Is the Cobra DS Adapt Max K Driver for Real?

[scarfie]

3 hours ago, provx said:

im looking to order a max k to tryout, trying to decide on shaft. ive been playing the tour vf TX flex in my gt2, and ive used a pro orange tx in the past.

 

im kinda eyeballing some of these stock options

Fuji Pro Black X

Project X black 6.5

LinQ White m40 X

 

is this a low or high launch head and are any of these stock shaft options decent?

 

IMO it's a lowish launch head. I normally play 9* in all driver heads of various brands, and I have the 9* in the Max-K and it's certainly below average launch. It's also quite low spin. 

[ad_l1b]

On 5/9/2025 at 6:02 AM, adamwon84 said:

I came from the G430 10k to this and I continue to laugh everytime I hit the Max-K because of just how amazing it has been. I sound like a broken record but Cobra really has an incredible driver here that I really hope more people look into

I have a G430 Max 10k and hit the Max K in a Roger Dunn the other day, club speed was WAY up spin was good and it was crazy long, didn't compare head to head, but I'm certainly curious if it can knock it out of the bag. It seemed just as forgiving as the Ping in my limited time with it (I sure as s**t tested it lol).

[sheezymaneezy]

54 minutes ago, ad_l1b said:

I have a G430 Max 10k and hit the Max K in a Roger Dunn the other day, club speed was WAY up spin was good and it was crazy long

 

That's impressive considering the Max10K has been known to still produce high ball speeds.

[adamwon84]

10 hours ago, ad_l1b said:

I have a G430 Max 10k and hit the Max K in a Roger Dunn the other day, club speed was WAY up spin was good and it was crazy long, didn't compare head to head, but I'm certainly curious if it can knock it out of the bag. It seemed just as forgiving as the Ping in my limited time with it (I sure as s**t tested it lol).

I loved the Max 10k but the Cobra just pulled ahead in every test I threw at it, absolutely love this thing

[ChadL]

Mine is supposed to be delivered this Friday.  Looking forward to giving it a go.

[ad_l1b]

19 hours ago, sheezymaneezy said:

 

That's impressive considering the Max10K has been known to still produce high ball speeds.

I think part of the problem is i consistently get the G430 10k out of the bottom half of the club, I guess its a known issue

[Phabs]

Swung this thing this morning at a buddy’s club champion while he was double checking some specs for me on a build I just completed. Impressed by it for sure and the head shows some promise.  Was in a low low shaft and I play mid launch and it was a 10.5 head where I’m in 9* stuff primarily.   Head sounds amazing even with it being their largest offering - not tingy or loud at all. Just sounds like a carbon crown driver always does.  The face is super tall so the tee height had to come way up compared to what I usually play. 
 

The adapter impressed me the most - cobras the first manufacturer to have the balls to give the pubic every possible adjustment setting and let you go figure it out.  Amazing the amount of movement you can get out of the ball / shape / height with an adapter adjustment and a similar strike point.

 

Need to swing the same head in a 9 and the standard x head in a 9.  Im sure one of the two would be on the money.   

[1puttTUT]

Played in an outing yesterday. Hit 12/14 fairways swinging out of my shoes as the anchor spot in our group. This driver just performs. I will say it launches quite high for me, so I might play around with a lower spinning shaft in the future out of pure distance chasing greed haha.

[Qegurezi]

Would i be right to assume utilizing the new adapter and dropping it down to 7* is going to give a reasonably flat hitting lowish spinning driver? 

[roxald]

The DS-Adapt Max K makes the rest of the lineup redundant for me.

I played the previous Ls version and loved it but to get the distance and performance out of the new Max K with speed and lower spin is crazy.

 

Looks great behind the ball too for a 10k model and the feel and sound is great.

 

Rox

Edited June 7 by roxald

[Canuckgolfer67]

Picked up a Cobra DS 10k a month ago. Played about 6 rounds with it so far.  I cannot stress how easy it is to hit this thing straight.  At least for me, compared to other current drivers I played (GT2, GT3, Ping g430).  Sure, the DS 10k may be giving up 5-10 yards against the GT2 or GT3, but this thing feels so easy to hit straight.  I have not lost a ball in 6 rounds, which for me is absurd.  If you're on the fence about trying this, just do it, especially if you are the type of golfer who could afford to leave a few yards on the table in exchange for some accuracy.  Very interesting as well how you can adjust this driver in loft without manipulating face angle, huge selling point for some people.

 

It really is a shame that a ton of people will rule out this driver because Cobra as a brand does not have the reputation or pull that Titleist, Ping, or Taylormade does.  

[StillCantPutt]

Does anyone who swings 120mph+ play this driver or have any real world feedback? I'm reluctant to experiment without someone chiming in who is a high-speed player. 

[bryanwmilburn]

23 hours ago, StillCantPutt said:

Does anyone who swings 120mph+ play this driver or have any real world feedback? I'm reluctant to experiment without someone chiming in who is a high-speed player. 

High speed player here (GC quad indoor sit at 175+ ball speed, have hit it 185 BS with this head). It’s a fantastic driver. The first driver I’ve felt comfortable with in years. I just aim down the right and let it fly and I’m in play the majority of the time - and that’s with the stock Fuji Pro Black 70X. Highly recommend. 

[StillCantPutt]

1 hour ago, bryanwmilburn said:

High speed player here (GC quad indoor sit at 175+ ball speed, have hit it 185 BS with this head). It’s a fantastic driver. The first driver I’ve felt comfortable with in years. I just aim down the right and let it fly and I’m in play the majority of the time - and that’s with the stock Fuji Pro Black 70X. Highly recommend. 

Curious, but have you tried the X as well? Wondering why most pros are using that one. 

[1puttTUT]

23 minutes ago, StillCantPutt said:

Curious, but have you tried the X as well? Wondering why most pros are using that one. 

 

Because they don't need forgiveness like the rest of us 😜

[me05501]

Mine is here. First swings will have to wait til tomorrow. 
 

I have been very happy with my AI Smoke TD Max 9* but I like the idea of being able to fine tune the loft and lie adjustments individually without changing the face angle. Hoping to minimize my common miss which is a straight pull.
 

I’m not a high speed player but I hit the middle of the club face more than most and keep it in the fairway pretty consistently. I’m so used to this being my game that I tend to use a “fairway finder” swing more often than I should.

 

Whenever I try to go after one I lose it to the right. Probably letting my sequencing get loose in those cases, but having a club that is more forgiving all over the face might help me gain confidence in letting it go a bit more and getting that extra 5-10 yards. 

Edited June 7 by me05501

[bryanwmilburn]

7 hours ago, StillCantPutt said:

Curious, but have you tried the X as well? Wondering why most pros are using that one. 

I did not. I saw Drew Cooper (super quick dude on YT/IG) said he experimented with the lowest loft high MOI head possible and had great results. So I tried this on a whim and play it down at 7 degrees and absolutely love it. Very neutral looking head and the sound and feel is actually great as well. 

[Phabs]

10 hours ago, bryanwmilburn said:

High speed player here (GC quad indoor sit at 175+ ball speed, have hit it 185 BS with this head). It’s a fantastic driver. The first driver I’ve felt comfortable with in years. I just aim down the right and let it fly and I’m in play the majority of the time - and that’s with the stock Fuji Pro Black 70X. Highly recommend. 

175 pfffffffft?  That’s most dudes 2i ball speed here 😂

[gators78]

13 hours ago, bryanwmilburn said:

High speed player here (GC quad indoor sit at 175+ ball speed, have hit it 185 BS with this head). It’s a fantastic driver. The first driver I’ve felt comfortable with in years. I just aim down the right and let it fly and I’m in play the majority of the time - and that’s with the stock Fuji Pro Black 70X. Highly recommend. 

 

I’m intrigued by the Linq shafts, any chance you tried those? 

[bm303]

This thing is insane. I thought I wasted money on another expensive gadget I didn't need, nope. This head combined with a 44.5" Velocore blue 6x quite literally has my awful shots still barely out of the fairway. I cannot believe how accurate this combo has been. Possibly the shorter drfiver helped a lot too since the one I got was -1" from the factory. It's hard to hit a bad shot with this setup.

 

 

[StillCantPutt]

9 hours ago, bm303 said:

This thing is insane. I thought I wasted money on another expensive gadget I didn't need, nope. This head combined with a 44.5" Velocore blue 6x quite literally has my awful shots still barely out of the fairway. I cannot believe how accurate this combo has been. Possibly the shorter drfiver helped a lot too since the one I got was -1" from the factory. It's hard to hit a bad shot with this setup.

 

 

What’s your swing speed? What were you playing prior?

[me05501]

Got mine to the range yesterday and happened to be swinging pretty well so it was a reasonable test. 

 

I hit about 10 balls with the Max K and ten with my gamer AI Smoke TD Max. In addition to the eye test I had my SC300 to give me an idea of swing speed, ball speed and carry distance. 

 

Both drivers are 9* on Tensei Blue 65R shafts. I have my Callaway set to stated loft/draw and started with the Cobra in the A1 position which is probably slightly less upright than the Callaway. 

 

When hit well the drivers provided a very similar flight. I prefer the sound of the Callaway but could get used to the Cobra. 

 

I was using impact stickers to gauge contact. I had more off-center misses with the Max K which I attribute to two things: 1. the swing weight feels a little lighter so I had a bit less sense of the club head, and 2. I think I was swinging a bit harder trying to help the Cobra perform to my expectations. 

 

My head came stock with a 10g weight. I've ordered 12 and 14g weights to try in it and I'll experiment with some lead tape as well. 

 

As I suspected I think you really need to dial in these DS Adapt heads on a good launch monitor. I know my stats with the Callaway are pretty close to optimal but I'll need to get on Trackman with the Cobra and work on dialing it in. 

[bryanwmilburn]

On 6/7/2025 at 9:31 PM, gators78 said:

 

I’m intrigued by the Linq shafts, any chance you tried those? 

I did not. Just the Tour Black but it's holding up quite well. I'm tempted to throw in a Ventus like I've played for years but as good as I'm hitting it I don't want to mess with it 😄 

[bm303]

4 hours ago, StillCantPutt said:

What’s your swing speed? What were you playing prior?

Was playing a 45.5" G430 max 10k with the same shaft but in S flex. 

 

So it's not entirely a fair comparison, since I went to X and 1" shorter. 

 

SS about 108.

[me05501]

So for the adapter settings I'm a little confused. 

 

Cobra recommends finding the setting on the chart that approximates the ball flight you're seeing and then using the hosel setting shown 180* from that flight on the chart. 

 

When they say ball flight are they talking about only the shape of the shot in the air or the starting line as well? 

 

After a few experimental adjustments I'm getting a strong ball flight and good speed but hitting a consistent pull. I feel like this is mostly due to the lighter head (and I've ordered a couple different weights) but it's hard to be sure. 

[TonyRo]

31 minutes ago, me05501 said:

When they say ball flight are they talking about only the shape of the shot in the air or the starting line as well? 

I would assume since you're essentially adjusting loft and face angle that they're specifically talking about trajectory and deviation from the target line. If you want it launching higher or lower with more or less spin choose a higher or lower cog, and if you're dispersion leans too far left or right choose an appropriately opposite cog to even that out a bit.

 

If you like the trajectory, I would choose a cog that just opens the face a smidge.

Edited June 9 by TonyRo

[Lobber]

Late to this party but after trying Elyte *** and Elyte*** Max, Ping 440 MAX, Ping G440 LST, TM Qi35 and Cobra DST LS with varying levels of success I recently exchanged to DST LS for the DST 1K Max and am blown away with the distance and forgiveness.  I have yet to put a drive out of bounds and am consistently finding the FW and often center cut.  The ball jumps of the face and hits the ground running.  My only complaint relative to others mentioned is the feel which while not harsh is definitely not soft.  But more than willing to put up with that for the results

[Phabs]

On 6/9/2025 at 12:51 PM, me05501 said:

So for the adapter settings I'm a little confused. 

 

Cobra recommends finding the setting on the chart that approximates the ball flight you're seeing and then using the hosel setting shown 180* from that flight on the chart. 

 

When they say ball flight are they talking about only the shape of the shot in the air or the starting line as well? 

 

After a few experimental adjustments I'm getting a strong ball flight and good speed but hitting a consistent pull. I feel like this is mostly due to the lighter head (and I've ordered a couple different weights) but it's hard to be sure. 

They’re saying if you have a miss find that ball flight on the chart and go to the opposite side of the adjustment diagram.  High fade would be like B7…. To counter you would change the adapter to C8 or D8

[me05501]

31 minutes ago, Phabs said:

They’re saying if you have a miss find that ball flight on the chart and go to the opposite side of the adjustment diagram.  High fade would be like B7…. To counter you would change the adapter to C8 or D8

 

Right. I’ve just been wondering if that applies to both start line and curvature or only curvature. 

[Phabs]

22 minutes ago, me05501 said:

 

Right. I’ve just been wondering if that applies to both start line and curvature or only curvature. 

Probably depends what it does to the face and how it effects your strike location/delivery at the ball.  Doubt it’s the same for everyone