Equipment
New Cobra Forged S3 Irons Review
LINK TO MORE PICS AND COMMENTS IN THE FORUMS
Pros-
A “tour” club in the hands of the retail market. Cobra has delivered what we’ve been wanting. Tour proven design, using cavity backs in the long irons and muscle back’s in the short irons that flow together perfectly. Soft 1025 Carbon Steel in a beautifully forged head that will be whistling balls towards the green in effortless fashion.
Cons-
Traditional blade players may not be pleased with the generous sole on the muscle backs and may look for something thinner.
Bottom Line-
A combo set that flows so well together. Soft carbon steel that reminds me of the JDM clubs I usually prefer. I was a little worried about the Cobra brand when Puma purchased it but if the S3 Pro Irons are what we can expect in the future from them, look out!
Review—-
Cobra S3 Pro Irons
1025 Carbon Steel
3-6 irons- Cavity Back
7-PW-Muscle Back
Shafts- True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 +.5”
Grips-White GP Decade
Ball used during rounds tested- Srixon Z Star and Callaway Tour i(s)
Looks- The King Cobra has evolved. The satin finish of the new Cobra S3 Pro irons is very pleasing to the eye. Simple S3 Pro stamped in the middle of the muscle and the time tested and recognizable Cobra name and logo on the toe all finished with black paint fill. These heads have a simple, yet classy and clean appearance unlike many of the gaudy colors and badges that most other clubs are now coming out with. I’m pretty old and have been playing golf for over 37 years now. Although I’m all for high tech and innovation, nothing pleases me more then something that brings me back to when golf clubs were a whole lot simpler.
CB’s- Perimeter weighted cavity back, weighted towards the sole. Cavity not overly large or deep yet enough to provides a mental bit of confidence towards forgiveness.
MB- Clean lines with two pockets to the left/right of the sweet spot. The pockets transferring weight outwards and towards the sole, adding a touch of forgiveness yet still keeping the solid feel behind the sweet spot.
The overall head shapes are done very well. The high semi-pointed toe reminds me of my old Gauge Japan blades.
Performance/playability- A combo set that actually works. Now that’s a nice surprise. I’ve made my own combo sets with two or three different heads and have always been able to look down and know immediately which head I was using. If not, after a shot or two with each one, I’d probably be able to tell even if the backs were taped up! Maybe I wasn’t too good making my combo set but then again, maybe the sets weren’t designed to do a combo as much as I thought they were.
The S3 Pro MB/CB's using a design the hearkens the past King Cobra Pro MB/CB, but evolved with softer lines, mild shifts in weight in the mb/cb and of course that satin finish feel good together. Like chocolate syrup and vanilla ice cream…this combo set performs well together.
Mild Cavity backs from 3-6 iron with limited offset, modest toplines and soles perform well from various types of lies. Unlike cb’s with deeper cavities, workability is easily conducted yet enough forgiveness is built in to allow the occasional miss hit.
Musclebacks from 7-PW, the scoring clubs. Again limited offset, modest toplines and slightly thinner soles then the cb’s. Easily workable up/down and side to side. Pockets seem to provide a softer feel on miss hits allowing you to skip the usual sting you would expect.
Feel- Made of 1025 carbon steel this forging really surprised me. I have played numerous forgings from the known Japan forging houses and these worked very comparable to them. The sound at impact was noticeable from my first shot with them. I haven’t played a Cobra iron in probably over eight years. Where I expected a similar sound as those or perhaps a Titleist click, these gave a nice lower pitched whoosh to them. I at first considered it was just because I had struck the ball solidly. After playing a couple rounds and range sessions, unfortunately it wasn’t all me!
The first round I compared the feel with Bridgestone J38’s cb’s and Tourstage 701’s. The sound was lower then the Bridgestone’s and comparable with the Tourstage irons. My playing partner marveled at the sound saying they didn’t sound like the usual American club. Gone was the click of past sets. Gone was the harsh feeling that I’d expect from a US OEM. These S3 Pro’s felt super! I can’t even begin to tell you how surprised I was with them. They truly were the opposite of what I had imagined they would feel like. The softness made the ball feel as if it was stuck to the face just a second longer than you’d expect.
I don't know how Cobra forged the 1025 Carbon but whatever process they used, they got it right.
Overall bottom line- Cobra is in good hands with Puma. Sure this design may have originated while Cobra was with Acushnet but the team moved over and grew. More minds working together to get what we golfers want. The looks, the feel, the flow of combo irons that the Pro’s play.
For the lower handicap golfer who’s looking for the forgiveness of a cavity back and the ability to work the ball with the scoring clubs, look no further. The Cobra S3 Pro irons have made me proud to now have a US branded club back in my bag.
LINK TO MORE PICS AND COMMENTS IN THE FORUMS
Cameron Young’s WITB from his win at the 2025 Wyndham Championship. Cameron is a Titleist staff player but his bag is definitely filled with some unique clubs. Here are the clubs he used to secure his first PGA Tour win!
Driver: Titleist GT2 (9 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K Pro Orange 70 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX
Hybrid: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus HB Black VeloCore+ 10 X
Irons: Titleist T200 (4), Titleist T100 (5), Titleist 631.CY Prototype (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7 (4-9)
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F, 52-12F, 56-14F @57), WedgeWorks (60-K* @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold X7
Putter: Scotty Cameron Phantom 9.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Prototype
- Peter Malnati what’s in the bag accurate as of the Wyndham Championship. More photos from the event here.
Driver: Titleist GT3 (10 degrees, C2 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Project X Denali Blue 60 TX
3-wood: Titleist GT3 (15 degrees, A1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 7 X
7-wood: Titleist GT2 (21 degrees, D1 SureFit setting)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus TR Blue 8 X
Irons: Titleist T150 (4, 5), Titleist T100 (6-9)
Shafts: True Temper AMT Tour White X100
Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM10 (48-10F @47, 52-12F, 56-08M @57, 60-04T @62)
Shafts: True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400
Putter: Scotty Cameron Studio Style Fastback 1.5 Tour Prototype
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x Yellow
We’re proud to once again partner with 2nd Swing Golf to bring you GolfWRX Members Choice 2025! 2nd Swing has more than 150,000 new and pre-swung golf clubs available in six store locations and online. Check them out here.
What is the best driver in 2025? At GolfWRX, we take great pride in our online community and the cumulative knowledge and experience of our members. When it comes to the best driver of 2025, we want to know what our forum faithful think.
Since our founding in 2005, the bedrock of GolfWRX.com has been the community of passionate and knowledgeable golfers in our forums, and we put endless trust in the opinions of our GolfWRX members — the most knowledgeable community of golfers on the internet. No other group of golfers in the world tests golf clubs as frequently or as extensively, nor is armed with such in-depth information about the latest technology.
Below are the results of GolfWRX member voting for the 2025 best driver, along with the vote percentage for each club.
Best driver of 2025: The top 5
5. Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond: 6.02%
Callaway’s pitch: “For golfers looking for a fast, forgiving, yet workable driver, the Elyte Triple Diamond features a tour-inspired shape and is the preferred model by most Callaway tour players.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond here.
4. Ping G440 Max: 6.86%
Ping’s pitch: “The most forgiving G440 model, MAX has a hotter face to generate speed and distance, and a lighter overall system weight with a longer shaft (46″) for faster clubhead speed, higher launch and longer carries. The Free Hosel and Carbonfly Wrap crown save weight to create our lowest CG ever and increase forgiveness while contributing to a more muted, pleasing sound.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 Max here.
3. Ping G440 LST: 9.53%
Ping’s pitch: “LST is an especially good fit for faster swings, offering less spin and more control with a penetrating trajectory. A hotter face, lighter overall system weight and longer shaft (46″) deliver more speed and distance while maintaining tight dispersion.”
@phizzy30: “Not a fan of Ping drivers in general, but 440 LST takes the cake. It’s super forgiving across the face for a low spin head, looks and sounds good and the ability to make it play neutral or slightly fade biased through the hosel settings is very appealing.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Ping G440 LST here.
2. Titleist GT3: 16.55%
Titleist’s pitch: “The GT3 Driver offers Titleist’s boldest combination of power and personalization through adjustable performance. Dial in the CG Track to your frequent contact location to make your biggest drives even bigger while taking total control over flight and shaping.”
@mrmikeac: “I’ve been Anti-Titleist for years and years and years (outside of Vokey, of course). With that being said, HOLY BEGEEZUS the GT3 driver is an absolute NUCLEAR MONSTER! This thing blew my G430 10K Max out of the water in every single category. Forgiveness is the biggest thing that stands out of me, the 3 model has always been one of the less forgiving models in the past but this GT3 can take bad shot after bad shot and still end up in the fairway, I think a ton of that has to do with the adjustability, it’s actually effective. Feel and sound is perfect, that solid crack is so addicting to hear and when you hit it out the screws this thing can absolutely bomb it. Titleist, I’m sorry for doubting you. You have converted me.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT3 here.
1. Titleist GT2: 22.91%
Titleist’s pitch: “Delivering impressive distance from any impact point, the Titleist GT2 Driver extracts maximum performance through a forgiving design. Get the stability and added confidence of a high-MOI driver without sacrificing speed.”
@DTorres: “The Titleist GT2 has proven to be the best driver of the year. Packaged in a classic profile, GT2 perfectly balances performance and forgiveness while consistently being a high performer across all categories.”
You can read what other golfers are saying about the driver in the GolfWRX forums, and see our launch piece here. Shop the Titleist GT2 here.
Other drivers receiving >2% of the vote
| Driver | Vote percentage (%) |
|---|---|
| Cobra DS Adapt Max K | 4.85% |
| Ping G430 Max 10K | 3.85% |
| Callaway Elyte Triple Diamond | 3.68% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 | 3.51% |
| Callaway Elyte | 3.18% |
| Cobra DS Adapt X | 2.34% |
| Cobra DS Adapt LS | 2.17% |
| TaylorMade Qi35 LS | 2.17% |
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