Gary Woodland’s Cobra OPTM Max LS-K driver isn’t just a weapon off the tee, it’s also a fully armored tank!
Woodland got his long-awaited fifth PGA Tour victory Sunday, seven years after his marquee U.S. Open win, and the driver was a big reason why.
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The 41-year-old, who leads the PGA Tour in driving distance and clubhead speed, was dialed at Memorial Park Sunday, leading the field in Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee in the final round on his way to a five-shot victory.
Woodland plays one of the coolest driver setups on the PGA Tour, opting for Cobra’s prototype OPTM Max LS-K driver, something Cobra Tour Rep Ben Schomin described as a “working prototype” earlier this season. It’s essentially a lower-spin, fade-biased version of Cobra’s retail Max K driver that was specifically built with Woodland in mind when he started playing Cobra’s DS-ADAPT Max-K driver last season.
“This is my 18th year on Tour and the drivers that I’ve played when I’ve driven the golf ball well have been back-weighted,” Woodland told GOLF in February, referring to the deeper CG of drivers designed for game-improvement players. “Everyone wants front weight to get the spin down and distance. But for some reason, I’ve been back with it, and I started struggling with spin last year. I went through all the drivers, and I got to their Max K driver last year, and it was low spin for me for some reason.”
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With that deep CG, Woodland prefers a lower lofted head, which is why his driver measures in at just 6.4 degrees of loft. He also pairs it with a telephone pole-like Ventus Black 8-X shaft.
When Max Homa breifly switched into the prototype earlier this year, Schomin explained that because the LS-K is not a production model like the regular OPTM LS, X and Max-K, they can still make changes to it. The goal is to test design and performance concepts to potentially utilize in future production models.
Compared to the production Max-K, the LSK has a similar shape, but a lower and deeper CG to lower spin and produce a neutral-to-fade bias, Schomin said.
As opposed to the retail OPTM line of drivers, which have glossy crowns, the LS-K has a matte finish because it’s easier for the company to get it out on Tour. Woodland has been using the prototype since the PNC Championship in December.
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He also pairs the prototype head with a lead pipe-esque Fujikura Ventus Black 8-X with VeloCore+, a shaft many players have in their 5/7-woods, but Woodland loves a heavy driver shaft at a shorter length to pair with his smoother tempo.
Gary Woodland’s winning driver at the 2026 Texas Children’s Houston Open
Gary Woodland’s OPTM LS-K Driver. Jack Hirsh/GOLF
Driver: Cobra OPTM Max LS-K 9.0˚
FF33Hosel Setting: F2
Actual loft: 6.4˚
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus 8-X
Tipping: 2″
Length: 44.75″

Cobra OPTM Max-K Custom Driver
Cobra OPTM Max-K Custom Driver
$599.00 from Fairway Jockey
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ALSO AVAILABLE AT: PGA Tour Superstore, Cobra

Fujikura Ventus Black Wood Shaft (Velocore+)
Fujikura Ventus Black Wood Shaft (Velocore+)
$350.00 from Fairway Jockey
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Want to overhaul your bag for 2026? Find a club-fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.
The post Behind Gary Woodland’s unique Cobra driver build appeared first on Golf.
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