# Cobra ZL Encore 9.5* white edition



## Monty_Brown (Nov 28, 2011)

So I bought this a week ago and have now had a couple of rounds and range sessions, so thought Iâ€™d give it a bit of a review.

First up, it is very, very white. White head, white shaft and white grip and white head cover. Playing partners find it very hard to resist the â€œwhereâ€™s your guide dog?â€ gags when it comes out.

They tend to shut up when I hit it though. 

The head has a slightly pearlescent finish to it and fairly high gloss, with a standard metallic finish on the face. The contrast between the face and clubhead is more than enough to aid alignment, without the black/white contrast on the R11.

The head shape is, to my eye, a good one. No odd bulges, just nice and even shape. And nice and big to inspire confidence.

The shaft is really what sold it to me. First up, I profess to being no expert, so shaft experts like Ethan can confirm if itâ€™s a â€œproperâ€ or â€œmade forâ€ version, but the spec in mine is a Fujikura Motore F1 in stiff.

I averaged 106mph on the swing monitor with it, which puts it nicely in the stiff range. The feeling the shaft gives me more than anything else is stability. It doesnâ€™t feel like itâ€™s twisting much or waving around when the power goes on.

Bad ones tend to be straight pushes or pulls, rather than fading or hooking. For me, a bad one is still getting out there and findable... a big difference for me.

The strike is a nice soundâ€¦ lively and crisp, but not the sound of a tea tray being fired at a wall from a cannon that some Cobra models have had.

And the club head is really forgiving. I hit a rather high hooky one out of the high toe end of it in one round and it still got out there past 260yds.

It only offers pretty basic adjustabilityâ€¦ three settings of neutral, open or closed. Havenâ€™t played with these at all as I think it sits a tad open any way, which suits me.

Launch is certainly higher than Iâ€™m used to, but the higher flight is still a nice even rainbow shape, so it produces good roll when it comes down. The best way I can describe this is when itâ€™s hit, it stays hit.

At Â£250 plus, itâ€™s competing with some really big boys like the Titleist D2s, R11s etc, but Iâ€™d heartily recommend giving it a try. Oh, and they do a black version any way!


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## BTatHome (Nov 28, 2011)

Monty_Brown said:



			The strike is a nice soundâ€¦ lively and crisp, but not the sound of a tea tray being fired at a wall from a cannon that some Cobra models have had.
		
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That was going to be my first question as the old ones were dreadful. Might have to try and find one to try out.


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## Monty_Brown (Nov 28, 2011)

BTatHome said:



			That was going to be my first question as the old ones were dreadful. Might have to try and find one to try out.
		
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My old Cobra, an SZ, actually used to give me a headache at the range, it was that loud. This one is a pleasure to hear in comparison.


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## thecraw (Jan 18, 2012)

Its a proper Motors F1 shaft. 

I've just been doing a wee bit of homework on this club, might see if they have it at American Golf and give it a whirl!

What did you pay if you don't mind me asking? PM me if you don't want to publish it.

cheers,

tc.


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## Monty_Brown (Jan 19, 2012)

Nah, I don't mind people on here knowing what it cost.... only the missus 

Sticker price was Â£289 when I got it, but they did a deal in AG as I got the G20 3-wood at the same time, so got a reduction on both. So I suppose I paid Â£270 really... but was using Tesco vouchers any way so free money really. Ha!

It's not an obvious club that punters are after, so I wonder if their stock hangs around and they might be prepared to do a deal on one at AG?

Yep, that Motore F1 is the real deal, and what a shaft it is. Just streets ahead of any others I tried at the time. 55g, so clubhead speed is great. I was averaging 106 mph and I don't go after the ball at all.

Love love love this club, as does Mr Poulter, but don't let that put you off. And they do it in black if your nerve goes  Looks good with Puma shoes too. :thup:

Shout if you have any other Qs.


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## thecraw (Jan 19, 2012)

I'm going to go and give it a bash if I can find one in an AG near me. Not sure that the shaft is correct for me though. Cobra  claim that the F1 is a low launching shaft on their website chart but that's not what Fujikura say on their website.


I'm a bit confused.com. 

Guess its best to get on the trackman.


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## One Planer (Jan 19, 2012)

BTatHome said:



			That was going to be my first question as the old ones were dreadful. Might have to try and find one to try out.
		
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Monty_Brown said:



			My old Cobra, an SZ, actually used to give me a headache at the range, it was that loud. This one is a pleasure to hear in comparison. 

Click to expand...




thecraw said:



			I'm going to go and give it a bash if I can find one in an AG near me. Not sure that the shaft is correct for me though. Cobra  claim that the F1 is a low launching shaft on their website chart but that's not what Fujikura say on their website.


I'm a bit confused.com. 

Guess its best to get on the trackman.
		
Click to expand...

So it doesn't sound like you're hitting the ball with a frying pan.......... That's a BIG improvement IMO


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## Swinger (Jan 19, 2012)

Jealous!!

They look fantastic. I was trying to get one but my pro couldn't get hold of any, gutted is a bit of an understatement. 

Have fun with yours and nice review.


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## thecraw (Jan 28, 2012)

Ruled out. Horrible looking beast!


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## Monty_Brown (Jan 28, 2012)

thecraw said:



			Ruled out. Horrible looking beast!
		
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I forgot to mention they don't do it in senior flex :ears:


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## thecraw (Jan 28, 2012)

White S3 is a nicer bat in my opinion!


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## Monty_Brown (Jan 28, 2012)

thecraw said:



			White S3 is a nicer bat in my opinion!
		
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Fair enough. They make good kit.


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