One of the most forgiving blade designs we have used, confidence-inspiring look at address, adjustable sole weighting allows for easy alteration to feel
Cons
Oversized alignment aid won't appeal to everyone
Cobra King Grandsport-35 3D Printed Putter Key Features:
3D printed cartridge: allows for optimal weight and mass property redistribution and contributes to an enhanced sound and feel
Adjustable sole weighting: flexibility to customise head weight and feel with five different weights
LA GOLF Descending Loft Technology: provides players with four planes of loft, descending from the top to the bottom of the face to ensure an optimal launch on every stroke
Since stepping foot into the putter market in 2022, Cobra has produced some incredibly innovative designs that utilise 3D printing to achieve optimal performance.
Receiving a fresh update in 2024, Cobra's King 3D range features eight new models, but in this review, we will be focusing on the Grandsport-35, which has an enlarged blade footprint.
The engineers at Cobra have packed a variety of new features into these putters, including LA Golf's descending loft technology.
The technology is featured on the face of the putter, and it utilises four descending lofts (4°, 3°, 2°, 1°) to prevent de-lofting or the addition of loft through impact to ensure that the putter head launches your golf ball at a consistent 1.5 degrees, no matter your angle of attack or ball position.
Adjustable sole weighting has also been incorporated into the putter, which allows users to tweak the heel and toe weights to achieve ideal weight and feel.
The last but arguably most important piece of the puzzle is the 3D-printed cartridge that sits in the head; this cartridge allows weight to be redistributed throughout the head to achieve higher MOI and greater forgiveness.
To find out if all of these new features could help us hole more putts, we took the Grandsport-35 out on the course for a full test drive.
Let's get into it.
Player Level
Typically, we would only recommend blade putters to more accomplished golfers because they offer less forgiveness than a mallet. However, the GrandSport-35 is one of the most forgiving blade designs we have tested, which makes it an ideal fit for golfers of all abilities.
Cobra King Grandsport-35 3D Printed Putter
Cobra King Grandsport-35 3D Printed Putter Looks and Feel
In hand, this putter has a very modern design that fits nicely with the innovative technology that is featured. The head has a gunmetal grey finish with splashes of orange that add a subtle level of contrast.
Sat behind the ball, the head frames the ball nicely, and thanks to the slightly enlarged blade design, it's also very confidence-inspiring, a statement we don't usually make with putters of a similar profile.
In terms of aesthetic design choices, there is only one detail we aren't huge fans of.
Personally, we don't love the thick alignment aid on the top of the head. While this is only our personal preference, we would have preferred a more subtle line; perhaps a singular white one would have tied the design up more cohesively.
On the sole of the club, we have no complaints at all. The design is very straightforward, with a variety of font choices and striking orange details providing visual appeal.
In terms of feel, this putter was superb. Centre strikes felt lovely through the hands, and they were also accompanied by a satisfying yet muted noise.
The face delivers a suitable level of responsiveness that allows you to locate where you have made contact on the face easily.
Taking the head back, this putter also feels incredibly balanced and solid, which is a big plus.
Another notable detail that adds to the premium feel of this putter is the SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol grip that comes as standard.
All in all, this putter ticks a lot of boxes. Aside from some very small aesthetic decisions, it delivers across the board in terms of appearance, feel and sound.
Cobra King Grandsport-35 3D Printed Putter
Cobra King Grandsport-35 3D Printed Putter Performance and Forgiveness
We tested this putter just after the practice green had been sanded, and while the irritation of having to clean the face and ball after every stroke did prove to be frustrating, it did offer up a unique opportunity to test out just how well this putter could perform in demanding conditions.
The result of the greens having been sanded was that they were incredibly slow. Four days of rain might have also played their part.
What this allowed us to do, though, was see how well this putter would perform on putts, with a long backstroke, when the most twisting of the face could occur.
As the length of your backstroke increases, it also dramatically increases the chance of missing the sweet spot of the putter, which in turn means you may experience more twisting from toe or heel strikes.
What we found, as a result, was that despite its bladed design, this putter remains incredibly stable through impact.
There were inevitably some poor strikes during our time on the green (sandpit) and while there was a drop off in accuracy, it was nowhere near what we were anticipating.
Blades usually suffer from the most aggressive level of twisting due to their low level of MOI, however this putter performed more like a larger mallet than it did a blade.
From horror toe strikes we did see horror putts, but no putter in the world is going to cure that sadly.
With the green running at about -1 on the stimp, we had to really put our back into some of the putts, and even when we had to really whack the ball, we found the putter remained remarkably stable through the stroke, a trait that will really benefit those who struggle with consistent lag putting.
On shorter putts ranging from 3-5 feet, we barely missed, with the face being incredibly easy to square up at impact.
We also found that thanks to the descending loft technology, we were able to put a very consistent roll on the ball from anywhere in our stance, without any unwanted skidding or jumping occuring.
Overall this is a very impressive putter that delivers the performance benefits of a large mallet in the sleek and compact shape of a blade. A winning combination that we can see proving incredibly popular with golfers in 2024.
Cobra King Grandsport-35 3D Printed Putter
Should you buy the Cobra King Grandsport-35 3D Printed Putter?
If you appreciate the profile of a blade but find yourself wanting a little extra forgiveness, then this putter could be the one for you.
Thanks to the slightly enlarged head and 3D-printed cartridge, this putter offers excellent levels of forgiveness that you wouldn't typically find in a bladed design.
Featuring improved aesthetics, and premium details, this putter is certainly worth considering if you are looking to upgrade your flat stick in 2024.
