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The Cobra DARKSPEED LS fairway wood is low spin, low launch. The neutral face setup lends itself to the better player who wants more distance without the fear of the hook.
Introduction
The biggest story coming from Cobra this year is their use of computational air movement when designing their clubs. Cobra found that through the study of high speed cars and aviation they could reconfigure the shaping of each of the DARKSPEED fairway woods. This lead to improved club head speeds and added distance across the board. While much of these studies and designs are done on a computer or in a lab, I was able to get the Cobra DARKSPEED LS to review to see how well it performs in real life.
Looks
The Cobra DARKSPEED LS fairway wood is completely murdered out. At address the crown is matte black with just a singular Cobra “C” logo as the alignment aid. The head shape is symmetrically rounded and sits a fraction open behind the ball. The horizontal white face lines are visible at address and can assist in alignment.
The sole hosts three interchangeable weights with two towards the face and one in the rear of the club. The adjustable hosel is visible along the neck of the club with a small loft-identifying window. “Cobra DARKSPEED” is etched along the toe of the sole but because everything is black, this and much of the lettering disappears into the background which presents a sleek look.
Sound & Feel
Cobra nailed the sound and feel in the DARKSPEED LS fairway wood. Each strike elicits a low, muted “tink” and feels solid. It doesn’t sound hollow or empty like many fairway woods can. Off center shots are more dull in sound and louder in volume. There is not a drastic difference between good and bad shots, but you can discern a true center strike.
The Cobra DARKSPEED LS fairway wood feels just as good as the sound. Impact feels both stable and repeatable, meaning I felt I could reproduce shots with ease off the tee or from the fairway. Center face contact delivered soft feel through the hands, while less than perfect strikes generated a gradual oscillation through the shaft and grip. You know when you hit it well.
Performance
Cobra developed three distinct fairway woods for their 2024 DARKSPEED line – the Max, the X [review HERE], and the LS. The LS, which is what I reviewed here, is described as the lowest spinning model with an emphasis on a neutral setup for the better player with high swing speeds.
New for 2024 is a change in the weighting which works two-fold. First, the aerospace grade titanium construction maximizes the ability for Cobra to save weight throughout the head and disperse it into other areas for more balance. Second, because of this weight savings, 38 grams of tungsten was added in the heel and toe to stabilize the head at impact. The results speak for themselves as it only took a few swings to feel entirely comfortable with the Cobra DARKSPEED LS fairway wood. I started by hitting three balls in the dead center of the face. My dispersion spanned a measly 40 yards over the course of my Trackman testing.
This titanium construction is also primarily responsible for its low spin. One of the first swings I had with the DARKSPEED LS produced a shot with around 2500 rpms of spin. While my average shot hovered closer to the low 3000 range, I was impressed with how much potential sits inside the LS head.
As with many other low spin heads, most shots were in the lower launch range. This is perfect for those higher swing speed players but works against a player with a slower swing. The only downside here is that the neutral setup tended to magnify my left-to-right ball flight on poor swings. If you struggle with a slice or an extreme fade, consider the DARKSPEED Max FW [review HERE].
Setting aside my own personal swing shortcomings, the most interesting aspect of the Cobra DARKSPEED LS fairway wood was fine tuning the numerous adjustable settings. The three removeable sole weights not only affect spin and trajectory but also influence forgiveness. This is the first low spin Cobra fairway wood to incorporate a rear weight, allowing for more forgiveness. This made it easy for a fade player like myself to manipulate the heavier weight to the heel side to not only reduce spin but also correct a right miss.
Cobra’s stock setup comes with two fifteen gram weights and one three gram weight. Additional weights of up to sixteen grams are offered on Cobra’s website.
The Cobra DARKSPEED LS fairway wood’s stock shaft is the UST LIN-Q M40X but there are a few other custom shafts in case you are looking for something with a different profile. Add in the lofts of 13, 14.5, and 17.5 degrees and there is ample amount of choice available. Whatever you choose, each fairway wood comes in at $329.
Conclusion
Cobra continues to improve upon its ability to manufacture some of the most underrated woods on the market. The Cobra DARKSPEED LS fairway wood is a testament to that with its low spin, low launch characteristics that offers max distance and a ball flight to the fade side.
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Cobra DARKSPEED LS Fairway Wood Price & Specs
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2 Comments
Zack, I read your review of the Darkspeed X fairway wood, as well. Since you’ve hit both, how would you compare their forgiveness? I know the X would be more forgiving, but how much so?
Eric,
That is tough question to answer as the differences in forgiveness are going to be unique to each swing and thus needs to be addressed during a fitting. Generally speaking, you are correct that the X will be more forgiving than the LS but how much is determined by your own swing characteristics.
Hope this helps!
Zack