Carlsbad, Calif. (January 12, 2023) – COBRA Golf, a leader in golf club innovation, unveiled today the new KING TOUR and KING CB and MB irons. Rounding out an impressive KING family that also includes the KING Forged Tec and Forged Tec-X irons, the new releases elevate the KING family of players’ irons to a new level. Aimed at advanced players, a traditional forged muscleback (KING MB), compact muscle cavity back (KING CB), and a technical cavity back model (KING TOUR) cover the full spectrum of golfers who value feel, feedback, and shotshaping ability.
All three new models are crafted from 1025 carbon steel using COBRA’s industry-leading 5-Step Forging Process. While other forged irons have traditionally used a four-step process, COBRA utilizes a fifth forging strike to deliver unmatched soft feel and precision shaping. The forging process begins by heating carbon steel billets to 1200-degree Celsius. The billets are then Rough Forged three times (steps 1-3), a process in which the metal is bent and forged to form the rough shaping of an iron head. Step Four involves applying 1200 tons of pressure at 800-degrees Celsius to each rough clubhead, refining the shapes and placing detail lines and logos. During the final fifth step, each iron head is subjected to 2000 tons of pressure at 700-degrees Celsius, forming an extremely uniform and isotropic internal grain structure. After cooling, each clubhead is polished and made ready for the faces and grooves to be precision milled using a CNC (Computer Numerical Controlled) machine.
“The five-step forging process is critical to both the feel produced at impact by each of our new KING irons as well the consistency of performance,” said Tom Olsavsky, Vice President of R&D for COBRA Golf. “Players who desire the feel of forged want a soft sensation at impact rather than one that’s overly crisp, and our process delivers the desired sensation. But forgings can also be lacking in consistency due to the challenges involved in the forging process, all of which we’ve improved on by creating forged irons with superior precision from clubhead to clubhead. Players who favor forged irons now have the option to enjoy all the benefits of a forging with the consistency normally associated with cast products.”
Benefits of COBRA’s 5-Step Forging Process include: More precise shaping, more precise and flatter clubfaces, tighter weight tolerances, improved consistency of loft and lies, improved face thickness consistency, improved aesthetics, and significantly enhanced feel at impact.
The KING TOUR irons ($1299/7-piece set) blend soft feel and playability with enhanced distance and forgiveness using a 5-step forged multi-material construction. Unlike the CB & MB irons which are one-piece forgings, the Tour irons feature an aluminum medallion, and a TPU insert in the back cavity. A key to the enhanced forgiveness and overall performance of COBRA’s new TOUR iron are CNC undercuts in the back cavity of each iron, which allow weight to be repositioned from high center to lower center and heel and toe areas of the clubhead, creating improved launch conditions and more forgiveness on off center hits. These cavities progress from deeper in the long irons for enhanced stability, to shallower in the short irons for enhanced control. To improve feel, each CNC undercut is filled with a soft TPU material and topped with an alumninum co-molded medallion, which both damp vibration for a more pleasing sound and feel at impact. The shaping of the TOUR irons is progressively more compact than the KING Forged TEC model, featuring a thinner topline, reduced offset. The updated Tour shape also features a slightly shortened blade length than the previous KING Tour MIM Irons to inspire improved control and workability. The TOUR model also features 2 degree stronger lofts than the CB & MB irons to produce more explosive distance off the face. The TOUR irons are available in 3i-GW (RH/LH), with the stock set offered in 4-PW steel stiff, RH only. LH sets are available in custom. A Lamkin Crossline grip, and a KBS $-Taper 120 steel shaft in Stiff flex comes standard.
The KING CB/MB irons ($1199/7-piece set) feature the most compact shapes in the KING lineup, and are built with attributes that better players typically desire including thinner toplines for aesthetics, minimal offset for control, thinner soles for precise turf interaction, and shorter blade lengths for enhanced shot-shaping ability. Due to the precision of the 5-Step Forging Process, the CB and MB irons feature perfectly centered CG locations without the need for added Tungsten to manipulate the CG. The CB irons, having a more forgiving cavity back shape with slightly more offset, and the traditional MB muscle back offer players a variety of customizeable set configurations to fit their gapping and aesthetic preferences. The stock set is available in a flow combo set that comes with the CB model in the 4-6 irons, and the MB model in the 7-PW (Steel Stiff, RH Only?). This unique set makeup allows more forgiveness in the longer irons, and more precision in the shorter irons. Both CB (Cavity Back) and MB (Muscle Back) models are available as full CB or MB sets in 3i-GW through custom (Full CB sets are available in RH & LH, while MB are available in RH & only 7-PW in LH). Lamkin Crossline grips and KBS $-Taper 120 steel shafts come standard.
All three new KING irons will be available at cobragolf.com and at retail on February 3rd, 2023.
For more information on the COBRA KING family of irons and all of COBRA’s innovative new products for 2023, visit www.cobragolf.com.
