Cobra King Wedge

Golf Monthly's Neil Tappin heads to West Hill Golf Club for his Cobra King Wedge review - how will the performance stack up against the previous generation Trusty Rusty?

Cobra King Wedge Review

The introduction of the Cobra King Wedges marks a move away from the popular previous generation Trusty Rusty. The key technological advancements revolve around the introduction of three different sole designs - classic, versatile and widelow - to offer different players, with different techniques the opportunity to find a set up that works for them. The different sole designs will help the club get through the ground and improve the quality of strike for different players. In addition, Cobra has followed Ping's lead in offering a progressive groove set up. This means that in the less lofted wedges the grooves are further apart to reduce backspin a fraction in preference of a stronger flight (ideal for pitching). In the higher lofted wedges the grooves are closer to maximise spin control on delicate chip shots.

The most important thing to report about these wedges is the success of the different sole designs. If you haven't thought about the importance of grind or sole design in your own choice of wedge, now is the time - it has a huge influence in the quality of your ball striking. My own preference was for the higher bounce Classic design and interestingly, as the strikes improved so did the level of spin.

Speaking of spin, it is, as you would expect, excellent. Most new wedges from top manufacturers will spin alot and this is no different. We like the concept of changing the groove configuration on the less lofted wedges as ultimately ball flight control translates to distance control - which, after all, is the most important thing from further out.

Finally, that brings me on to the 'muscleback' design. I loved the look - still very classic but with plenty of face to look down on. For anyone wanting to play different chip shots around the green, the size of the face will really help.