Latest news with #LAGolf
NBC Sports
3 days ago
- Sport
- NBC Sports
'Version 3': Bryson DeChambeau hoping newest irons help him unlock third U.S. Open title
OAKMONT, Pa. – It's no secret that Bryson DeChambeau's iron play has held him back in recent majors. When he won last year's U.S. Open at Pinehurst, DeChambeau was still in the honeymoon phase with his initial 3D-printed irons, a bulge-and-roll set built for him by Avoda Golf. But in three major starts since, DeChambeau had struggled on approach. He lost 2.37 strokes per round at Royal Troon. He was minus-0.7 at the Masters. And although he was positive a few weeks ago at Quail Hollow, he was barely inside the top 50 at +0.13. Meanwhile, DeChambeau was working with LA Golf on a new set of prototypes. These ones, named BAD V3-W, were designed to fix DeChambeau's issue of overdrawing his irons. But the initial build wasn't quite up to spec. '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,' DeChambeau explained. 'That's ultimately why it wasn't ready, and we had to print another version. This is version 3.' And what makes this version different and hopefully better? 'The heel is a little bit flatter on the curvature,' DeChambeau explained. '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. Like 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.' DeChambeau debuted the BAD V3-Ws at last week's LIV Golf Virginia event, where he tied for fourth and gained 0.3 shots per round on approach. 'They felt great,' DeChambeau 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 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 optimize.'
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Bryson DeChambeau brings new irons to Oakmont for U.S. Open, still looking for ideal ball
Bryson DeChambeau brings new irons to Oakmont for U.S. Open, still looking for ideal ball The defending U.S. Open champion has a new set of irons in his bag. Discover what we know about Bryson DeChambeau's new gear. Bryson DeChambeau put a new set of irons in his bag last week at the LIV Golf event in Virginia, and it sounds like he's excited to use them this week as he tries to win back-to-back U.S. Open championships. The irons were designed by LA Golf — the brand that also makes DeChambeau's signature line of shafts — with extensive input from the two-time major winner. Previously, DeChambeau had been using a 3D-printed set of irons from Avoda that featured curvature in the heel and toe areas. While irons are typically made with flat faces, drivers, fairway woods and hybrids are designed with face curvature — referred to as bulge and roll — to reduce gear effect and help straighten off-center shots. 'I've optimized it a little bit more, so hopefully that helps with those overdraws in my irons,' DeChambeau said Tuesday during his press conference at Oakmont. 'You never know, but they seem to have helped this week, and hopefully it aids for me this week.' DeChambeau did not say what the irons are called or when they might be made available to the public, but when asked how they are different from the previous irons he had been playing, he said, '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. Like, 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 (center of gravity) out towards the toe.' DeChambeau said because his golf shafts and jumbo grips are so heavy, the combined weight pulls the center of gravity in his irons more to the heel side. That would create a draw bias, which DeChambeau does not want. 'We try to offset that with that tungsten weight on the toe. That's very simply what it is,' he said. So, it's safe to presume the black piece on the back of his irons that has two screws it it is tungsten, which is heavier than stainless steels used in irons. Adding more weight to the toe would counteract the effect of the heavier shafts and grips and help keep the center of gravity in the center of the hitting area. DeChambeau has also expressed frustration with the golf balls he has used for the past few months and hinted Tuesday he's working to create a ball that will perform the way he wants. 'The golf ball is a longer discussion. That's going to be a bit of time. I'm still working on it,' he said. '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.' LA Golf also makes a golf ball, though DeChambeau has not used it in competition. He said he's looking for a ball that launches lower and has more controllable spin on full-swing shots than his current ball, a Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash, but still has ample spin on half-swing shots. 'I'm excited to keep researching and trying and experimenting and optimizing,' DeChambeau said. '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.'
Fox Sports
07-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
LIV Golf Virginia: Bryson DeChambeau, Martin Kaymer leading after Round 1
GAINESVILLE, Va. — After a 107-minute weather delay, the star players took advantage of a soft golf course during the first round of LIV Golf Virginia. Bryson DeChambeau, who debuted his new set of custom LA Golf irons this week, was chief among them. The Crushers GC captain immediately chipped his third shot on the par-5 14th in for eagle, vaulting him up the leaderboard. But he wasn't done yet. DeChambeau made birdies on holes 15 and 16, with the latter coming in the form of another chip-in from the deep greenside rough. The surge at the end of the round gave him a share of the first-round lead at 5 under. [MORE: How to watch LIV Golf Virginia 2025: Schedule, start time, TV channels, tee times] Martin Kaymer, who hasn't held a first-round lead since LIV Houston last year, made birdies on 16, 17 and 18 to tie the lead before ending his day with a par on the tough par-4 first hole. The late-round birdie barrage after the delay was not limited to DeChambeau and Kaymer. After finishing strong, Jon Rahm, Anirban Lahiri, Phil Mickelson, Graeme McDowell, Joaquin Niemann and Marc Leishman make up the group that are tied for second place at 4-under par. [MORE: 2025 LIV Golf Virginia odds, predictions: Favorites, picks from the field] Prior to the delay, McDowell held the solo lead, carding a bogey-free 4-under 67. The 45-year-old Irishman hit every green in regulation and was one of three players who went bogey-free on the round. Joining McDowell in the bogey-free club were a pair of 4Aces GC teammates, Thomas Pieters and Reed. On the team side of the competition, Bubba Watson's RangeGoats GC lead by two at 9 under, followed by the Crushers and 4Aces who share second place at 7 under. TEAM SCORES LIV Golf's new scoring format this season now involves all four scores now counting in every round in the team competition. Here are the results and scores for each team after Friday's Round 1 of LIV Golf Virginia. 1. RANGEGOATS GC -9 T2. CRUSHERS GC -7 T2. 4ACES GC -7 4. SMASH GC -6 5. TORQUE GC -3 6. CLEEKS GC -1 7. STINGER GC E 8. IRON HEADS GC +1 T9. RIPPER GC +3 T9. LEGION XIII +3 11. HYFLYERS GC +4 12. FIREBALLS GC +5 13. MAJESTICKS GC +12 This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf . Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily . FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience LIV Golf recommended Get more from LIV Golf Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
USA Today
18-04-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Cobra limited-edition Limit3d Enso, Pista putters
Cobra limited-edition Limit3d Enso, Pista putters Using 3D metal printing technology, Cobra engineered ultra-forgiving putters to maximizer forgiveness and consistency on the greens. Gear: Cobra LIMIT3D putters Price: $599 each with KBS CT Tour Putter 120 shaft and SuperStroke Zenergy 2.0 PT grip Specs: 3D-printed 316L stainless steel heads with multi-loft hitting area Available: April 18 online and at select retailers Who it's for: Golfers seeking cutting-edge design and precision performance in a limited-edition putter. What you should know: Cobra is expanding its use of 3D printing with a new line of limited-edition putters, combining internal, stainless steel lattice structures with multi-loft face technology to give players more consistency and control on the greens. The Deep Dive: Cobra's interest in 3D printing isn't new, but until now, it's mostly lived in the world of iron design. That changes with the LIMIT3D putters—a small-batch line of precision-milled mallets and blades. Both the LIMIT3D Enzo and the LIMIT3D Pista putters are built using 3D printing techniques — Metal Jet for the Enzo and Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) for the Pista — which is then followed by CNC machining to smooth the finished surfaces. By 3D printing the heads using 316L stainless steel, Cobra designers were able to create a complex, internal structure that would be impossible to make using traditional casting or forging methods. The lattice is strong but requires less material, so it saves weight from areas of the head where it does not create a performance benefit. In turn, that allowed engineers to redistribute the saved weight into spots to increase the moment of inertia (MOI) and boost stability, particularly on putts struck away from the center. The face of each LIMIT3D Enzo and Pista features LA Golf's Descending Loft Technology, a multi-loft design intended to help golfers produce consistent launch and roll. At the top of the hitting area, the face has 4 degrees of loft, which is slightly more than standard for a putter, to offset a forward press that some golfers produce. Below that quarter of the face, the loft decreases to 3 degrees, then 2 degrees, and finally the lowest quarter of the face is made with 1 degree of loft. Why? Golfers who strike a putt on the bottom of the face typically lift the ball up, so reducing the loft can counteract the effect of the rising stroke. The goal is to create a more predictable, end-over-end roll across a range of putting styles. The LIMIT3D Enzo is a high-MOI mallet available in two versions. The standard Enzo features a single-bend shaft with a face-balanced design and a half-shaft offset, a setup that should appeal to players with a more straight-back, straight-through stroke. The Enzo-30 has a slant neck for 30 degrees of toe hang and a three-quarter shaft offset, making it more ideal for golfers with a slight-arc stroke. The LIMIT3D Pista-45 is a compact blade that comes with a plumber's neck and 45 degrees of toe hang, while the Pista-60 uses a small flow neck that increases toe hang to 60 degrees. Both versions are ideal for golfers who have an arched putting stroke. Each LIMIT3D putter comes standard with a KBS CT Tour Putter shaft and SuperStroke Zenergy 2.0PT grip, and only 500 units of each model will be made available.
Forbes
24-03-2025
- Automotive
- Forbes
LA Golf Eyes L.A.B. Golf's Disruptive Path With New Driver Technology
LA Golf has launched a new driver co-designed by two-time U.S. Open champion Bryson DeChambeau, a process that started with a 'blank sheet' and ended with a concept that promises to drastically help correct some of the most common faults among the majority of golfers. The first-ever driver from LA Golf features what's called Face ID technology and introduces a fitting system that matches both the club face and the club shaft to a golfer's swing speed. DeChambeau was the genesis of the idea to make the curve of the club face – the bulge and roll – proportionate to swing speed. The result is side spin on shots hit off the toe and heel, the bane of most recreational golfers, is cut almost in half. In layman's terms, less side spin means a slice turns into a fade and a hook becomes a draw. It doesn't matter if a weekend warrior can't bomb a driver like DeChambeau. 'This curvature face concept really works for every swing speed, whether you have an 85 mile-an-hour swing or a 125-mile-per-hour swing,' said LA Golf founder and CEO Reed Dickens. 'This isn't just like we made a minor tweak to the drivers that are out there. This is a structural and design philosophic change.' Dickens said DeChambeau's 'journey for repeatability' led him to the concept, which he honed with LA Golf Chief Design Officer Jeff Meyer. DeChambeau has been a founding investor of LA Golf since the company's early days and used the company's shafts in all 14 of his clubs during his first U.S. Open victory in 2020. 'I have been on a decade long journey to solve for every possible variable with my equipment," DeChambeau says. "Jeff Meyer is the most creative engineer I have ever worked with, and Reed is a proven disruptor and risk taker. That is a rare combination in the golf space, and the driver is the result of that dynamic.' The new driver is available on LA Golf's website, where a series of questions allows consumers to get a club that's fully assembled (the company manufactures both the clubheads and club shafts) to match their swing speed. Golfers will have to know their swing speed, while also providing their handicap index, and answering questions about ball flight trajectory, tempo and transition, the general curvature of their tee shots with a driver, and the flex of the shaft in their current driver. Dickens says the online assessment is just as accurate as a fitting, but notes that the company will have locations around the country for a standard club fitting. There are five Face ID options, among them the '13-12' engineered for players with slower swing speeds and designed for high launch and maximum forgiveness, as well as the '12-11' built for mid-range swing speed players to increase carry distance and optimize side spin to straighten those off-center hits. LA Golf's foray into the driver market retails for about $650, but it's important to recognize that price also includes the premium shafts upon which the upstart brand initially built its reputation. When prompted, Dickens says he does see some similarities to the approach taken by another upstart equipment brand: L.A.B. Golf, which in recent years has enjoyed surging popularity and gained a massive following (in the pro and recreational ranks) because of the performance of its no-torque putters. 'I think this driver will be the number one driver in golf in three to four years,' said Dickens, who isn't shy about positioning his brand as anti-establishment in the equipment space. 'The only reason it will take that long is that it will take us that long to ramp up inventory and distribution and tell the story. Really the challenge for us is putting it in people's hands. That's been the key to L.A.B.'s success. When you put it in people's hands they have a high conversion. When we put this product in people's hands regardless of handicap, it has a very high conversion rate.' If Dickens sounds overly confident about challenging the status quo in a sport that embraces tradition and traditional brands, it's because he's done it before, albeit in another industry. A former White House Assistant Press Secretary under George W. Bush, Dickens formerly founded Marucci Sports, a company that disrupted a baseball bat industry dominated by names like Louisville Slugger, Easton and Rawlings. 'It's the same lessons and playbook, it just takes longer in golf,' said Dickens. 'Adoption is slower and it's way more capital intensive.' With the launch of its Face ID driver, LA Golf just might be positioning itself to follow the successful roadmap of L.A.B. Golf, which has grown from an online-only challenger brand to an established innovator with tour validation. So, can LA Golf disrupt the driver market the way L.A.B. Golf has with putters? And is DeChambeau, who has developed a reputation as a mad scientist of sorts when it comes to his meticulous preparation and data-centric approach, the one to lead the charge with an unconventional name in the game? 'Bryson gets kind of labeled as this contrarian guy when all he's really doing is following the data," said Dickens. "His journey for repeatability led him to this discovery.'
