Cobra Darkspeed Max Fairway Wood Review

I review the Cobra Darkspeed Max fairway wood which continues to use AI to manufacture a more advanced face for more efficiency, speed, and forgiveness.

Cobra have built up quite the reputation for producing some of the best fairway woods in recent years. Their fairway woods have been spotted in the bags of golfers not signed up to a club contract with Cobra including Robert MacIntyre and Matt Fitzpatrick – who has had the Darkspeed X fairway wood in the bag since the 2023 DP World Tour Championship.

Much of the technology found in the Darkspeed driver heads has been incorporated into the range of fairway woods, perhaps most notably the A.I. designed H.O.T. Face new for 2024. The Darkspeed fairway woods follow the trend set by the drivers of maximizing speed and distance without sacrificing forgiveness to give you the consistency you desire in the long game. The Darkspeed Max is the most forgiving model and promotes a draw-biased ball flight.

Even though Cobra are chasing speed and distance to rival the longest fairway woods in 2024, they haven’t lost sight of what golfers like from their fairway woods. The weight position at the back of the club head can be taken advantage of to generate a high ball flight and promote forgiveness – with the added weight in the heel of the Max model, this is heightened further.

Cobra’s fairway woods have become a regular on TG’s most forgiving fairway woods guide and we don’t expect this to change in 2024 (the Darkspeed LS might be an exception). Like so many other brands, Cobra have fairway woods to suit all golfers. The Darkspeed Max fairway wood is the most draw-bias option and is expected to be an incredibly popular model in 2024.

What’s new and different about the Cobra Darkspeed Max fairway wood

Dark color scheme

Given the name Darkspeed, it’s probably unsurprising that Cobra have elected to go with a dark color scheme with a splash of red on the sole of the club to match the Darkspeed Max driver. The previous AeroJet Max fairway wood did have a dark carbon crown like the Darkspeed Max but there are no visible colors other than black when you lay the club behind the ball.

Cobra aren’t the only brand this year to have removed bright colors from their fairway woods. TaylorMade’s Qi10 is predominantly black with only a splash of color. With Matt Fitzpatrick having the Darkspeed X fairway wood in his bag since November, the dark color scheme has obviously been well received on Tour and we expect amateur golfers to be just as positive about the chosen color scheme.

AI is the answer

Whether we like it or not, AI is quickly becoming a pivotal part of the manufacturing process of golf equipment – for better or for worse? Cobra definitely believes that AI is a brilliant way of improving the club-building process, to raise the quality of their products. They aren’t the only brand turning to AI for assistance, Callaway are extremely well-known for utilising AI in their Odyssey Ai-One putters and they’ve continued using it in their 2024 Paradym AI-Smoke range.

Cobra have used AI to build an A.I. designed H.O.T. Face to deliver more efficient speed and spin across the clubface. Over time we’ll be able to see if AI is indeed the answer, but as for now, it seems to be working. For as long as it’s working brands will continue working with AI.

Everything you need to know about the technology found in the Cobra Darkspeed Max fairway wood

PWRSHELL Insert and A.I. designed H.O.T. Face

Through machine learning, Cobra have been able to enhance the performance of the PWRSHELL insert to add more speed and launch, which ultimately results in further distance. The A.I. designed H.O.T. Face has 15 individual hot spots across the entirety of the clubface and features an optimized variable thickness pattern to deliver more efficient ball speed and spin, making this fairway wood even easier to hit while producing brilliant numbers.

PWR Bridge

The PWR Bridge was first introduced in last year’s AeroJet woods and it’s back this year in Darkspeed. Cobra have improved the PWR bridge so it has more impact on distance and spin. PWR Bridge works cohesively with the PWRSHELL insert to create a more flexible face and sole which helps maximize launch and ball speed while painting spin rates don’t jump.

Weight positions

The Darkspeed Max is fitted with two weight positions, both on the sole of the club head – one at the back and one in the heel. You can swap the 3g and 15g weights around to create your desired ball shape by making the fairway wood more or less draw bias. With this being the most forgiving Darkspeed fairway wood head, I would suggest keeping the heavyweight in the back of the club unless you seriously suffer from a severe slice.

Everything you need to know about the Cobra Darkspeed Max fairway wood

Cobra Darkspeed Max fairway wood

RRP: £279.00 / $329.00

Lofts: 15.5° / 18.5° / 21.5°

If you’re itching to pick up a Cobra Darkspeed LS fairway wood, or any other club from the Darkspeed range, you can do so from January 11 when pre-sale begins. They will be available at retailers and online from January 19.

The Max is the most draw-biased Darkspeed model. There’ll be no surprise if this is challenging for top spot as the most forgiving fairway wood and best draw-biased fairway wood of 2024. It’s been designed with the amateur golfer in mind, and it’s expected to be extremely popular among men, women, and junior golfers. With the adjustability from the MyFly adjustable settings and flexibility of moving the interchangeable weights, golfers of all standards can tune the wood to help them hit the desired shot shape.

Having achieved much success with the previous AeroJet Max fairway wood, Cobra have continued to use AI to assist them in designing the H.O.T. Face (a feature of all Darksepeed fairway wood models). The emphasis of this fairway wood is on a high draw-biased ball flight, to achieve this Cobra have positioned one weight at the back of the club head and one in the heel.

Video: How does the Cobra Darkspeed Max compare to other leading 2024 fairway woods?

Which Darkspeed fairway wood will suit you the most?

Cobra are offering four different fairway wood models to cater to all golfers. The four Darkspeed fairway wood heads you can choose from are the same as the drivers – Darkspeed LS, Darkspeed X, Darkspeed Max, and Darkspeed Max Women’s. Depending on your ability, needs, and preferences finding the right fairway wood head for you is massively important, and choosing the correct fairway wood head can have a major positive impact on your game. However, on the (dreaded) flipside, picking the wrong fairway wood head could seriously hinder your game.

To help you figure out which Darkspeed fairway wood head is best for you we’ve compiled a a brief overview of each head so let’s take a look at the options and what they have to offer…

Darkspeed Max

As is the case with so many brands, the Max option refers to the most forgiving fairway wood in their line-ups. Darkspeed Max is without a doubt the easiest fairway wood to hit in this range of woods. Despite being forgiving, speed and distance hasn’t been thrown out of the window, this club delivers competitive distance while ensuring you find more fairways and/or greens by stopping the ball from leaking out to the right (or left if you’re left-handed).

The Darkspeed Max will be challenging the most forgiving fairway wood on the market in 2024. If you’re a golfer playing with a predominant fade or slice then it could be a smart move turning to the Max head which has two interchangeable weights that can be moved to generate a higher ball flight or a more draw-biased flight shape.

Darkspeed LS

Cobra’s low-spinning fairway wood differs most from the other three fairway woods in many ways – most notably with it featuring titanium. The Darkspeed LS fairway wood has been designed with Tour players and elite amateur golfers in mind who have quicker swing speeds. However, I don’t quite swing the club like a Tour pro, but I was a fan of the LS model and how it performed compared to the others. So, it might be worth giving the LS a chance even if you don’t swing it like Rickie or Lexi.

Thanks to the three interchangeable weights on the sole of the club and MyFly8 adjustable loft technology, the LS is incredibly versatile and can be manipulated to play a number of shots (providing you’re good enough to shape the ball how you like). You can purchase the LS fairway wood in 14.5° (3-wood), 17.5° (5-wood), or the brand-new stronger lofted 13° (3+-wood). Each head can be adjusted to play a degree and a half higher or lower than the specified loft – you could have an 11.5° wood in the bag!

Not every golfer will want to play with a low-spinning fairway wood, and even fewer will want a 13° fairway wood in the bag. That being said, if you like to play 3-wood off the tee, it could be worth trying the Darkspeed LS 13.0° because it might just catch up to your driver.

Read our full Cobra Darkspeed LS fairway wood review.

Darkspeed X

Being the middle-of-the-road fairway wood in Cobra’s Darkspeed line-up, it’s expected that the Darkspeed X will sell best to amateur golfers, and we also think it will find its way into the bags of Tour players. The X is available in typical fairway wood lofts (15°, 18°, and 21°) which makes this a suitable option for the vast majority of golfers whether you’re looking for an alternative off the tee, a longer club for attacking pins, or a wood to do both.

Considering this is the most forgiving fairway wood offered by Cobra in 2024, I was massively impressed with how effortless it was to get the ball traveling (somewhat) straight and far. The balance Cobra have found in the X fairway wood is exceptional and I wouldn’t be surprised if more players than Matt Fitzpatrick decide to put this in the bag.

Read our full Cobra Darkspeed X fairway wood review.

Darkspeed Max Women’s

The Darkspeed Max Women’s is exactly the same head as the Darkspeed Max, except for the colorway and loft options. Cobra haven’t decided to create a vibrant club head for women, but they have added a splash of light cool blue on the club head to make it more appealing to female golfers – and possibly some male golfers. With it being the same head as the most forgiving “men’s” it’s not unlikely that you may find this club in any golfers bag. Rather than the 3-wood being 15.5° (like it is in the Darkspeed Max) the 3-wood is 18.5° (same as the Darkspeed Max 5-wood). The Darkspeed Max Women’s is available in 18.5° (3-wood), 21.5° (5-wood), and 24.5° (7-wood).

Being the same as the Darkspeed Max this fairway wood is draw-biased so if you are a female golfer who doesn’t need help in straightening a fade or slice then you’ll want to be looking at either the Darkspeed X or LS.

Another factor to consider when choosing heads is that this is the only head with color on the top of the crown. It might only be a trim around the back of the club but it could be enough to put you off and choose the fully blacked-out Max head instead. Similarly, if you like having a bit of color in your sight at address then it could be worth giving the Max Women’s head a hit.

Read our full Cobra Darkspeed Max Women’s fairway wood review.

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About the author

James Hogg – Golf Equipment Writer

James has a degree in English Language from Newcastle University and an MA in Journalism from Kingston University.

He spent seven years working for American Golf as part of the sales and fitting team alongside his studies and is a specialist in putters, golf balls, and apparel.

James took up golf as a teenager and, thanks largely to his length and consistency off the tee, he plays off a handicap of 4.7 at Cleveland Golf Club.

You can contact James via email for loads more golf equipment insight.

Cobra Darkspeed Max Fairway Wood

RRP: £279.00 | VIEW UK OFFER | $329.00 | VIEW US OFFER

Lofts: 3W - 15.5° / 5W - 18.5° / 7W - 21.5°

Stock shaft: Project X HZRDUS Red, UST Mamiya Lin-Q Red

Stock grip: Lamkin Crossline Black

Adjustable hosel: +/-1.5°

Flight bias: Draw