Cobra DS-Adapt X, DS-Adapt LS, DS-Adapt Max-K, DS-Adapt Max-D drivers

Gear: Cobra DS-Adapt X, DS-Adapt LS, DS-Adapt Max-K, DS-Adapt Max-D drivers

Price: $549 with Project X Denali, Fujikura Pro Black, Mitsubishi Tensei AV Blue shaft and Lamkin Crossline grip

Specs: Titanium frame and face with carbon fiber crown and sole panels, moveable weights (X and LS), and updated 33-position adjustable hosel.

Available:  Jan. 10

Who it’s for: Golfers who want a blend of distance and forgiveness (X), low spin (LS), ultra-high stability (Max-K), or help with straightening a slice (Max-D).

What you should know: Cobra made the DS-Adapt drivers more aerodynamic and added different internal weight systems based on each head’s loft to blend speed with ideal spin and launch conditions for a wide range of golfers.

The deep dive: There was a time when Cobra’s drivers had a reputation for being more sizzle than steak, with some models like the old AMP, AMP Cell and Bio Cell being made available in multiple eye-catching colors. However, as those clubs evolved, a new reputation emerged, that Cobra drivers were fast. Really fast, in fact, and clubs like the King LTD, Radspeed and last season’s Darkspeed also sounded and felt great.

For 2025, Cobra is offering the DS-Adapt, building on the platform of the Darkspeed drivers from last season by updating the weighting system, using more exotic materials, and offering one of the most sophisticated hosel adjustment systems ever developed to help golfers find the ideal fit.

There are four versions of the driver, with each club sharing several key features and technologies, but they are made with different types of players in mind:

• DS-Adapt X (9, 10.5 degrees): This is the core model that is designed to blend distance and forgiveness to a wide variety of players. It also comes with a 10-gram and a three-gram weight in the sole that can be swapped to boost forgiveness and launch angle for a lower launch angle and decrease spin.

• DS-Adapt LS (9, 10.5 degrees): The LS stands for low spin. This version is 445cc in volume and was made for fast-swinging golfers who generate excessive spin and need a lower-launching driver. This club also has a 10-gram and a three-gram weight in the sole, but the ports are more forward and on the toe and heel side so players and fitters can create a draw or fade bias.

• DS-Adapt Max-K (9, 10.5, 12 degrees): This is the most forgiving version of the DS-Adapt and has the highest moment of inertia (MOI). In fact, the driver’s total MOI is over 10,000.

• DS-Adapt Max-D (10.5, 12 degrees): This model is designed to help golfers who slice hit straighter shots.

The DS-Adapt drivers are designed to be extremely aerodynamic, and compared to Darkspeed, the peak crown height has been elevated, the topline is more rounded and the back of the sole swoops up more smoothly. All of those design elements help to keep air flowing around the head effectively on the downswing, so golfers can generate more clubhead speed with the same effort.

All four DS-Adapt drivers feature a titanium chassis that gives the DS-Adapt its shape, along with carbon fiber crowns and large carbon fiber sole plates. Cobra has also added an internal weight inside the heads of the DS-Adapt drivers, but the weight locations are different based on the loft of the clubs because, for example, golfers who typically use a 9-degree driver often have different needs compared to golfers who need a driver with more loft.

In the 9-degree DS-Adapt X and DS-Adapt LS drivers, Cobra has added a weight bar behind the face that pulls the center of gravity (CG) location down and forward. That reduces spin and increases ball speed, but in the 10.5-degree version of those clubs there is no bar. Instead, a weight has been added to the back of the sole to increase the stability and launch angle.

In the DS-Adapt Max-K, extra internal weight has been added to the back to drive up the moment of inertia (MOI), and in the DS-Adapt Max-D, internal mass has been added in the heel area to encourage the face to rotate on the downswing and square at impact.

To maximize that speed and turn it into ball speed and distance, Cobra has updated its H.O.T Face technology. The acronym stands for Highly Optimized Topology and it blends thick and thin areas in the titanium face to broaden the sweet spot and protect ball speed on mis-hits. The variable thickness face design is slightly different in each head because Cobra studied how and where different types of players mis-hit drives, then worked to tune each face to perform better on those types of shots.

Finally, Cobra is introducing a new adjustable hosel system that comes standard on all DS-Adapt drivers called FutureFit33. While the previous system, MyFly 8, allowed players and fitters to set the driver into eight different loft and configurations, FutureFit33 takes the level of fitting customization to another level and creates, you guessed it, 33. (It’s really 64 different settings, but there are some duplicates, so Cobra opted to emphasize the 33 unique settings.)

Now, with FutureFit33, golfers and fitters can adjust the loft and lie angle by up to 2 degrees, independently, to create a draw or fade bias as well as a higher or lower shot and spin rate. To help golfers use the system, Cobra has added a QR code to the heel area of the club so golfers can use their smartphone to view a video that explains the settings and what they do.

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Cobra DS-Adapt X, DS-Adapt LS, DS-Adapt Max-K, DS-Adapt Max-D drivers