HOUSTON — The quietest stretch of the PGA Tour season just so happens to coincide with the busiest stretch for equipment manufacturers. With new 2023 product mere months from being released, the gear version of Where’s Waldo has officially commenced on Tour.
Thanks to former major winner Gary Woodland, gearheads know what’s coming from Cobra in the not-too-distant future. The Aerojet LS driver and 3-wood situated in his bag are relatively new additions that were first inserted at the CJ Cup, where he finished T67 but ranked T17 in SG: Off-the-tee with the Cobra clubs.
While Woodland ranked a respectable 43rd on Tour last season in SG: Off-the-tee, he wanted to add some overall consistency to a club that’s separated him from his peers during his career.
“The big thing for me was the feel and consistency [of the new driver],” Woodland told GOLF.com. “The driver needs to feel good, and this one does. But the numbers on the misses were tight as well. It hits my launch window with the ideal shot shape. It did a lot of things I need it to do.”
Woodland, who has bounced between several driver brands this year, started testing Aerojet prior to the CJ Cup and settled on a 6.5-degree driver and 13.5-degree 3-wood. Woodland signed a multi-year equipment deal with Wilson in 2019, but the agreement only requires him to play 10 of the company’s clubs, thereby giving him the freedom to test other equipment brands during the season.
Cobra hasn’t released details on the new driver, but based on Woodland’s consistency comments, it appears Aerojet is up to the challenge of besting the current LTDx — one of the most stable drivers GOLF tested on the Swing Laboratories robot during 2022 ClubTest.
With a name like “Aerojet,” it’s safe to assume the driver is based around an aerodynamic profile to gain head speed. The adjustable heel-toe weights, situated just behind the face, appear to be a carryover of the weighting found on the LTDx LS. The words “PWR Bridge” and the inclusion of a small carbon fiber section between the weights also hint at a design that likely improves distance.
As for the Aerojet fairway wood, some of the same LTDx designs (adjustable heel-toe weights) remain in a sleeker overall head profile.
With Woodland already bagging the driver and 3-wood, it won’t be long until weekend golfers get their hands on Cobra’s new offerings for 2023.
Are you planning an equipment overhaul in 2023? Find a fitting location near you at GOLF’s affiliate company True Spec Golf. For more on the latest gear news and information, check out our latest Fully Equipped podcast below.