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This is a review of the Cobra Fly-Z XL iron, a game-improvement iron intended to deliver consistently higher trajectories and increased distance.
The Fly-Z line serves as the successor to the previous BiO CELL.
How do these irons perform, and are they worthy of being compared with similar offerings in the game-improvement category? Read on to find the answers.
Note: Unless otherwise stated, stock shafts and stock grips are used when evaluating this club. In most cases, the golf clubs reviewed on Golfstead are acquired temporarily for testing purposes and are not purchased. The review that follows is based on the personal experience and research of the author. Because everyone’s swing and body are different, results with a particular club may differ from person to person.
What are the reviews like?
The Cobra Fly-Z XL irons are viewed very positively. They have a 4.9/5 rating on Global Golf, for example.
What People Like
- excellent playability (best for hitting a draw, but can be shaped any way)
- great forgiveness and accuracy
- great look and feel
The Fly-Z XL nearly everything one would look for in a good iron.
What People Don’t Like
- since these irons were designed to produce a higher trajectory on shots, it can be a little difficult for some golfers to engineer a lower trajectory
- some have been dissatisfied with the carry distance of the irons
- feedback on mishits isn’t terribly distinct
What are the features?
The Fly-Z XL irons are meant for golfers who want to hit it high and straight.
The characteristics of the Fly-Z XL irons can be split into 3 components:
Dual-Cavity Design
This design consists of a hollow bottom half section in the long and mid irons (4-8).
According to Cobra, this moves the center of gravity (CG) deeper and lower and allows you to get the ball up in the air easily and forgivingly.
Deep Perimeter Undercut
There is a deep perimeter undercut in the short irons and wedges (9-SW) behind the front of the face.
This leaves the clubface mostly unsupported, and Cobra asserts that this provides additional accuracy and forgiveness.
Speed Channel Face
The “Speed Channel Face” is a cavity or trench behind the face that helps to decrease face thickness and increase the flexion of the face.
This effectively enlarges the sweet spot and increases ball speeds across the face, including in mis-hit areas.
Stock Info
Some specifications of the irons are below. Full specs for the irons, stock steel shafts and graphite shafts can be found on the official Cobra website.
Note that the lofts are higher than what you might typically find on other irons.
| Name | Loft | Lie | Length (steel) | Offset (mm) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 22° | 59.5° | 39.5" | 6.1 |
| 5 | 25° | 60.5° | 38.75" | 5.6 |
| 6 | 28° | 61.5° | 38" | 5.1 |
| 7 | 31.5° | 62° | 37.5" | 4.3 |
| 8 | 35.5° | 62.5° | 37" | 3.6 |
| 9 | 40° | 63° | 36.5" | 2.8 |
| PW | 45° | 63.5° | 36.25" | 2.0 |
| GW | 50° | 64° | 36" | 1.5 |
| SW | 55° | 64° | 35.75" | 1.5 |
How do these irons perform?
Forgiveness
In the event you miss the sweet spot, you will still get a very solid directional result (minimally off line), and the loss in distance will be relatively small.
Of course, the bigger your miss, the worse your shot will be, but a typical slight to moderate mis-hit will still yield very decent results.
Distance
Mis-hits still go a good distance, but in terms of absolutes, the Fly-Z XL irons are about average in terms of length compared to other irons.
Nothing remarkable. Those purely concerned about getting more distance may want to look elsewhere.
Carry distance on solid strikes is very consistent.
Playability
These irons tend to hit a draw shape (right to left for a right-handed golfer), and hence they’re great for golfers who have a natural fade or a slice.
Lofts and trajectories are on the high side, and you can get the ball up in the air from almost any lie.
What about look, sound & feel?
The Look
As is expected with a game-improvement iron, the Fly-Z XL irons feature an oversized face, but it still manages to maintain a traditional shape and look quite nice.
The top line is acceptably thick, and the offset, which increases with length of the iron, is reasonable.
The design and the black-white-blue colour scheme gives the back of the face a slick and cool look that’s definitely more conservative than the design on the previous BiO CELL irons.
The Sound & Feel
The Speed Channel Face feature, mentioned above, changes the feel and sound of the club over something like a muscleback.
One would think that the relatively thin face would produce a hollow sound similar to that of a driver, but the sound is actually dampened/muffled and not bad at all. Cobra did an excellent job in this respect.
During my testing of these irons, I found the feel at impact to be both “poppy” and explosive — quite satisfying.
Mis-hits felt decent, and feedback was distinct enough that I could usually tell whether I mis-hit close to the toe, heel, or near the top/bottom of the face.
These irons certainly don’t produce the most distinct feedback in the world, but it is sufficient enough for correcting your mistakes.
Where should you buy these irons online?
The best place to find new and used Fly-Z XL irons in all sorts of configurations at the lowest prices is eBay.
They can also be purchased on Global Golf, but this opportunity may disappear soon. Check their current coupon codes to see what you can knock off the price.
Note that the Fly-Z XL irons can often be found as part of a combo set with hybrids.
Conclusion
Pros
- easy to get height on your shots
- versatile
- great accuracy/forgiveness
- nice feel
- solid shots fly a consistent distance and direction
Cons
- can be difficult to hit low-trajectory shots
- mis-hit feedback could be a bit better
- not crazy long
The Cobra Fly-Z XL irons are outstanding irons that really don’t have any glaring weaknesses. They do a wonderful job of addressing the needs of just about every golfer, from a high handicap all the way to a professional.
They pack a ton of value for the price, and anyone who is looking for a good solid set of irons and doesn’t want to pay for top-of-the-line models should seriously consider these.
The best thing to do is try them out for yourself and see how they perform for you. There’s a good chance that you’ll love them.
If you have any thoughts, opinions or questions about the Fly-Z XL irons, be sure to drop a comment below!
The Fly-Zs look like great clubs, I’d like to get my hands on them. I’ve currently got a set of TaylorMade’s but don’t golf as much anymore. I do still at least get to the driving range from time to time and use my irons there (as well as drivers of course).
Technology is changing and it looks like these clubs are forgiving, even for an more inactive player like me.
Thanks for your review.
Thanks Bryan. They are indeed very good irons and provide plenty of forgiveness.
Hi Paul, I would like to know if the Cobra Fly-Z XL iron is suitable for a beginner? Thank you!
The Fly-Z XL irons are awesome for beginners. As I mentioned in the review, they’re very affordable, have great forgiveness and are just generally great clubs to swing. A more precise answer would be that it really depends on your specific priorities and preferences. Do note that Fly-Z XL irons for women are available as well.
Trying to back into golf and want to replace my old clubs (which were too good for me when I bought them 17 years ago – Mizuno TZoid pro’s). I hit a little bit of a draw when I strike ball properly- unfortunately that is rare! and I have only played twice in past 8 years. Want to upgrade to good set of clubs that will still feel good when I hit properly and will be somewhat forgiving. Narrowed it down to Cobra Fly Z or F6; Ping G30 or Calloway XR or Apex. Plan on keeping clubs for awhile and prefer to get something that I can play now as I learn but will be able to keep playing with as I improve.
Wow, 17 years ago; yeah, it’s probably a good idea to look into modernizing/upgrading. Based on what you tell me, I think those models are great candidates. As you probably know, the KING F6 is newer than the Fly-Z (not sure if you’re referring to the XL). The XRs are mainly designed for maximum ball speed across the face (and hence ball speed forgiveness). Be aware that a new forgiving Apex model, the Apex CF 16 (full review here), has been released. My review of the older Apex model, which you can get at a lower price, can be found here. If you have any specific questions or concerns, feel free to pose them here.
Im a beginner, would you recommend this (fly-z xl) or wilson staff d200?
Thanks
Thanks for the comment. Truth be told, I haven’t looked at the Staff D200 irons in as much depth as the Fly-Z XLs, but I do know that they’re also max GI irons at a similar price point. They’re both great irons. If possible, I would try both to see which ones you like better. Otherwise, if you have a brand or looks preference, you could go with that. Since the models are from a couple years ago, I would strongly recommend looking on eBay if you plan to buy online.
these clubs look great at address or any position but be warned the chrome finish on these irons scratch very easily one round of golf and base of all clubs scratch to hell