Cobra Darkspeed Hybrid Review – Is it Good & Forgiving for High Handicappers?

Cobra Darkspeed Hybrid

“With Darkspeed hybrids, Cobra is attempting to push speed and distance to the max.”

With hybrid clubs getting more and more popular every year, it’s understandable that Cobra is making a bid for this booming market.

Cobra hybrids haven’t been as in demand as hybrids from other major manufacturers; but that may change with the advent of the Cobra Darkspeed hybrid.

In the following review, I will be telling you about my experience testing the Cobra Darkspeed hybrid and discussing the features and performance aspects you need to know about.

Is it Good for High Handicappers?

“The Cobra Darkspeed hybrid features a fixed mid/rear 12g weight, the PWR-BRIDGE suspended weighting system, AI-designed HOT face and deep body design.”

All of these features were included specifically for high handicappers. For instance, the 12g weight helps to achieve that pop that you need from your hybrids to launch the ball high and get yourself out of tricky lies.

The Cobra Darkspeed hybrid also features a high bounce leading edge which improves the turf interaction of past Cobra hybrids.

This is also good news if you’re a high handicapper who often plays from the rough because the leading edge will help prevent digging.

Is it Forgiving?

Cobra Darkspeed Hybrid4

“The Cobra Darkspeed hybrid also features a hollow-body design to help with distance.”

The PWR-BRIDGE weight is suspended and moved up close to the face. This has a couple of effects.

Since it’s suspended and not bonded, it allows the face to flex more which produces more ball speed.

And since it is oriented towards the front of the head, it mutes spin – adding to overall distance by reducing drag on the ball and allowing for more rollout. The result is an easy distance increase.

But the distance would mean nothing if you’re constantly mis-hitting.

Cobra has addressed that by using the HOT face design which essentially places mini sweet spots all over the face.

How Does the Cobra Darkspeed Hybrid Look?

Surprisingly, the Cobra Darkspeed hybrid has an overall compact look behind the ball.

It is definitely more akin to a long iron than a fairway wood so you don’t get that extra bulk or heft. The muted black crown screams “speed” and helps reduce glare.

Difference Between the Cobra Darkspeed Hybrid and Cobra Darkspeed Hybrid One Length

“As the name suggests, the One Length version does not vary in shaft length.”

The Cobra Darkspeed Hybrid One Length is available in 3H-5H and all three hybrids are 37.25”. The standard Cobra Darkspeed Hybrid is available in 3H-6H with lengths ranging from 38.50” to 41.50”.

Available Shafts

The Cobra Darkspeed hybrid comes stock with a KBS PGI 85, 75 or 65 shaft.

You can choose from regular (70g), amateur (60g) or stiff (80g) flex.

Cobra Darkspeed Hybrid

Cobra Darkspeed Hybrid2

In 20 Words or Less

“If nothing else, the Cobra Darkspeed hybrid is a distance enhancer. It plays long with very little effort.”

Cobra Darkspeed Hybrid – First Impressions

“I was really surprised at the overall size of this hybrid since the other Cobra Darkspeed woods I have tested have been pretty large.”

By comparison, the Cobra Darkspeed hybrid has a relatively compact shape. Again, it is more akin to an iron than a fairway wood.

But this didn’t seem to hamper the overall forgiveness of this club. Even on my toe-side mis-hits, the HOT face design saved ball speed.

On more egregious toe-side hits, I did see the ball miss more to the right. Low face shots were also losing some ball speed.

But it wasn’t very hard to avoid these kinds of mis-hits in the first place. I also liked the height I was getting on my shots.

Previous Cobra hybrids launched a bit too low in my experience but the Darkspeed gave me the lift I would expect from a good hybrid.

As a result, I was much more confident attacking greens from distance and even hit a few from the tee.

I think most high handicappers will be thrilled with the easy launch and even more thrilled with the distance.

When all was said and done my average carry with the Cobra Darkspeed 3H was 191.7 yards. And there were a couple that I burned past the 200 yard marker.

This is definitely a testament to the muted spin from the PWR-BRIDGE and the effects of the hollow body design.

Divergence could have been tightened up a bit; but when you allow the face to flex so much for the sake of increased ball speed and distance, it’s understandable that some divergence is going to be sacrificed.

Cobra Darkspeed Hybrid Selling Points

PWR-BRIDGE suspended weight
AI-designed HOT face architecture
Fixed 12 gram sole weight
PWRSHELL face insert
Deep body design
High bounce leading edge
Free Arccos smart sensors

Who is the Cobra Darkspeed Hybrid for?

“The Cobra Darkspeed hybrid would fit really well with players who want to get the most distance possible from their hybrids.”

The distance I was getting was akin to my fairway woods so I was very impressed. The face also gives off a solid, low thud that sounds very satisfying when you nail the sweet spot.

And if you like a more compact look from your hybrids at address, the Cobra Darkspeed is sure to please.

Overall, I would say that the Cobra Darkspeed hybrid is good for players in the 16-23 handicap range.

Sure, there are probably more forgiving hybrids on the market; but none that can give you the kind of distance that the Cobra Darkspeed can.

This is also a great hybrid for players who struggle to get the ball airborne – especially from the rough.

The 12g sole weight coupled with the high bounce leading edge make it easy to get the pop you need even when you’re swinging from the weeds.

The Cobra Darkspeed hybrid currently retails for $280.