(BUFFALO, N.Y.) – GENIUS – a new, first-of-its-kind golf ball featuring embedded electronics that capture crucial putting data – will debut at the 2026 PGA Merchandise Show in Booth 1715.

Benefitting golfers of all abilities and PGA coaches, GENIUS is the only regulation-size, regulation-weight smart golf ball that looks, feels and rolls like a premium, Tour-quality ball.  Its core contains a sophisticated sensor array that identifies the moment of impact, plus skid and roll of the ball, resulting in precise data that external devices cannot reliably detect. 

Crucial performance metrics like velocity, launch angle, side spin, skid distance, roll characteristics, deceleration pattern, consistency across strokes and green speed are captured and, using proprietary algorithms, processed and delivered via Bluetooth to the GENIUS app on a user’s smartphone.

The GENIUS app then instantaneously shares actionable feedback specific to each user’s unique putting stroke.  The guided sessions improve alignment, direction and distance control, skid and roll quality, lag putting and other core disciplines.

Developed over five years of intense R&D by leading golf ball engineers formerly with Titleist, TaylorMade and Srixon, GENIUS delivers pinpoint-accurate insights at a fraction of the cost of high-end indoor putting studio systems. Two-time PGA Championship winner Dave Stockton, Sr., along with his fellow acclaimed putting coaches and sons Dave, Jr. and Ron Stockton, heavily contributed to GENIUS’s groundbreaking technology.

“Putting is where pros make money and amateurs make memories, and in my 35 years of teaching, I’ve never worked with a product as consequential as GENIUS,” said Ron Stockton.  “It will change how I teach and stay connected to my players 24/7.”

“Data has historically been focused on the full swing despite putting accounting for 40 to 45% of the average golfer’s strokes,” said Mike Jordan, Chief Executive Officer of GENIUS and a 25-year veteran of golf ball innovation.  “This imbalance is where the breakthrough GENIUS fits – electronics inside a golf ball identify exact problems and associated fixes, keeping the complicated super simple.”

To prevent potential information overload, captured putting data is distilled down to a GENIUS Stroke Score, a simple benchmark that tracks elite-level patterns and improvement and, through the GENIUS app, compares performance against the broader GENIUS community.

GENIUS is effective outdoors on practice greens – for everything from tap-ins to long lag putts – and indoors on mats, floors and carpets.  There is no need for setup, face stickers or alignment rods – just drop a ball and start rolling putts.

The GENIUS ball boasts a battery life of around 10,000 putts.  When a ball nears its end-of-life, the GENIUS system will automatically detect it as long as a user’s subscription is active and ship a free replacement.

Three GENIUS balls, a carrying case and annual app subscription is $240.  Initial product shipments are planned for Q2 2026 with pre-orders taken at the PGA Show. 

About GENIUS

GENIUS is a sports tech company with putting as the first application of its patented smart golf ball and future uses planned for all clubs in the bag.  Meticulously engineered to significantly improve putting, it is the first, new and only ball of its kind with electronics inside.  Data is transmitted from the ball to a user’s phone, measuring skid, stimp, side spin, launch angle, face angle, distance, roll stability and more.  Playing like a Tour-level ball, GENIUS shows golfers how to intuitively use the data to putt more on-line and in the hole.

More information: www.geniusball.golf, info@geniusball.golf, @thegeniusball (Instagram)

Stephen Reynolds
Reynolds Media Group
stephen@reynoldsmediagrp.com
703-344-6031

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Increased 3D Stability Enables Enhanced Accuracy

Hi-Res Images: LINK

Carlsbad, Calif. – COBRA Golf, a leader in golf club innovation, today introduced its new family of OPTM metalwoods. Features of the new OPTM family include POI (Product of Inertia) Shaping, Adaptive POI Weighting, H.O.T. Face and FUTUREFIT33. The four models available are OPTM LS, OPTM X, OPTM MAX-K and OPTM MAX-D.

The groundbreaking new low POI design of each OPTM driver, which is delivered via both improved shaping and adaptive weighting, works with Cobra’s other metalwood technologies to reduce shot dispersion by up to 23 percent. Unlike MOI (moment of inertia), which is a measure of how resistant a clubhead is to twisting on off-center hits on the vertical and horizontal axes, POI measures how a clubhead rotates diagonally across all axes at once. For that reason, a high MOI is desired to correct off-center hits while a low POI is desired to deliver more accurate shots that don’t create as much gear effect. The result is tighter dispersion down range.

“MOI is still important, but POI is the next frontier in terms of overall accuracy,” said Jose Miraflor, VP of Product Architecture and Consumer Connections at Cobra Puma Golf. “In design, we want to increase MOI (stability) while also reducing POI (3D twisting). POI finetunes forgiveness into directional consistency as it allows the clubhead to rotate more naturally with your swing. If you’re playing a 10k driver but wonder why hits on the high toe, for example, are still producing noticeably wild results, it’s probable your driver has a high POI design, which is a common fault of many current high MOI models.”

Each driver in the OPTM family features unique AI-Optimized POI Shaping to increase rotational stability as well as AI Optimized Adaptive POI Weighting for enhanced CG placement. Clubhead shapes are more rounded to place the CG more in the center of the clubhead, while AI-optimized external weights are placed in new locations with the goal of producing the lowest POI possible. The LS driver, which features a Tour profile and tends to work best for faster swingers, features weight ports in the high toe, mid heel and back, with 11g, 7g, and 3g moveable weights, while the X model features a Tour preferred profile and weight ports in the mid-high toe and back with 11g and 3g moveable weights. The Max-K, the most forgiving of the four models with the highest MOI, features an oversize profile for maximum forgiveness and a fixed 11g rear weight. The Max-D, which is aimed at players who desire slice correction, features a lightweight design, built-in draw bias, and oversized profile with a fixed 11g weight in the heel area of the clubhead.

“A poll of golfers asking what would inspire them to buy a new driver indicates the top three reasons are distance, accuracy and forgiveness,” said Miraflor. “Cobra is traditionally known for distance and in 2025, our Max-K driver delivered exceptional forgiveness. In 2026, we are delivering our longest, most accurate drivers ever.”  

The new OPTM metalwood family also features COBRA’s patented FUTUREFIT33 ADJUSTABLE HOSEL SYSTEM, which is the most significant and innovative metalwood fitting technology to date. The system allows for 33 unique loft and lie settings that can be adjusted independently, unlocking an unprecedented number of fitting options. All 33 settings can be accessed quickly and easily on the spot, allowing fitters and golfers the opportunity to make desired adjustments in a studio, at home or on the range.

All four new OPTM drivers also feature a multi-material construction with lightweight gloss carbon crown and lightweight titanium frame. A forged face insert with H.O.T. Face Technology with 15 hot spots across the clubface delivers a higher CT across the face for more robust distance and ball speeds.  

The men’s OPTM family of drivers ($599 each) are available in the following specifications:

OPTM LS Driver Specifications:

The OPTM LS comes in RH/LH (*LH available in MCA Kai’li White 60 (S) with all other shafts custom) with a choice of three premium aftermarket shafts in select flexes including: MCA Kai’li White 60 (S); MCA Kai’li Blue 60 (R and S), and True Temper Project X Denali Black Frost (S and X). Lamkin® SuperStroke Crossline grips (50g) come standard. 

OPTM X Driver Specifications:

The OPTM X Driver comes in RH/LH (*LH available in stock MCA Kai’li Blue 60, (R and S), with all other shafts custom) with a choice of five premium aftermarket shafts in select flexes including: MCA Kai’li White 60 (S and X); MCA Kai’li Blue 60 (R and S); MCA Kai’li Red 50 (R and A); True Temper Denali Black Frost 60 (S); True Temper Project X Denali Blue Frost CB 60 (R). Lamkin SuperStroke Crossline grips (50g) come standard. 

OPTM MAX-K Driver Specifications:

The OPTM MAX-K Driver comes in RH/LH (*LH available in stock True Temper Project X Denali Blue Frost CB 60, (R and S) with all other shafts custom) with a choice of four premium aftermarket shafts in select flexes: MCA Kai’li White 60 (S); True Temper Denali Blue 60 (R, S, X); MCA Kai’li Red 50 (R and A); True Temper Project X Denali Blue Frost CB 60 (S and R). Lamkin SuperStroke Crossline grips (50g) come standard.    

OPTM MAX-D Driver Specifications:

The OPTM MAX-D Driver comes in RH/LH (*LH available in stock Denali Red 50 (R) with all other shafts custom) with a choice of two premium aftermarket shafts in select flexes: MCA Kai’li Red 50 (A, R, S); MCA Vanquish 40 (R and A). Lamkin SuperStroke Crossline grips (50g) come standard.

The OPTM MAX-K and MAX-D Drivers are also available in a women’s edition ($599), featuring a black gloss crown and sole with gloss silver and mint green accents.  

OPTM MAX-K Women’s Driver Specifications:

OPTM MAX-D Women’s Driver Specifications:

The OPTM MAX-K and MAX-D Women’s Drivers come in right hand and left hand (the MAX-D left hand is available in custom only) with an aftermarket MCA Vanquish 40 (43g) shaft in Ladies flex. An undersize Lamkin SuperStroke Crossline grip (45g) comes standard.

OPTM Fairways and Hybrids

Complementing the impressive line of OPTM drivers is a full lineup of fairway metals featuring the same innovative technologies, including ADAPTIVE POI WEIGHTING, FUTUREFIT33, and H.O.T. FACE. The new OPTM fairway metals are available in three models (LS, X, and MAX) to fit the full spectrum of golfers. Details of the three new models:

OPTM LS Titanium Fairway ($469) – The LS is designed to provide a combination of maximum ball speed and accuracy with the deepest face and lowest spin rates of the three OPTM models. 3g, 11g, and 14g moveable weights in the rear, heel, and toe areas allow for optimized POI and customized performance while a low and forward CG location yields the fastest speed in the OPTM fairway family. Other features include FUTUREFIT33 Technology, which provides 33 loft and lie combinations for maximized ball flight tuning and variable thickness H.O.T. Face Technology for improved launch and faster ball speeds on off-center strikes. The LS comes in 3W (14.5 ^o), 3 HF (16 ^o) and 5W (17.5 ^o) with Mitsubishi Kai’li White 60 (X and S) shaft.  

OPTM X Fairway ($369) – The OPTM X provides the most balanced combination of fast speed and forgiveness of the three fairway models. The X model features a mid-CG location and medium face height with 3g and 17g moveable weights in the rear and toe areas of the clubhead. Other features include FUTUREFIT33 Technology, which provides 33 loft and lie combinations for maximized ball flight tuning and variable thickness H.O.T. Face Technology for improved launch and faster ball speeds on off-center strikes. The X model comes in 3W (15.0 ^o), 3HF (16.5 ^o), 5W (18 ^o), 7W (21 ^o), and 9W (24 ^o) with Mitsubishi Kai’li Blue 60 (X, S and R).

OPTM MAX Fairway ($329) – The MAX is designed to provide the most forgiveness with draw bias in the OPTM fairway line with a back and heel biased CG and the shallowest face of the three models. Weight ports in the rear and heel positions with 14g and 3g moveable weights allow for customized performance. The MAX fairway is available in 3W (15.5 ^o), 5W (18.5 ^o), 7W (21.5 ^o), and 9W (24.5^o) with Mitsubishi Kai’li Red 50 (S, R and A) shaft.  

The OPTM MAX is also available in a women’s model in 3W (18.5^o), 5W (21.5^o), and 7W (24.5 ^o) with Mitsubishi Vanquish shaft in Ladies flex.  

New OPTM hybrids ($329 each) fill out COBRA’s collection of new metalwood offerings and feature updated shaping that includes a slightly larger address profile and shallower face height for easier launch and optimized trajectory. ADAPTIVE WEIGHTING for improved CG placement and H.O.T. FACE Technology for added speed make the OPTM hybrids faster and easier to launch than previous models. Like all clubs in the OPTM family, FUTUREFIT33 Technology, which provides 33 loft and lie combinations for maximized ball flight tuning, is also standard. The OPTM Hybrids are available in 3H (19 ^o), 4H (21 ^o), 5H (24 ^o), and 6H (28 ^o) with KBS PG HYBRID graphite shafts in 85 (S), 75 (R), and 65 (A) flexes. OPTM Women’s Hybrid is also available in 4H (21 ^o), 5H (24 ^o), 6H (28 ^o), and 7H (31 ^o) with KBS PG Hybrid 55 (L) flex graphite shafts.

All COBRA OPTM products will be available for fitting and pre-sale on January 13, 2026, and will be available at retail and online on January 20, 2026. For more information, visit www.cobragolf.com.

Media Contacts:

Emily Scott, JDPR, emilys@jdpr.com

About COBRA PUMA GOLF

COBRA PUMA GOLF is a corporate division of PUMA, one of the world’s leading sports brands, designing, developing, selling and marketing footwear, apparel and accessories. COBRA PUMA GOLF is an inclusive company, promoting game enjoyment for golfers of all abilities, attitudes and styles. The brand’s full-range portfolio includes COBRA Golf’s high-performance drivers, fairways, hybrids, wedges, putters, and irons, as well as PUMA Golf’s sport lifestyle inspired footwear, apparel and accessories. Fusing performance and style, COBRA PUMA GOLF brings a focus on innovation, technology, compelling design and superior performance with an edge to the global golf marketplace. For more information, visit cobragolf.com and cobragolf.com/pumagolf.      

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