Cobra Darkspeed Vs PXG 0311 Black Ops Driver
In the following comparison we’ll take a look at the latest driver offerings from Cobra and PXG.
Cobra Darkspeed Driver Overview
“The Darkspeed Max features weight ports in rear and heel, PWR-BRIDGE and AI-designed HOT face.”
The Darkspeed driver has an elongated head and overall large footprint. It’s mostly black but has some red lettering on the sole.
The PWR-BRIDGE places weight forward in the head to mute spin.
The Darkspeed driver does keep spin low (2300 RPMs on average for me) and can launch very high when the heaviest weight is in the back. It costs $550.
PXG 0311 Black Ops Driver Overview
“The Black Ops driver features natural frequency optimization, bulge and roll face and three interchangeable weight ports.”
The Black Ops driver also has a large footprint with an elongated head and triangular shape.
The interchangeable weights allow for neutral, draw or fade bias. Putting heavier weights in the rear port will also make for higher launch.
The Black Ops driver naturally plays incredibly straight even as it produces a bit more spin than the Darkspeed driver. It costs $600.
“Personally, I preferred the tighter dispersion of the PXG 0311 Black Ops. And the difference in distance between these two drivers was negligible.”
Cobra Darkspeed Driver – First Impressions
“The Cobra Darkspeed really impressed me with how low the spin figures were.”
This garnered me good carry distance and excellent rollout. The Cobra Darkspeed felt really fast right away and I was surprised at how light it felt given the relatively large footprint.
It seems that Cobra really did gain something by working with aerospace engineers because by some modern magic, they have made a large, forgiving driver that is light and doesn’t impart insane spin on the ball.
A lot of the low spin has to do with the PWR bridge weight which is positioned low and more forward in the head than any previous Cobra driver.
The forward positioning helps to mute the spin – otherwise this driver would probably produce 2600+ RPMs.
My feeling after testing was that this would be a really good driver for high handicappers who need to produce more favorable lies and get every hole started off right.
The dispersion was very tight and if you need the extra forgiveness, you can just slap the heavy weight in the rear position. So the Cobra Darkspeed Max is versatile as well.
PXG 0311 Black Ops Driver – First Impressions
“I was first blown away with the dispersion.”
I hit a variety of shots (fat, thin, draws etc.) during my testing and after all was said and done, my average off-line divergence was just 11.4 yards.
I was blown away by the fact that no matter how I was swinging this driver, it was still producing very favorable lies.
Again, this was with the standard weight configuration (2.5g weights up front and the 12.5g weight in the back.
So I can only imagine what my dispersion would look like if I had moved the front weights up to 5 grams. But I digress.
The PXG 0311 Black Ops driver has an exceptionally solid feel thanks in part to the AMF (Advanced Material Face) face design but also because of the natural frequency optimization.
This is a design that the PXG engineers used to finetune the inherent vibration patterns on the club head – resulting in a pleasing frequency and inhibition of vibration.
And you can really feel the high MOI at play. For the uninitiated, high MOI essentially translates to tight dispersion because it keeps the head and face from deflecting or warping.
This minimizes cut spin which keeps the ball on-line.
Cobra Darkspeed Max Driver Selling Points
- AI-designed HOT face
- Low and forward POWER bridge weight
- Adjustable rear and heel weights
- Designed with aerospace engineers
- Larger PWRSHELL face
- Free Arccos smart sensors
PXG 0311 Black Ops Selling Points
- Advanced Material Face
- Natural frequency optimization
- Three movable weight ports
- Carbon fiber crown and sole
- Robotic face polishing
- High launching
- Low spin
- Many custom shaft options
Who is the Cobra Darkspeed Driver for?
“The Cobra Darkspeed Max driver would be a good choice for players in the 18-25 handicap range.”
With a face and sweet spot this large, it’s hard to miss which makes it a good choice for 20+ handicappers.
But the low spin rates will let more experienced players take advantage of their faster swing speeds and maximize their distance.
Plus, the adjustable weights make the Cobra Darkspeed Max so versatile that most players will be able to shape their shots for added distance and accuracy.
And of course, if you’re struggling to drive the ball straight, the Cobra Darkspeed Max would be an excellent choice.
Distance: 96/100
Accuracy: 98/100
Forgiveness: 97/100
Feel & Control: 97/100
Overall Score: 97/100
Who is the PXG 0311 Black Ops Driver for?
“The PXG 0311 Black Ops driver is great for mid and high handicappers.”
It’s actually hard to think of a group of players who couldn’t do with more forgiveness and tighter dispersion but I reserve my universal recommendation because of the head shape and launch.
Single-digit handicappers probably won’t get the most speed out of the PXG 0311 Black Ops because of the head size and the launch angles are probably too high for players who get extra carry by keeping the ball low.
But other than that, the PXG 0311 Black Ops is an excellent driver for anyone who wants near-automatic straight drives or anyone who wants the ability to shape shots to a fine degree.
Distance: 96/100
Accuracy: 98/100
Forgiveness: 98/100
Feel & Control: 97/100
Overall Score: 98/100
