Cobra Golf is a

sports equipment Sports equipment, also called sporting goods, are the tools, materials, apparel, and gear, which varies in shapes, size, and usage in a particular sport. It includes balls, nets, rackets, protective gears like helmets, goggles, etc. Since th ...

manufacturing company based in

Carlsbad, California Carlsbad is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California, United States. The city is north of downtown San Diego and south of downtown Los Angeles. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population of ...

, focused on

golf equipment Golf equipment encompasses the various items that are used to play the sport of golf. Types of equipment include the golf ball, golf clubs, golf divot tool, golf ball marker and devices that aid in the sport. Equipment Balls Originally, gol ...

, producing a wide range of

golf club A golf club is a club used to hit a golf ball in a game of golf. Each club is composed of a shaft with a grip and a club head. Woods are mainly used for long-distance fairway or tee shots; irons, the most versatile class, are used for a variety o ...

s. The company is currently a subsidiary of Puma.

History

Origin

The company was founded in 1973 by Thomas L. Crow, winner of the 1961 Australian amateur golf championship. He was inspired by the notion that golfers in the United States typically bought clubs at a whim, with the hopes that they may make their game better. Cobra produced one of the first utility clubs, the "Baffler" –introduced in 1980– long before the use of such clubs became popular. Cobra was dedicated to the average golfer, especially ladies and seniors which makes it understandable that is also the first U.S. club manufacturer to sell stock graphite-shafted woods and irons that are known for being lighter clubs. In five years, Cobra Golf was selling about $4.5 million worth of these clubs annually. In 1994 King Cobra oversized irons became the best selling irons in golf, making Cobra synonymous with oversized irons. The company was acquired in 1996 by American Brands Inc. (later known as Fortune Brands) and was grouped together under the Acushnet Company umbrella. In 2010, Cobra was acquired by

Puma SE Puma SE is a German multinational corporation which designs and manufactures athletic and casual footwear, apparel, and accessories, headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. Puma is the third largest sportswear manufacturer in the w ...

. In 1999 Cobra introduced Dista golf balls intended to maximize distance for all players with multiple swing speed models offered. " n 2005Cobra drivers rank No. 1 in Overall Driver Satisfaction Ratings in both 2003 and 2004, according to

Darrell Survey The Darrell Survey, also known as the Darrell Survey Company, is an American independent research firm that tracks sporting goods, with a focus on golf equipment usage. It was founded by Eddie Darrell in 1932 and is currently based in Los Angeles. ...

U.S. Consumer Research, a leading independent golf consumer research company."

Marketing

Between 1989 and 1993, the company grew from $20 million to $56 million in annual sales thanks to aggressive marketing that included endorsements with leading players such as

Hale Irwin Hale S. Irwin (born June 3, 1945) is an American professional golfer. He was one of the world's leading golfers from the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s. He is one of the few players in history to win three U.S. Opens, becoming the oldest ever U.S. ...

Beth Daniel Beth Daniel (born October 14, 1956) is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1979 and won 33 LPGA Tour events, including one major championship, during her career. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fa ...

and

Greg Norman Gregory John Norman (born 10 February 1955) is an Australian former professional golfer who spent 331 weeks as List of World Number One male golfers, world number one in the 1980s and 1990s. He won 88 professional tournaments, including 20 PGA ...

. Cobra's relationship with former world number one Norman lasted for many years. Other leading professionals to have endorsement deals with Cobra include

Rickie Fowler Rick Yutaka Fowler (born December 13, 1988) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He was the number one World Amateur Golf Ranking, ranked amateur golfer in the world for 36 weeks in 2007 and 2008. On January 24, 2016, he ...

Lexi Thompson Alexis Noel Thompson (born February 10, 1995) is an American professional golfer who plays on the LPGA Tour. At age 12 in 2007 U.S. Women's Open, 2007, she was the youngest golfer ever to qualify to play in the U.S. Women's Open, since broken b ...

Max Homa John Maxwell Homa (born November 19, 1990) is an American professional golfer who plays on the PGA Tour. He reached the top five in the Official World Golf Ranking in 2023. During his amateur career at the University of California, Berkeley, he ...

, Gary Woodland and Justin Suh. In February 2014, Cobra Golf signed a multi-year

partnership A partnership is an agreement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments or combinations. Organizations ...

with the PGA Tour's Honda Classic, making it one of the lead sponsors of the event. In 2016 Cobra Golf partnered with Flying Tee, a golf

driving range A driving range is a facility or area where golfers can practice their golf swing. It can also be a recreational activity itself for amateur golfers or when enough time for a full game is not available. Many golf courses have a driving range ...

and

simulation A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model. Sometimes a clear distinction between the two terms is made, in ...

venue, to provide the official equipment and apparel.

Products

Cobra markets a full range of golf clubs including; drivers, fairways, hybrids, irons, wedges, utility irons, etc.

References

External links

* {{Sports equipment brands Golf equipment manufacturers Golf in the United States Companies based in Carlsbad, California Manufacturing companies established in 1973 Sporting goods manufacturers of Australia Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States Puma (brand) 1973 establishments in California 2010 mergers and acquisitions