As Don Sebastián said in his chat with Don Hilarión in the zarzuela The Verbena of the Dove: “today science advances at a barbaric rate”. That was written in 1894, but it applies equally to the story we are going to tell you next, which stars Rickie Fowler and Cobra.
The golfer from Murrieta is going to debut this week at the The American Express the first wedge manufactured by 3D printing to compete in the PGA Tour. Neither cast, nor forged, nor milled, nor a mix of all of them. The 60-degree RF model wedge has come out of a printer.
This is an innovative technique that Cobra has been working on for six years, specifically since it reached a collaboration agreement with Hewlett Packard and Parmatech, a company dedicated to metallurgy. The process is quite simple, at least to explain in broad terms. The specialised MetalJet printer turns metal powder into a golf club head, following, through a computer-aided design program, the exact specifications provided by the golfer. First it is printed and finally milled.
Cobra has been working since 2018 on different prototypes of putters using this same technique. The goal, according to various studies that have been carried out, is to achieve a more precise club that is faithful to the player’s specifications and more durable. Another positive aspect is that it is much easier and more effective when it comes to replicating this same club to build a new one. Fowler changes his wedges approximately every two months. With the 3D printer, he doesn’t have to worry about the next clubs coming out of production being exactly the same as the previous ones.
According to Cobra’s engineers, they have been working hand in hand with Fowler for the last six months. “He was tweaking the shape of his sole,” said Ben Schomin, Cobra’s director of operations to GolfWRX.com. “The shape of his wedge was becoming more rounded, so we finally decided to scan it in 3D and print it so it would be perfect”. A more rounded wedge with more curvature can help the club slide more easily through the grass, instead of digging in.
We’ll see how Fowler gets on with the new toy. And we’ll also see if 3D printing makes a strong breakthrough in the manufacture of golf clubs.
By the way, speaking of Cobra, the Californian brand that belongs to Puma has signed up Spanish player Ángel Hidalgo until 2026. He will be the only Spanish player on the DP World Tour with this brand.
