Cobra T Rails, First Impressions

[596]

My new T Rails arrived 2 days early, so off to the range I went.

 

About me first. 67 years old. 9 handicap.  Playing for 13 years.  I've played lots of sticks over the years starting with Ping G10s, Ping S59, Mizuno JPX800 Pros and most recently PXG 0211dc.  Over the past year I ditched all irons above 8 iron.  I play the Cobra FlyZ XL 4,5,6, and 7 hybrids with Recoil ESX f3 shafts.  The 0211dc have the stock Recoil Darts. 

 

The new T Rails have upgraded Recoil ESX f3 shafts to match my existing hybrids.  I have the 8, 9, PW, GW and SW in the T Rails.  They are 1/2 inch long to standard. They came with upgraded Jumbo Max XLarge Tour grips. 

 

At address you do not see anything other then the top line, which is thick. Can you say SGI?  You can not see the back of the sole at all at address.  I'm one of the few that does not care about the looks of a club, I'd use a baseball bat all day long over a credit card blade to hit that little ball.  I also did not notice any off set other then normal, nothing stuck out as ugly. The black face will wear off quickly. I'm using knitted iron covers to protect them. 

 

First impression is they swing stable with the Recoil shafts. As high and as long as they are supposed to.  The 34* 8 iron is as long or slightly longer then the 31* 0211dc.  They launch high!  After a bucket I can say they are more of a sweepers iron.  They liked to be swept.  No need for the hitting down on the ball swing. More of a hybrid style swing even with the SW.  I was also able to hit nice high draws and hooks when I wanted but they did like to go straight.   

 

 

I was concerned about the wide sole on the wedges.  No worries here. They played beautifully.  The SW out of the sand was a lot of fun to play.  Even though the sand was wet from it just raining.

 

Anyone on the forum knows I've had a tough time chipping over the past 3 years.  Holy cow, these sticks solved that in about 5 minutes.  I spent an hour chipping with the 8, PW and SW and hadn't had this much fun and control in 3 years.  I found a lot of feel on the chips with the 8 and PW.  Could be from the forged face of the T Rail.  30 to 50 yard pitches were easy with the wide sole SW even out of thick rough after the rain.   

 

I hated to leave to go home.  These clubs will match my current hybrids really well and complete my bag. 

 

I'll post some pics tomorrow during my round. 

 

 

[ShakeyT]

Thanks for the review 

[Bob M]

@596 Looking forward to the pictures!

 

What prompted the change from the PXGs?

[OsnolaKinnard]

On 7/10/2022 at 6:17 PM, 596 said:

My new T Rails arrived 2 days early, so off to the range I went.

 

About me first. 67 years old. 9 handicap.  Playing for 13 years.  I've played lots of sticks over the years starting with Ping G10s, Ping S59, Mizuno JPX800 Pros and most recently PXG 0211dc.  Over the past year I ditched all irons above 8 iron.  I play the Cobra FlyZ XL 4,5,6, and 7 hybrids with Recoil ESX f3 shafts.  The 0211dc have the stock Recoil Darts. 

 

The new T Rails have upgraded Recoil ESX f3 shafts to match my existing hybrids.  I have the 8, 9, PW, GW and SW in the T Rails.  They are 1/2 inch long to standard. They came with upgraded Jumbo Max XLarge Tour grips. 

 

At address you do not see anything other then the top line, which is thick. Can you say SGI?  You can not see the back of the sole at all at address.  I'm one of the few that does not care about the looks of a club, I'd use a baseball bat all day long over a credit card blade to hit that little ball.  I also did not notice any off set other then normal, nothing stuck out as ugly. The black face will wear off quickly. I'm using knitted iron covers to protect them. 

 

First impression is they swing stable with the Recoil shafts. As high and as long as they are supposed to.  The 34* 8 iron is as long or slightly longer then the 31* 0211dc.  They launch high!  After a bucket I can say they are more of a sweepers iron.  They liked to be swept.  No need for the hitting down on the ball swing. More of a hybrid style swing even with the SW.  I was also able to hit nice high draws and hooks when I wanted but they did like to go straight.   

 

 

I was concerned about the wide sole on the wedges.  No worries here. They played beautifully.  The SW out of the sand was a lot of fun to play.  Even though the sand was wet from it just raining.

 

Anyone on the forum knows I've had a tough time chipping over the past 3 years.  Holy cow, these sticks solved that in about 5 minutes.  I spent an hour chipping with the 8, PW and SW and hadn't had this much fun and control in 3 years.  I found a lot of feel on the chips with the 8 and PW.  Could be from the forged face of the T Rail.  30 to 50 yard pitches were easy with the wide sole SW even out of thick rough after the rain.   

 

I hated to leave to go home.  These clubs will match my current hybrids really well and complete my bag. 

 

I'll post some pics tomorrow during my round. 

 

 

Nice review.  Looking forward to the pictures

[596]

4 hours ago, Bob M said:

@596 Looking forward to the pictures!

 

What prompted the change from the PXGs?

Don't get me wrong, I love the PXGs. I'll be keeping the PXGs for my Sunday/practice bag.   I shoot in the 70s with them.  I wanted some irons that would more closely match the rest of my bag.  I only had 6 PXG clubs in the bag.  The cobras will match the rest of the bag swing wise.  These irons very much seem to want to be swept instead of approaching steep.  And I like that with my swing.  It's one of the reasons I've been playing 4,5,6 and 7 in hybrids for a quite awhile. 

[xkilgorextroutx]

These seem to take a backseat to the Cleveland hybrid iron offerings but the reviews I've seen have always been positive. Sound like you've got yourself a solid set in the bag.

[596]

3 minutes ago, xkilgorextroutx said:

These seem to take a backseat to the Cleveland hybrid iron offerings but the reviews I've seen have always been positive. Sound like you've got yourself a solid set in the bag.

I considered the Clevelands but they didn't have the shaft and loft offerings that I wanted.  I also looked at the Tour Edge but, again, they didn't offer the shaft and lofts I wanted. I'm sure you couldn't go wrong with any of them. 

[erock9174]

I had the first gen T-Rails and played some really good golf with them.  I like you found the set wedges (I had the PW, GW and SW) and loved them.  very accurate and distance wise consistent.  I start my irons at a 6i and though it was the highest launching 6i I had ever tried.  Even higher launch and spin than the Cleveland Altitudes and new Halo irons.

 

My issue was the black finish.  I didn't care about face wear as it was cool to see my impact, but the black on the cavity started to chip away and it bugged me.  I ended up selling them off and moved on to other GI irons (just ordered some G425s)

 

[596]

Just got back from walking 9 holes and 103* heat index.  It's 94 and 57% humidity, YUCH.

 

Very easy to hit and launch quite high.  Even with the high launch they go further than the stronger lofted PXG 0211dc.   The T Rails are 2 to 3 degrees weaker, yet higher and longer.  With the sweeping swing instead of down on the ball it does feel kind of weird in the wedges, but the ball takes off with a nice high launch and stops on a dime on the green.  These irons are the same length as I always play in my irons.  All based on 1/2" longer than standard and 1/2" shorter as you go down in clubs til the wedges which are 1/4" different.  Very stable shafts and very forgiving clubheads.  The rails definitely help when catching one a bit fat as that is my miss.  They seem to slide right through any rough and help the heavy shots.  I shot a 37 with 2 birds and 3 bogies.  Putting was standard just missing a few that could have gone.  Chipping was very fun.  I love the forged face.  I get great feel on the chips that is lacking in the PXGs.  I chipped 4 times and 3 of them were all within 5 to 6 feet.  One was BAD!  Had to chip again but that one was within 6".  So I can live with that.   Overall I really like the clubs and am very happy to be playing SGI hybrid irons.  I have NO problem playing what keeps it fun and allows me to score well.  

 

Never posted pics like this before so excuse the bad pics.  Thats the bottom of the 8 iron, then the SW and 8 iron in that order.  You can see the back of the club with the 8 iron, I was wrong above, because I didn't even notice it the first day.  The back of the club is black so I don't even see it.  As you can see you can't see the back of the SW.  

[596]

1 hour ago, erock9174 said:

I had the first gen T-Rails and played some really good golf with them.  I like you found the set wedges (I had the PW, GW and SW) and loved them.  very accurate and distance wise consistent.  I start my irons at a 6i and though it was the highest launching 6i I had ever tried.  Even higher launch and spin than the Cleveland Altitudes and new Halo irons.

 

My issue was the black finish.  I didn't care about face wear as it was cool to see my impact, but the black on the cavity started to chip away and it bugged me.  I ended up selling them off and moved on to other GI irons (just ordered some G425s)

 

 

I'd read about the black paint chipping so I purchased hybrid iron knitted covers.  They are really easy on and off.   Also long enough to protect the shafts, too. Hopefully I won't have that chipping paint problem using these covers. 

[PeanutsDaddy]

Happy to read that you have had such a positive introduction to the T-Rails.   
 

I have put 40+ rounds on mine (indoor and outdoor) since January and they continue to impress me. Had them shafted with Recoil 95’s and bent 2* flat after a month long fitting process. 

 

I too am a sweeper, who can struggle with a thin miss. There is plenty of mass low to get the ball in the air quickly.  I am seeing higher ball flights that I can ever recall (typical mid - low ball hitter).  Distances had initially been about 5 yards longer than comparable lofts in other sets I have  owned, but I have been at least a full club longer at times. Feel like there is another level of performance that I am just tapping into as I become more comfortable. They want to fly high and straight on a well struck ball.  

I really like pitching and chipping with them, but wish I would have also added a gap wedge (current set configuration is PW - 6). Just beginning to get comfortable with partial shots inside 100 yards. 

Aesthetically I find them appealing, but have always liked the look and performance of hybrids, so it was a seamless transition. I found them to have a more muted sound than other offerings in the category and this was part of the reason I was drawn to them.   
 

Seeing that others have had issues with chipping of the paint I chose to throw Club Glove oversized covers on then. They still look mint, with the exception of a few faces that are starting to develop a wear pattern (predictable, given the black finish). I have  attached an image of an 8 iron face. The scoring clubs all look similar.

 

For a decade I have swapped 20+ sets of irons in and out of the bag over the course of a season. This year I have committed to a ‘max forgiveness’ bag and have purchased a Shot Scope rangefinder/GPS combo to track my progress. Have had no desire to swap out the irons, and that says a great deal.  
 

Happy I took a chance.  

 

 

 
 

[Webber97]

Can’t argue with that face wear pattern Mike!!!!

[PeanutsDaddy]

3 minutes ago, Webber97 said:

Can’t argue with that face wear pattern Mike!!!!

 

Blind Squirrel theory!!!

[596]

20 minutes ago, PeanutsDaddy said:

 

Blind Squirrel theory!!!

My 8 iron looks a lot more worn after just 1 day at the range.  In sandy Florida that black face won't last long at all.  

[PeanutsDaddy]

20 minutes ago, 596 said:

My 8 iron looks a lot more worn after just 1 day at the range.  In sandy Florida that black face won't last long at all.  

Only one sandy range close to me and I avoid it if I can. Thankfully my home course doesn’t have the same turf. It’s more goat track than country club : ) 

Edited July 12, 2022 by PeanutsDaddy

[Bob M]

On 7/10/2022 at 7:17 PM, 596 said:

I was concerned about the wide sole on the wedges.  No worries here. They played beautifully.  The SW out of the sand was a lot of fun to play.  Even though the sand was wet from it just raining.

 

@596 - Regarding the above quote, are you still enjoying using the set SW from the sand? How is it for partial wedge shots?

 

I am curious because I've been fooling around with Sub 70 799 7 and 8 irons for a few months now and based on a small change that I made on the range today (gripping down about 1/2"; appears that the standard length is too long for me), am seriously considering getting the rest of the set (9-SW) as an alternate to my Pings. 

 

Thanks in advance for any insight which you can provide. 

Edited August 2, 2022 by Bob M
clarity

[596]

I like playing the SW even on shots as short as 20 yards.  All our greens are small pedestals.  We have to play high lob shots when you miss a green.  The 56* is no problem on these shots even from tight lies. I was concerned earlier but I have no problems with the large sole on these shots.  My 56* is an 80 yard club but I never play it over 60 yards or so, I'll club up to a 50* gap wedge and hit a partial shot instead of the full 56.  Much more accurate that way. 

 

As far as from sand, I use it all the time and have no problems.  I find it very easy to get sand shots close with the set 56*.  I had a PXG SW in the bag just in case, but I've since taken it out as I was not using it at all . 

[Bob M]

@596 - My current set, Ping G710s red dots, is 7-iron thru 54* SW. While I mainly use a 58* (currently a Maltby MAX milled and am auditioning a TSW) for sand shots and finesse wedge shots, for longer sand shots and distance wedge shots the set SW gets the call. 

 

Lofts on the 799s are virtually identical to the Pings, but it turns out that the standard lengths are 1/2" longer. After hitting the 7i so well on the range this morning gripped down 1/2" (great trajectory and nice draw), I am leaning pretty heavily toward getting the 9-SW but 1/2" shorter than standard and having my 7 and 8 cut down to match. Your input has been very helpful....thanks for taking the time to respond!