One week ahead of Bryson DeChambeau's title defense at the U.S. Open, the reigning champion is making a considerable change to his golf bag. DeChambeau has switched out his 3D-printed Avoda Golf irons for a custom set of LA Golf BAD V3-W irons. He will debut the new iron set this weekend at LIV Golf Virginia.
According to Johnny Wunder of Golf.com, DeChambeau's new irons still all measure the same length (37.5 inches) and feature bulge and roll technology. Bulge and roll, which is much more common on drivers, reduces side spin on the ball when the strike comes on the heel or toe. Bryson's swing speed is so fast, even with irons, that the bulge and roll design helps his mishits stay under control.
There are a few differences between his old Avodas and his new LA Golf set.
For one, DeChambeau added an 80-gram tungsten weight on the toe of his new irons, which will stop him from closing the face too early and putting too much draw on his approach shots. The weight will keep the toe of the club outside for longer to encourage a slight draw back to the target instead of a pull hook.
Additionally, his LA Golf BAD V3-W irons feature a flatter feel than the Avodas. In this new set, the heel doesn't have as much curvature as the toe, which will work well with his in-to-out swing path. If he mishits an iron shot off the heel, it won't produce a strong enough left-to-right spin to knock the ball off its path.
Look, we know. All of this equipment talk is confusing, but the theme is that DeChambeau is trying to build an iron set that doesn't produce any surprises. If he can predict precisely how the ball is going to fly coming off every part of the iron face, even with his swing speed, he'll take one step closer to golfing perfection.
There's a reason DeChambeau is focused on improving his iron play with the U.S. Open right around the corner. Over the last six months, the two-time champ ranks 10th in this year's field in total strokes gained, eighth in strokes gained from off the tee, and 10th in strokes gained from short game. The issue? He ranks 82nd out of 105 qualified players in strokes gained on approach in that span.
DeChambeau has lost strokes with his irons in four of his last eight starts. Even if he drives it well at Oakmont Country Club, this level of approach play isn't good enough to win a major championship. The mad scientist is obviously hoping his latest experiment will lead to back-to-back U.S. Open victories.