Cobra golf clubs are played by some of the biggest names on the PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, European Tour, and other professional tours. This often begs the question of who makes Cobra Golf Clubs and where are they made.
Thomas Crow, the former Australian amateur golfer, founded Cobra Golf Clubs in 1973 after a spell at Precision Golf, an Australian golf company, learning the club-making business.
Crow felt that to be competitive in the golfing industry he had to establish the company in the USA. Shortly after its formation, the company’s head office was relocated to San Diego, the USA where it presented its designs and the Cobra Golf name to the golfing community.
To add some prestige and celebrity to the brand, Australian professional golfer Greg Norman joined forces with Cobra Golf in 1991. Norman invested $2 million in the company and became a brand ambassador.
This investment was to pay off handsomely when a company then known as American Brands, Acushnet’s parent company at the time purchased Cobra Golf for $700 million.
Eventually, the competition between Cobra Golf’s clubs and Acushnet’s brand of golf clubs became untenable and Cobra Golf was sold to the German company, Puma AG, in April 2010 thus creating COBRA PUMA GOLF.
Who Makes and Where They are Made Now?
Cobra Puma Golf designs all their clubs at their head office in California whereafter the manufacturing of heads, shafts, and grips are outsourced to companies in China.
Final assembly and quality control are performed at the Cobra Puma Golf head office.
Innovations/New Technology
Thomas Crow started Cobra Golf to become the leader in the oversize iron market aimed at golfers that lacked swing speed. To provide these golfers with more assistance, Cobra Golf shone at making graphite-shafted irons.
In 1975 Cobra Golf released The Baffler which is a forerunner of the popular hybrid golf clubs found in most golfers’ bags today. The Baffler was based on a persimmon 7-wood club with 23 degrees of loft.
Cobra Golf continued its innovation with the release of the 46-inch extended-length driver in 1979. The shafts were several inches longer than the competition adding more speed and distance off the tee.
By 1985 Cobra Golf became the first US-based equipment manufacturer to offer graphite shafts as standard choices in irons and woods.
To emphasize its commitment to oversized clubs, Cobra Golf was the first company to offer a full set of oversized irons in 1992.
Their quest for additional speed led Cobra Golf to develop the Airweight shaft in 2000 becoming the first graphite shaft below 50 grams.
Cobra Puma Golf is only the second manufacturer to offer single-length irons to consumers. Bryson DeChambeau uses the Cobra Single length clubs in competition play
Putters were never really included as part of the Cobra Puma Golf range of equipment. That is until they recently released the first 3D-printed KING Supersport-35 putter.
The 3D putter is an alliance between COBRA engineers, HP, and Parmatech,
Golfers Using Cobra Golf Clubs
Some of the best golfers that played in the Cobra era joined forces with the company and played Cobra Golf clubs. As mentioned earlier Greg Norman was the first to do so but subsequently 4-time major winner and former world number one, Ernie Els, had a spell at Cobra.
Rickie Fowler, PGA Tour is one of the most recognizable golfers on tour and can be seen in his regular orange attire worn on the final day of a tournament.
Cobra Clubs are known to be on the lower end of the price scale without sacrificing quality and distance. In fact, Cobra drivers are renowned for being one of the longest drivers off the tee.
One of the longest hitters to ever play on the professional tour represents Cobra Puma Golf. Bryson DeChambeau underwent a physical transformation, spurred on by his scientific approach to golf, in his quest to hit the ball farther.
In addition to golfers on the PGA Tour, Cobra Puma Golf is well represented on the LPGA and other women’s tours.
The best-known female Cobra representative is Lexi Thompson who is famous for her unwavering drive and ambition to achieve success. Lexi introduced herself to the LPGA by qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open at the age of 12.
Another women’s golfer that represents Cobra Puma golf is Blair O’Neal. In addition to playing professional golf, Blair is a fitness model with achievements such as being named one of Sports Illustrated “Top 50 Hottest Athletes of All Time” and often appears on the list of “Most Beautiful Women on Golf”Golf.com.
Golfing talent runs high through the Thompson family with brother Curtis playing professional golf.
Other notable ambassadors include Claude Harmon III, grandson of the world-famous golf teacher Claude Harmon, and son of another world-famous golf coach, Claude “Butch” Harmon Jr.
Check Out: The Most Beautiful LPGA Players (including Photos)
Final Thoughts
Cobra Puma Golf started in 1973 aiming to provide oversized golf clubs that offer more distance at an affordable price.
Although The Baffler released in 1975 never became a favorite, the technology was the forerunner of the current day hybrids. Continuous innovation has enabled the company to provide faster clubs with more forgiveness and speed.
They continue to push the boundaries with innovative ideas such as the latest 3D printed putter.
Your experience with Cobra Puma Golf equipment will be appreciated in the comments section below.
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Nick is the founder of GolfSpan and an avid golfer. He's not quite a pro but has over 15 years of experience playing and coaching golfers worldwide. His mission is to bring the golfing community a better experience when it comes to choosing the right golf gear and finding the right setup for your game.
