Long Tom

Charlie Lemay's picture
Charlie Lemay
Thu, 20 Jun 2013
Long Tom
The long shaft takes getting used to but once I did I drove the ball the furthest I ever have with this forgiving driver.

Need To Know

Very long, light, attractive
Takes a while to get used to the long shaft
Our score:
PRICE: £96.00 YEAR: from 2012

Built for distance, this four-foot long ultralight Long Tom weighs only 269 grams- enabling faster club head speeds and jaw-dropping distance off the tee. Your distance is created through more than just raw club length, as Long Tom is complete with E9 Face Technology and Dual Roll Technology so you can swing with confidence. Specifically outfitted with a lightweight Blackbird shaft by Grafalloy, Long Tom has the highest length to weight ratio of any Cobra driver.

I’m a bit of a sucker for all-black clubs and the Long Tom is just that. The coarse finish to both the top of the driver and the shaft also tickled my fancy, as well as the classic shape of the driver head. It's attractive looking. 

The thin titanium face was springy and even though the club is 48 inches long, the maximum allowed by the R&A, I got good feedback from my drives. Cobra has employed a small grip to keep the weight of this driver down and I was surprised with how light it felt given its size.

This is basically a driver invented for those who want to hit a long way. It’s unsettling to hold a club of this length and I never thought I would be able to bring the club back square but it’s surprising how quickly you get used to it.

After a few shots I got into the groove of it and this club really sends the ball out there. I’ve never hit a driver this far but that was to be expected as the longer shaft was always going to increase head speed.

What surprised me the most was the forgiving nature of the Long Tom. Cobra has employed a ‘bulge and roll’ design on the club face which decreases the launch angle for excessive spin (low shots) and increases the launch angle for a shortage of spin (high shots).

Verdict

The long shaft takes getting used to but once I did I drove the ball the furthest I ever have with this forgiving driver.

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