Mandala effect! The Cobra DS-ADAPT driver is revolutionary

It’s fair to say that everyone will remember the technology in the 2025 range of Cobra drivers.

The Cobra DS-ADAPT drivers, which are set to hit shelves in mid January, are being branded the most fittable drivers in golf.

That is thanks to their new hosel, which features something called FutureFit33. If you’re a fan of Cobra drivers, you’ll remember the hype around MyFly8, which debuted around a decade ago. At the time, this was revolutionary, but now, it pales into insignificance.

The easiest way to explain how FutureFit33 works is to first look at a conventional hosel, or loft sleeve, on a driver.

Take the driver you have in your bag just now and take a look at the part that joins the shaft to the head. Chances are, you’ll have something where one cog turns, to fit into another fixed cog. That turn will alter loft, but might also inadvertently alter your lie angle. A change in lie angle will mean a change in ball flight in a lateral sense, rather than just vertical.

That’s where FutureFit33 comes in. The key word to know here is ‘Decouple.’ The hosel on this driver, which has two cogs that move, will allow you to decouple loft and lie, so that you can change either one of them without altering the other.

How does Cobra FutureFit33 technology work?

Cobra are the first to admit that this can look confusing at first, but once you have it explained to you, it’s really fairly straightforward to understand.

“When I saw all the settings, I was like anyone the first time they see it, I was caught off guard,” Jose Miraflor, VP of Product Architecture at Cobra, told bunkered.

When you take a look at the mandala, as Cobra are calling it, you can see why Jose had his reservations at first. This diagram shows all 33 settings you can fit a DS-ADAPT driver into. However, when you take a closer look, things become more clear.

“I thought that you’re going to need to use all those settings to find the right one for you. But, my team of fitters and product managers went to the range one day and we fitted each other into the driver, and it was quite easy,” Miraflor continued.

“You don’t need to hit all 33 settings. You might hit one to four at most. If you did you’d probably be very tired!

“The fitting system will eliminate around 30 settings that you don’t need to try. You only really need to try two or three and you’re going to be very close at that point to your proper fit.

“Whether you’re a higher handicapper or you’re one of the best players in the world. We have settings that can move as little as 0.3 degrees, but as big as four degree movements. We’re very excited to roll this out to the public.”

What does the Cobra Mandala mean?

When you pick up a Cobra DS-ADAPT driver, you’ll see that it has a QR Code just above the hosel. Scan this with your phone, and you’ll be greeted with a mandala, that looks like this.

Before you click away because you’re confused, stick with us here. All you’ll need to do, is select which window your ball is flying through on this graph. Let’s say you’re a right-hander who hits a high slice. Chances are, your ball is going to be passing through the B6 window. In that case, you want to select the polar opposite of that setting, which is F2. Selecting F2 will take your ball back towards the centre.

In my case, I hit the ball fairly straight, but would like more height on my drives. My ball was flying through the G3 window, so I went with the C7 setting, as it lifts my loft, without altering lie angle and the direction my ball is heading.

How did FutureFit33 come about?

Unsurprisingly, this technology has been many years in the making.

“Seven years ago, I was busting the R&D guy’s chops because I was saying, ‘We’ve been in MyFly8 for a while here, when’s MyFly10 or MyFly12 coming out?’” Miraflor continued.

“They said they would need some time, because they would have to open up to a double link system and I said, ‘Well let’s go!’

“It took them a little while, but they shocked me when they said they had this new MyFly33 system – which is what they called it in the beginning – I was floored.”

That’s right, this has been around seven years in the making, which is the lifespan at Cobra from idea to reality, for any piece of technology that goes into a driver.

Does this mean that custom fitting is irrelevant now?

Far from it. As Jose stresses, we get custom fit for almost everything in our lives now. Think about if you’re buying a suit to wear to a wedding. You’re going to want to get measured so that it fits perfectly. The same is true for a driver.

“I think, no matter what type of athlete or hobbyist you are, custom fitting you to whatever it is – your skis, a suit you would wear, your golf clubs – you have to get whatever you own to perform the best for you. For that to work, you have to get fitted.

“Of course, when it comes to drivers, it gets a little more complicated. You’ve got to fit them for optimising their speed. Let’s just say, for argument’s sake, it’s around 100mph, you then need to fit them for what their launch condition and their spin condition is. If you can gain them a little bit more speed through confidence or through a great fitting, then they are all the better for it.”

More Details

• Review: Cobra DS-ADAPT driver

• FutureFit33: How does the adjustability work in Cobra DS-ADAPT

Want all the latest news on the equipment coming in 2025? You should subscribe to our YouTube channel, here!

Lewis Fraser As bunkered’s Performance Editor, Lewis oversees the content that’s designed to make you a better player. From the latest gear to tuition, nutrition, strategy and more, he’s the man. A graduate of the University of Stirling, Lewis joined bunkered in 2021. Formerly a caddie at Castle Stuart Golf Links, he is a member of Bathgate Golf Club where he plays off four.

Performance Editor