Cobra DS-ADAPT MAX Women’s Fairway Wood Review

The Cobra DS-ADAPT MAX women's fairway wood is packed with technology, so did this translate into pleasing results?

Cobra DS-ADAPT Max Women's Fairway Wood
(Image credit: Alison Root)
Golf Monthly Verdict

If you really want to dial into your shots, the technology in this fairway wood is incredible with 33 loft and lie settings. Set as standard, it delivers powerful shots with a consistently high ball flight. In a dark finish, it looks classy too. Overall, for long fairway shots, it's a confidence boosting club.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Easy to launch

  • +

    Delivers a high and penetrating flight

  • +

    Feels very solid through impact

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    All the tech won't appeal to everyone

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After being impressed by the technology in the Cobra DS-ADAPT MAX-K women's driver, I was keen to see if the same tech would translate to the DS-ADAPT MAX fairway wood with similar results. This club not only promises a blend of forgiveness and versatility, but it also features a sharp-looking design in a bold finish, which is very dark, it’s almost black, but I like it!

Like the driver, this fairway wood features Cobra's FutureFit33 system with 33 loft and lie settings. This means that you can tweak the loft and lie by +/- 2 degrees, while the SMARTPAD keeps the face square, so this can be a real game-changer for women who want to dial in their ball flight. For my testing, I kept the 3-wood in a standard setup, but the potential to customise this club for any lie or swing is impressive.

Cobra DS-ADAPT Max Women's Fairway wood

(Image credit: Alison Root)

Right away, before even swinging, I noticed it felt a little heavier than some other fairway woods I've hit recently, models like the XXIO Prime Royal Edition or TaylorMade's Kalea Gold. I typically lean towards lighter clubs, so even with the UST Helium Nanocore 4F1 shaft (which is designed for lightweight speed and performance), I was curious to see how that slightly added weight would feel through the swing, especially when trying to sweep it off the fairway.

When it came to hitting shots, especially from tighter lies on the fairway, I was really impressed. Despite my initial apprehension about the weight, this club felt incredibly solid through impact. There was a fantastic pop off the face, and the ball launched with a lovely, high trajectory. The solid feel wasn’t just comforting, it really helped me get consistent ball speeds. I also found 'the C' on the crown to be a useful alignment aid, although it's not very clear to see.

Cobra DS-ADAPT Max Women's Fairway Wood

(Image credit: Alison Root)

Even on shots that weren't perfectly struck, those that normally lead to a nasty slice or a low runner, the ball stayed straight and got airborne with ease. The internal adaptive weighting, designed to put the weight low and back, clearly does its job to maximise stability and helps to get the ball flying.

Overall, the Cobra DS-ADAPT MAX is a fantastic performer as one of the best women's fairway woods. While it felt a touch heavier to me than some competitors, that weight contributed to an incredibly solid feel at impact and a consistently high, strong trajectory. If you're looking for a versatile fairway wood that prioritises forgiveness and delivers a powerful, high ball flight, this is one to try.

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Alison Root

Alison Root has over 25 years experience working in media and events, predominantly dedicated to golf, in particular the women’s game. Until 2020, for over a decade Alison edited Women & Golf magazine and website, and is now the full-time Women's Editor for Golf Monthly. Alison is a respected and leading voice in the women's game, overseeing content that communicates to active golfers from grassroots through to the professional scene, and developing collaborative relationships to widen Golf Monthly's female audience across all platforms to elevate women's golf to a new level. She is a 16-handicap golfer (should be better) and despite having had the fantastic opportunity to play some of the best golf courses around the world, Kingsbarns in Scotland is her favourite.

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