Equipment

The inside story on the LA Golf putter shaft Bryson DeChambeau tested at The Players

Published

6 years ago

Mar 12, 2020

This week at the Players Championship Bryson DeChambeau was spotted testing a new putter shaft. Like many of his clubs already, the new putter shaft from LA Golf is 100 percent made from graphite, which allows engineers greater control over the parameters of the shaft. The other benefit to the graphite construction is that compared to steel, graphite has a much higher strength-to-weight ratio, which allows it to offer greater stability.

Speaking of stability, there is one more unique design feature of the putter shaft and that is it’s almost constantly thick diameter from top to bottom. We reached out to John Oldenburg, Chief Product Officer and shaft designer at LA Golf Partners, to help explain how this design is beneficial to Bryson’s putting.

“All shafts, or structural tubes for that matter, decrease in stiffness as the diameter decreases. With putter shafts this occurs at the tip end of the shaft as it tapers down significantly to fit into standard hosels that are typically 0.350 to 0.370 in diameter. This causes the tip half of all putter shafts to be more flexible than the butt end where diameters run from 0.580 to 0.620″ and from a putter head control standpoint it’s not at all a beneficial attribute.”

“Bryson’s new constant diameter putter shaft is 0.580 to 0.600 the entire length of the shaft. It is extremely stiff along the entire length to provide extreme flexural stability both in the hands and at the most important section, down by the putter head. Where typical steel putter shafts have torque ratings around 2.0 degrees, the torque of this new shaft is 0.75 degrees and provides Bryson with ultimate control of the putter head throughout the stroke.”

“Just like with his previous LA Golf putter shafts he has used for 3 top 5 finishes in his last 3 events, his new constant diameter putter shaft utilizes a proprietary internal laminate material technology that gives this extremely stiff, extremely low torque shaft, a smooth, pleasing, highly responsive feel at impact.”

LAGP furnished the image of the shaft below.

Considering Bryson’s attitude towards experiments with his equipment and his current run of great play, it’s going to be interesting to see if he puts the shaft in play at TPC Sawgrass.

As you can see from the image below, BAD appears to be sticking with his Ozik shaft through round one, but we’ll see if that changes.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FLORIDA – MARCH 12: Bryson DeChambeau of the United Staters lines up a putt on the 11th green during the first round of The PLAYERS Championship on The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass on March 12, 2020 in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)

Either way, it’s another fascinating experiment for the Golf Scientist.

Equipment

Tommy Fleetwood makes a surprising TaylorMade Spider customization

Published

3 mins ago

Jun 2, 2026

Alistair Cameron

Tommy Fleetwood has a growing collection of TaylorMade Spider putters. We shall wait to see if the newest options go into play, but they definitely has a fun twist to it.

Ahead of the 2026 Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club, the team at TaylorMade gifted the FedExCup champion with his very own custom Spider putter, featuring some nifty details from his winning gamers last year.

While from a distance, the putters may look like your standard blacked-out Spider Tour and also the new torched PVD version, the ones that found its way to Fleetwood in Dublin, Ohio, feature custom laser-etched alignment lines on the topline of each putter, which are an exact replica of the hand-drawn Sharpie marks that TaylorMade Tour putter Rep James Holley drew onto the putter with which Fleetwood won the FedExCup.

No mathematical equations were made to evenly distribute the alignment aid this time, either, and on closer inspection, it’s possible to see the imperfections of what the permanent marker lines looked like when the team scanned and then used a laser to etch onto the putter head.

What’s interesting about the custom putters is that the markings found on the heads are actually not the original version that Holley first drew onto Fleetwood’s flatstick. Over time, they had changed slightly since Holley had to reapply the Sharpie, and had changed technique to stop the ink from smudging.

However, there is a copy of the first attempt from Fleetwood’s special alignment aid, and it’s found on a custom Winston Collection headcover, which the team had made specifically for the Englishman.

On the sole plate of Fleetwood’s black Spider Tour putter is a laser-engraved logo of the FedExCup, an ode to Fleetwood’s biggest triumph in golf so far, using that style of flatstick.

Fleetwood initially tested his custom lines when Holley first drew them at the RBC Heritage to match another style of Spider Fleetwood had tested prior.

“So Tommy, we started with the ZT, and that ZT we have kind of that top milling on the front with that, and he really liked that top milling, how that kind of framed the ball,” Holley told GolfWRX last year, when Fleetwood first played the hand-drawn alignment aid. “You know he uses his special ball, where the orange lines create that single path … so the milling kind of lined up well with that when he lines up the ball. We took a regular Tour, short slant putter that was completely blank, and I pulled out the Sharpie and did my best to kind of draw some stuff on there for him, and he liked it.”

It’s not the first time the team has given Fleetwood the option of his custom alignment aid in an engraved version, but Fleetwood had told them that he did not like the previous lines on the new putters because they were too perfect.

Equipment

Neal Shipley, AKA, the “Big Fridge’s,” custom stamping

Published

12 hours ago

Jun 1, 2026

Alistair Cameron

Neal Shipley was the first to admit that he enjoyed his food while in college. But since his days at Ohio State, he’s slimmed down and earned a PGA Tour Card.

That hasn’t stopped him from having fun with his wedge stampings, though it’s led to some misunderstandings.

On the 54 (degree), we have ‘Big Fudge,'” Shipley told GolfWRX. “It was supposed to be ‘Big Fridge,’ so this happened a little while ago. ‘Big Fridge’ was a nickname between my college teammates and I, with ‘fridge’ meaning stomach, a big stomach.

“We told the Ping guys to put … ‘Big Fridge’ on it, and I think maybe some bad cell service or something, and they thought I said ‘fudge,’ so they put fudge on it.”

On Shipley’s 50-degree he also continues the food theme, this time with his go-to order at the “Golden Arches,” and his stamping “DONS 7.”

“The number 7 meal, the two cheeseburger meal, that was my McDonald’s order, back when I would have McDonald’s frequently,” Shipley shared.

Check out Shipley’s full what’s in the bag and the rest of his wedge stampings here on “Inside the Ropes” from Colonial.

Equipment

From the GolfWRX Classifieds: L.A.B. Purple DF3 with Masters cover

Published

19 hours ago

Jun 1, 2026

Will Schube

At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals who all experience and express our enjoyment of the game in many ways.

It’s that sense of community that drives day-to-day interactions in the forums on topics that range from best driver to what marker you use to mark your ball. It even allows us to share another thing we all love – buying and selling equipment.

Currently, in our GolfWRX buy/sell/trade (BST) forum, @raw10628 has a L.A.B. DF3 putter and Masters putter cover up for grabs.

From the listing: “Some great items here today, time to thin out and make room for next set of gear. All prices include shipping.
LAB DF3 Purple 33.5” 68° lie with TPT – $725. LAB Masters release DF3 cover – $150.”

To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link. If you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum, you can learn more here: GolfWRX BST Rules