ZL Driver Features Adjustable Flight Technology in an Advanced Design

2009-12-10

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CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Cobra Golf has unveiled what company officials call their most innovative, highest-performing driver ever, the ZL, which is designed to help golfers achieve more distance. ZL stands for "zero limits," they said, adding that PGA Tour players Geoff Ogilvy, J.B. Holmes and Jason Gore already have put the new driver in play.

The ZL Driver "combines the best technology, materials and design we've ever built into a driver -- plus the ZL offers the additional performance benefit of tuned ball flight," said Cobra Gof General Manager Brian Zender. "With our exclusive Adjustable Flight Technology we help avid golfers achieve maximum distance and accuracy by optimizing their personal ball flight."

The ZL's clubhead is designed to maximize distance, accuracy and forgiveness. To optimize ball speed and thus distance, Cobra engineers utilized Advanced Multi-Material Construction in which a lightweight, high-strength carbon fiber crown and sole insert are integrated into a titanium 6-4 clubhead body and clubface. The titanium clubface utilizes Cobra's patented Milled Rhombus laser-welded face insert plus a new, thinner perimeter area.

In addition, a large face insert featuring a unique milled rhombus center is surrounded by a thin, highly engineered titanium perimeter area to promote faster ball speeds -- especially on off-center hits across the face -- for improved control and consistently long and straight drives.

To complement the multi-material construction in the clubhead design, the ZL also features a swingweight screw that helps shift the Center of Gravity (CG) toward the heel to help provide draw bias ball flight while maintaining a square clubface alignment. In addition, Cobra's exclusive Adjustable Flight Technology features an adjustable hosel that golfers can set to one of three face angles (O-open, N-neutral, C-closed) to provide a simple and quick way to optimize their personal ball flight.

"In the past, many club manufacturers chased various USGA limits on clubhead features and dimensions, such as Moment of Inertia (MOI), face height, COR etc," says Cobra Vice President of Research & Development Tom Preece. "When you focus on one design variable or a combination of variables, you often give up something else in return. So the mission of our R&D team was to set Zero Limits on engineering superior performance into the ZL driver."

Cobra also focused on making the ZL "the best sounding driver" on the market, Preece said, as their engineers utilized sophisticated computer modeling to improve the driver's sound and feel via key key frequency improvements, which include a more traditional crown design.

The ZL driver began shipping Nov. 1, and is available in lofts of 8.5, 9.5, 10.5 and 11.5 degrees. It comes standard with a 46-inch Aldila VooDoo graphite shaft, in men's R and S flexes. Lite and Women's flexes, along with other shafts, are available through custom order. The ZL carries a suggested retail price of $425.

- PGA.com