More than a year after the first prototype surfaced on the PGA Tour, Cobra has finally joined the mini driver fray at retail.
Cobra is releasing the King Tec Mini Driver, becoming the latest OEM to offer a club in the ever-growing category that typically serves as the next longest club after the driver in a player’s bag.
“This mini driver can suit all golfers in the fact that, for the best players in the world, they need a product that works on skinnier fairways or fairways where they need to place it in a position and not have their driver run through a fairway or be too far,” Jose Mirafor, Cobra’s VP of Product Architecture and Consumer Connections, told GOLF. “For the normal golfer, it’s a lot easier to hit off the tee than the fairway wood, because it’s much larger.”
The new King Tec Mini Driver has been in the making for over a year and has already seen extensive use at the professional level, including in the bag of 2019 U.S. Open winner Gary Woodland, and more recently with 11-time LPGA Tour winner Lexi Thompson.
Keep reading below for more on the Cobra King Tec Mini Driver, including my take on the release.
The first Cobra mini driver prototypes appeared on Tour nearly a year ago, when Rickie Fowler, who began using a mini driver in 2024, was spotted with a Cobra prototype dubbed “The Duce.” Cobra Tour rep Ben Schomin told GOLF that Fowler was initially the catalyst in pushing the mini driver into development.
“We did dabble in one almost 10 years ago, but it wasn’t something that there was really traction in the marketplace for,” he said. “We’re a little late to the market with it, but at that point, we were trying to assess, do our players need it? Do consumers need it?
“Obviously, it got to the point where it’s like, okay, Rickie feels like this is an important component to the game when it comes to just finding more fairways.”
It wasn’t long before every member of Cobra’s Tour staff had a mini driver prototype, and it found a permanent spot in Gary Woodland’s bag.
But why did it take so long for Cobra to bring the club to retail? One reason was Fowler’s unique preference for startline and mixing that with creating a product that would be successful on Tour and at retail.
“Because this mini driver was months of testing, there is no difference between what’s being sold at retail and what’s being played on tour,” Mirafor said. “I would love it where we have six months of tour feedback [on everything]. Because then the product comes out really good.”
One of the reasons Cobra pursued the mini driver for so long is that they believe the category is truly a unique club that benefits both elite players and amateurs.
The mini serves a purpose of being a club shorter than the driver, but more forgiving than a 3-wood for pros who are often handcuffed by shorter holes and doglegs. But it’s unique because it’s also beneficial to the amateur who doesn’t hit it nearly as far.
“I always ask people, who do you sell? Who do you fit? Who do you think benefits from a mini driver? And the greatest answer to it is all players,” Mirafor said.
He pointed to the CG of the 303 cc mini driver being closer to the hosel than that of a standard 460 cc driver that makes it easier for a higher-handicap golfer to square. It’s also easier to control because of the 43.75-inch shaft.
Coming in at 303 cc, the King Tec-MD finds what’s becoming more often the standard size for modern mini drivers.
“I think the size has as much to do with playability,” Schomin said. “We still want to be able to hit off the deck, so it can’t be too big. We want it to be a good, fast, forgiving club off the tee, so we don’t want to make it too small. We just felt like the 300 cc range was really a good spot to live.”
Cobra believes their King Tec-MD has a massive advantage over all the other entries in the category with their FutureFit33 hosel system.
With 33 different loft and lie combinations, Schomin called the fitting possibilities “dynamic.” That’s especially true considering the FF33 hosel’s ability to go two degrees flatter, which is unique among minis on the market.
The King Tec-MD also has front and back adjustable weights, with the stock position having the 12 g weight in the back and 2 g in the rear. As with most minis featuring front-to-back adjustability, placing the heavy weight forward turns the King Tec into a low-spin monster off the tee, while moving more weight in the back improves performance off the deck.
What it is: A mid-sized, 303 cc mini driver option, Schomin said the size allows it to be playable from the tee or the fairway, while not looking “awkward” on a shorter shaft. The King Tec-MD also has 66 possible loft, lie and CG combinations thanks to the front-to-back adjustable sole weights and FF33 hosel. A titantium head features Cobra’s PWRSHELL face insert with H.O.T. Face technology to boost ball speeds and increase the size of the sweet spot.
Who it’s for: Both longer players looking for a secondary option off the tee or simply any player looking for a more forgiving option than a 3-wood that they can get a little more out of. The 303 cc size makes this good for both players who use a mini solely off the tee and players who will use it from anywhere.
Cobra waited a while until they were sure this Mini Driver was fully cooked and we’re really glad they did.
I was long a mini driver skeptic, but I’ve found that swinging it more like a driver, given the larger face, can make it super forgiving off the tee. Cobra nails that idea by adopting the 300 cc-size which I am all for becoming the standard size of mini drivers moving forward.
Any bigger and I find it comprises off-the-deck ability and spins too much. Any smaller and it just becomes a big fairway wood and you don’t get that same swing-like-a-driver feel off the tee.
The King Tec mini was an easy fit for me as it really fit my eye, flew through the exact number I like to see and was easy to hit from both the tee and the deck.
This is a mini driver that I think instantly catapults Cobra into the top end of this category.
The Cobra King Tec-Mini Driver is available for pre-orders starting Jan. 12 and arrives at retail locations on Jan. 16.
It will cost $479.99.
The only loft available is 13.5˚ and the stock length is 43.75″ with a Mitsubishi Kai’li shaft. Because of the hosel length, any standard 3-wood length shaft can be installed in the King Tec-MD at the 43.75″ playing length.
Want to find the best mini driver for your bag in 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.
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