Cobra Baffler XL Irons Review – Are They Forgiving & Good for High Handicappers?

Cobra Baffler XL Irons Review – Are They Forgiving & Good for High Handicappers?

“Between the years of, say, 2007 and 2014, Cobra was making some really unique clubs.

It really seemed like they were making a concerted effort to corner the game improvement market and tried a variety of designs.

In fact, very few Cobra irons from this era have similar designs. So what about the Cobra Baffler XL irons? Are they any good? Let’s talk about it.”

Cobra Baffler XL Irons Overview

“The nomenclature of these irons references the two rails on the soles.”

The “baffler” rails are designed to help cut through the turf and allow for clean contact. They help the face resist twisting when striking through awkward lies.

In my opinion, this feature is a little overblown. Yes, the baffler rails work moderately well; but not better than some of the contoured soles or beveled soles that I’ve seen.

Still, the Cobra Baffler XL irons proved to be very easy to hit with on the fairway and the semi-rough.

The Cobra Baffler XL irons feature an oversized design. At address, they have a sort of chunky look – the top line is thick and you can see how big the face is behind the ball.

Still, it sits in a neutral position so it has a good, clean look overall.

The offset is very noticeable behind the ball and is progressive – meaning that the long irons have more offset and the short irons have less.

As a result, the long irons have a slight draw bias while the short irons offer more of a neutral flight.

The loft on these irons isn’t ridiculous; but the extra-wide soles help to promote high launch. With the 7-iron I was getting upwards of 19° launch angles.

But I was very surprised that the ball plateaued nicely. The ball seemed to climb slowly and when it hit its apex, it stayed there. There was no ballooning.

The ball gets out very fast too. My average 7-iron distance with this set was 163.4 yards.

Indeed, I was hitting a sweeping draw with the long irons and that was perfectly fine for me.

I can imagine some players will complain about the lack of shot shaping in the long irons because it’s very hard to hit anything but a draw.

But again, for me and probably a whole legion of golfers, there’s nothing wrong with that.

Are the Cobra Baffler XL Irons Forgiving?

“Like many Cobra irons from this era, the Baffler XL irons are very easy to hit with.”

The launch was nearly effortless and I felt very comfortable with these irons in about an hour’s time.

The Cobra Baffler XL irons also feature a vibration dampening material in the cavity that gives them a softer feel which is definitely a plus for me.

My only complaint is about the dispersion. I got up to 6 yards if divergence on some shots which I know, isn’t horrendous by any means.

But I can’t help but think about some other Cobra irons I have tested in the past and how tight their dispersion was.

It was more than moderate dispersion width, it was the fact that it seemed inconsistent.

On one swing I would land 5 yards to the left of the line and then on the next I would land 1 yard to the right of it.

I think the draw bias was playing with my swing a little bit.

But objectively, those numbers aren’t bad at all. And when I purposely mis-hit, the dispersion numbers didn’t get out of control. 6 yards was my max.

The Cobra Baffler XL irons are large enough to offer inherent forgiveness.

Overall, I would say that these irons are certainly forgiving and hold up well to modern GI irons.

Are the Cobra Baffler XL Irons Good for Beginners & High Handicappers?

“Both beginners and high handicappers will get great use out of these irons.”

I can see beginners and high handicappers adding 10 yards of distance with these irons.

My swing speed is in the 90’s in the summer and spring and I was absolutely crushing the ball with these irons. But I can tell that even moderate swing speed players will get comparable distance.

I’m not sure how they did it but Cobra managed to create irons that consistently increase ball speed.

So if you’re a high handicapper or beginner seeking better distance in an easy-to-hit iron, the Cobra Baffler XLs should definitely be on your radar.

Should you Buy the Cobra Baffler XL or the CObra Fly-Z XL Irons?

“Like the Cobra Baffler XLs, the Fly-Z XL irons have an oversized profile.”

The main difference is that the Fly-Z XLs have a compression channel and the long irons have a hollow body design.

I felt that the Fly-Z XL irons were more forgiving on more extreme mis-hits. So if forgiveness is your chief concern, check out the Cobra Fly-Z XL irons.