What golfers aren’t accustomed to being able to do, however, is change the CG (center of gravity), and that’s where Cobra’s new driver, the Fly-Z Plus, enters the fray.

Using something called FlipZone weight technology, the player can move the CG forward or back, thus inducing a lower or higher ball flight. Cobra says this allows high-ball and low-ball hitters to adjust the driver to dial in the launch conditions that are most conducive to ball speed, launch angle and, naturally, distance.

The key to this technology is a 15-gram weight on the sole of the driver. According to Cobra, the launch conditions differ accordingly:The front CG position provides a mid-launch angle with ultra-low spin and a penetrating ball flight with more roll for maximum distance.

The back CG position delivers a mid-launch angle with 400 RPM’s of additional spin, resulting in a towering ball flight, maximum distance with more carry.

Rickie Fowler, Cobra’s top Tour pro, has weighed in with his endorsement of the new adjustable weighting system and described how he’ll use it on Tour.

“For me, the front CG setting yielded the ball flight I want to see on the course," Fowler said. "The adjustable loft setting COBRA introduced last year was a huge advantage to my game, but now adding this new Zone Weighting to fine tune ball flight is really game-changing."

The Cobra FlyZ Driver allows a player to control launch conditions with a moveable FlipZone weight

The weighting system works in conjunction with Cobra’s new speed channel technology to deliver increased distance.

These technological tweaks have been married to the forgiveness of previous Cobra drivers to provide more speed and distance all across the face of the driver.

Being Cobra, naturally the driver comes in array of style colors for men and women. Men: Black, White, Blue, Orange and Red. Women: Raspberry, Silver Flower Pearl and Ultramarine.The MAP for the Fly-Z Plus is $329. It will be available in stores starting Feb. 2.

There are three drivers in the Fly-Z family, but the Fly-Z Plus is specially designated for 15- handicaps to Tour pros.

On The Range

First off, you adjust the CG with the same tool you use to change the loft. The gold-colored, triangular weight loosens quickly and is easy to slide forward or back. If the weight doesn’t initially move easily for you, don’t force it; just give it another turn or two. Sometimes, after you flip it, you have to jiggle the weight into its new slot, but it ultimately finds it place when you screw it in.

As for performance, I started with the weight back and the driver set at 10 degrees of loft – my normal set up. The club felt instantly comfortable and almost immediately produced drives that looked like my drives – decent height, slight draw.

When I moved the weight forward, I hit some pretty low shots, at least in the beginning. Then I moved the ball slightly more forward in my stance and produced respectable drives and ultimately the lower ball flight that Cobra intends.

The big jump came when I maxed out the loft to 11.5 degrees. My drives noticeably increased, with a boring-type flight that seemed to roll out forever. In fact, the forward CG seemed to produce more rollout at every loft setting. You can quickly see why this is Rickie’s preferred position.

Leaving the loft at 11.5, I moved the CG back again. Predictably, my drives skied, but so much so that I sacrificed distance. My distance seemed to max out at the 10-degree setting.

And, by the way, my observations are purely the eye test, but I’d be curious to get this club on a launch monitor to see if the numbers match my perceptions.

When it comes to adjustable clubs, I’m not normally a big tinkerer, but this club was fun to adjust and test because of the new CG variable. Between the two CGs and the five loft settings, there’s enough adjustability without being overwhelming. And the CG setting allows you to appreciate another variable of ball flight and now immediately see the impact.

Finally, I will say that no matter the CG or loft setting, I found this driver to be remarkably straight. My normal miss is left and that rarely happened with this club. My misses were mostly low, often right after I’d made an adjustment.

The club does make a “tink” sound that recalls the impact of a softball bat, but you won’t mind when your ball is flying straight down the fairway.