Cobra Drivers by Year: 1979 to 2024

Cobra was founded in 1973 by Australian Tom Crow, who moved to California to get the company on its feet. In 1975 Cobra created the hybrid category with the Baffler, and in 1979 Cobra’s first driver, the Long Tom, was released.

Greg Norman bought 12% of Cobra for $2 million in 1991, and in 2010, Puma bought Cobra from the Acushnet Company (Titleist, Footjoy).

Here’s a look at some of Cobra’s most popular drivers, and some of the brand’s biggest technological breakthroughs through the years.

Cobra’s first driver, the Long Tom, got its name from its 46-inch shaft. That’s long even by today’s standards. With the USGA limit on driver length now measuring 46-inches the longest drivers you can buy off the rack today are typically 45.75 inches to allow some breathing room.

Made of Kevlar – yes the same material used in bulletproof vests – the Cobra Ultramid driver, with its signature ivory head, is an iconic driver both for its looks, and for its role in Daly’s dominance of the 1991 PGA Championship.

Tiger’s undressing of Augusta National began with his King Cobra Deep Face driver. Using that Cobra driver, Tiger averaged 323.1 yards off the tee that week, the longest driving distance at the Masters through at least 2020.

Cobra’s SS line of drivers were the top-selling drivers of 2003. The popular SS drivers were available in several head sizes, 350cc, 427cc, and 380cc, before 460cc drivers were standard, and instead, driver head sizes were all over the map.

With the help of the Center for Advancement of Science in Space, Cobra designed the KING LTD Driver after conducting research aboard the International Space Station.

Cobra introduced a CNC Milled face to its drivers in 2019 with the fan-favorite KING F9 Speedback driver. This driver was among the best-performing drivers of 2019, and checked in at a refreshingly lower price compared to the premium competition.

The newest line of Cobra drivers – continuing a common Cobra theme – are designed to crank out the highest possible swing speeds from the same swing you already put on your driver. Cobra focuses on aerodynamic shaping to increase speed, which could be a reason it makes a 6.5-degree long drive version of the DarkSpeed driver, its latest offering.

Here’s the list of Cobra drivers by year, from the Long Tom in 1979 to the DarkSpeed drivers in 2024.