'The future of golf club design' – Cobra to release 500 3-D printed irons

19/05/2024 16:02

Cobra’s appropriately named LIMIT3D irons will be brought to market shortly, but you will have to act quickly if you want to get your hands on a set.

The makers have only commissioned 500 sets of the 3-D printed irons which they say will deliver forgiveness without sacrificing feel.

Cobra's vice president of product architecture, Jose Miraflor has labeled the irons "the most significant technological advancement to happen to the category in the past 20 years" and "a look into the future of golf club design and performance."

Just last month at the Masters, Bryson de Chambeau brought out his set of 3-D printed irons that set tongues wagging and golfers everywhere began to question whether the innovation was the future of the game.

Cobra has now taken advantage of the knowledge of the computational design software company nTop to produce an ambitious design: a small player’s blade with a forged iron feel and forgiveness comparable to a larger, game-improving type club.

"nTop's computational design tools integrated with 3D printing, also known as additive manufacturing, allowed us to create an incredible new design that looks and feels like a forged blade but performs like a larger, game-improvement iron,” Mike Yagley, Vice President of Innovation & AI, Cobra Golf said.

“No one has done this before, and we're excited to introduce these unique irons to the world."

More forgiving irons are often bigger and sacrifice feel, as Cobra explained.

Only with 3D printing was it feasible to create a more compact, better-feeling iron that nevertheless gives forgiveness, given the constraints of casting and forging.

In comparison to Cobra’s King Tour irons, the resultant LIMIT3D irons have a more compact profile.

With an interior lattice structure, LIMIT3D irons are 3D printed for 316L stainless steel.

This allowed the engineers to place 33% of the iron’s total weight towards the outside for a higher MOI. Each clubhead has 100 grams of tungsten placed in the heel and toe for low CG for easier launch and high MOI for more forgiveness.

Moreover, a far quicker prototype process made possible by nTop’s design tools and additive manufacturing let engineers test more designs and mass placements for an improved final product.

The LIMIT3D irons won’t come cheap though with a recommended retail price of $3000 and just 350 sets available in the United States and Canada. A further 150 sets have been produced for the global market.

The sets have only been produced as clubs for right-handers.

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