A world first from Cobra! 3D printed irons are hitting the shelves

Once again, Cobra Golf is at the forefront of innovative technology, as they launch the first ever commercially sold set of 3D printed irons.

The Cobra LIMIT3D irons, which are made with 3D printing technology, will be available from June 7 for custom order, but you’ll need to be quick to buy some, as there will only be 500 sets made.

However, if you do manage to get your hands on a set, you’re in for a treat.

These irons have been made to push beyond the capabilities of traditional methods used to make irons, instead giving the soft, forged feel of a player’s iron, with the forgiveness of an oversized, game-improvement iron.

Cobra say this will create the perfect blend of feel, forgiveness and precision. Besides anything else, these look absolutely spectacular.

3D printing golf clubs is nothing new for Cobra. Back in 2020, they launched a 3D printed putter, which was followed by a full range of King 3D printed putters in 2021.

But, putters wasn’t enough for the engineers at Cobra, who decided they wanted to take the technology to irons too.

To do this, Cobra partnered with nTop, a leader in computational design software, to make these stunning clubs.

The aim was to create a compact player’s blade profile, that offers a similar level of forgiveness to an oversized, game improvement club, with the feel of a forged iron.

In traditional manufacturing, an iron will have to sacrifice either forgiveness or shape and feel, to cater to a specific audience. But, with these, Cobra say you get the very best of both worlds.

These are a compact shape, slightly smaller than the Cobra King Tour irons that are popular on tour. But, they come with an internal lattice structure, which allows 33% of the internal weighting of the club to be repositioned without sacrificing strength.

This design is only possible using 3D printing and allows tungsten to be placed in the heel and toe of the iron, creating a low centre of gravity and a high moment of inertia in the clubface.

Not only has the lattice insert in these irons allowed them to perform incredibly well, but one of the benefits of these is that Cobra engineers were able to test prototypes at a much faster pace than with conventional methods. In fact, iterations of the irons were made two times faster than they would have been in normal manufacturing.

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“Our new Limited-Edition 3D Printed irons represent Cobra’s dedication to pushing performance and technology to the limits,” said Jose Miraflor, Vice President of Product Architecture, Cobra.

“These incredible new irons are the most significant technological advancement to happen to the category in the past 20 years and offer a look into the future of golf club design and performance.”

So, could these irons pave the way for the future of golf club design? It’s a question that our Gear Editor, James Tait, recently posed, and while he thinks it’s a long way off being the norm, don’t be surprised if you see other brands following Cobra’s lead in the 3D printed world.

You might be thinking that you’ve heard about 3D printed irons recently and you would be right. Bryson DeChambeau was using a set of Avoda irons at the Masters, but those are far from being mass produced. However, some of the benefits that he was feeling from those can be found in these from Cobra.

For now, if you want 3D printed irons, these are your best bet, but they won’t be easy to get your hands on.

These have an RRP of £2,499, with only 500 sets being made. Each one will be branded with its production number, so you will really have a unique set of clubs in your hand.

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Lewis Fraser As bunkered’s Performance Editor, Lewis oversees the content that’s designed to make you a better player. From the latest gear to tuition, nutrition, strategy and more, he’s the man. A graduate of the University of Stirling, Lewis joined bunkered in 2021. Formerly a caddie at Castle Stuart Golf Links, he is a member of Bathgate Golf Club where he plays off four.

Performance Editor