Equipment
Bryson testing prototype Cobra RadSpeed driver at Augusta National
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
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- Kris Kim what’s in the bag accurate as of the CJ Cup Byron Nelson. More photos from the event here.
Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees @7)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 60 TX
3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 Tour (15 degrees @13.5)
Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana WB 73 TX
Irons: TaylorMade P770 (2, 4), TaylorMade P7MB (5-PW)
Shafts: Mitsubishi Tensei 1K White 80 TX (2), Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X
Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (50-09SB, 56-12SB, 60-11TW)
Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 WV 125
Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour
Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Cord
Check out more in-hand photos of Kris Kim’s equipment here.
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TaylorMade is continuing its UDI/DHY series with the successor to the Stealth UDI and DHY utility irons: PUDI and PDHY (which the company styles as P·UDI and P·DHY). TaylorMade is folding the designs in with its P Series of irons.
TaylorMade outlined the process of developing its new utilities this way. The company started with the data on utility iron usage. Not surprisingly, better players — i.e. those who generate more clubhead speed and strike the ball more precisely — were found to gravitate toward the UDI model. DHY usage, however, covered a wider swath than the company might have expected with six-to-18 handicappers found to be bagging the club.
TaylorMade also found that the majority of golfers playing UDI or DHY utilities were playing P Series irons at the top of their iron configurations.
Can you see where this is going?
Matt Bovee, Director of Product Creation, Iron and Wedge at TaylorMade: “As we look to the future, beyond the tech and the design language, we are excited about repositioning our utility irons into the P·Series family. P·UDI is an easy pair for players that currently play P·Series product and P·DHY is an extremely forgiving option for players of all skill levels. It is a natural fit to give these players the performance in this category that they are looking for.”
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TaylorMade PUDI
TaylorMade PUDI technology cutaway (via TaylorMade)
Crafted with tour player input, TaylorMade sought to develop a confidence-inspiring utility iron that blends with the rest of the P Series irons. Also of note: Interestingly, the PUDI has a more compact head than the P790.
In comparison to past UDI products, the PUDI has a more traditional iron shape, slimmer toplines, and less offset with a little of the backbar visible at address.
TaylorMade PDHY
TaylorMade PDHY tech cutaway (via TaylorMade).
Larger in profile than the PUDI, the PDHY seeks to position center of gravity (CG) lower in the club for ease of launch. The toe height is larger and the profile is larger at address — roughly five millimeters longer than PUDI — the sole of the club is wider for improved forgiveness.
Club Junkie’s take
Golfers who feel like they are missing something at the top of the bag could find the PUDI or PDHY a great option. The look of the PUDI should fit the most discerning eye with a more compact look, less offset, and a thinner topline. If you want a little more confidence looking down the P-DHY will be slightly larger while still being a good-looking utility iron.
For being small packages both models pack a pretty good punch with fast ball speeds, even off-center. The feel is soft and you get a solid feel of the ball compressing off the face when you strike it well. Your ears are greeted with a nice heavy thud as the ball and club come together. The PDHY will launch a little higher for players who need it while the PUDI offers a more penetrating ball flight. Both utility irons could be the cure for an open spot in the top end of the bag.
PUDI, PDHY, or Rescue?
TaylorMade offers the following notes to assist golfers in filling out their bags:
- PUDI has mid-CG right behind the center face to create a more penetrating mid-to-low ball flight
- PDHY has a lower center of gravity to produce an easier-to-launch mid-to-high ball flight.
- Both PUDI and PDHY are lower-flying than the company’s hybrid/Rescue clubs.
- PUDI is more forgiving than P790.
- PDHY is the most forgiving iron in the entire TaylorMade iron family
Pricing, specs, and availability
Price: $249.99
At retail: Now
Stock shafts: UST Mamiya’s Recoil DART (105 X, 90 S and 75 R – only in PDHY)
Stock grip: Golf Pride’s ZGrip (black/grey)
PUDI lofts: 2-17°, 3-20°, 4-22° in both left and right-handed
PDHY lofts: 2-18°, 3-20° and 4-22° in both left and right-handed
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Equipment
Coolest thing for sale in the GolfWRX Classifieds (5/3/24): Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
At GolfWRX, we are a community of like-minded individuals that 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, there is a listing for a Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
From the seller: (@wwcl): “Has been gamed as pics show. 33.5 includes original h/c and grip. $575 includes shipping and PP fees.”
To check out the full listing in our BST forum, head through the link: Scotty Cameron Champions Choice 2.5+ putter
This is the most impressive current listing from the GolfWRX BST, and if you are curious about the rules to participate in the BST Forum you can check them out here: GolfWRX BST Rules
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dat
Apr 7, 2021 at 4:36 pm
Can’t wait for him to drive it 11000 yards!
Owgc
Apr 6, 2021 at 10:07 pm
No body noticing the acne on his face. It’s all over
Jbone
Apr 7, 2021 at 1:11 am
Spit it out.
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?
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.