Cobra’s innovative 3DP Tour putter brings 3D printing to the fore. Gabrielle Brown learns how traditional casting and forging are getting left behind as new additive processes and composites take to the green
The hollow ‘clunk’ as a golf ball drops into a hole is the sound every golfer chases. Their chances of hearing it before their competitors do tend to depend on their performance not 300 yards away from that hole, but just one foot away.
With 40% of shots in a typical game made on the green, the putter is arguably the most important club in a player’s bag. With this in mind, Cobra Golf has delivered its most stable, forgiving and technologically advanced putters to date, in the form of the 3D-printed 3DP Tour range.
Each model in that range features a 3D-printed nylon cartridge, a carbon fibre crown, a 304 stainless steel MIM body and a tungsten sole weight. Together, these materials form a structure that maximises moment of inertia (MOI), while precisely controlling the centre of gravity to improve launch, roll and stability.
Another key feature is the integration of partner LA Golf’s Descending Loft Technology (DLT) with putter faces, in order to provide consistent launch and spin rates on every shot.
“3D printing gives us total freedom to design for performance first,” says Cobra Golf senior product manager Chad DeHart.
Shifting mass
Designed in Siemens NX, the 3DP Tour putter family includes a KBS CT Tour shaft, SuperStroke Pistol 1.0 grip or 17-inch SuperStroke 3.0 grip on counterbalanced models, and a headcover.
“By shifting mass out of the centre of the putter, we pushed MOI higher than ever while engineering CG placement for exceptional stability,” says DeHart. “Pairing that with a fully milled 304 stainless steel face delivers the precise, tour-validated feel players love. This is the kind of innovation that defines Cobra.”
3D printing allows Cobra’s engineers to design complex internal geometries. A lightweight carbon fibre crown and 3D-printed nylon cartridge form the upper and midsections of the putter, allowing mass to be repositioned lower and further away from the club face. While previous models have been produced with the help of HP 3D printing, Cobra is keeping the exact technologies secret for this release.
Retailing for $379, the putter is priced at the top end of Cobra’s range, but its abilities on the greens should still see it perform well in terms of sales.
“Cobra Golf has always been driven by innovation. The fact that we are the first OEM to offer a full range of 3D-printed irons that exceed the performance of comparable, traditionally made irons clearly shows our level of dedication to making the very best performing gear in golf,” says Cobra Golf president Dan Ladd.
To complement the high-MOI chassis, the putter features a milled 304 stainless steel face to provide a solid, responsive feel, ensuring golfers benefi t from the same face technology trusted at the highest level of the game.
With such a range of technologies proudly on display, the 3DP Tour putter could be a valuable secret weapon for golfers who long to hear that soft ‘clunk’ of a ball dropping into the hole more regularly.
This article first appeared in DEVELOP3D Magazine
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