became apparent is that the Fly-Z driver is a high quality driver that performed well and also made the game easier, which is going to keep golfers coming back. If you’re in the market to take that step to the next level in women’s golf equipment, or just want to make a good solid driver choice, the Cobra Fly-Z driver is an excellent option.
[carousel]
Bill plays Scott Readman Concepts putters and accessories.
- Puma Ignite PWRADAPT Golf Shoes Review - March 22, 2018
- TaylorMade M3 Driver Review - March 14, 2018
- TaylorMade M4 Driver Review - March 5, 2018
4 Comments
Dear Bill,
I just wanted to commend you and PluggedInGolf for reviewing female clubs. I recognize you and Matt review the majority of golf equipment (and an excellent job doing so.) I hope PluggedInGolf has the opportunity to do more reviews comparing how manufacturers cater to the different swing demographics (or whether it is just a paint job and a more flexible shaft.)
Brian,
Thank you for the kind words.
Bill
How long did they make the cobra Fly Z Model, looking at a womens set which they said was a 2020 vintage. I am a low intermediate player, age 77. Wondering this is too old of a technology, or should I give it a try, Currently playing with Adams Idea 03. Thanks.
Jan,
Most models from Cobra last about a year. There is certainly newer stuff available, but I wouldn’t consider the Fly Z outdated.
-Matt