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DeChambeau makes history with 14 graphite shafts on PGA Tour (inside info from LA Golf Shafts)

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There was a lot of talk about golf history being made this week at the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, and much of it had something to do with LA Golf shafts.

First, we had Kevin Na, become the FIRST golfer in history (since available data) to be negative strokes gained: tee-to-green but still win the event. Kevin can thank his smoking hot putter, which helped him make over 558 feet worth of putts for the week—an Odyssey Toulon Madison with an LA Golf Shafts Ozik TP graphite putter shaft.

Kevin Na Putter

The other part of history had to do with Bryson “The Golfing Scientist” DeChambeau. Bryson became the first golfer on the PGA Tour to ever use graphite shafts in each one of his clubs from top to bottom—that’s right, all 14 clubs including his putter had graphite shafts.

This all started with his “Rebar” wedge shafts discussed here (GolfWRX Spotted: LA Golf “REBAR” Wedge Shafts) and in the talk with LA Golf Shafts Chief Product Officer John Oldenburg, he touched on how irons shafts were next. This week has proven that testing obviously went well, and while defending his SHCO title, DeChambeau finished with a final round 63 to finish fourth.

From John on the new iron shafts Bryson had in play

“In a nutshell, the ‘Texas Rebar’ shafts are really, really stiff. In a test session with Bryson a few weeks back, he noticed that as he went stiffer in iron shafts his performance improved as it relates to launch, spin, dispersion, and shot control.

“The versatility of composite materials allows us to add stiffness, drop torque, move the balance, and modify the flex profile without adding additional weight. We designed him ‘rebar’ for the 4-iron, 7-iron, and wedge, as those irons he likes to test with. He put the wedge shafts in play immediately in Napa, and then said, “let’s make the rest!”

“We sent him some more of the wedge shafts to Vegas along with some of the 4-iron prototypes. I was not there, but my understanding is that he put the 4-iron shaft in his 4 and 5-iron and put the wedge shaft in all of the other irons. Our original plan was to make a full set of individual shafts for each club, with a progressive frequency and tip stiffness profile. Bryson has chosen to play the shafts in his current configuration since he feels they perform so well.

“We believe this will be an ongoing process, and will continue to fine tune the shafts to meet Bryson’s performance requirements. The current wedge and 4-iron shaft are both around 120 grams. The 4-iron shaft is slightly softer overall and in the tip than the wedge. Although they are 10-15 grams lighter than the TT DG X7 they are nearly a full flex stiffer and are lower in torque than his previous X7 shafts.”

With Bryson, the testing never truly stops, and we look forward to seeing what will end up in his golf bag next!

 

 

 

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Ryan Barath is a club-fitter & master club builder with more than 17 years of experience working with golfers of all skill levels, including PGA Tour players. He is the former Build Shop Manager & Social Media Coordinator for Modern Golf. He now works independently from his home shop and is a member of advisory panels to a select number of golf equipment manufacturers. You can find Ryan on Twitter and Instagram where he's always willing to chat golf, and share his passion for club building, course architecture and wedge grinding.

34 Comments

34 Comments

  1. Pingback: Graphite vs. steel iron shafts – what you need to know – GolfWRX

  2. #1KuchFan

    Oct 13, 2019 at 2:46 pm

    He’s so quirky. I can’t get enough of these articles. They hardly ever mention the golfing scientist. So quirky.

  3. Jarnio Bubly

    Oct 12, 2019 at 12:14 am

    Some players make history with their stellar play while Bryson makes history with is equipment.

  4. Zach

    Oct 9, 2019 at 12:50 pm

    PXG: Hold my beer

  5. Cody

    Oct 8, 2019 at 10:37 pm

    I play aldila rip 115 slt tour x flex shafts. Super stiff and a torque rating of 1 to 1.4 depending on the iron.

  6. rjvanro

    Oct 8, 2019 at 9:13 pm

    All graphite is probably why Bryson has decided to pump some iron. Probably feeling a little less manly. LOL

  7. Piter

    Oct 8, 2019 at 6:06 am

    Good on him for trying stuff. I hadn’t heard about SL clubs before untill i read about him using them, and am interested. I prefer graphite shafts, despite being strong enough (that silly common excuse for buying steel shafts), but because of the feel. Nice to see a pro not following convention all the time.

  8. JThunder

    Oct 7, 2019 at 10:49 pm

    I just come on the internet to vent my frustration with life. Bryson sucks because he’s different. Lots of other suck because they’re too much the same. Tour issued clubs are better than what we can get at retail, so that sucks. But pros could play the same regardless of what’s in their bag, so that sucks. OEMs never invent anything new, just repackage and steal and it’s all marketing – that sucks. Amateurs need lessons and no golf club is going to improve their game, and that sucks too.

    • PLightning

      Oct 8, 2019 at 12:07 pm

      Lessons from washed out hacks that never broke 80 that were taught on youtube suck.

    • A. Commoner

      Oct 8, 2019 at 2:00 pm

      Give life a chance. You might feel better.

    • rjvanro

      Oct 8, 2019 at 9:11 pm

      LOL JThunder you would be a great person to have a beer with. LOL snowing here in Calgary and that really sucks!

  9. Kevin

    Oct 7, 2019 at 5:52 pm

    https://us.v-cdn.net/6024507/uploads/ipb/monthly_01_2010/post-94483-12644619954416.jpg

    I believe Phil Mickelson used all graphite shafts in each one of his clubs when he was with Yonex at one time. He was with them in from 1992-2000 and know the iron and putter were graphite. Not sure how much research this writer did to make the claim however a quick search of this side shows his bag.

    • chip75

      Oct 7, 2019 at 6:19 pm

      My thoughts went straight to Mickelson as well, there were times (when he was Yonex) when Phil had an Eye2 wedge in his bag and a Titleist PT fairway wood (it might have been a Taylor Made Tour Preferred?), but I’m pretty sure he gamed a full set of graphite shafts.

    • Joe

      Oct 7, 2019 at 10:09 pm

      I think you are correct.

    • Lefty

      Oct 8, 2019 at 5:58 am

      Dear Numpties,

      Lefty had a steel putter shaft.

      • chip75

        Oct 8, 2019 at 4:14 pm

        From what I remember he did have a steel putter shaft, but he gamed graphite for a time too. It would have been around 1995-1996.

  10. JP

    Oct 7, 2019 at 5:40 pm

    If it speeds up his pace of play, I’m all for it…

  11. Caroline

    Oct 7, 2019 at 5:03 pm

    Bryson is like every pro out there when he is on he is on….no rotation in the shaft makes it easier to hit straight shots, and very little open/close of club face to curve the ball. I would think the stiffest shafts work well with that concept as any kind of bend is going to move the club face…and his swing is around and through with little wrist/hand angles at all (Steve Stricker) or Moe Norman with a wrist set that does not open or close the club face….

  12. Jason B

    Oct 7, 2019 at 5:00 pm

    He changes shafts quicker than he putts 8 footers.

  13. C

    Oct 7, 2019 at 4:52 pm

    Another reason proving pros suck now compared to Jack and Arnies days.

  14. dat

    Oct 7, 2019 at 3:15 pm

    But, will it actually help his game and will he win?

  15. Rich Douglas

    Oct 7, 2019 at 2:14 pm

    Disclaimer: “Professional Golfer. Do not try this at home.”

  16. Dave

    Oct 7, 2019 at 2:10 pm

    In other news LA Golf sold out of their entire inventory of rebar shafts due to rampant demand from every GolfWRX “scratch” golfer under the sun who thinks they should play the stiffest shafts on the planet.

    • Rich Douglas

      Oct 7, 2019 at 2:15 pm

      Thank you. Now if we could just get them to shut up about the no-offset forged blades they use to hit all those shanks….

  17. Shallowface

    Oct 7, 2019 at 2:08 pm

    I like Bryson, but if any of this stuff really mattered he’d never lose. As it is, he wins a few, loses most, has some high finishes and misses some cuts. Just like everyone else. And if he decided tomorrow to go with a bag of conventional gear, his results would be exactly the same. Or maybe better, who knows, as it might clear his head of some of the clutter. I believe he will eventually try it.

    • Eastpointe

      Oct 7, 2019 at 2:55 pm

      I would tend to agree with you if we were talking about a new driver head or new putter head but we are talking about an outside the box completely unheard of shaft profile. I think this is really interesting and with time and practice Bryson could revolutionize golf club setups

    • Brandon

      Oct 7, 2019 at 10:17 pm

      Exactly. People occasionally survive jumping off the golden gate bridge, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea.

  18. DukeOfChinoHills

    Oct 7, 2019 at 2:06 pm

    This is a passing fad.

  19. James

    Oct 7, 2019 at 1:46 pm

    Yea, this is history worth remembering. I’m sure he he huddled with his PR people and said, let’s make history. Just wow.

  20. Bing Hogan

    Oct 7, 2019 at 12:30 pm

    We’ll see how long this lasts…

    • Rich Douglas

      Oct 7, 2019 at 2:22 pm

      Right. Because he’s the only pro golfer–or golfer of any stripe–who tinkers.

      252 golfers have won 5 or more PGA tour events in the history of professional golf.

      Five golfers have ever won the NCAA and US Amateur in the same year.

      Bryson is on both of those lists.

      Oh, and he’s been playing single-length irons the entire time. So that shows quite a bit of commitment to a concept.

      • Benny

        Oct 8, 2019 at 7:34 am

        Well said Rich Douglas. I don’t like Bryson’s attitude and not shaking hands while tossing a baby fit. But have to hand it to him. He hits bombs (which most don’t know) and the dude is doing something never heard of.
        I commend him and regardless if this is a PR move to get LA Golf Shafts name out there. It shows the dude is not stopping anytime soon. I have seen a number of guys online and in Boston area swear by single length. Lets see where this goes..

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Whats in the Bag

Drew Brees WITB 2024 (April)

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A post shared by GolfWRX (@golfwrx)

Driver: TaylorMade Stealth 2 Plus (10.5 degrees)

Mini driver: TaylorMade BRNR Mini Copper (13.5 degrees)

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (19 degrees)

Irons: TaylorMade P790 (4-8, PW), TaylorMade P760 (9)

Wedges: TaylorMade MG Hi-Toe (52-09, 56-10, 60)

Putter: Scotty Cameron Select Newport 2 Prototype

Check out more in-hand photos of Drew Brees’ clubs here.

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Equipment

Putter Roundup: 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans

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We always get some great photos of some phenomenal putters at tour events and love to share them. Here are a few from the 2024 Zurich Classic that caught our eye and seemed interesting. (And as a reminder, you can check out all our photos from New Orleans here)

MJ Daffue’s Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype

MJ is going with the new Scotty Cameron T-11 Prototype this week. The putter is a multi-piece mallet that puts an emphasis on stability with the wings on the back. Daffue’s putter does have a design that differs from retail with a monotone finish, which eliminates the black paint on the aluminum parts that we see at retail. He also has a half siteline milled into the top and an L-neck welded on for some additional toe hang. The face features a deeper milling that should offer a softer feel and slightly quieter sound.

Scotty Cameron T-7.5 Prototype

We spotted a few different Scotty Cameron Phantom models with modified rear flanges. It looks like the straight black flange was cut into a half circle for a little softer look at address. On this T-7.5, you can still see the raw aluminum from the back view, so this might have been a last-minute job to get them out on tour. The semi-circle also has a white line on it, maybe to frame the ball differently.

Alex Fitzpatrick’s Bettinardi SS16 DASS

Alex’s SS16 is made from Bettinardi’s famous D.A.S.S., or double-aged stainless steel, for a softer and more responsive feel. The face has a unique diamond pattern milling and features a logo that I feel like I have seen before, but can’t put a name to. The putter is a classic mid-mallet style with a simple, single white siteline on the top. The sole is clean with just the SS16, DASS, and a green triangle logo on it.

Steve Stricker’s Odyssey White Hot No. 2

This putter has made some amazing putts in its long career! Stricker’s White Hot No. 2 might be in the top 10 of most famous putters in golf. When you see all the dents and lead tape, you know the heel will be up and it will be sinking putts! The soft White Hot insert looks to be in good shape and has less wear on it than the rest of the putter. We don’t know how much lead tape is on the sole, but it has to be multiple layers compacted down over the years.

Doug Ghim’s Scotty Cameron T-7 Prototype

This T-7 should win the award for “best color finish” in this list with its deep chromatic bronze. It looks like Scotty added a cherry bomb dot to the heel of the deep-milled face and filled it with a very dark blue paint. The rest of the putter looks pretty stock with its single site line on the topline and twin site lines down the “fangs” of the putter. Twin 5-gram weights are installed in the sole and the putter is finished off with a gloss black double bend shaft with a fill shaft offset.

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Equipment

Spotted: Project X Denali hybrid shaft

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Project X’s Denali wood shafts have been seen in more and more golf bags this year as we start off the season. As a refresher, Denali Blue is the mid-launch and mid-spin model while Denali Black is for players seeking lower launch and spin.

Denali combines great feel with stability and increased ball speed. Currently, Project X only offers Denali Blue and Black in wood shafts, but we spotted a hybrid shaft in Daniel Berger’s bag at the 2024 Zurich Classic.

The shaft looks to be a Denali Blue 105G – HY in TX flex. No word on details from Project X yet but we can assume that this is a mid-launching shaft that weighs around 105 grams in Tour X-Stiff flex.

Berger has this shaft in his TaylorMade P770 3-iron, likely for some added launch and spin to hold the green from longer distances.

Hopefully, this means we will see some more shafts coming under the Denali name in the future, as I think many of us would like to try one in a hybrid or utility iron!

 

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