We first saw the LTD name in a Cobra driver seven years ago, and as recently as last summer with Bryson DeChambeau returning to this head after slating the Radspeed to the media following a poor driving day (it’s never a tour players fault, remember that).
The King LTD was the first driver to achieve zero CGna back in 2015, translating to low spin and fast ball speeds, and Cobra says that this legacy has evolved into the new LTDx franchise.
The new range sees a whole family of woods, hybrids and irons which are designed to provide you with the Longest Total Distance... LTD.
The Tech
It has long been the case that you can either have distance or accuracy with a driver, with both only coming if you are seriously good at golf.
In 2022 Cobra is claiming to have found the holy grail, as the standard LTDx model is the first driver with zero CGna and a high MOI of 5200. They claim you can have your cake and eat it too.
There are three different driver heads available: LTDx, LTDx Max and LTDx LS. They each feature three core technologies.
Pwr-Cor Technology sees multi-material internal and external weights used to reposition as much weight low and forward in the head as possible, to lower speed and increase ball speed.
The E9 face has now been replaced with a H.O.T. Face. This stands for Highly Optimised Technology and uses data and machine learning to generate an optimised face with 15 different zones of varying thicknesses. These maximise ball speeds on shots that are hit off-centre, with visual peaks and valleys that resemble a topology map, this reminds me a lot of the Flash Face in Callaway's recent drivers first seen in the Epic Flash.
The LTDx drivers utilise a multi-material construction that features up to 30% more carbon fibre than in the last year's Radspeed drivers. There is a lighter, stronger titanium chassis for more stability. The T-Bar chassis has now been altered to sit lower to the ground, which lowers CG and increases MOI.
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Cobra King LTDx Drivers Review
Looks & Feel
Cobra says that this is the 'unicorn driver' which combines both ball speed and forgiveness, and so the LTDx is the middle model of the family.
It is a 460cc head which looks slightly oversized in profile. I'm not a huge fan of the orange colourway on the sole, but I can look past this because the sole isn't the most important aspect. It's all about what it looks like at address, and with the matte black finish this driver looks mint.
The feel is fantastic and the stability offered reminded me of a Ping driver, while the speed off the face was more reminiscent of a new TaylorMade. A pretty good combination in my opinion.
The LTDx comes in lofts of 9, 10.5 and 12 degrees and the MyFly hosel allows these lofts to be adjusted by a further 1.5 degrees if necessary.
This is also a 460cc head and looks rounder and more traditional in its shape than the other two in the range, with the same matte black finish on the crown.
The face no longer wraps around the edge of the driver head to the crown like it did in the Radspeed and Speedzone, but the small Cobra logo remains as an alignment aid on the top of the head. All in all I think it's a better, cleaner look than the Radspeed.
The LTDx LS feels quieter off the face than the Radspeed which is a bit of a bonus even if it doesn't actually alter performance, but what makes it for me is the stability of the head at impact, it just feels so solid.
You can get the LTDx LS in 45.5 inch or 'Tour Length' 44.5 inch shafts, available in regular, stiff and extra stiff. There are 9 degree and 10.5 degree heads available, again with MyFly customisation.
The driver also has an adjustable weight system with 3g and 10g weights which can be moved to either the front heel or toe to fine tune trajectory.
The LTDx Max combines max stability and max draw into one driver, both individually.
As the name suggests, it has a large profile when you address the ball but the fact that it is a plan matte black does at least help to tone things down a little.
If you're a little worried about this then you shouldn't be, because I think this is the point of these drivers. They have a large head and face shape so that it feels like you can't miss the ball, and if you miss the centre of the face then the technology is here to help you.
You can see the weights on the sole which are positioned back and towards the heel, to increase both the height and the draw-bias of your shots. With the hosel adjusted to the draw setting, Cobra say you can move your shots a total of 18 yards further left which is a pretty impressive claim.
The driver is available in left and right handed and in lofts of 9, 10.5 and 12 degrees.
The Data
All data in this test was captured outdoor in temperatures of around 3-4 degrees.
From my testing on the range, I found that the LTDx LS was the longest of the three drivers, with a superb consistency in the carry distance and a spin rate which hovered around 2900rpm. I just had one mis-hit which was way up over 4500rpm, and this brought my total average closer to 3000rpm - take that shot out and the numbers are super.
Cobra LTDx LS FlightScope Data
I was impressed by the fact that the mis-strike was way up on spin, but the ball speed still stayed up at 1mph above average, which is a big tick for the new H.O.T. Face technology.
Cobra LTDx FlightScope Data
There wasn't too much difference between the standard LTDx and the Max in terms of spin rate, but when I took the LTDx on the golf course it came to life with a few mph extra ball speed than on the range. I finally got my 'unicorn' shot on the last tee shot of the day.
= 200 yards carry, 130 mph ball speed,1.50 smash factor and straight as an arrow. Yes please.
The LTDx Max wasn't particularly suited to my game, it performed well in terms of ball speed but the launch was too high for me, which meant that my carry distance was down when compared to the other models.
Cobra LTDx FlightScope Data
My shots were going twice as far left as the other two LTDx heads too, which is a true indicator that the draw-bias setup in this head was working as it should.
It is worth noting that I was a big fan of the Radspeed range last year but there wasn't an LS version available so thank you to Cobra for bringing one out this year, I was certainly seeing the benefits.
When comparing the Radspeed to the LTDx LS in my testing the numbers were pretty similar, but the spin was a tad lower overall once I removed one knuckle ball shot which was down at 1800rpm. So there's little between the Radspeed and LTDx besides a slight uptuning and in my opinion, an improvement in the looks.
On-Course Performance
The LS model really started to shine once I got it out on the golf course, picking up a few extra yards due to its penetrating ball flight which was clearly visible to the naked eye.
The most significant gain was from the 3rd tee shot at Stockport GC where I took on the corner and whilst there didn't seem to be any real difference in strike, the LTDx LS was 20 yards past the LTDx. The low spin option was really working for me.
I then stood on the 4th tee box and hit a few shots with each driver.
LTDx averaged 197.5 yards carry, 205 yards total with a ball speed of 128.9mph, spin rate of 2967rpm and peak height of 75.7 feet.
The LTDx LS averaged 200.7 yards carry, 210 yards total with a ball speed of 131.85mph, spin rate of 2856rpm and peak height of 67 feet.
Even from this small sample you can see the slight difference in ball flight which is what Cobra are looking for, to offer a better and easier fitting process whilst catering for more golfers. Remember that you can move the weights and hosel around even more to make the ball flight ideal for you.
Cobra King LTDx Drivers Verdict
In my experience of testing the major brands in golf, you really can't go wrong with a Cobra driver.
Consumers should no longer be asking 'but why is it £150 cheaper, it mustn't be as good', because honestly it is. I tested the new Callaway Rogue ST Max Driver the next day and the Cobra drivers were as good, if not better.
Another positive was that my confidence grew as I got out on to the golf course, and so both heads performed better there than they did on the range - which is exactly where you want to see results.
in all honesty, if you already have last year's Radspeed model then I doubt you'll see much difference, although the addition of the lower spinning model is a nice bonus. If you've got the Radspeed then stick with it, but if you are looking to buy a new driver then the LTDx range has to be on your list to try in 2022.
Who Is It Aimed At?
Anyone who is price sensitive and who isn't bothered about playing a club that you see on TV. Although having said that, if anyone does ask 'why are you playing a Cobra' then you can tell them that Bryson does, and he is the longest player on the PGA Tour. It's the perfect answer to shut up the Titleist or TaylorMade loyalists.
As I said previously it isn't too much of a change from the Radspeed, but if they were too high and spinny for you then there is now a new model.
Remember LS is low spinning so if you are getting up over 4000 rpm this is for you, LTDx is standard and will suit most golfers and the LTDx Max is the driver for players wanting to straighten out that right shot.
Would I Use It?
Yes. It's the real deal and just as good as the rest. I could easily see myself pegging up the LTDx LS as I didn't lose accuracy but gained yardage and saw an improved ball flight. It was also less left-biased, which made hitting a cut shot a little more reliable.
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Callaway Rogue ST Max Driver
TaylorMade Stealth Driver Review