Friday Update - 2/11/2018

In this week’s Friday update, we take a look at some of the biggest talking points that have arisen in the golf world over the last seven days, particularly those that have gained the most attention on social media. From equipment announcements to brilliant Halloween costumes, this week has certainly been a good one.

Cobra Announce the King F9 Speedback Family

Cobra is undoubtedly one of the bigger players when it comes to the golf equipment market, with top professionals such as Bryson DeChambeau, Rickie Fowler and Lexi Thompson all using their gear. For years Cobra have invested huge amounts of time and money into their club development to ensure that all of their ambassadors and amateur customers have access to the best equipment possible, and it is no different for their latest batch of products. 

The King F9 Speedback clubs have many new design features and technologies, with the most striking of these coming from the range’s driver. Cobra claim that this is “the first driver to successfully combine an aerodynamic clubhead with a low centre of gravity.” This could be a huge break-through in driver technology meaning that golfers can still get the high club head speeds of some other drivers on the market but also reduce spin to increase distance. It will be interesting to see just how well this concept works against other top drivers. 

In addition to the driver, there are of course fairway woods, hybrids and irons also available under the Speedback umbrella. Each have their own unique features and one that I think is worth noting is the face of the fairway woods. Cobra used a CNC milled club face on its King F8 driver, which proved popular. In light of this, they have decided that for the first time, their fairway clubs will, too. This is likely to provide players with a more consistent ball strike and if your game is anything like mine then that is definitely a massive positive. It will be great to see what every day golfers and pros alike have to say about the Speedbacks once they are available. 

Golfshake recently spoke to Cobra’s VP of Marketing, Jose Miraflor in relation to the announcement. Watch the interview and hear what he has to say about the clubs and their revolutionary technology.

Rory McIlroy and TaylorMade Announce Junior Golf Clubs

The issue surrounding junior participation in golf is ever-present and always will be. It can be tough to get youngsters into golf and with this in mind, it is great to see an iconic player such as Rory McIlroy using his personal experience to try and help the youth of today start hitting balls. His equipment sponsor, TaylorMade Golf, has worked alongside the Northern Irishman to create some sets of junior clubs, simply named ‘Rory’, which are aimed at young beginners. McIlroy posted a tweet to his official page on Thursday which featured a brief video offering a slight insight into the thinking behind the creation. 

At age 5 I got my first real set of clubs, and that’s when my passion for the game started. Excited to announce I’ve teamed up with @taylormadegolf to create the perfect starter set for young golfers so they can build their passion for the game at an early age like I did! pic.twitter.com/wEpQhuj18c

— Rory McIlroy (@McIlroyRory) November 1, 2018

There is always more that can be done to help youngsters take up the game and it is wonderful that one of the biggest stars of this generation is playing his part in the process.

Players in the Halloween Spirit

On Wednesday, it was many people’s favourite holiday, Halloween. The time of year when people from all walks of life dress in scary, hilarious and often stupid costumes. The people of the golfing world are no exception to that and this year we saw some magnificent costumes from a couple of players. Perhaps the most talked about costume was Bryson DeChambeau’s. The four-time PGA Tour winner showed his fun side as he dressed up as fellow professional, Rickie Fowler. DeChambeau turned up for a practice round at the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children Open wearing Rickie’s notorious orange colours, topped off with a drawn on moustache.  Elsewhere, Justin Thomas’ slightly random costume saw him riding an inflatable dinosaur. He posted a picture of himself in the wacky suit to his Twitter and Instagram pages with a hashtag that I think everybody should follow, #nevergrowup. 

Happy Halloween ???? ???? #nevergrowup pic.twitter.com/7m70kHCRmS

— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) October 31, 2018

Gary Player Celebrates His Birthday

Finally, a special mention to the legend that is Gary Player. Yesterday, the South African celebrated his 83^rdbirthday and is still looking as fit as ever. The PGA Tour posted a great video on their social channels of some of his best bits, it’s well worth a watch.

(Gary Player with tennis icon Rod Laver at St Andrews in July)

Eighty-three and strong as ever.

Happy Birthday, @GaryPlayer.#LiveUnderPar pic.twitter.com/6ES85rQgR7

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) November 1, 2018

All the best, Mr. Player.