MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED: Cobra BiO Cell 3/4-hybrid fitted with a stiff-flex shaft. The MyFly8 adjustable loft setting was positioned at 19° (neutral).

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: I’m intrigued by this club as I saw Brett Officer test-driving it on a recent episode of “The Golf Show”. I like the design, I like the way it feels at address and how it sits against the turf.

VERDICT: My first shot with the BiO Cell hybrid was on our 2nd hole and I hit a really nice shot out of the middle of the clubface and onto the green, so that had my attention pretty quickly. Later, I hit a couple of shots out of the heel and found that the ball still flew pretty well considering the strike and didn’t seem to cost me much in distance or accuracy – so I can see what Cobra is talking about when it comes to forgiveness with these hybrids.

I found the distance on good strikes was up a bit on what I’m used to with a hybrid, but on a day when I wasn’t playing great and didn’t always hit it as cleanly as I would like and so didn’t get the feeling I wanted to at impact, I still found I could hit the BiO Cell where I was aiming. It’s very forgiving, which is a huge asset in any long club.

MODEL AND SHAFT PLAYED: Cobra BiO Cell 3/4-wood fitted with a stiff-flex shaft. The MyFly8 adjustable loft setting was positioned at 15.5° (neutral).

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: This club looks good when you address the ball. I like that you can see the line markings on the clubface at address, which I find inspires confidence.

VERDICT: This is a very nice club to hit and, gee, the ball comes off sweetly. I hit one shot out of a downhill lie in the rough – normally a nightmare combination for a 3-wood – and absolutely creamed it.

I found the BiO Cell to be very forgiving and excellent for shots played from the tight lies our fairways generally leave. I did see some extra distance overall; it’s definitely longer and more accurate than my current 3-wood. The trajectory is ideal – a nice penetrating draw from the neutral setting.

I’d definitely consider buying one. Maybe it would be interesting to see how a regular-shaft model performed in comparison as perhaps I could load it up more, but that’s just out of curiosity as the woods in my current set all have stiff shafts like this.

Facts & Figures

SUITABILITY: All golfers.

SHAFTS: Project X is standard, with five flex options.

LOFTS: Adjustable lofts allow for eight different configurations from 13° through to 16° in the

43.5-inch 3/4-wood and 17° to 20° in the 43-inch 5/7-wood. The hybrids feature eight configurations from 16° through to 19° in the 2/3-hybrid, 19° to 22° in the 3/4-hybrid and 22° to 25° in the 4/5-hybrid. All models include neutral and draw settings.

LEFT-HANDED MODELS?: Yes.

HOW MUCH?: $249 for fairways, $219 for hybrids.

COBRA GOLF SAYS: “The goal with the BiO Cell fairway woods was to create a utilitarian club that is useful from the tee, fairway and from rough. The shallow face promotes an easy launch as BiO Cell reduces the distance from the centre of the clubface to the ground to just 20.2 millimetres (the 2013 AMP Cell model was 21.6mm).

“Like the driver, the BiO Cell fairway wood range features MyFly8 technology with SmartPad – eight adjustable loft settings to maximise distance, manage trajectory and optimise distance gaps. A high-strength face insert creates a driver-like construction and enables more face flex for faster ball speeds, longer distance and higher trajectory. Forged BiO Cell and E9 Face technology combine to remove more weight from the clubface and crown to reposition it low and back.

“The complementing BiO Cell hybrids feature a forged, thin, high-strength steel face and Cell technology to drive the centre of gravity lower. The MyFly8 with SmartPad makes them ideal for fitting and distance gapping.”

Contact Cobra Golf on 1800 053 164 or visit www.cobragolf.com.au