Cobra Long Tom 2 Wood Fairway Woods Review

Lately I’ve taken a leaf out of Tiger Woods’ book – in course management if nothing else – and started hitting more fairway woods off the tee. I’ve not quite mastered his famous stinger shot but I’m definitely hitting more fairways and keeping the ball in play.

That’s why I was intrigued when I heard Cobra were launching a new Long Tom 2-wood. Could this be the answer for those of us who sometimes struggle with consistency with the big stick?

Interestingly, Cobra say they’ve designed the Long Tom 2-wood to offer driver distance off the deck so this has been designed to be easy to pick off tight lies when attacking par fives.

There was no doubt it was easier to hit off the deck than I initially though it would be. The tall face and 45in shaft (compared to the usual 43in for a modern 3-wood) shouldn’t really work off the fairway but the fact the Long Tom is deep from front to back means it is pretty easy to get in the air – although not all that easy to control.

However, where I felt it excelled was off the tee as a driver replacement. The 45in shaft is slightly shorter than the average driver shaft but, coupled with the 12.5˚ loft, still offered fantastic distance and a penetrating ball flight off the tee with more control than a driver. The head, at 260cc, is also larger than a traditional 3-wood so it gives more confidence and therefore sits perfectly in between a driver and fairway wood.

The one downside to carrying the Long Tom is I’d be tempted to put a 5-wood in the bag as well and that could necessitate taking a wedge out at the other end – but if you want more options off the tee that is a worthwhile sacrifice.

In many ways this could be seen as a throwback to the days when driver heads started to get a little bigger, although this time you’ve got all the modern clubhead technology thrown in.

Cobra have unveiled a 2-wood to go with their four-foot long driver. A longer shaft (45 inches – the legal limit) and a larger 240cc clubhead mean more distance. It also features Cobra’s E9 face technology for more forgiveness. Available in regular, stiff and x-stiff.

Website: cobragolf.co.uk