Cobra Radspeed XD Driver Review and Test

By Coach Erik Schjolberg – Jan 8, 2024

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My Cobra Radspeed XD Driver Review

Lofts Available

Adjustable, 10.5º, 12º

Handicap Range

Cobra advertises the XD for handicap ranges 5-25, but I would bump the value up to 10-25. The driver is effective at creating a draw and may interfere with players seeking to shape their shots, or that already hit a draw.

Technical Review

The Radspeed XD shares the same effective radial weighting as the XB driver along with the 460cc head size, but adds an additional fixed 10g heel weight to “enable easier face closure for straighter, more draw biased drives”.

The back weight in this driver remains stationary at 14g, while the front weight is fixed at 8g.

XD technology retains the CNC Milled Infinity Face, the Thin-Ply Carbon Wrap Crown, and T-Bar Speed Chassis in common with its siblings to reduce the overall weight of the head, produce a unique feel, and make the most out of the radial weighting system.

Cobra also includes ARCCOS grips standard with all their clubs to help track your drives. While I love having this feature in any driver, I think that newer players will really benefit from this technology, as it is supremely helpful in quantifying the consistency of your stroke when looking to shape the ball.

As with the other Cobra drivers, the XD has an additional “draw” setting that’s part of the adjustable hosel. If you still manage to hit a slice with this bad boy in full draw-mode, you may want to just take the driver out of your bag!

1. Fujikura Motore X F3
2. Project X Even Flow Riptide

Cobra recommends the above options as ideal pairings for shafts with the XD; however, all custom options remain available from the RAD selections.

Performance

Xtreme Draw is an appropriate moniker for this driver. From a feel, fit, and sound standpoint the driver largely matches the XB, although the swing weight when paired with the F3 Motore shaft lends a weighty feel at D3.5.

The right side of the fairway was wholly out of play when testing this driver and I’m not ashamed to admit I was able to play a strong hook to wrap around a dogleg left. Clean contact finds the ball jumping off the face of the club, rising, and then drawing left back onto the fairway.

I found myself swinging out more and playing an intentional push to give the ball time to turn and still be in play. Of course, the faster you swing, the more spin and draw/hook you will see. Firm up that right hand grip and you can really sling a ball around obstacles.

Backspin numbers were slightly higher than the XB testing, even reaching as high as 2,750 rpms, but may be muddled/skewed by the additional draw side-spin registered on the launch monitor.

At an average 158 mph ball speed, dispersion was on average 35y to the left of where I was hitting the XB. The design works!

Without considering shot shape, the driver produces similar ball speeds and launch numbers to the XB, especially when struck towards the center, and heel side of the club.

Players that typically see a loss in ball speed and distance when slicing off the heel of the club will rejoice – it very much feels like the sweet spot of the club and is supremely stable, thanks to the extra 10g embedded in the heel.

On the other hand, players that strike the ball towards the toe of the driver may feel the face twist a bit more than the XB or RAD Drivers. As with any “biased” driver, testing is an absolute must for this driver.

I personally like Global Golf’s “U-try Trial Program” when looking for new clubs… you can try it out for a few weeks before pulling the trigger.

Looks

Aside from the fixed weight in the heel of the club, the Radspeed XD is nearly identical to its XB brother, and a close second to the RAD.

At address, the top crown has a nice clean glossy finish that inspires confidence with the extra support of the pronounced tail.

If you change the hosel settings to add a draw feature to the XD, presentation at address will be a bit more offset than in the Rad and XB. While this will not bother most players, it can change the way you frame the ball, and how you aim down-range.

Sound and Feel

The RADSPEED line of drivers all share a very similar sound and feel. The XB and XD both sport a “higher” pitch in acoustics than the RAD.

The shift in weight towards the back and the heel of the club is noticeable from a feedback perspective when hitting the XD compared to the XB.

(^left handed version)

Despite the shift in weight, the XD retains a firm/solid face.

From a swing and tempo perspective, I liked the XD best out of its siblings as I was able to track the weight of the club all the way through my takeback, and transition. The heel weighting helps to promote effective closure of the face to fight the slice and it’s readily noticeable after a few practice swings.

The biggest benefit to this heel-biased design is off-center contact that strays towards the extra weight port. After all, Force = Mass x Acceleration, and when there’s more mass behind the ball, there will be a bigger output. This certainly remains true with the XD.

• GENEROUS draw bias with this driver
• Ample spin production to keep the ball up and in play
• Draw bias without having extra offset or an awkward looking head
• Price point
• ARCCOS is built in
• Massive amount of stock shaft options available

• Draw bias may be too aggressive for some
• Backspin and side-spin tend to blend, which may result in lost distance
• Sound/feel are polarizing
• Aggressive looks are polarizing

The Bottom Line

The XD is a dedicated draw-biased driver that performs its specific task very well – even a bit too well.

For players who tend to slice the ball to the fringe or even marginally out of bounds, it’s entirely plausible that this could help them become a fairway sniper without changing their swing.

For players who already play a draw, get ready to hit some trick shots!

Overall, it’s an XB driver with extra forgiveness towards the heel that should help players control the clubface.

Other Drivers in the Cobra Radspeed Family

• Review of the Cobra Radspeed
• Review of the Cobra Radspeed XB

Alternative Choices to the Radspeed XD

Cobra LTDx Max

So Cobra made some changes to their naming convenstion in 2022, but the 3 categories of drivers offered are pretty similar. If you want the newest offering from Cobra, but want to stay in the “draw biased” corner of the book, the LTDx Max Driver may be right up your alley.

TaylorMade SIM 2 Max D

TaylorMade also has a draw option in their SIM2 driver line up… the SIM 2 Max D. Our TaylorMade SIM2 Max D review is here.

Ping G425 SFT

Ping’s G425 SFT, standing for “Straight Flight Technology”, is their draw option driver. Check out our review of the Ping G425 SFT right here.

Cobra Air-X Offset

Cobra has a more budget friendly option that has a draw bias as well, the Cobra Air X Driver. Give our full review a read if you want to see if it meets your criteria.

Our List of the Best Draw Biased Drivers for Fixing a Slice

We’ve also compiled a list of our top choices for draw and offset drivers in 2024. Check that out here if you want to see the full list.

FAQ

Note – Some of these FAQs were covered throughout the article, but I still get these questions a lot… so here are the “short and sweet” answers to the most common questions:

How do you adjust the Cobra Radspeed XD driver?

To adjust a Cobra Radspeed XD driver, you need a golf club specific torque wrench (the brand doesn’t matter in my opinion) to unscrew the hosel and remove the club head.

Use the chart below, and decide which setting is best for you, and then simply line up that loft with the little open “window” on the driver head and re-tighten the hosel screw.

*IMPORTANT* – You must use a golf club specific torque wrench when tightening the screw or you could risk damaging the clubhead and/or hosel.

Cobra Radspeed XD Driver Adjustment Chart

Here’s a video that shows and explains how to adjust the hosel settings, as well as the front and back weights across the bottom of the clubhead:

What is the difference between the Cobra Radspeed XB and XD?

• XB – forgiving driver with no draw or shot shape bias
• XD – forgiving driver that does have a draw (slice fixing) or right to left ball flight shape built in

What year did the Cobra Radspeed XD driver come out?

The Cobra Radspeed XD driver was released in 2021. A full list of the release dates for each Cobra driver can be found here.