Curious about which top pros on the PGA and LPGA Tours trust their game to Cobra clubs? Cobra has built a reputation for speed, innovation, and a bit of colorful flair, attracting some of the most exciting players in the game. This article will show you exactly who is on Team Cobra, what specific clubs they have in the bag, and what you can learn from their equipment choices to improve your own game.
Team Cobra: The Star Players on Tour
While many brands feature huge stables of players, Cobra has historically focused on a smaller, more intimate group of high-profile ambassadors. These players work closely with the brand's R&,D team, providing direct feedback that influences the design of the clubs you see on the shelf. Let’s look at the headliners.
Rickie Fowler: The Longtime Modern Icon
When you think of Cobra Puma Golf, you almost certainly think of Rickie Fowler. He signed with the brand right after turning pro in 2009 and has been the face of its modern, youthful energy ever since. His bag is a perfect example of how a tour pro blends technology, forgiveness, and precision to compete at the highest level.
From a coaching perspective, Rickie's setup is a masterclass in building a functional bag. It's not just about having 14 of the newest clubs, it's about having 14 clubs that do a specific job perfectly. He blends models to get a mix of forgiveness where he needs it and blade-like precision where he wants it.
What’s In Rickie Fowler's Bag?
While specifics can change from week to week based on course conditions, here is a foundational look at Rickie's setup:
- Driver: Cobra DARKSPEED LS (9.0 degrees). The "LS" model stands for Low Spin, which is ideal for players with high swing speeds like Rickie. It helps him control his trajectory and get a powerful, piercing ball flight that rolls out on the fairway.
- Fairway Wood: Cobra DARKSPEED X (15 degrees). The versatility of this club is important. He needs it to attack Par 5s in two, but also as a reliable backup option off the tee on tight holes.
- Irons: Cobra KING Tour (4-PW). Rickie has often used a "combo set" throughout his career. This means his longer irons might be slightly more forgiving cavity-back models, while his shorter scoring irons (8-PW) are sometimes sleeker muscle-backs for ultimate feel and workability. This is a brilliant strategy that amateurs can learn from - you don't need a uniform set from 4-iron to pitching wedge!
- Wedges: Cobra KING Snakebite (52, 56, 60 degrees). The progressive face grooves on these wedges are designed to provide tailored spin for each loft. The lower lofts have less aggressive grooves for full shots, while the higher lofts have sharper, wider grooves to maximize spin around the greens.
- Putter: For a long time, Rickie has used a custom Scotty Cameron Newport 2 style putter. This demonstrates an important point: many pros, even those with full sponsorship deals, sometimes prefer to stick with a putter they are supremely confident in, regardless of the brand.
Gary Woodland: The Powerhouse Athlete
U.S. Open Champion Gary Woodland is another cornerstone of Team Cobra. A phenomenal athlete, Woodland brings explosive power and speed to the table, and his equipment is built to harness and control that force. For amateur golfers who want more distance, studying Woodland's equipment philosophy is incredibly beneficial.
The coaching takeaway from Gary’s bag is a focus on optimal launch conditions. He uses technology to get the ball in the air easily with low spin - the "high launch, low spin" formula that produces maximum distance. He proves that swinging hard isn’t enough, you need equipment that turns that speed into usable yardage.
What’s In Gary Woodland's Bag?
- Driver: Cobra DARKSPEED LS (9.0 degrees). Just like Rickie, Woodland uses the low-spin head to prevent the ball from ballooning into the air. His incredible clubhead speed generates more than enough backspin naturally, so the LS head helps him turn that power into a boring trajectory that cuts through wind.
- Fairway Wood: Cobra DARKSPEED LS (14.5 degrees). His "3-wood" is more like a "2-wood," with a strong loft for hitting second shots into the longest par 5s on tour.
- Utility Iron: Often, you will see a Cobra KINGTEC Utility or an older model utility iron in his bag. This is his preferred club for teeing off on challenging holes where driver isn't an option, as it offers more control and an easier, higher launch than a traditional 2 or 3-iron.
- Irons: Cobra KING Tour (4-PW). These irons offer the compact look and feel of a player's iron that better players demand, but with just enough built-in technology to provide stability and consistency on off-center hits.
- Wedges: Cobra KING Snakebite (52, 56, 60 degrees). Like his teammate, Woodland relies on the versatility and spin control of the Snakebite line for his short game.
Lexi Thompson: The LPGA Trailblazer
Lexi Thompson has been a dominant force on the LPGA Tour for over a decade, and she's done it all with Cobra clubs in her hand. Her powerful, aggressive style of play sets her apart, and her bag is fine-tuned to help her attack the course. She is proof that Cobra's technology performs at the highest level for both men and women.
Lexi's setup perfectly represents a strategy of maximizing strengths. She is one of the longest hitters on the LPGA Tour, and her equipment is geared to capitalize on that distance advantage on every swing.
What’s In Lexi Thompson's Bag?
- Driver: Cobra DARKSPEED MAX (10.5 degrees). It's very interesting that Lexi opts for the "MAX" version, which is Cobra's most forgiving and draw-biased head. This shows a deep understanding of her game. She knows she has ample speed, so she's choosing a head that provides the most stability and helps her find fairways confidently.
- Fairway Woods: Cobra DARKSPEED MAX (15 &, 18.5 degrees). Having two fairway woods gives her a huge advantage on longer courses, giving her high-launching options for long par 4 and par 5 approaches.
- Irons: Cobra KING Tour (5-PW). Lexi needs irons that allow her to shape shots and control distance precisely, and these forged irons deliver the feedback and consistency she needs to flag-hunt.
- Wedges: Cobra KING Snakebite (48, 52, 56, 60 degrees). Lexi carries four wedges, allowing her to fill distance gaps perfectly from 120 yards and in. This is a short-game strategy more amateurs should consider.
Why Choose Cobra? A Coach's Perspective
Seeing what tour players use is interesting, but understanding why they use it is what can help your game. Cobra focuses on a few key areas that directly appeal to top-tier golfers and ambitious amateurs alike.
1. Commitment to Speed
Cobra has been at the forefront of aerodynamic design (see previous generations like SPEEDZONE and AEROJET) and refined shaping with the new DARKSPEED line. They obsess over reducing drag to help a player swing the club faster without changing their swing. For a pro, a 1-2 mph gain in clubhead speed can equal 5-10 more yards of distance, which is a massive advantage over the course of a season.
2. The Power of "Combo" Sets
Unlike years ago, pros no longer feel a need to play a full set of unforgiving blades. Rickie Fowler’s bag is a prime example of a modern professional setup. He combines muscular muscle-back irons for precision in the short end of the bag with more forgiving, faster cavity-back models in his long irons.Your Actionable Advice: Don’t be afraid to do the same! If you struggle with your 4- and 5-iron, consider replacing them with higher-launching Forged TEC or even hybrid models. Match the club to the job it needs to do, not to the rest of the set.
3. Forged Feel and Control
At the end of the day, the best players in the world demand exceptional feel and feedback from their irons. They need to know exactly where they struck the ball on the face. Cobra's KING Tour and KING CB/MB irons are made using a multi-step forging process that creates a soft, responsive feel and allows for the workability needed to curve the ball left or right on command.
4. Fine-Tuning and Fitting
No pro just takes a club off the rack and puts it in play. Their drivers have specific lofts and weights, their shafts are perfectly matched to their tempo, and their iron lofts and lies are tweaked to the hundredth of a degree. While you can't get a tour van experience, you can learn from the principle behind it. Getting professionally fit for your clubs is the single fastest way to see improvement. It ensures your equipment is helping - not hurting - your natural swing.
Final Thoughts
The core philosophy of Cobra's tour staff - headlined by stalwarts Rickie Fowler, Gary Woodland, and Lexi Thompson - is clear. They embrace technology that creates speed while demanding the forged feel and precision needed to compete for championships. They build smart bags, mixing and matching models to create the perfect tool for every shot.
Understanding which clubs the pros use helps you understand the technology, but winning on the course comes from making smart decisions with whatever clubs you have. Knowing when to hit the DARKSPEED driver and when to play a safe iron can be difficult in the heat of the moment. For this, I find tools like Caddie AI to be a game-changer. I can get instant, expert advice on strategy for any hole or even snap a picture of a difficult lie to get a recommendation on the best way to play it. It's like having a tour-level caddie in your pocket, taking the guesswork out of course management so you can play with more confidence.