Bryson DeChambeau makes huge gear change ahead of US Open
Last updated:
It’s not just Rory McIlroy tweaking his setup ahead of the Oakmont test. Bryson DeChambeau’s at it too…
Known for his own unique approach to the game, especially when it comes to equipment, Bryson DeChambeau has made another huge change to his bag slap bang in the middle of the major season.
Most of his gear decisions attract incredible interest and his latest is no different.
With his US Open defence at Oakmont fast approaching, DeChambeau has opted to switch into LA Golf’s Proto irons in a bid to address what has been his glaring weakness in 2025.
In fact, had it not been for his poor approach play, DeChambeau could have quite feasibly scooped one of – if not both – of this year’s Masters and PGA Championship.
Per Data Golf, DeChambeau lost strokes to the field at Augusta National in rounds two, three and four, yet still led the tournament early on Sunday before finishing four shots out of the play-off.
The story was similar at Quail Hollow for the PGA Championship where he finished in a tie for 2nd, five shots behind winner Scottie Scheffler.
With all the other parts of his game at such an elite level, it’s little wonder he has taken steps to try and align his iron play.
In the aftermath of the second men’s major of the year, DeChambeau spoke of wanting to find a new golf ball that wouldn’t be so susceptible to sidespin at the ludicrous ball speeds he generates, and while it remains to be seen whether he has been successful in that quest, he will arrive at the US Open armed with another potential solution.
His new LA Golf gamers are similar to his previous Avodas and are still single length at 37.5 inches, while the “bulge and roll” feature remains on the faces.
They are also still very upright, counter-balanced, and the lofts are very strong. Not clubs that the average amateur would likely find much joy in trying to hit.
There are, however, some differences. For example, the Proto irons have less curvature on the heel than on the toe, which, in theory, should straighten up his ball flight on mis-hits in that area of the club.
“I’ve got some new irons in the bag, which have been great,” he said in his US Open press conference on Tuesday. “I’ve optimized it a little bit more, so hopefully that helps with those overdraws in my irons. You never know. But they seem to have helped, and hopefully it aids for me this week.”
For someone who swings the club so fast with his in-to-out path, this could be a game-changer.
As the stats tell us, the tighter your misses are, the more shots you’ll save getting the ball in the hole.
There is also a mental impact. With less fear of missing big and a short game as good as his, DeChambeau’s confidence over the ball could skyrocket, which is an ominous prospect.
The Mad Scientist debuted his new irons at LIV Golf Virginia, where he finished two shots behind winner Joaquin Niemann in a tie for 4th.
“We iterated on the design of the face,” he explained. “The heel is a little bit flatter on the curvature. My face obviously has some curvature on the irons, so we’re just optimizing for the gear effect on the heel and on the toe based on the mass properties that are there.
“The heel doesn’t gear effect as much in an iron at my speeds, so hitting it on the heel, I’ve got to be a little flatter, and then the toe has a little bit more roundness on it to account for that out there, and then I moved the CG out towards the toe.
“I’ve got such heavy grips and heavy golf shaft that it moves the CG of the club all the way to the heel so we try to offset that with that tungsten weight on the toe. That’s very simply what it is.”
Asked how his new irons felt, he said: “Pretty good. I think there’s more optimization at play, potential optimization at play, but it’s a good start.”
Speaking of “optimazation”, he’s keen to get working on the ball now.
“The golf ball is a longer discussion, he explained. “That’s going to be a bit of time. I’m still working on it. We think later this year I’ll have a golf ball that will be very interesting to test.
“If it helps, who knows? It’s a test. But I’m excited to keep researching and trying and experimenting and optimizing. My goal right now is just to optimize myself to another level, and if I can’t, so be it. If I can in some areas, great.”
In a game of such fine margins, this could be the difference between winning and losing. That’s if you can even begin to make sense of it…
Alex Perry contributed to this report.
-
Bryson DeChambeau has put his bespoke LA Golf irons in play.
