Eric Benzenberg September 15, 2022 Equipment, News Leave a Comment

The 2023 product offerings are starting to pop up everywhere, including the USGA Conforming list and the Fortinet Championship.  But who would’ve guessed that Cobra’s 2023 driver would have surfaced during a casual round of golf?

Pinehurst caddie Steven Lorenzo was lucky enough to loop for a golfer who had the 2023 Cobra AeroJet in the bag, and it appears that Cobra will be introducing some new technology, updating some, and potentially dropping some older stuff.

A post shared by Gappy Hilmore (@allgolfequipment)

Immediately noticeable is that the AeroJet will be keeping the perimeter, radial weighting that was first made a highlight technology in the RADSPEED and then refined with the PWR-COR Technology in the current-gen LTDx.  But a noticeable change to the AeroJet is the absence of a rear weight, which was featured in all 3 LTDx models.

Also visible is the labeling of two new technologies: the PWR BRIDGE and PWR SHELL. Given that Callaway probably has airtight intellectual property rights over its JAILBREAK technology—using lightweight titanium and steel frames to connect the carbon crown and sole to increase rigidity and, thus, energy transfer—I anticipate that Cobra isn’t doing the same thing with new paint. Instead, the PWR BRIDGE refers to a revised T-Bar Speed Chasis-esqe technology, like was featured in the RADSPEED and (again) modified for the LTDx.

The PWR SHELL, on the other hand, reminds me of TaylorMade’s Speed Pocket technology, which was first incorporated in the JetSpeed metalwoods in 2013 and became a staple until the M6 driver in 2019 (the Speed Pocket technology is, however, still incorporated in certain TaylorMade irons).

The most significant visual change, in my opinion, however, is the lack of a CNC-milled face. Indeed, Cobra introduced this revolutionary technology in King F8/F8+ driver back in 2018, promising that it would provide a more consistent, precision-made, and hotter face than other titanium-faced drivers. The CNC milled face has been a staple over the past few years, getting updated with the Infinity face in 2019 with the SPEEDZONE. But while the AeroJet has the LTDx’s H.O.T. (Highly Optimized Topology)—something very similar to Callaway’s Flash Face and Titleist’s Multi-Plateau and Speed Ring Variable Face Thickness (VFT) Technologies introduced in the recently debuted TSR that features variable thickness face that is looking to optimize ball speed on off-center strikes. Former focus technologies being abandoned isn’t a new thing (remember TaylorMade’s Speed Injected faces?), but it would be interesting to see why Cobra is ditching CNC milling if that happens to be the case.

Although the AeroJet hasn’t appeared yet on the USGA Conforming List, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to expect Rickie Fowler or Bryson DeChambeau to be spotted testing, if not playing, an AeroJet in the very near future.

Ever since golf became a competitive outlet, nothing brings Eric more joy than a well struck 4 iron. And despite living in NYC, Eric makes it a priority to work on his game and fitness during the week, along with a round or two over the weekend. Fortunately, he’s got a very understanding fiancé who (for the time being) accepts him and his obsession. Follow Eric on IG @hozel_rocket.

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