The post Shop Cobra’s limited-edition OPTM X Volition driver appeared first on Golf.

The post Shop Cobra’s limited-edition OPTM X Volition driver appeared first on Golf.

The latest limited-edition version of Cobra’s OPTM X driver just dropped, and fans of the brand’s Volition gear will be pumped by the inclusion of some cool new design details on the club head.

For those unfamiliar, Cobra-Puma’s Volition line of products includes patriotic performance apparel and equipment that supports the Folds of Honor Foundation, which provides educational scholarships to families of our fallen or disabled military heroes and first responders.

Gear

How Cobra OPTM fitters use this genius gadget to their advantage (and yours!)

By: Johnny Wunder

In terms of club performance, this limited-edition driver model contains all the technology of the original OPTM X, which was first released in January and prioritizes accuracy. If you’re a player who doesn’t struggle with creating too much spin, the OPTM X would be a good choice for you, as it’s specially engineered to balance speed, accuracy, and forgiveness for tighter dispersion off the tee.

The OPTM X Volition driver is the fourth limited-edition version of Cobra’s OPTM X to be released thus far this year, following the Arnold Palmer edition, the Palm Tree Crew and the Real Tree iterations.

The OPTM X Volition driver features an an abstract, classic military camo print in Army green on the club head and the word “Freedom” scattered throughout. The alignment aid on the top of the clubhead features a bell with a lightning bolt through the middle and a star on the top. And of course, there’s a complementary Army green headcover to go with the club, too.

Ready to upgrade your game with the latest limited-edition OPTM X driver from Cobra? Order yours now before they’re gone!

Shop Cobra’s limited-edition OPTM X Volition driver

Cobra OPTM X Volition Limited Edition Custom Driver

$699.00 from Fairway Jockey

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The post Shop Cobra’s limited-edition OPTM X Realtree driver appeared first on Golf.

The post Shop Cobra’s limited-edition OPTM X Realtree driver appeared first on Golf.

If you’re an outdoor enthusiast, chances are you’ve encountered Realtree — a popular camouflage pattern that features leaves, twigs and bark. The pattern has long been favored by hunters and fisherman, and if you count yourself among them, now you can play a driver to match.

The Cobra OPTM X Realtree driver is a limited-edition selection that features the Realtree camouflage pattern on both the top of the club head (where you’ll find the phrase “Adventure is out there”) and on the face.

Fans of Cobra’s OPTM X driver may also recall another limited-edition design dropping earlier this year, the Palm Tree Crew — the result of a collab between Rickie Fowler and DJ Kygo.

Drivers

Shop Cobra's limited-edition OPTM X Palm Tree Crew driver

By: Jessica Marksbury

Like its limited-edition sibling, the Realtree OPTM X possesses the same performance characteristics as the originally-released club. By prioritizing POI (product of inertia) rather than MOI (moment of inertia), Cobra’s OPTM family of drivers are designed to be more accurate than their predecessors. The OPTM X is suitable for good players who don’t struggle with creating too much spin, and is specially engineered to balance speed, accuracy, and forgiveness for tighter dispersion.

Ready to make this club — and its limited-edition look — your own? Check out the Cobra Realtree OPTM X driver in detail below. To add one to your bag, click on the link. But hurry! This limited-edition offering is sure to sell out quickly!

Shop Cobra’s limited-edition Realtree OPTM X driver

Cobra OPTM X Real Tree Limited Edition Custom Driver

Adventure awaits with COBRA x Realtree. This exclusive collaboration is designed for those who thrive in the wild. Combining Realtree’s iconic camo patterns with COBRA’s signature performance technology, this driver is built to embrace the freedom, excitement, and beauty of nature.

$699.00 from Fairway Jockey

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The post Shop Cobra’s limited-edition OPTM X Realtree driver appeared first on Golf.

The post Why Rickie Fowler’s 3rd driver of the year isn’t cause for alarm | Tour Report appeared first on Golf.

The post Why Rickie Fowler’s 3rd driver of the year isn’t cause for alarm | Tour Report appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Fully Equipped’s weekly Tour equipment report. Every Friday of PGA Tour weeks (plus other times, if news warrants), GOLF equipment editor Jack Hirsh runs you through some of the biggest news surrounding golf clubs on Tour, including changes, tweaks and launches.

Rickie Fowler is using his third different Cobra OPTM driver of the season this week at the RBC Heritage — but his driver switches are not because of poor performance.

Coming into the week, the 37-year-old ranks 17th in accuracy, 18th in total driving and 18th in total driving efficiency, a combined measure of how far he is carrying it and his total yardage compared to his clubhead speed. He’s positive in SG: Off-the-Tee at just under three-tenths of a shot.

So why is Fowler continuing to cycle through drivers? This week, he’s using the OPTM MAX LS-K prototype driver, which his good friend Gary Woodland won with last month, but for most of the season, it’s been the OPTM X, the driver most of Cobra’s Tour players use. But he’s also used the OPTM LS earlier this year at the Players.

Turns out, Fowler and Ben Schomin had confident fits in all three of Cobra’s OPTM heads used on Tour.

“This is an interesting and good story,” Schomin told GOLF. “By mid-December last year, we had him fit very well into OPTM LS, X, and Max K. I think that’s a strong testament to our new lineup.

“He had three distinct drivers and the biggest decision was trying to decide which worked best at that time. He’s played the majority of the season with OPTM X, but has also played a couple of tourneys with OPTM LS. His overall driving stats have been good.

“So it’s not that he’s lost and searching, but rather has confidence in all three and wants to test drive their performance on the track.”

Fowler also made a change in shaft length recently, going from a 44.125″ — one of the shortest on Tour — shaft UST LinQ Powercore White to 45″. The added length is potentially one of the reasons he wanted to consider the more forgiving Max-K head.

So far, that’s working well for Fowler as he opened with rounds of 65 and 69. He ranks 35th in SG: OTT, picking up nearly sevent-tenths of a stroke and has missed just seven of 28 fairways.

It shouldn’t be surprising either that Fowler is taking after Woodland. Woodland’s Cleveland RTZ offset lob wedge and Scotty Cameron center-shafted GoLo putter only ended up in his bag after Fowler started the year with them.

Cobra OPTM Max-K Custom Driver

$599.00 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA TOUR Superstore, Cobra

Michael Kim broke his 3-wood. Then he stole’ Max Homa’s

Perhaps the worst time at a PGA Tour event to have an equipment issue is Wednesday afternoon, but that’s exactly the situation Michael Kim found himself in this week.

Kim took to Twitter Wednesday evening, as he so often does, as one of golf’s best personalities on the platform, to reveal he discovered a crack in his TaylorMade Qi10 3-wood.

“I was getting ready to hit my tee shot on 18 with my 3 wd and noticed a decent-sized crack on the face,” he wrote. “All the trucks are gone so the rep is trying to get it shipped overnight. My head pro from home is also shipping my backup from my locker.”

Earlier in the week, this would have been a non-issue as the Tour trucks from each OEM that follow the PGA Tour week-to-week could have easily built him a new one. But the Tour trucks typically leave events on Wednesdays around noon each week to have enough time to make it to the next event.

With the trucks already bound for New Orleans and next week’s Zurich Classic, Kim found an interesting solution. He intended to play with a borrowed Qi4D 3HL-wood from Max Homa.

In fact, Kim later wrote that several other pros offered their backup 3-woods to him, but Homa’s seemed to work the best, despite having a wildly different shaft, a Ventus Black 8-X with Velocore+ compared to his usual Graphite Design Tour AD UB-7 X.

“Def different profile, but it worked pretty well on the range,” Kim later told GOLF. He also added that he was expecting to get his backup 3-wood from his home course in time for his 11:00 a.m. tee time Thursday.

Luckily, it did arrive in time, but Kim said he remembered that he had flattened his gamer earlier this year, but not his backup, which has been sitting in his locker at his home course. Every shot overdrew on the range, he wrote. Again, no trucks around capable of making the lie adjustment to a fairway wood.

So Kim ended up gaming Homa’s 4-wood and despite the difference in shaft, he said he really liked it, enough to even ask TaylorMade to build him one. He hit 3/4 fairways with the club and gained .32 shots when playing it off the tee.

Titleist, TaylorMade begin seeding new lines

The week after the Masters was a big one for seeding of new products as both TaylorMade and Titleist launched new gear at Harbour Town.

TaylorMade had three players using its new 2026 Spider putters, including Tommy Fleetwood and Jacob Bridgeman, who are both using new versions of the Spider Tour.

It’s the second putter change in three weeks for Fleetwood, who changed the alignment aid on his Spider Tour Black the week before the Masters. TaylorMade Tour Rep James Holley said the new model is identical to his old putter but with a different finish and wider “Pilot’s Eye” alignment aid.

Pierceson Coody is using the Spider Tour F he first put into play four weeks ago at the Valspar Championship. TaylorMade

TaylorMade also tied for the overall putter count after the first round with 21, but then pushed ahead in the second round after Ryo Hisatsune switched to a TaylorMade blade. Last year, TaylorMade had just 12 putters in play at this same event.

Elsewhere, Titleist officially launched its GTS fairway woods at the RBC Heritage.

Cameron Young and Johnny Keefer both previously added the GTS3 7-wood at the Valero and the Masters, respectively, but four more GTS fairway metals were in play as well.

Bud Cauley (GTS3 15.0), Joe Highsmith (GTS2 13.5) and Jordan Smith (GTS2 13.5, GTS3 18.0) all added new GTS fairway metals for Harbour Town.

As with the drivers, there are few technical details out there right now, but from images, we do know both the GTS2 and GTS3 feature adjustable heel-toe weighting in addition to a silver face that was seen as a prototype on Young’s GT1 3-wood.

GTS2 also appears significantly shallower than the GTS3.

There was, however, no mention of the GTS fairway wood that GolfWRX spotted Michael Brennan testing at the Houston Open three weeks ago at the GTS driver launch.

Check this out

This section is dedicated to cool photos we’ve snapped recently on Tour, but haven’t had a reason to share yet. For this week, check out Harris English’s 15-year-old Ping Scottsdale Hohum mallet.

Odds and Ends

Some other gear changes and notes we’re tracking this week.

Karl Vilips is playing without a driver this week, going with an R7 Quad Mini, 3-wood and a 7-wood … Patrick Cantlay became the first player to add Titleist’s GTS4 driver and three others also added a GTS driver this week … Jhonattan Vegas is the latest player to move into Callaway’s *still* unreleased Apex MB ’26s … Jason Day added Ping’s prototype mini driver … TaylorMade had 72 fairway woods in play with the next competitor at 24 … Denny McCarthy added an R7 Quad 11.5 … Chris Gotterup is playing his TaylorMade P770 3-iron … Jordan Smith is the latest player to get ‘Spidered’, adding Spider tour X … J.T. Poston has a new Qi4D 7-wood … Tommy Fleetwood switched to a Titleist SM11 T-Grind lob wedge … Garrick Higgo switched from a 9.0 to 10.5 Ping G440 K.

3 things you should read/watch

A selection of GOLF content from the past week that may interest you.

Meet the man behind Rory McIlroy’s Masters-winning Spider putter. The PGA Tour’s Spider-fever got another shot of momentum with Rory McIlroy’s second green jacket. Meet the man who is responsible for building and fitting all of the new ones out there.

TaylorMade Spider Tour X Custom Putter

  THIN WALL UNDERCUT CONSTRUCTION We’ve engineered a super stable structure by removing excess weight to create high MOI and legendary Spider performance. STEEL WIREFRAME Allows engineers to better control weight distribution and CG location. HYBRAR ECHO® DAMPENER HYBRAR is behind the face to dampen unwanted vibrations, delivering premium sound and feel on every putt with the best possible sensation. DIFFERENT CG LOCATION Each Spider Tour model features different CG locations for optimal putter fitting. TSS WEIGHTING TSS weights provide balanced weighting and help optimize performance for all various putter lengths. GUNMETAL PVD FINISH The durable PVD coating creates a beautiful high-quality finish. TRUE PATH™ ALIGNMENT The patented alignment system provides visual clarity and helps golfers better envision the line to the hole. WHITE TPU PURE ROLL™ INSERT Made from a combination of Surlyn and aluminum, the white TPU Pure Roll™ insert creates a softer feel. Grooves are angled at 45° to encourage optimal forward roll as well as better sound, feel and overall roll characteristics. The white insert also creates better symmetry with the white True Path alignment. REFINED HOSEL DESIGNS Spider Tour Series includes two different hosel shapes and designs. The small slant produces toe hang, and the double bend produces a face balanced design.

$349.99 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA TOUR Superstore, TaylorMade

Cobra’s R&D was asked to think outside the box. Now they’re 3D printing golf clubs. Jake Morrow takes you inside the process of bringing Cobra’s first 3DP irons to market and what the technology enables for the future.

Cobra 3DP Tour Custom Irons

The KING 3D Printed TOUR irons utilize 3D printing technology to unlock a new realm of performance. Their one of a kind design features the most forgiving blade shape on the market, delivering the forgiveness that aspirational players need, and the sleek looks and soft feel that better players desire. 3D PRINTED STEEL CONSTRUCTION Each iron is fully 3D printed from 316 stainless steel. 3D printing provides significant advantages over traditional methods of casting and forging, unlocking more design freedom and significant performance improvements. FORGIVING PLAYERS BLADE SHAPE 3D printing has unlocked new design possibilities, enabling COBRA engineers to create a compact blade shape with the mass properties (high MOI, low CG) of a game improvement iron without sacrificing looks and soft feel that better players demand. INTERNAL LATTICE STRUCTURE COBRA took a muscle-back blade shape (similar in size and shape to the KING TOUR iron), and transformed the inside of the blade into a complex internal lattice structure to reduce the weight of the club by 33%. That discretionary weight was repositioned to optimize feel, CG position, and MOI.

$329.99 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA TOUR Superstore, Cobra

This rising star has a golf bag built for the modern bomber | Bag Spy. For this week’s Bag Spy, we dive into the bag of Michael Thorbjornsen and what he’s changed to adapt to PGA Tour golf.

TaylorMade R7 Quad Custom Mini Driver

PERFORMANCE FOR THE MODERN PLAYER Inspired by one of the most iconic models in TaylorMade history, the R7 Quad Mini Driver pays homage to what’s come before, while creating its own modern identity in the same breath. It’s that very modern design that incorporates proven TaylorMade technologies to give golfers versatility and playability. R7 QUAD WEIGHTING SYSTEM The new quad weighting system features four movable weights (13g x2, 4g x2) that provide the ultimate in spin management and shot shape control. Forward CG creates a penetrating flight best suited for maximizing distance whereas rear CG helps prioritize control and ease of use from the deck. Shot shape can also be fine-tuned helping create the most optimal flight. Additional weights can be purchased for a wider range of adjustability. INFINITY CARBON CROWN A new satin Infinity Carbon Crown has been added to the R7 Quad Mini Driver chassis creating a stunning look while saving weight for better mass optimization. The cosmetic package is clean, elegant, and confidence-inspiring.

$479.99 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA TOUR Superstore, TaylorMade

The author welcomes your comments at Jack.Hirsh@golf.com.

Want to overhaul your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Why Rickie Fowler’s 3rd driver of the year isn’t cause for alarm | Tour Report appeared first on Golf.

The post Cobra’s R&D was asked to think outside the box. Now they’re 3D printing golf clubs appeared first on Golf.

The post Cobra’s R&D was asked to think outside the box. Now they’re 3D printing golf clubs appeared first on Golf.

For several years now, the No. 1 golf equipment story I have been obsessed with is Cobra’s 3D printing. Dig deep and you’ll find their process is the culmination of a decade’s-worth of work by a team who was challenged to think outside the box. Not only did this year find something new, they charged down a path of innovation that could be the greatest stride in golf equipment I will ever cover in my career.

The Fully Equipped team dove in on this story and spent two days with the Cobra team to discuss how they’ve gotten the project to where it currently sits, the trials they went through, the problem-solving they needed, special programs they use, and a glimpse into the future of what 3D printing means for the consumer customer. Here are my 3 biggest takeaways from our feature piece.

It almost didn’t happen… at several stages

Irons

Can Cobra's 3D Printing completely change the irons market?

By: Jake Morrow

The very first question I asked when we sat down to begin discussing the project was, “Who will raise their hand and take credit for being in a board room years ago and proposing such a wild idea?” Turns out that, as Director of R&D Doug Roberts pointed out, that man was Ryan Roach. Roach leads the Innovation Team at Cobra Golf and his job, in a nutshell, is to dream. There’s some pressure attached to those dreams, of course; in actuality it’s Roach’s job to justify his dreams. And that’s exactly what Roach saw in 3D printing: A dream.

In theory, the idea was simple. Create the ability to make a 1-of-1 golf club for anybody who wants to order. Even 10 years ago, this was possible; it just cost a significant amount of money. You’d have to build the tooling for a set of irons, test those irons, make changes, invest in more tooling, create a new set, and repeat until you had the clubs you wanted. A single set made for a tour pro for example could cost tens of thousands of dollars. That may be worth it when you’re playing for millions on the PGA Tour, but not when you’re trying to win $5 off your buddies on the weekends. So the dream added an asterisk. Create the ability to make a 1 of 1 golf club for anybody who wants to order *and* at an accessible price point.

Their first hurdle? Nobody knew how to do it and nobody knew where to start — until Roach brought the idea of 3D printing forward. It had been used in other industries, and the technology was rapidly improving, but the idea of bringing the technology to golf was unheard of. From what we’ve been told, those discussions alone were almost enough to stop the project from happening. Become an industry leader would take resources, people, and most terrifying of all: time.

The second hurdle? Tour adoption. This concept wasn’t going to work if it didn’t work in the hands of the best players. This mean that the made-from-powdered-metal, stainless steel, lattice filled irons would have to perform, feel, and sound just like the forged options that players have been using for years. Any sacrifice in any category would halt the project.

Gear

Rickie Fowler changed nearly every club this year. He told us why | Bag Spy

By: Jack Hirsh

Thankfully Rickie Fowler, Max Homa, Matti Schmid, Lexi Thompson, and others have all settled in very nicely to their new 3DP irons, all of which are personal builds.

Finding the digital speed to keep up with the analog speed

One of the most interesting things that came up during our interviews for the feature was their use of nTop. nTop is a computational design software that is a significant reason for the entire project’s success. Why it’s so interesting is because, in a weird turn of chance for the year 2026, the analog side of the 3D printing process was outrunning the digital side. Once a design was sent to the printer, it could be done in days, depending on the urgency. The issue was that the experimentation to actually design the clubs, particularly the internal lattice, was tedious and time consuming.

Cobra’s Bryce Hobbs, R&D Team Leader, speaks in the feature about their research into mass properties. Mass properties are essentially the determination of how the weight in the head is going to be distributed depending on the performance outcome they are trying to achieve. If we take a look at the retail line of 3DP.MB, 3DP Tour, and 3DP.x you can see mass properties shift. The MB has its weight more central in the blade for better control and a higher overall center of gravity. The 3DP Tour uses over 100 grams of tungsten that’s set out towards the perimeter of the blade with a wider sole for increased forgiveness, and a lower, deeper CG placement. The 3DP.x takes that even further to spread the mass out towards the perimeter and create Cobra’s most forgiving 3DP platform design. And that’s all decided by how the internal lattice is constructed.

I’m not incredibly versed in computational design programs, but from what I got out of it was that nTop allowed them to speed up their digital design process by 10x; specifically in the way they design the internal lattice structures. The reason the internal lattice structure is so crucial to the irons is that it controls the performance characteristics of that design. Depending on the characteristics desired by the designer and the eventual player, tungsten weight needs to be moved around inside the head. With nTop, they’re able to prototype, design, and test different internal structures, shapes, and even materials with no delay in their overall manufacturing process. The digital design process can support the timelines of the analog manufacturing times, helping to speed up the overall process but also taking steps to learn faster. This is where the genius of the club design and the 3D printing engine really starts to hit home, and gives us a glimpse into what the future may actually look like in pursuit of the *accessible* 1-of-1 dream.

What ACTUALLY comes next?

It’s hard to know exactly what comes next, but we’ve now been given plenty of hints as to what is possible. It’s just a matter of what the Cobra team decides to do in the space, and how quickly they want to do it. Let’s recap what we know, and what we can infer for the future based off the available facts.

1. Tour pros are getting custom 1-of-1 irons.

For Cobra’s Tour staff and select others, there is nothing off limits. They can choose every aspect of their iron build that they want down to the head weight. CG placement, top-line thickness, sole shape, offset, speed, even the material the iron is made out? Everything is in play for those at the highest level of the game. They even converted longtime Cobra S2 Forged player Lexi Thompson into a new set of 3DP irons. How’d they do it? They printed her a set that visually retains the crazy offset those irons had and the interesting blade shape and sole, with an internal structure that gave her more speed and more forgiveness on off-center strikes. Mind you, Cobra’s S2 Forged came out 15 years ago. This is a pretty big deal.

So you’d have to imagine that in pursuit of an *accessible* 1-of-1 irons program, that would all be up for grabs with the consumer in some way. I have no idea, they were very careful about not leaking that info. But I’m just telling you what we know is currently possible.

2.) The lattice is the key.

I would encourage you to watch the nTop portion of the feature over again and really pay attention to what Ben says. The lattice is the key to this entire thing. By being able to structurally achieved different mass properties, they can give players options that nobody else can. You love your MBs but you want that CG pushed a little bit lower? No problem. Massive performance change, zero visual change. Do you love the 3DP Tour but wish it had a bit less offset and spun a bit more? No sweat. Massive performance change, zero visual change. All by adapting the way the lattice is built and the weight inside the head is manipulated. And it’s all at the finger tips of Ben and his co-workers. It’s hard to even fully wrap a thought process around understanding the potential that that unlocks.

3.) Cobra WANTS us to be the beneficiaries of their dream

You hear it at the end from Caitlin Farley. Doug Roberts mentions the excitement they had for 3DP Tour to hit retail for the first time. Ryan Roach mentions his confidence in the project several times. Bryce Hobbs and Ben Lemery are both focused on the “light” at the end of the tunnel. That’s their dream. 1 of 1 sets for consumers. Cobra wants this. This project isn’t meant to stay a Tour-only thing. It’s meant to give every single player an accessible chance at creating whatever set of irons they need to shoot the best scores. The levels of this are hard to comprehend. If they can scan and print Lexi’s S2 Forged irons with 2026 performance inside, what’s to stop them from scanning any other iron?

Everything is on the table. We don’t know when. We still don’t quite know exactly how. And we don’t even know if they’ll stop at irons. What we do know is that this continues to be the coolest story in golf equipment innovation, and I couldn’t be more grateful to have a front-row seat to follow along and see the eventual impact it’s going to leave on our industry. Everything we know right now is truly the lead up, the Part 1 of this entire story. Part 2 has seemingly just started, and the introduction is already astonishing.

It’s like watching a sequel for a great movie and the first 60 seconds of the sequel have already made you forget the original. We’re watching that sequel in real time.

The post Cobra’s R&D was asked to think outside the box. Now they’re 3D printing golf clubs appeared first on Golf.

The post These clubs were built just for Augusta National | Masters Tour Report appeared first on Golf.

The post These clubs were built just for Augusta National | Masters Tour Report appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Fully Equipped’s weekly Tour equipment report. Every Friday of PGA Tour weeks (plus other times, if news warrants), GOLF equipment editor Jack Hirsh runs you through some of the biggest news surrounding golf clubs on Tour, including changes, tweaks and launches.

Augusta National presents a unique challenge to the best in the world every year, but with near-perfect conditions, the test is even more demanding.

With a fairly dry lead-up to the Masters and the rare occurrence of no rain in the forecast for this weekend, Augusta National will be as firm and fast this weekend as the club wants it, meaning pros are searching for more height to stop the ball.

That’s why it shouldn’t come as a surprise that 11 players chose to drop 4-irons this week in favor of high-lofted fairway woods or hybrids. A few of those players are guys who don’t typically play a 4-iron, like Tommy Fleetwood, Zach Johnson and PGA Tour Champions players Vijay Singh, Mike Weir and Freddie Couples, who has his normal three-hybrid setup this week.

But other players, including Akshay Bhatia, Brian Campbell, Jason Day and Matt Fitzpatrick, have all dropped the 4-iron for clubs they’ve had built specifically for Augusta National.

Bhatia added a new Callaway Apex UW ’26 21-degree this week in place of his normal 22-degree X Forged UT 4-iron.

“Basically, he was looking at incoming second shots to Nos. 13 and 15 and needing something hitting a higher apex to land softer on those greens,” Callaway Tour Content Manager Johnny Thompson told GOLF.

Bhatia’s gamer OG prototype UW, which is closer to 17 degrees in loft, remains in the bag as his 5-wood alternative. Despite the roughly three-degree gap between the two clubs, the new UW is more than two inches shorter, which provides an optimal carry yardage gap.

Akshay Bhatia’s new Apex UW specs
Apex UW ’26
Loft: 21˚ @ 20˚
Lie: 58.2˚
Sole weight: 14 g
Hot melt: 2 g crown
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 10-X
Length: 39.375”
Tipping: 2”
Swingweight: D1.8

Campbell, a two-time winner on the PGA Tour last season, like Bhatia, also does not play a traditional 4-iron week-to-week, opting instead for Ping’s iDi long iron replacement. But this week, he’s got a G440 Max 9-wood to help him get even more stopping power on the firm greens.

“When he hits it on No. 4 or into 5, that 9-wood is just going to allow it to stop so much faster than even that [iDi]4-iron,” Ping Tour Rep Kenton Oates told GOLF. “The 4-iron gets in there fine, but it still spins like a 4-iron — it’s just not going to react the same.”

Oates said the spin is the real difference maker when it comes to switching from an iron to a fairway wood or hybrid. He could build a 4-iron that nearly reaches the same height a high-lofted metal wood, but it’s the extra spin that really gives a player control on the greens.

PING G440 Max Custom Fairway Wood

The G440 fairway family (MAX, LST, SFT) advances PING’s reputation as a Tour-preferred model of choice through a re-designed face structure and low CG system. The face is taller for more confidence off the tee while maintaining a CG location that delivers high- launching performance off the ground. The MAX model (which fits most golfers) is available in five lofts (including a new 4-wood) to provide more gapping solutions.  HIGH MOI Easy to launch, stable design increases forgiveness.  FLEXING FACE Maraging steel face flexes for more ball speed, optimizes spin.  TALLER FACE PROFILE Improves performance off the tee, maintains low CG.  FREE-HOSEL DESIGN Saves weight to lower CG, optimize launch/spin and increase forgiveness. 

$369.00 from Fairway Jockey

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“It’s probably not a huge difference on a TrackMan peak height number — maybe only about 15 feet — but that extra height is coming from spin. When the height is coming from spin, that’s when you really start to see the ball actually react on the green and stop. That’s the difference,” Oates said. “That extra 15 feet can end up being 15 feet closer to the hole when it lands.”

Ping had three 9-woods in play this week, 10+ 7-woods and Carlos Ortiz gamed a 26-degree G440 5-hybrid.

Shane Lowry, Matt Fitzpatrick, and Jason Day all used TaylorMade 7-woods, but the interesting note there was that Fitzpatrick and Day both kept the 5-woods they already had in the bag, bucking the trend of either having a 5- or a 7-wood. Lowry dropped his Srixon ZXiU 3-iron for the Qi4D 7-wood.

“Sometimes I feel like you need it, especially with the added length,” Day said on Wednesday of the extra fairway wood. “You kind of need a better gap at the top end for some of these holes around Augusta National. So nothing too dramatic, but just the top end.”

TaylorMade’s Adrian Rietveld told GOLF that both Day and Fitzpatrick have shorter builds on their 7-woods, but otherwise, there’s nothing different about the spec for it to cover both a 3-iron and 4-iron distance. Rietveld said both players are using shot-shaping to hit higher, more floaty shots when they need to cover 4-iron yardage.

Basically, the 7-wood acts as two clubs in one.

Mini Mania at Augusta National

Mini driver usage has been growing steadily on the PGA Tour over the past two years, but it seems like it might be peaking at the Masters.

A total of 23 players played a mini driver at Augusta National and it seems the consensus is that the clubs are built for the modern game at the historic course. Callaway lead the way with 10 while TaylorMade had eight.

While several of those mini drivers were from players like Fleetwood, Max Greyserman and Min Woo Lee who game one every week on the PGA Tour, other players like Justin Rose, Harris English and Tom McKibbin had them built in the weeks prior specifically for this course.

“I think it’s all about predictability when it comes to a mini driver,” Callaway Tour Representative Kellen Watson told GOLF. “You have a driver where you know it’s going to carry this bunker, but you don’t know how much it’s going to roll out. With this, you want to know the carry number and have the total be very tight — like nine yards or so — which is perfect.”

Even as the Masters tees have been lengthened over 500 yards in the last 20 years, the bends in the fairways — and the firmness of those fairways — make several holes ideal for players to use a mini driver.

The most obvious case is the long downhill dogleg left par-4 10th, where a drive down the left benefits from the steeper slope. But because a mini driver is easier to work right-to-left, it’s also favored on Nos. 5, 7, which have awkward run-outs and slants in the fairways.

TaylorMade R7 Quad Custom Mini Driver

PERFORMANCE FOR THE MODERN PLAYER Inspired by one of the most iconic models in TaylorMade history, the R7 Quad Mini Driver pays homage to what’s come before, while creating its own modern identity in the same breath. It’s that very modern design that incorporates proven TaylorMade technologies to give golfers versatility and playability. R7 QUAD WEIGHTING SYSTEM The new quad weighting system features four movable weights (13g x2, 4g x2) that provide the ultimate in spin management and shot shape control. Forward CG creates a penetrating flight best suited for maximizing distance whereas rear CG helps prioritize control and ease of use from the deck. Shot shape can also be fine-tuned helping create the most optimal flight. Additional weights can be purchased for a wider range of adjustability. INFINITY CARBON CROWN A new satin Infinity Carbon Crown has been added to the R7 Quad Mini Driver chassis creating a stunning look while saving weight for better mass optimization. The cosmetic package is clean, elegant, and confidence-inspiring.

$479.99 from Fairway Jockey

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For many longer players, there’s also only one hole where a 3-wood off the deck comes into play: The uphill par-5 8th. But No. 8 allows players to hit a low approach and chase it up, a shot well-suited to a mini driver.

“If you’re a longer player, there are basically no 3-woods off the ground here,” said Oates. “So now the mini driver fills that gap, especially when you combine that with the number of tee shots where you have to work it right-to-left. That combination makes it really valuable.”

Oates said English, who primarily plays a fade with his driver, was hitting his mini driver on 6-7 different holes during practice rounds.

Max Homa also tested out a Cobra King Tec mini that Ben Schomin said was to give him an option off the tee to move the ball right to left.

“The idea was to be able to make a stock swing and have the ball turn over without having to do anything differently with setup or alignment,” Schomin said. “But also have the ability to really swing it around when you need to, like on 10. He felt very comfortable doing both.”

Schomin and Homa had the club dialed for an 8˚-10˚ launch and 2800-3100 spin, but Homa ultimately decided on a 3-wood instead.

Quiet week on the trucks

One common theme with all of these new clubs players have in their bags this week is that the vast majority weren’t built this week.

In fact, Masters week, like most major weeks, is a fairly quiet one on the Tour Trucks.

“There’s really not much going on. I mean, there’s really not much we can do,” Watson said. “At this point, if you haven’t done your job already, then you probably shouldn’t be here.”

Much of the work is validating or re-validating clubs that were built for this week, or minor maintenance jobs like re-grippings and loft and lie checks.

Justin Rose is a perfect example as he had clubs, like his Callaway Quantum Mini Driver and prototype Cleveland RTZ wedge, built for him weeks ago specifically to get ready for the Masters.

The Ping Tour Truck built 109 clubs this week, but the majority of those were players like Vijay Singh, who doesn’t get serviced regularly, or guys like Sandy Lyle, who aren’t even playing this week.

“A lot of the stuff you’re seeing built this week is for past champions or guys we don’t see as much,” Oates said. “The Conners and the Hovlands, they’re already dialed. There’s really not much for us to do.”

Harry Hall goes nuclear on the bag after Round 1

Harry Hall started his Masters with a brand new driver, a Ping G440 LST, one that helped Ping tie Titleist for the lead in driver count for the week, a first in roughly two seasons for Ping.

He also had Ping’s prototype mini in the bag as he continues his torrid pace of gear switches throughout this season.

Already this year, Hall has switched between no fewer than four different drivers, two sets of irons, three sets of wedges, two putters and a golf ball change just for this week.

After Round 1 at Augusta, where he shot 77, he seemed ready to do all of that between then and his Friday morning tee time.

“I’m going to change my driver. I’m going to put two drivers in play tomorrow, different ones. I’m putting a new putter in play and going to figure out on the range,” Hall said Thursday. “I don’t think I spin my irons enough either. I went into a spinnier ball this week, but I still, you know, can’t stop it on a dime like I need to. So I probably need to add off to my irons or do something to compete in these majors.”

Hall appeared to only use the TaylorMade Qi4D driver he was playing most recently before this week and he did switch from his longtime Odyssey O-Works putter to a TaylorMade Spider that he started using at Bay Hill.

After all of that, Hall had a wild Round 2 of five birdies, five bogeys and eight pars for an even-par 72 that puts him at five over for the week and likely to miss the cut.

Golf Pride continues major dominance

No surprise here as Golf Pride continues to dominate grip counts at majors.

Of the top 10 betting favorites heading into the week, eight of them used Golf Pride grips with multiple models represented, including the Tour Velvet, MCC and Align Max families.

Overall, 80 of the 91 players in the field are using a Golf Pride grip.

Check this out

This section is dedicated to cool photos we’ve snapped recently on Tour, but haven’t had a reason to share yet. For this week, check out some more of the Cleveland prototype RTZ offset wedges that are sneaking into multiple bags on the PGA Tour. Take a guess who this one is for. Check out the full story behind them.

Odds and Ends

Some other gear changes and notes we’re tracking this week.

Justin Thomas (GTS2), was among three players to add a new Titleist GTS driver this week. The others were Dustin Johnson (GTS2) and Cam Smith (GTS3) … Cameron Young added a Titleist GTS3 7-wood in place of his GT1 hybrid … Thomas also gamed a Vokey WedgeWorks 60L lob wedge, a grind that sits between his normal 60T and 60K* gamers … Vokey had 114 gap, sand and lob wedges … Ping and Titleist tied for the driver count lead with 25 and the G440 LST was the most played model… Vijay Singh had a new Ping G440 K … Keegan Bradley tested a TaylorMade Qi4D LS driver but stuck with his G430 LST … Wyndham Clark has a new TaylorMade Qi4D Tour 3-wood, replacing his G440 Max … Justin Rose has one of Cleveland’s prototype RTZ wedges with a 588 Wide sole … Aldrich Potgieter has a new TaylorMade Spider, one of 16 in the field … as he continues a search for a new putter … U.S. Mid-Am champ Brandon Holtz asked the USGA to send him his Callaway Paradym Ai-Smoke TD that he won the Mid-Am with an donated to the USGA Museum, but chose not to use it … TaylorMade had 79 fairways in play, including two from Rory McIlroy, who switched back to his Qi10 3-wood … Odyssey led the putter count with 28 … Fujikura swept the counts for driver (36/39.6% of field), woods (116/41.3%) and hybrid shafts (10/62.5%)

3 things you should read/watch

A selection of GOLF content from the past week that may interest you.

Cameron Young’s bag is constantly evolving. Dive into how he got here | Bag Spy – In the latest edition of Bag Spy, take a deep dive into Players champion Cam Young’s golf bag, with his high-lofted driver, game improvement wood and hybrid and prototype golf ball.

Titleist GT3 Custom Driver

GT3 – Speed-Tuned Distance & Control GT3 offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization. With a speed-tuned design that allows you to precisely match performance to your most frequent contact location, you can make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping. For players with a relatively consistent impact location, GT3 offers a precisely adjustable CG Track to max out distance and directional control. Seamless Thermoform Crown A reimagined ultra-lightweight design, born from a new Proprietary Matrix Polymer. The tunable acoustic properties of this unique composite allow Titleist engineers to realize new material gains while maintaining our signature sound and feel. All wrapped in a clean look that inspires total confidence. Split Mass Construction A breakthrough in internal weighting unlocks longer drives and enhanced directional control in GT3. The Adjustable CG Track now sits closer to the face for more dynamic CG control, while additional discretionary mass is pushed to the back of the club to maintain optimal stability through impact. Advanced Aerodynamics GT3 features a new raised tail contour that represents a dramatic shift in driver aerodynamics. Previously impossible to execute due to design constraints, this advanced shaping results in a driver that swings faster while still providing optimal CG control.

$649.00 $449.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Why Rory McIlroy decided on these clubs – Take a deep dive in Rory McIlroy’s bag as he defends his Masters title with his fitter, Adrian Rietveld.

‘Failure’s not an option’: Augusta National chairman reaffirms club’s rollback stance – At his annual Masters press conference, Augusta National Chairman Fred Ridley called for action to end the uncertainty around golf’s rollback.

The author welcomes your comments at Jack.Hirsh@golf.com.

Want to overhaul your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post These clubs were built just for Augusta National | Masters Tour Report appeared first on Golf.

The post Is the type of driver head dying a slow death? We explain | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

The post Is the type of driver head dying a slow death? We explain | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

With Gary Woodland winning in Houston using a prototype Cobra OPTM Max-K driver, the days of LS heads dominating the PGA Tour are surely over.

Just a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable for a fast player like Woodland, who leads the PGA Tour in clubhead speed this season, to consider anything other than a compact low-spin style driver.

But thanks to modern technology, more and more players are opting for more forgiveness-minded drivers, while still getting plenty of speed.

On this week’s episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped, co-hosts Johnny Wunder and Jake Morrow debated the death of the “LS” driver.

Woodland said earlier this year that he opted for the OPTM Max LS-K, a prototype version of Cobra’s high-MOI Max-K driver that would still be considered a more forgiving head with a deep and low CG, because he realized he drives it best when the weight is deep.

Wunder realized that when he was at Callaway, Jon Rahm and Xander Schauffele also drove it well with the weight in their drivers more neutral instead of forward, the characteristic of LS drivers.

Cobra OPTM LS Custom Driver

$599.00 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Cobra

“None of those guys were frontloaded weights and they all drove it well when they played,” Wunder said. “The only time that they had a ton of weight up front is if they played with a lot of loft. So what I’m seeing is that these core heads, for example, if we’re going to talk about Callaway, the reason why the TD Max works so well, is that you can make it super low spin or you can make it super fast and super forgiving. [TaylorMade] Qi4D is like that. That’s why you’re seeing so many Ping players go from 440 LST into 440K. Because you can go down in loft.”

Because adjustability has come so far in modern drivers, companies are able to take more forgiving shapes and make them low spin by neutralizing the CG and lowering the loft. The only issue there is struggling to see the loft, which can be fixed with minor optical tricks like drawing lines on the face or brighter faces.

Morrow pointed out that the line between a company’s core model driver and the LS driver has blurred over the years, thanks to that adjustability. But that also means LS heads have gained forgiveness, which makes them great tools for players who fight a slice.

“I have put a lot of slicey people into a low lofted LS head that’s lofted up because it closes the face and it eliminates a lot of spin,” Morrow said. “They’re like, ‘Well, I’m supposed to be playing this because this is for the fast guy.’ Well, no, no, no. It’s just a spin thing.”

So is the LS driver ready to die? Probably not, but the use cases for them are definitely changing.

For more from Wunder and Morrow, listen to the full episode of GOLF’s Fully Equipped here, or watch it below.

Want to find the best driver for your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Is the type of driver head dying a slow death? We explain | Fully Equipped appeared first on Golf.

The post I was terrified of this blade 5-iron. But 1 swing changed everything | Fully Fit 2026 appeared first on Golf.

The post I was terrified of this blade 5-iron. But 1 swing changed everything | Fully Fit 2026 appeared first on Golf.

Welcome to Fully Fit 2026, GOLF’s new platform for providing you with real-golfer insights into what 2026 gear might be best suited for your game. To this end, we assembled six GOLF content creators of varying abilities and ran them through the gauntlet of six full-bag fittings (driver to putter!) at six major club manufacturers in Phoenix and Carlsbad, Calif. Our hope: that you might see shades of your own game in one of our panelists’ and take some learnings and inspiration from their fitting experiences. In this installment (below), Jack Hirsh details the one club he can’t live without from Fully Fit 2026, his Cobra 3DP MB 5-iron. You may browse each of our panelists’ full 2026 dream bags here:

Jake Morrow (0 handicap) | Johnny Wunder (2) | Wadeh Maroun (2) | Jack Hirsh (2.4) | Maddi MacClurg (5.6) | Sean Zak (7.8)

MORE FULLY FIT: Fully Fit hub page | Why we’re ‘testing’ golf clubs differently this year | Inside 6 days of fittings and testing | Browse 2026 drivers | Browse 2026 irons | How 5 days of club fittings changed my mind on golf equipment

If I was shocked by one thing during my Fully Fit 2026 journey, it’s how easy this muscle back 5-iron could be to hit.

Long irons and I have always had a love-hate relationship.

I’ve hit some incredible shots with them. You know the ones that launch high off the face and rocket into the air directly on line before gently rolling over to the left as they fall back to earth, landing gracefully on the green and releasing toward the pin? Bliss.

But even when I play some of my best golf, long-iron shots can still give me the most trouble. Despite finishing runner-up in my club championship this past summer, the multiple 200-plus-yard par-3s at my club often left me feeling like I couldn’t get a shot airborne. Thank god for match play — but still, I bowed out of the final match after pulling a 5-iron 25 yards left on one of those par-3s.

And that was with an iron set that included a larger and more forgiving 5-iron.

Fast forward to the start of 2026 and now I have a 5-iron — a Cobra 3DP MB — I can stand over and be truly confident that I’ll hit it flush, exactly how I want to. The surprising twist? It looks nothing like the 5-iron I thought would be my solution.

How I ended up in an MB 5-iron

Heading to Cobra’s fitting day for Fully Fit 2026, I had expected to find a set of the new 3DP MB and Tour irons that would be best for my game.

I just didn’t think the long irons would wow me so much.

At first, the new muscle back intimidated me. I’ve never played blades seriously before. Surely I was going to skull or, worse yet, present the hosel, with these compact irons. But I was shocked by how easy they were to hit. That’s owed to the unique 3D-printed construction of the 3DP MB, which you can read more about here.

I compare the feeling to hitting a mini driver off the deck for the first time. It seemed like I was about to drive the ball into the ground, but the soles on modern mini drivers make them almost as easy as a 3-wood to hit from the deck.

Working with Cobra fitter Andrew Lusty, we started with the 7-iron, as most iron fittings do, and it didn’t take us long to see how effortlessly I could hit the new 3DP MB while getting similar numbers to my gamer. We also dialed in a shaft change and a flatter lie angle that has virtually eliminated the left side of the golf course for me.

Still, as small as the 3DP MBs look to me, I couldn’t wrap my head around playing the line’s long irons.

That’s when Andrew offered me stock 4- and 5-irons to hit to see if I could hit the intended ball speeds. These were softer and shorter shafts than what I’m spec’d for, but the idea is if you can hit designated ball speeds and peak height windows with stock setups, you should easily be able to with the proper specs.

I was shocked when it took me just one swing to flush the stock MB 5-iron: 141 mph, 110 feet in the air. Exactly the numbers we were looking for.

We broke the set with the 4-iron because I was only able to muster around 141-143 mph out of the MB 4-iron, short of the required 5 mph ball-speed gap. Past the 5-iron was clearly my point of diminishing returns. Switching to the 3DP Tour 4-iron, the feeling of effortlessness returned.

Specs
Cobra 3DP MB 5-iron
Shaft: Nippon N.S.Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X
Length: +.5″ (38.75″ EOG)
Lie: 2˚ Flat (59)
Loft: 26.9˚
Swingweight: D2.5

Cobra 3DP MB Custom Irons

The 3DP MB iron combines the looks and feel of a traditional forged muscle back with the forgiveness of a cavity back iron. The most forgiving blade on the market, the MB has captivated Tour players by checking all the boxes and exceeding expectations with its exceptional stability and feel. FORGIVING MUSCLE BACK BLADE SHAPE A slightly revised shape from the KING MB inspired by feedback from PGA Tour player Max Homa, the MB features a thinned topline and enhanced offset. The internal 3D printed lattice and heel, toe and hosel tungsten increases MOI for stability, and positions the CG perfectly centered and lower than the KING MB to promote higher launch. EXTREME FORGIVENESS MEETS SOFT FEEL The 3D printed internal lattice structure not only optimizes weight savings, but also provides the stiffness and strength to support the face and fine-tune the acoustics of each iron to produce the most appealing impact sound and feel. TUNGSTEN WEIGHTING The discretionary weight savings from the 3D printed lattice allowed for up to 55g of tungsten to be positioned low in the heel, toe and hosel resulting in the perfect blend of a compact blade shape with a low CG and high MOI that mirrors a game improvement iron.

$329.99 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Cobra

Why this 5-iron is my favorite

While I had hoped to have played more golf by this point in the year, I’ve hit enough shots to know how much of a game-changer this 5-iron is.

During indoor testing, I hit 8 shots with the 5-iron and recorded a 3.7-yard carry standard deviation with an average carry of 204.5 yards. That basically means my 5-iron is like a pitching wedge, but from 205 yards.

Knowing that is confidence-inspiring, but the ease with which I can still work the ball up, down, left or right has really proved the club’s worth.

My goal with long irons is to make sure I’m just not losing strokes, but with this MB 5-iron, I feel like I finally have a weapon with which I can attack greens from 200 yards.

Ready to overhaul your bag in 2026 like our Fully Fit panelists? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post I was terrified of this blade 5-iron. But 1 swing changed everything | Fully Fit 2026 appeared first on Golf.

The post Behind Gary Woodland’s unique Cobra driver build appeared first on Golf.

The post Behind Gary Woodland’s unique Cobra driver build appeared first on Golf.

Gary Woodland’s Cobra OPTM Max LS-K driver isn’t just a weapon off the tee, it’s also a fully armored tank!

Woodland got his long-awaited fifth PGA Tour victory Sunday, seven years after his marquee U.S. Open win, and the driver was a big reason why.

The 41-year-old, who leads the PGA Tour in driving distance and clubhead speed, was dialed at Memorial Park Sunday, leading the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in the final round on his way to a five-shot victory.

Woodland plays one of the coolest driver setups on the PGA Tour, opting for Cobra’s prototype OPTM Max LS-K driver, something Cobra Tour Rep Ben Schomin described as a “working prototype” earlier this season. It’s essentially a lower-spin, fade-biased version of Cobra’s retail Max K driver that was specifically built with Woodland in mind when he started playing Cobra’s DS-ADAPT Max-K driver last season.

“This is my 18th year on Tour and the drivers that I’ve played when I’ve driven the golf ball well have been back-weighted,” Woodland told GOLF in February, referring to the deeper CG of drivers designed for game-improvement players. “Everyone wants front weight to get the spin down and distance. But for some reason, I’ve been back with it, and I started struggling with spin last year. I went through all the drivers, and I got to their Max K driver last year, and it was low spin for me for some reason.”

With that deep CG, Woodland prefers a lower lofted head, which is why his driver measures in at just 6.4 degrees of loft. He also pairs it with a telephone pole-like Ventus Black 8-X shaft.

When Max Homa breifly switched into the prototype earlier this year, Schomin explained that because the LS-K is not a production model like the regular OPTM LS, X and Max-K, they can still make changes to it. The goal is to test design and performance concepts to potentially utilize in future production models.

Compared to the production Max-K, the LSK has a similar shape, but a lower and deeper CG to lower spin and produce a neutral-to-fade bias, Schomin said.

As opposed to the retail OPTM line of drivers, which have glossy crowns, the LS-K has a matte finish because it’s easier for the company to get it out on Tour. Woodland has been using the prototype since the PNC Championship in December.

He also pairs the prototype head with a lead pipe-esque Fujikura Ventus Black 8-X with VeloCore+, a shaft many players have in their 5/7-woods, but Woodland loves a heavy driver shaft at a shorter length to pair with his smoother tempo.

Gary Woodland’s winning driver at the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open

Driver: Cobra OPTM Max LS-K 9.0˚
FF33Hosel Setting: F2
Actual loft: 6.4˚
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus 8-X
Tipping: 2″
Length: 44.75″

Cobra OPTM Max-K Custom Driver

$599.00 from Fairway Jockey

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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Cobra

Fujikura Ventus Black Wood Shaft (Velocore+)

$350.00 from Fairway Jockey

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Want to overhaul your bag for 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Behind Gary Woodland’s unique Cobra driver build appeared first on Golf.

The post Gary Woodland’s clubs: What’s in his Houston Open-winning bag appeared first on Golf.

The post Gary Woodland’s clubs: What’s in his Houston Open-winning bag appeared first on Golf.

Gary Woodland is back in the PGA Tour winner’s circle for the first time since his U.S. Open win almost seven years ago.

The 41-year-old recently opened up about his struggles with PTSD following brain surgery in late 2023. Now he’s back among the game’s elite, leading the tour in driving distance and clubhead speed while earning his fifth PGA Tour victory this week at the Texas Children’s Houston Open.

His driving was one of his keys to victory this past week, as he ranked seventh in distance at nearly 322 yards off the tee while placing 15th in Strokes Gained.

Woodland plays one of the coolest driver setups on the PGA Tour, opting for Cobra’s prototype OPTM Max LS-K driver, something Cobra Tour Rep Ben Schomin described as a “living prototype” earlier this season. It’s essentially a lower-spin, fade-biased version of Cobra’s retail Max K driver that was specifically built with Woodland in mind when he started playing Cobra’s DS-ADAPT Max-K driver last season.

“This is my 18th year on Tour and the drivers that I’ve played when I’ve driven the golf ball well have been back-weighted,” Woodland told GOLF in February, referring to the deeper CG of drivers designed for game-improvement players. “Everyone wants front weight to get the spin down and distance. But for some reason, I’ve been back with it, and I started struggling with spin last year. I went through all the drivers, and I got to their Max K driver last year, and it was low spin for me for some reason.”

With that deep CG, Woodland prefers a lower lofted head, which is why his driver measures in at just 6.4 degrees of loft. He also pairs it with a telephone pole-like Ventus Black 8-X shaft.

Schomin and Woodland also made a major change this week just before his win. Woodland made his second iron shaft change of the season.

He started the year playing a softer Nippon Modus 130 X after he fell in love with the feel when he added it to the bag last fall. But Schomin never saw it as the best option for him, and they went back to the Dynamic Gold X100 last month.

That was the shaft he initially switched to from the KBS C-Taper 130X he used most of last year because he was trying to neutralize his severely out-to-in path.

“So he was trying to neutralize his delivery a little more and not swing so left,” Cobra Tour Rep Ben Schomin told GOLF. “Some dynamics changing in there, and as his swing is becoming more neutral, the X100 was really good. He felt like he could hit a little draw, felt like he could hit a little cut.”

Woodland’s delivery dynamics impart a ton of spin on the ball, which is why he was in the C-Taper, but he felt that the shaft was too boardy last year.

But, with all the speed Woodland has picked up this year, the X100s weren’t scrubbing enough spin, and Woodland was finding his irons were coming up short.

“So X100 just is starting to feel a little bit too soft. And again, going back to C-Taper 130X is something he’s played with for a long time. Immediately, we knew at some point he was probably going back into them.”

Schomin was so sure Woodland was going back to the C-Taper that he kept a set of King MBs with the shafts on the Cobra Tour Truck for Woodland. That set sat on the Cobra truck for nearly a year until earlier this month when Schomin said Cobra tech James Posey sent them back to HQ because they were taking up space.

“He’s like, ‘Is that set still on there?’ and I was like … ‘No, we had just sent them back.’ So I had to go build a new set of irons,” Schomin said. “We just did 5, 7 and 9 iron to get a quick comparison. Sure enough, he’s like, ‘Yeah, these feel great.’ Then I went and completed the rest of the set.”

With as much speed as Woodland has gained, he actually said the C-Tapers, one of the most stout profiles out there, feel much better than before.

“Now he’s like, no, they actually feel good,” Schomin said. “They don’t feel quite the same as X100, don’t get me wrong, but they definitely feel like I’ve got the speed now moving those things.”

Keep reading below for all of Woodland’s detailed specs.

Gary Woodland’s winning WITB at the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open

Driver: Cobra OPTM Max LS-K 9.0˚
FF33Hosel Setting: F2
Actual loft: 6.4˚
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus 8-X
Tipping: 2″
Length: 44.75″

Cobra OPTM Max-K Custom Driver

$599.00 from Fairway Jockey

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Fujikura Ventus Black Wood Shaft (Velocore+)

$350.00 from Fairway Jockey

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3-Wood: Ping G440 Max
Loft: 15˚
Shaft: Accra Tour Z XTreme 4100 M5

PING G440 Max Custom Fairway Wood

The G440 fairway family (MAX, LST, SFT) advances PING’s reputation as a Tour-preferred model of choice through a re-designed face structure and low CG system. The face is taller for more confidence off the tee while maintaining a CG location that delivers high- launching performance off the ground. The MAX model (which fits most golfers) is available in five lofts (including a new 4-wood) to provide more gapping solutions.  HIGH MOI Easy to launch, stable design increases forgiveness.  FLEXING FACE Maraging steel face flexes for more ball speed, optimizes spin.  TALLER FACE PROFILE Improves performance off the tee, maintains low CG.  FREE-HOSEL DESIGN Saves weight to lower CG, optimize launch/spin and increase forgiveness. 

$369.00 from Fairway Jockey

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Utility Iron: Wilson Staff Model Utility
Loft: 18˚
Shaft: KBS Tour C-Taper 130 X

Wilson Staff Model RB Utility Iron

The new Staff Model RB Utility features a high strength C300 steel face yielding a forged feel to help you redefine your long game performance. This club helps players fill the gap between their shortest fairway wood and their longest iron. The versatility it provides around the golf course makes it a perfect solution for long par threes, reachable-in-two par fives and even fairway-finding stingers.

$249.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Irons: Cobra King Tour Chrome (4), King MB Chrome (5-9)
Shafts: KBS Tour C-Taper 130 X

Cobra KING MB Custom Irons

Crafted for the blade aficionados, the traditionalists, and those that aspire for nothing but the best ball striking experience possible. 5-STEP FORGED Crafted and 5-step forged from 1025 carbon steel for exceptional feel and compact shaping TOUR INSPIRED SHAPING Using Tour feedback, the design has been refined to deliver sleek muscle back and cavity back shapes that inspires precision and workability FLOW SET Available in a combo set that flows from a more forgiving muscle cavity back in the 4-6 iron, to a more workable muscle back in the 7 through pitching wedge. Full sets of MB and CB available in custom

$171.00 from Fairway Jockey

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Wedges: Cobra King RAW (48-56), Cleveland RTZ Tour Rack Proto (60)
Lofts/Grinds: 48D, 52C, 56C, 60
Shaft: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400

Cobra KING Custom Wedge

Crafted from 8620 steel using MIM (Metal Injection Molding), KING Wedges are one of the softest feelings in market. Choose from four new grinds (DROP, WIDELOW, VERSATILE, TOUR) for enhanced greenside creativity and optimized CG with Flight Window Technology (F.W.T) for tour inspired launch. The redesigned Cobra Speed Notch, 67% larger than before, ensures better glide and speed on open-face shots. MIM (METAL INJECTION MOLDING) Experience precision with MIM technology, offering 50% tighter tolerances than traditional casted wedges. Each head is heat-treated to nearly 1400°C, ensuring a tighter grain structure for a softer feel and enhanced longevity, resisting groove degradation for lasting performance. COBRA SPEED NOTCH Discover the newly redesigned Cobra Speed Notch, featuring softer, blended shaping that complements our new grinds. Now 67% larger, it ensures smooth glide through the ground while maintaining speed and delivering high spinning shots.

$189.00 from Fairway Jockey

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Putter: Scotty Cameron GoLo Tour Prototype
Grip: SuperStroke

Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback OC Putter

As an extension of the popular Studio Style Fastback design, the Studio Style Fastback OC is a low-torque model featuring the same ring-weighted, high-alignment, multi-material design of the other Fastback models, but with Scotty’s tour-validated OC technology package. Featuring onset center shaft placement behind the putter face’s leading edge, the straight shaft is precisely positioned in line with the putter head’s CG location and leans 1° forward. This allows for low-torque performance and face alignment that stays square to the path. STUDIO CARBON STEEL (SCS) FACE INSERT The Studio Style Fastback OC includes a chain-link milled Studio Carbon Steel (SCS) insert for soft sound and feel, treated with an electroless nickel plating for enhanced durability with aerospace-inspired vibration damping for tuned sound, feel and performance. CUSTOM BLACK SHAFT Custom made for the new OC putters, each model includes a special black KBS x Scotty Cameron shaft with optimal flex, unimpeded alignment and precise feel. CUSTOM MATADOR GRIP With a debossed chain-link texture built-in, each new OC putter includes a custom 11-inch mid-size Matador grip in black with racy red and cool gray accents.

$549.00 from Fairway Jockey

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Ball: 2025 Titleist Pro V1

Titleist Pro V1 Golf Balls

The Greatest Combination of Speed, Spin and Feel Pro V1 golf balls are the optimal premium performance choice for most players and the most played model in golf. Why Play Pro V1? Pro V1 is recommended to players who are looking for mid-trajectory flight, very low long game spin and maximum short game spin, with softer feel. Comparison to Pro V1x Due to its unique dimple pattern, Pro V1 has a lower flight than Pro V1x. A softer gradient core produces a softer feel and slightly less spin than Pro V1x.

$57.99 from Fairway Jockey

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Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Align

Want to overhaul your bag for 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.

The post Gary Woodland’s clubs: What’s in his Houston Open-winning bag appeared first on Golf.

The post Shop Cobra’s limited-edition OPTM X Palm Tree Crew driver appeared first on Golf.

The post Shop Cobra’s limited-edition OPTM X Palm Tree Crew driver appeared first on Golf.

For some players, summer golf is a vibe that must be experienced year-round. If that sounds like you, you’re going to love the latest limited-edition driver from Cobra: the OPTM X Palm Tree Crew.

Inspired by a collaboration with Rickie Fowler and world-renowned DJ Kygo, this driver boasts head-turning style, featuring a striking “Neon Nights” color scheme and a palm tree design on the sole and a crown alignment aid.

Gear

How Cobra OPTM fitters use this genius gadget to their advantage (and yours!)

By: Johnny Wunder

Underneath the eye-catching looks, though, is the same OPTM X performance technology that impressed our staff club-testers this year.

By prioritizing POI (product of inertia) rather than MOI (moment of inertia), Cobra’s OPTM family of drivers are designed to be more accurate than their predecessors.

“Cobra re-engineered mass placement and weight positions on their driver heads to reduce the 3D twisting on off-center hits, resulting in significantly tighter downrange dispersion,” wrote GOLF’s associate gear editor Jack Hirsh when the OPTM was released in January. “This created the lowest POI values possible.”

Could this be the driver for you? The Cobra OPTM X driver is suitable for good players who don’t struggle with creating too much spin.

Ready to make some room in your bag for this beauty? Shop Cobra’s OPTM X Palm Tree crew driver now! And hurry! This limited-edition selection is sure to sell out quickly!

Shop Cobra’s OPTM X Palm Tree Crew driver at Fairway Jockey

Cobra OPTM X Palm Tree Crew Limited Edition Custom Driver

The Limited Edition Palm Tree Crew Driver brings the vibes to the course. Inspired by the collaboration with Rickie Fowler and world-renowned DJ Kygo, it features a striking Neon Nights colorway with a Palm Tree details on the sole and crown alignment aid. This driver will have you chasing those late rounds, good times, and great summer nights.

$699.00 from Fairway Jockey

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The post Shop Cobra’s limited-edition OPTM X Palm Tree Crew driver appeared first on Golf.