Inside Cobra's Eye-Catching Driver Collaboration

Rickie Fowler and the new Limited Edition Cobra Optm driver a collaboration with DJ Kygo and Palm Tree Crew — (Image credit: Getty Images/Cobra Puma Golf/Shot Scope)

Well, this driver looks rather cool. Not for everyone, sure, but this new limited edition Cobra PTC Optm will certainly have its admirers.

In the driver market, the brand has carved out a distinct niche by combining high-level innovation with eye-catching aesthetics, and this was certainly the case with Optm, a brand-new family released at the start of the year.

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Inspired by a longstanding friendship between the six-time PGA Tour winner and DJ Kygo, the new model features the brand’s cutting-edge technology adorned with beach-inspired graphics that also capture Palm Tree Crew’s signature aesthetic.

“Kygo and I have built this partnership over years of friendship, and each collab just keeps getting better,” said Fowler, who still loves to bring bold colors to the course, especially his final-day Oklahoma State orange.

Although the looks might split opinion (we give it a big thumbs up), there’s no doubting that Optm are among the best drivers on the market in terms of performance.

Our driver expert Joe Ferguson describes the Cobra Optm X driver, the mid-spin, high-forgiveness option, as a “dependable, highly adjustable performer”.

To recap, with the release of the new Optm lineup, Cobra has doubled down on stability by introducing a new metric to the lexicon of club design: POI (Product of Inertia).

According to the brand, this new approach accounts for club rotation across all three axes - horizontal, vertical, and the "toe up or down" Z-axis - rather than just resistance to twisting on a single plane.

By using AI and supercomputing to optimize mass placement, the manufacturer claims to have reduced this POI by over 50% compared to previous designs, reducing gear effect as a result and tightening dispersion by up to 23%.

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COBRA OPTM x PTC driver — (Image credit: Cobra Puma Golf)

Meh… how about those beach-inspired graphics? Makes you want to book a golf holiday. California, maybe.

Like what you see? The Cobra x PTC Optm X driver is now available online and at select retailers. The limited-edition model comes in 10.5 degrees (RH) with a limited-edition headcover and Mitsubishi 1K Tensei Blue shaft.

SEE THE COURSE LIKE NEVER BEFORE

Talking of liking what you see, details now of an exciting new handheld GPS. If you’re a traditionalist - someone who believes such devices remove a key skill (course management) - you may want to skip this bit.

The H50 is Shot Scopes’s first handheld device, and it comes with an impressive number of features - guaranteed to save you shots, of course, so long as you can make the required swing/stroke (there’s still no ‘Play Shot For Me’ feature just yet).

Delivering fast, accurate yardages and advanced visual course data in a sleek, easy-to-use touchscreen device, the new Shot Scope H50 features ‘plays like’ yardages that account for elevation changes, which you could argue makes this more of a ‘better golfers’ GPS.

“The launch of the H50 represents an important milestone in our mission to transform the way golfers visualise each hole,” said David Hunter, CEO of Shot Scope.

“By bringing detailed mapping and green contour insights to a large, responsive touchscreen, the H50 helps golfers plan every shot from tee to green with confidence. It’s an exciting development for anyone looking to improve their course management without complexity.”

At the heart of the H50 is interactive hole mapping, giving users a full overview from the tee with multiple viewing modes, including satellite imagery, automatic hole zoom, and large-format green distances.

“A handheld GPS that gives you detailed hole maps, accurate yardages, is small enough to fit in your back pocket, and costs less than £250 (approx. $330)? Yes please!” says Golf Monthly’s GPS expert, Conor Keenan.

Our part-time caddie adds: “Although I haven't got my hands on the ShotScope H50 yet, I'm excited to see how it performs. The green maps have me particularly excited - they look incredibly detailed.”

Before moving on, give yourself a pat on the back if you can identify who's demoing the Shot Scope H50 in the pictures above. Clue: the iconic hat (*answer below).

THE WORLD’S MOST COMPACT PUSH TROLLEY?

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Big Max Blade Trio push trolley — (Image credit: Big Max)

Staying with new arrivals, Big Max has launched its smallest ever push trolley into the UK market, with deliveries arriving this week.

The feature-packed Blade Trio (RRP £279.99) measures just 71 x 59 x 21 cm (HxWxD) and weighs 6.7 kgs. Is this the most compact push cart in the world?

We’ll let Dan Parker provide further details in the coming days, for our trolley enthusiast is currently putting the Blade Trio through its paces in Austria, home of Europe’s number one push cart brand.

We can tell you that it’s extremely easy to fold down, thanks to an intuitive fold, and the four color combinations look very sleek.

* The person demoing the Shot Scope H50 is, of course, Wayne 'Radar' Riley, our long-time columnist. Shame on you if you got that wrong.

Michael has been with Golf Monthly since 2008. A multimedia journalist, he has also worked for The Football Association, where he created content to support the England football team, The FA Cup, London 2012, and FA Women's Super League. As content editor at Foremost Golf, Michael worked closely with golf's biggest equipment manufacturers and has developed an in-depth knowledge of this side of the industry. He's a regular contributor, covering instruction, equipment, travel and feature content. Michael has interviewed many of the game's biggest stars, including seven World No.1s, and has attended and reported on numerous Major Championships and Ryder Cups around the world. He's a member of Formby Golf Club in Merseyside, UK.

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