US Open: Bryson DeChambeau explains late equipment changes

Bryson DeChambeau goes into the US Open with an equipment change and the defending champ has now explained his reasons for the swap. 

DeChambeau is always trying to get that extra edge on his opponents by tinkering with his bag.

He made a last-minute change to his irons at last year’s Masters with his 3D printed Avoda irons – and now he had made another switch going into the US Open at Oakmont Country Club. 

The irons he has moved into are the prototypes from LA Golf which he was seen testing on the range previously. DeChambeau put them in play at LIV Golf Virginia last week and has made the switch permanent this week ahead of the third major of the season.

These new LA Golf irons are similar in shape but they have more weight in the toe side of the club. They also still feature curvature in the face to help with mishits at his speed.

DeChambeau was asked what the differences are between this new set of LA Golf irons compared to the Avoda irons.

“Yeah, so 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 optimising 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 (centre of gravity) 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.

You may have thought we may have seen these new irons in DeChambeau’s bag earlier in the season, but there was a reason he didn’t use them at the Masters or the PGA Championship.

“The curvature on the face was a little different, the weight on the toe didn’t feel right for some reason, and there were some internal things that we worked on in the club that made the face more resilient when you hit it all across the face,” he said.

“That’s ultimately why it wasn’t ready, and we had to print another version. This is version 3.” 

DeChambeau has played one tournament on LIV with the new irons finished T-4 at the Robert Trent Jones Club.

“I put them in play last week, and they felt great,” he said. 

“Is it going to be the ultimate answer to me winning? I mean, probably not. You’ve still got to putt well, drive it well and everything. But I think will it help me on certain shots in certain conditions? I think it might.

“If it doesn’t, I’ll go back to the drawing board and try to figure out why that occurred and continue to optimise.” 

If you want more from us, why not head to our YouTube channel? It’s the best place to find out how the latest new golf gear performs, along with some other fun stuff.

James Tait is bunkered’s Gear Editor. Want to know how the latest Callaway driver, Vokey wedge or Scotty Cameron putter performs? He’s the guy to ask. Better yet, just watch his videos on the bunkered YouTube channel. One of the biggest hitters in the UK, James also competes on the World Long Drive circuit and is a descendent of former Amateur champion Freddie Tait.

Gear Editor