New Golf Equipment Reviews: Cobra KING F8 Driver and Golf Pride Tour Velvet ALIGN Grips FIRST LOOK Preview

The new Cobra KING F8 driver and Golf Pride Tour Velvet ALIGN grips were two new products that stood out as Best of Show for me at the PGA Merchandise Show back in January.  And I've been putting them to the test for the last few weeks with a full review coming soon. 

 

The Cobra F8 driver delivers one of the best combinations of distance and forgiveness of any driver on the market today.  That's no exaggeration.  And the Tour Velvet ALIGN grips take an already spectacular grip in the Tour Velvet, and makes them even more spectacular. 

I was going to save this for the full review, but I'll spill the beans here now.  The F8 driver is longer and straighter than the F7 - and as you might recall, I played the F7 driver most of last year.  Distance gains are not enormous, but they are significant. 

 

 

 

 

As far as dispersion goes, do you remember that scene from the movie "The Greatest Game Ever Played," where everything throughout the fairway start disappearing as Harry Vardon concentrates on his next shot?  The F8 is kinda like that. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That's not to say the F8 gives you some kind of supernatural focus power, but it's so straight and forgiving that is essentially removes all the trouble spots off the tee.  Mulligans no more with the F8 - we're talking complete confidence to pick out a target and swing away. 

The Golf Pride Tour Velvet ALIGN grips feature a raised ridge down the back to promote consistent hand placement, but there's A LOT more to the story here. 

 

 

 

The reminder rib will actually feel different if you tighten or loosen your grip - which is pretty incredible.  It's not merely about putting your hands in the right positions, but also experiencing the feedback that lets you consistently be aware of grip pressure. 

 

 

 

I'll have a lot more about that in my full review, but if you're the kind of player who tends to grip your clubs too tight from hole to hole or when the pressure kicks up, these are unquestionably going to be grips you need to check out.