Comparing the 2025 Releases: How Do Cobra, TaylorMade, and Callaway Stack Up?

It’s hard to believe that we are fast approaching the end of January.

Christmas and New Year seem distant memories, as do most of our New Year resolutions (if we made any!).

For those golfers who are self-confessed club junkies, January represents an exciting time as the manufacturers start to release their major new lineups.

After seeing teaser shots on social media of new clubs being trialled by professionals or checking the USGA conforming list for the grainy black-and-white shots of what we are likely to see, January is the month when all is revealed in full technicolour.

Our focus for this piece centres on two goliaths in the industry: Callaway and TaylorMade. We’ll also take a look at Cobra Golf’s 2025 lineup. Cobra might not compete in terms of scale compared to Callaway and TaylorMade, but they more than pack an equal punch when it comes to innovation in golf club design, and that’s why we are including them here.

If you are in the market for changing any of your golf clubs and you’re eager to see what Callaway, Cobra, and TaylorMade are offering this year, join us as we give you all the information you need to know. To do that, we’ll look at the following areas:

• What’s New From Callaway, Cobra, and TaylorMade in 2025
• Key Technologies Powering The New Lineups
• The Performance Spectrum - Is There An Option For Every Golfer?
• How You’ll Benefit From Custom Club Fitting

What’s New From Callaway, Cobra, and TaylorMade in 2025

Grouping these three companies makes sense for several reasons:

• They release new product lines on an annual cycle.
• These new lineups offer direct competition to each other as they offer similar models.
• These are three of the most popular brands in the market for every level of golfer.

Callaway Golf

Callaway has chosen a different name for its flagship brand that pays significant tribute to the company’s founder, Ely Callaway.

The Callaway Elyte range might be taking Callaway in a new direction from a naming standpoint. However, the technology that powers the Elyte range has its routes set in the previous generation Paradym Ai Smoke series. A standout feature of the Ai Smoke series was its higher levels of stability and playability. Even the low-spin bomber model Triple Diamond offered better spin rates, putting it in the reach of many more golfers than just the players with the fastest swing speeds and consistent ball striking.

The Elyte range looks to keep the friendliness of the Ai Smoke but brings distance performance back on the menu for what Callaway believes is the ultimate incarnation of driver performance. It’s not just drivers that have received Callaway’s attention. The Elyte fairway woods, Elyte hybrids, and Elyte golf irons all share the same DNA, which we’ll cover shortly.

Cobra Golf

Cobra has a back catalogue of high-performing drivers shaped by aggressive aerodynamics to create maximum clubhead speed for a wide range of golfers.

Last year’s Darkspeed model stayed true to form on the performance story, and this year’s new ultra-sleek Cobra DS-Adapt takes the story further. If you’re a Cobra driver fan and you want to add more accuracy to your game, Cobra has introduced the DS Adapt Max K driver, which Cobra states breaches the famous 10k barrier for increased stability combined with forgiveness.

Cobra’s story for this year is different from the other manufacturers here as it has concentrated its efforts on making the adjustable hosel even more flexible. This will allow the club to be dialled in more accurately for any level of golfer through the custom fitting process.

Cobra has also bolstered the DS-Adapt driver range with the accompanying fairway woods, hybrids, and performance irons. 

TaylorMade Golf

The new TaylorMade Qi35 series builds on the foundations established by the Qi10.

The Qi10 gave us a highly stable driver that breached the 10k barrier with the Qi10 Max. The Qi35 is designed to increase performance levels and offer more distance to the established stability benchmarks.

TaylorMade is achieving these gains through new head materials and improved head shaping.

TaylorMade’s new Qi35 series includes fairway woods and golf hybrids.

Key Technologies Powering The New Lineups

Now that we’ve been introduced to the new lineups let’s examine the technologies powering the Elyte, DS-Adapt, and Qi35 ranges.

Callaway Elyte Golf Drivers

We’ll see a common thread that runs through the development of the DS-Adapt and Qi35 drivers, but we’ll begin our journey with what Callaway has been up to in the development of the Elyte.

Callaway invested in a new multi-million dollar 3D titanium printer, which it employed to good effect in creating the shape of the Elyte drivers.

Callaway created 75 head variations that could be tested in the wind tunnel before settling on the final head shape. There are subtleties regarding how aggressive the shaping is through the lineup, as each driver performs a different function.

The second area Callaway has made improvements over the Ai Smoke is employing a new carbon composite material that Callaway has christened Thermoforged Carbon, which is used extensively across the crown and sole of the golf driver. When coupled with the new head profiles, Thermoforged Carbon will help to deliver more clubhead speed, translating into longer drives for any level of golfer. Thermoforged Carbon isn’t solely used to generate more clubhead speed. The carbon composite is lighter than previous carbons Callaway has used, allowing its engineers to better position the centre of gravity for each driver head.

The third major story is Callaway’s extended use of AI technology to create the Ai10x Face.

Introduced in the Ai Smoke, Callaway used AI to analyse the data recorded from over 250,000 unique swings provided by golfers ranging from tour level to absolute beginner.

Over a million data points were created concerning strike locations and the effect on ball and spin performance. Callaway then created a face that featured what it termed as micro-deflection points across the face. This meant that golfers could experience more consistent performance across the face.

To create the Ai10x Face, Callaway Golf has delved further into the AI analysis to create what it claims is ten times more deflection points, meaning improved spin, launch, and ball speed across the face regardless of strike location.

Callaway has included a moveable 13-gram weight in the rear of the head of the core Elyte model to dial in ball flight for fade, draw, or neutral shot shapes. With the Elyte Max Fast and Elyte X drivers, the moveable weight is designed to promote draw or neutral shot shapes, while the Triple Diamond model has the option to move the 13-gram weight closer to the face for low spin bombs.

Cobra DS-Adapt Golf Drivers

The Cobra DS-Adapt shares the same striking stealthy looks of the Darkspeed range with subtle differences. Carbon fibre is still the material of choice for most of the crown and sole of the golf driver range.

Cobra has gone back to the wind tunnel to hone the aerodynamics in the DS-Adapt range to generate more clubhead speed. To achieve this, Cobra has aggressively shaped the rear section of the driver, making it much lower than the crown when looking at the driver's head in profile. Cobra has also worked the heel section of the head for improved efficiency.

The big story for the DS-Adapt is the new SureFit33 hosel. Cobra has created an adjustable hosel that offers 33 different permutations of loft and lie angle. Loft and lie angles can be adjusted by plus or minus two degrees, but the real genius of the SureFit33 design is that the face angle will always remain neutral. This is a real benefit compared to traditional adjustable hosels. For example, if you add loft, the face closes and will appear shut at address. Golfers can feel uneasy with this as they fear the ball will go straight left due to what appears to be a shut face.

Distance and forgiveness come in the form of an improved H.O.T. Face insert, which improves the face’s flexibility around the sweet spot.

Internal and external weighting also play a crucial role in the DS-Adapt. A back weight and forward weight on the sole of the driver allows the club’s centre of gravity to be altered. The DS-Adapt LS model features two forward weights to further dial in shot shape and spin.

Internally, lower-lofted drivers benefit from Cobra’s PWRBRIDGE, which helps decrease spin and improve ball speed on lower strikes. On higher-lofted drivers, the PWRBRIDGE is removed in favour of positioning the saved weight lower and its furthest point from the face for increased stability.

TaylorMade Qi35 Golf Drivers

TaylorMade has also opted for a new material in its Qi35 range: Chromium Carbon. Chromium Carbon offers more weight-saving properties than traditional carbon fibre; therefore, TaylorMade’s engineers can more accurately place the saved mass in the driver head depending on the model.

TaylorMade also employs what it calls a Trajectory Adjustment System (TAS): movable weights that can be positioned to alter the driver's playing characteristics. The standard Qi35 has TAS weighting in the rear and close to the face, the LS model has two TAS ports close to the face and one in the rear, and the Max and Max Lite models have one TAS port in the rear.

The Qi35 also sees the return of tested TaylorMade technologies such as the Thru-Slot Speed Pocket, which aids ball speeds and spin rates from strikes lower in the face, and TaylorMade’s adjustable hosel.

The Qi35 also sees the fourth generation of TaylorMade’s carbon face, which premiered in the first Stealth driver.

Golf Fairway Woods and Golf Hybrids

You wouldn’t be too surprised to find out that many of the technologies found in the golf driver work their way down to the golf fairway woods and golf hybrids. Callaway has sculpted the sole of its Elyte fairway woods for better turf interaction. Callaway has also introduced a 35-gram Speed Wave, which is a suspended weight positioned low and close to the face for increased ball speeds.

For the Elyte golf hybrids, Callaway has gone for maximum adjustability, with moveable weights and an adjustable hosel to dial in your ideal shot shape and trajectory.

Cobra Golf

Cobra’s DS-Adapt golf fairway woods feature the same SureFit33 hosel and H.O.T. Face technology as the DS-Adapt drivers. Corba has also adopted the same internal/external weighting mechanisms to help stability or shot shape depending on the fairway wood model you opt for.

The DS-Adapt hybrid also benefits from the SureFit33 hosel and a newly designed PWR-BRIDGE system designed to enhance ball speeds. An 8-gram weight is positioned internally low and as far from the face as possible to improve the hybrid’s stability.

TaylorMade Golf

TaylorMade’s Qi35 golf fairway wood lineup employs the same Chromium Carbon and the TAS weighting system. We also see the continued presence of Twist Face technology in the fairway woods to improve shot dispersion.

The Qi35 golf hybrid also features the same technologies seen in the drivers with the addition of an adjustable hosel to dial in trajectory for ideal distance gapping and shot shape.

Golf Irons

Callaway and Cobra have both launched accompanying iron sets for their respective Elyte and DS-Adapt lineups. TaylorMade hasn’t launched a Qi35 iron variant just yet, but we imagine this will be addressed soon.

Callaway Golf

Callaway’s Elyte golf irons feature multi-material hollow-body construction, which places them in the mid to high handicap bracket. The Elyte irons comprise Callaway’s Speed Frame construction, which marries the body of the iron to the top line. The Speed Frame creates stiffness in the body while retaining maximum flex in the face to help increase ball speeds. The Speed Frame also helps to dampen vibrations and improve feel to give these irons a more traditional sound at impact.

Callaway has also incorporated the updated Ai10x Face, which is seen throughout the Elyte range, to improve performance on off-centre hits.

Callaway has also worked on improving turf interaction with a new tri-sole design. A sharper leading and trailing edge make the sole more efficient in entering and exiting the turf, while the contoured middle element allows more versatility from a variety of lies.

Cobra

Cobra’s DS-Adapt iron range also looks to offer maximum performance via a multi-material hollow-body construction.

Distance comes from an enlarged H.O.T. Face, which Cobra claims delivers 23% more face flex than the previous generation Darkspeed, allowing for faster ball speeds across the face.

A reworked PWR-BRIDGE is positioned low in the head to improve energy transfer and produce higher-launching shots.

Cobra has filled the hollow with a new soft foam to improve acoustics and dampen vibration.

The Performance Spectrum - Is There An Option For Every Golfer?

Through this article, we’ve made some references to a certain type of golfer profile that some of the Elyte, DS-Adapt, and Qi35 ranges will fit.

To remove any uncertainty, let’s examine the different models and the player profiles they would fit.

With the drivers and fairway woods, we see a distinct pattern that emerges.

There is a baseline model, the Elyte, DS-Adapt X, and Qi35. These models will fit the widest spectrum of golfers, from low- to high-handicap players.

The fastest swingers who want an element of shot-shaping ability and can consistently find the centre of the clubface are most likely served by the Elyte Tripe Diamond, DS-Adapt LS, and Qi35 LS.

Players who struggle with finding the centre of the clubface and can benefit from the most stable clubheads could be well suited to Callaway’s Elyte X, Cobra’s DS-Adapt Max-K, and TaylorMade’s Qi35 Max drivers.

Players looking to combine stability with increased clubhead speed could consider the Elyte Max Fast and Qi35 Max Lite drivers.

Cobra is the only manufacturer that offers a draw-bias model in the DS-Adapt Max-D.

Fairway woods and hybrids follow a similar pattern: baseline models, such as the Callaway Elyte, Cobra DS-Adapt X, and TaylorMade Qi35, suit the widest variety of golfers, while low-spin or tour-inspired shapes suit better players. At the other end of the spectrum are the ultra-forgiving models, which have the biggest footprint behind the ball to enhance confidence.

Callaway offers the most comprehensive options with the Elyte iron range. The standard Elyte iron is complimented by the larger profile of the Elyte X. For players who struggle to get the ball airborne, Callaway offers the Elyte HL (High Launch) iron, and for those players who struggle with club head speed, the Elyte Max Fast.

How You’ll Benefit From Custom Club Fitting

While 2025 is gearing up to be a vintage year for golf equipment, it doesn’t change the fact that the way you benefit the most from any purchase is through custom golf club fitting.

Custom golf club fitting takes the guesswork out of which club profile will work for you. When we look at the new SureFit33 hosel system in the Cobra DS-Adapt range, you need a trained eye to dial in the correct combination of loft and lie angle to extract the most performance from the club.

Getting an accurate picture of how you deliver the clubhead into the golf ball helps a trained fitter understand where you need the most help. The fitter can then work on recommendations and measure the improvements through launch monitor technology like GC Quad.

TaylorMade has fully endorsed the benefits of being fitted for their new Qi35 by building reflective sensors under the last layer of their carbon face, which works perfectly with GC Quad to provide the most accurate data on the relationship between the clubface and ball at impact.

All the adjustable elements we’ve discussed can be tuned precisely to your needs through the custom fitting process, giving you the ultimate confidence in knowing how your clubs will perform on the course.

At Nine By Nine Golf, we specialise in helping every level of golfer. If you’re interested in updating your golf clubs ahead of the season, you can book a custom fitting session with one of our professionally trained fitters through our website.

Before you come for your fitting session, you can browse the new Callaway Elyte, Cobra DS-Adapt, and TaylorMade Qi35 models on the Nine By Nine Golf website.