Rickie Fowler wastes no time getting the new Cobra DS-Adapt X driver in his bag

12/19/2024 02:00 PM

Rickie Fowler teamed up with Lexi Thompson to thrash a first round 63 on the way to finishing 14th in last week’s Grant Thornton Invitational.

Fowler had made equipment changes ahead of the Sanderson Farms Championship in October and it prompted an upturn in form – he's closed 2024 with four consecutive top 25 finishes having made only two in the first nine months of the year.

He's maintained the trend of freshening up his bag by introducing the new Cobra DS-Adapt X with a 9-degree head and equipped with a Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73TX shaft.

It turns out that Fowler had undertaken research ahead of the change.

"I've been doing a lot of driver testing trying to learn as much as I can, as well as (testing) for future stuff on (Cobra's) end," he said. "I've always enjoyed clubs, and understanding why they feel a certain way.

"And same things with shafts. I've been doing a lot not just with our drivers but other drivers, as well, just to try and learn and have a better understanding of why certain things feel a certain way to me in my hands and during my swing, what produces different flights.

"For me, having a better understanding on it ultimately helps."

He ultimately picked the Cobra DS-Adapt X ahead of the lowest-spinning LS version, because the X head had an accuracy forgiveness he demanded.

"For me, the X head, it's not like it was any or much slower than the LS," he said. "It was more just the stability side of it. I like playing out of the fairway as much as possible. That's been a big (factor) for me and all the testing I've done."

Fowler talked up Cobra's new driver tech. It features a FutureFit33 hosel system that allows for 33 different lie-and-loft combinations per driver head.

"Definitely a lot more ability for fitting and fine-tuning," he said. "Before, you kind of just had a few heads, a couple different loft options.

"The ability to adjust, you were kind of stuck on whatever lie angle and loft you went with; it was kind of just a normal setting or potentially slightly upright. I think there were previously about six or so options, now there's 33.

"Being able to adjust lie and loft independently is nice because sometimes you want less loft, but you might want it upright, or you might want it flat, and then vice versa on the loft. It's been nice to have more options to try and dial stuff in.

"I think that's been one of the biggest changes. I do feel like the Adapt head is better. I feel like I'm in a pretty good spot with the X head, and I'm playing that this week (at the Grant Thornton)."

For more information on Cobra's new DS-Adapt driver see our preview of the range.

READ MORE:What are the specifications of the new Cobra DS-Adapt LS drivers?

The post Rickie Fowler wastes no time getting the new Cobra DS-Adapt X driver in his bag appeared first on Golf365.