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Bryson testing prototype Cobra RadSpeed driver at Augusta National

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The ever-testing, ever-questing Bryson DeChambeau is bringing his tireless pursuit of the perfect driver to Augusta National as he prepares for the 2021 Masters Tournament with a prototype Cobra RadSpeed driver in the bag.

With the rumblings of a new driver being put into play echoing among the Georga Pines, and a new driver head spotted on the USGA conforming list, we reached out to Cobra to get the inside information on the new driver being put into play by Bryson.

Here’s what Cobra Tour Manager Ben Schomin and VP of R&D Tom Olsavsky had to say.

GolfWRX: There is lots of talk about a new RadSpeed driver head being put into play this week by Bryson. What can you tell us about the new head that has been specifically tweaked for his high speeds?

Tom Olsavsky: The big thing here is speed and Bryson has a lot of it. To help build a driver specifically tuned for his dynamics, we removed the adjustable weights to save mass from the housings and have focused on internal changes to help him reduce miss-hit variance.

The other thing we did was increase the face thickness of his drivers to prolong durability. Bryson hits a lot of golf balls and with the amount that he hits both in standard practice and his speed training sessions, we wanted to help eliminate any durability concerns. We also suggest that he rotates the heads during sessions—and the adjustability in the hosel makes that easier to do.

Now speaking of the face, we specifically removed the Infinity Face on this new head, because it allows us to change the face radii easier and reduce the toe radius to help with his toe misses.

GolfWRX: Bryson really is unique as far as players you work with, isn’t he? 

Ben Schomin: Bryson hitting a 5-degree driver at 200+ mph ball speed certainly presents some different ball/club dynamics than we typically design for, so we’ve had to rethink some of our approaches. This head is our latest iteration to find something that works best for Bryson at extremely high speeds.

Tom Olsavsky: It’s basic physics: higher speed off-center hits result in greater variability due to the greater forces involved. Much of what we are seeing as far as misses are concerned seems to be due to club/ball friction at the interface between the two surfaces, which is very close to some instabilities in the contact physics. We are doing everything we can from an engineering perspective to keep the ball online more often.

To see what others are saying about Bryson new driver, check out the GolfWRX forums to join the discussion: Bryson testing prototype driver at Augusta

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.

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. dat

    Apr 7, 2021 at 4:36 pm

    Can’t wait for him to drive it 11000 yards!

  2. Owgc

    Apr 6, 2021 at 10:07 pm

    No body noticing the acne on his face. It’s all over

  3. Chuck

    Apr 6, 2021 at 9:56 am

    I’m starting to love Bryson. He’s clarifying the argument on why the USGA and R&A need to act on equipment regulations like never before.

    “Sorry, Mr. Ross” should go down in history as the moment that golf’s ruling bodies were officially put on notice, more than a decade after they admitted that they were on notice.

    • Bagger

      Apr 8, 2021 at 9:12 pm

      I disagree…

      Should the USGA outlaw nutrition and training? The only thing that has changed in the last 20 years is training, launch monitors and agronomy.

      CoR/CT have been in place for nearly 20 years, ball speed has been limited too… athletes change. Should the NBA raise the hoop to 10 ft? Should the football field be lengthened?

  4. Daniel Whitehurst

    Apr 6, 2021 at 5:28 am

    In short, they built a long drive head. It’s probably the same head Kyle Berkshire is hitting since he moved on over to Cobra from Callaway to join his buddy Bryson. Callaway pretty much had the same club in his hands and has mad them for years. XR ‘16 LD 5, Epic Flash LD 5, and this year an Epic Speed LD 5. They come with a special adjustable sleeve that has a special -2/-1/+1 deg loft option instead of the normal -1/+1+2 sleeve

    • Adrian

      Apr 8, 2021 at 1:36 am

      I have the XR 16 LD and noticed that it is much more durable than standard retail drivers and I have been hitting mine for 5 years now with caving in the face. I hear that the face is thicker and there may be some validity to that as any wood that I hit for that long of a period of time will fail. Cobra will definitely be putting out some quality woods if they are to stand up to the beating that Bryson and Berkshire will put on them.

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Equipment

Odyssey extends Damascus Milled lineup with 3 new putters

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Odyssey Golf announced Tuesday that the already popular Damascus Milled putter lineup is getting more options.

Initially launched back in April, only in a Damascus Milled #7 head (in plumbers or double bend configurations), the family grows to four with a One Wide, Two and Rossie S shape, all available in the second limited-edition drop at retail on June 6th.

“Damascus Steel is a beautiful material, and the patterns tell the story, because every one is different” said Odyssey General Manager, Jacob Davidson. “But what stands out is that  as beautiful as these putters are, the feedback from Tour has been the exceptional feel of these putters. We wanted to deliver the most premium performance-driven putter we’ve ever done at Odyssey. When you look at this product, we have so much confidence because there is not one thing we’d do different. On this one we really took our time over  the last couple years to try to perfect the design.”

Created from a layered construction of multiple steel alloys, this Damascus Steel insert is forged, folded and pressed to create a unique, striking pattern in every piece. Think of it like a fingerprint. Each Damascus construction comes with its own 1-of-1 style pattern. No offerings will ever look the same.

The layered structure, combined with a specialized heat treatment, delivers a finely tuned, highly responsive feel different from other insert materials. The Damascus steel is audibly different compared to other inserts, potentially with slightly more feedback. Odyssey also uses AI-designed back contours to maintain consistent ball speed across the face, blending traditional craftsmanship with modern tech.

Each head in the line is precision-milled from stainless steel and features a blasted silver finish to complement the Damascus insert and sole plates.

With Tour feedback, Odyssey has also developed, in collaboration with Golf Pride, a grip featuring meticulously crafted edges, pistol shaping and a classic modern tour feel.

Odyssey Damascus Milled One Wide
Odyssey Damascus Milled Two
Odyssey Damascus Milled Rossie S
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L.A.B. Golf launches new VZN.1i putter

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L.A.B. Golf has been the pioneer when it comes to Lie Angle Balanced putters for years now. When you talk to another golfer and zero torque putters comes up, as it will since it is the hottest thing in golf, the first brand out of their mouthes is L.A.B. Golf. Currently their putter line up has something for every golfer, wether your like blades or mallets. But the company has a new creation for golfers that we saw out on tour just a few weeks ago and is now available to us, the VZN.1i putter.

One of the big stories with the new VZN.1i putter is alignment in the form of the shape. L.A.B. has always given us plenty of alignment options in their putters with different line formations and shapes that can be laser etched onto the top of the putter. With this new design they used the shape of the head and the open cavity in the middle to help enhance the alignment for players. These shapes help players lock into their intended line to improve accuracy and concistency.

“VZN.1i was approached formulaically by combining everything we’ve learned from the success of previous L.A.B. Golf models into a familiar mallet shape that’s easy on the eyes and even easier to putt with,” said Cameron Day, Senior Vice President of Product at L.A.B. Golf. “Every L.A.B. putter is engineered to roll the ball on its intended line through Lie Angle Balance technology. With VZN.1i, we took things a step further by simplifying another critical aspect of putting: alignment.”

Like most of the other L.A.B. mallet putters the VZN.1i is machined from a solid block of aluminum and features a 303 stainless steel face insert. Steel face inserts on all L.A.B. putters not only enhance the sound and feel but they improve ball speed for better distance control. The new shaping also offers two ways of picking up your ball, using the sole or the rear flange can scoop up the ball. The company is offering the VZN.1i with a 1.5 degree forward shaft lean or a vertical shaft option in order to fit more golfers. Each VZN.1i is hand balanced and 10 other stages before it is complete and ready to ship. L.A.B. has its custom program where the golfer can select their length and lie but also head color, shaft upgrades, and grips to make their VZN.1i fit them perfectly.

The VZN.1i is available now starting at $499 for stock models and $599 for custom.

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Equipment

2026 Edition: Most comfortable walking shoe? – GolfWRXers discuss

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In our forums, one user has asked a question sure to interest all sorts of golfers. What’s the most comfortable walking shoe of 2026?

@RobDMB posed the following question:

“Looking for suggestions/recommendations on the currently available most comfortable walking shoes – preferably waterproof. Essentially looking for something comfortable like a running shoe, but with some stability and waterproof for golf. Decent room in toe box as well. Any recommendations are appreciated. Thanks!”

Our members in the forum have been sharing their own recommendations on the best walking shoes that can also survive a number of golf rounds. Here are a few posts from the thread, but make sure to check out the entire discussion and have your say at the link below.

  • SheriffBooth: “To check all your boxes I’d vote for whichever of the current Nike lineup fits your feet the best. Obviously the Victory Pro 4 and Victory Tour 4 are good enough for the two best players in the world, but the new Pegasus, Next% Tour 3, and Tempo all look really good too.”
  • i*windows: “when I had issues with my feet I played in Asics running shoes they were a little bit like the hoka’s above, very comfortable, now I’m back to Ecco shoes which are great.”
  • mshills: “Everyone’s feet are different so this will be a long list of lots of different shoes. For me, anything from Ecco’s Biom lineup. Nothing else comes close.”

Entire Thread: “2026 Edition: Most Comfortable Walking Shoe?”

If you aren’t a member, join us in the GolfWRX forums today!

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