Cobra King Tour Iron Review

Cobra King Tour Iron Review

Cobra is well and truly back among the best golf irons for 2023 with three King models, the MB, CB and Tour, all offering something a little different for the better player. The most playable of which is the King Tour, which the brand says is aimed at 7-handicappers right down to tour players, proven by the fact that Rickie Fowler has a set in the bag. This versatility has helped this iron earn a place in our 2023 Editor's Choice.

VIDEO: Joel Tadman tests and compares the leading low handicap irons in 2023

The King Tour has a 1025c forged body and a CNC Milled undercut, which removes weight from the center and repositions it to the heel and toe. You’ll also see the TPU insert, which dampens vibrations, helped by an aluminium co-molded medallion on the back. Visually, this iron is a stunner. It manages to be both relatively understated while offering plenty of shelf appeal, which is no mean feat. 

The clean lines and classic profile really suits the eye at address and the slightly larger dimensions means it inspires a little more confidence than most tour-played irons without looking chunky. Versus the King Tour MIM it replaces, the new King Tour has a shorter blade length and is a little stronger in loft - 32° in the 7-iron versus 34 in the prior model.

So I was expecting this iron to go a little further and it delivered during testing, indoors on the Foresight Sports GCQuad launch monitor with Titleist Pro V1x golf balls. The feel off the face is livelier than most compact cavity back irons married with a dense, soft feel at impact. Carries were consistently hovering around the 168-yard mark and with good accuracy too. Once I got my bearings, I was able to hit repeatable shots with this club. I quite liked the ball flight too, it came out low with a healthy amount of spin, which gave me really good control of the trajectory as well as plenty of stopping power into firm greens.

Compared to the best irons for low handicappers, this iron offers high forgiveness levels. It was noticeably playable out on the course, producing ample carry when I caught shots a little thin and I was able to hit soft draws and fades without the ball curving too much when I didn’t execute the shot as planned. The margin for error on offer will please everyone but the extra distance will certainly appeal to good players that have seen the amount of time they’re able to dedicate to playing and practicing diminish.

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in 2024 Cobra has added another option to the King Tour iron range with the King Black Edition Tour irons. The King Tour, which was initially introduced in a chrome finish, now features a black DBM (Diamondized Black Metal) finish, which Cobra is saying is the most durable, visually appealing, black satin finish ever. It diffuses sunlight, helping to maintain a sleek look over a long period of time, and I think they look fantastic.