Cobra’s 3D Printed Clubs At The 2025 PGA Show
As with all the manufacturers at the PGA Show, Cobra had a full lineup of clubs, including the Cobra King irons, new wedges and Cobra King Tex Hybrids.
What caught my eye, however, was the new 3D printed irons: The 3D Printed Tour (3DP Tour).
As a 3d printing hobbyist (I have a PRUSA Mk3S), I think the idea is absolutely fabulous. Of course, a 3d printer that extrudes metal rather than PLA is prohibitively expensive. For now. It wasn’t too long ago that the hobby machines were prohibitively expensive.
As the first commercially available 3D printed irons, they are the “holy grail” of clubs, according to the rep I spoke to. They are said to have all the playability of a game improvement iron with the looks of a players’ club.
I didn’t have the chance to test them; perhaps I will in the future. I’ll let you know.
A cutaway model showing the interior of the Cobra 3DP TOUR.
The cutaway model shown above reveals the infill pattern in the club. That lattice is something that you wouldn’t be able to do with a forging or casting. It’s an idea that’s pretty familiar to 3d hobbyists, though. With objects that I make on my printer, I can set my slicer software to do a variety of infill patterns, with varying degrees of density. The pattern and density I use depends upon how strong I want the object to be.
A “slicer” is the software that “slices” a virtual model into paper thin layers, with each layer containining instructions for the printer on where to deposit a thread of plastic filament. Models are built of thousands of these layers, each precisely deposited on top of the other.
For Cobra, I am certain that the infill pattern has been designed to produce certain performance characteristics. They can refine it to the nth degree to get exactly the results they want.
It really is the future of manufacturing — not just in golf clubs, but in everything. It is also a future for the home. There was a time not too long ago when to get a precise laser printed document or make a copy of a document, one had to take it to a print or copy shop. Now we do it at home on relatively inexpensive machines.
In the future, everyone will have a 3d printer just as we have inkjets. Need a new clip for your chips? Download the STL model from an online objects library, slice it for your printer and print it. Need a replacement part for your washer? Download the STL and print it.
I have designed a couple replacement parts for things that have broken on one of my golf push carts. I could have ordered them from the company and waited weeks for delivery. Instead, I measured the part with calipers, created the object in CAD software and printed it out in a couple of hours.
That’s the future.
As are the new 3DP Tour irons from Cobra.
GolfBlogger’s 3D Printer
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