Equipment

Bryson DeChambeau claims drivers from 2009 are ‘relatively the same’ as modern day models

Published

3 months ago

Mar 18, 2026

Gianni Magliocco

Bryson DeChambeau is no stranger to making bold comments, and his latest take on drivers has raised plenty of eyebrows.

Speaking ahead of this week’s LIV South Africa, Bryson was asked the following:

“There’s been a lot of conversations in the last few years about equipment getting out of hand, guys striking the ball just longer, more straight than they ever have in any other golf tournaments. Does that really make such a big impact, or is physical conditioning, looking after yourself, doing weight training, getting in the gym, do you think that’s progressed the sport more than equipment has?”

In response, DeChambeau claimed that not much has changed between drivers from 2009 to now, and it’s due to athletic ability as to why we are seeing players now hit the ball farther than ever:

“I think there’s a legal limit set for everything. There’s really not a way to go around it. If you want to say that a driver back in 2009 is worse than now, I would actually disagree with you on that. I think they’re relatively the same and not much has changed. You can’t change it that much with the rules being the way they are.

So I think it’s a lot more the athletic ability, and not being as afraid to go after shots or swing harder or be more aggressive. I caution anybody that tries to change the rules in the game because they’ve already been established. Let the athletes be the athletes and let’s go have some fun.”

Bryson also added that when it comes to the incoming rollback that the governing bodies have serious questions to ask regarding what they want to accomplish, saying:

“I think it’s very important to set the baseline, from a question standpoint. What are the bodies of golf trying to accomplish? Are they trying to preserve the traditions and history of the game, or are they trying to grow the game, because those are two different things. They can cross over in some facets, in some regard, but when you’re trying to preserve the traditions and history of the game, yeah, you’re going to want to go back to a golf ball that’s going shorter because players are more athletic. Yeah, you’re going to want to shrink the heads. You’re going to want to do this or that.

But if you want to grow the game, that’s not how you get kids to hit the golf ball farther and enjoy it and want to be a part of this game. They’re at a bit of crossroads right now and they have to answer those questions. What do these governing bodies really want? If they can answer that, then we can start moving in that direction, but right now, they have to answer that question before us players can get involved because if they want something different, well, us players may want to make it easier for others like I do. I like showing how much fun it is to play the game of golf, not how difficult it is. Yeah, there’s difficult moments but I want people to enjoy it, get out in nature.

My goals are as such that I want people to experience this more. So answering that question is, I think, the first step to knowing where the game of golf needs to move.”

As is often the case, interesting comments from Bryson, especially considering his chase for more innovative and revolutionary technology throughout his career.

Do you agree or disagree with his latest take, WRXers?

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Gianni Magliocco

Gianni is the Managing Editor at GolfWRX. He can be contacted at [email protected]

7 Comments

will

Mar 22, 2026 at 12:20 pm

I hate that this is a problem, but it is. I wonder how much advantage they gain from customizations? I don’t know that it’d effect much, but I’m always more interested in seeing how pros do with off the shelf equipment.

Reply Report comment
kumat63

Mar 19, 2026 at 7:36 pm

Agree. Rory has said he’d still be playing his 2015 driver if Taylor Made would let him, that it was better than what he has now. The COR hasn’t changed and shafts haven’t really changed either. Ali Taylor did a test with a 2021 Pro V1x and the original 2000 Pro V1 392 and the older Pro V1 was slightly better spin, carry and total distance with 7 iron and driver both. I personally care more about the traditions of the game and would like to see far fewer golfers crowding my favorite courses and to make private clubs affordable for an average income again, so I would like to see a rollback ball to ’80s spin rates and carry and COR limit at whatever a 1975 MacGregor persimmon had max shaft length of 44″ and max head size of 200cc. But I realize that is unrealistic because all the golf companies make money by more people playing and that only happens by making the game easier and the old courses obsolete. Hey Jack Nicklaus doesn’t want people to stop demanding he build new courses!

Reply Report comment
gordy3279

Mar 19, 2026 at 10:39 am

What nobody talks about is the fact that shafts are far better than they were 20 years ago. You can have lighter shafts that have a stiffer profile than 20 years ago. Long story short, if you wanted a shaft that allowed you to swing harder with low and stable kick points you had to go heavy and most likely into a steal shaft. Those shafts were at least double to weight than today’s shaft and less stable kick points. That is why Tiger took so long to move from a steel shaft in his woods than anyone else.

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Jason

Mar 18, 2026 at 8:59 pm

shocking! did he come up with that all on his own?

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HomeyD

Mar 18, 2026 at 4:41 pm

You can do both. Have a “Pro” ball for the pros, and leave everything the same for the amateurs.

Reply Report comment
O

Mar 18, 2026 at 11:02 am

They are the same.
Except for the new ones off the shelf are now about 4 grams lighter since about 2015 when most drivers got extended ½ inch

Reply Report comment
- Joey5Picks
  
  Mar 18, 2026 at 1:11 pm
  
  And with today’s drivers you can miss the sweet spot and the lose very little distance. And there’s less penalty for missing the sweet spot. Swing hard and go find it.
  
  Reply Report comment

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Equipment

Interesting clubs at top of bag – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

21 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, users are talking about top of bag setups that are non-traditional or thought-provoking in some way. Original poster @SuperSpurs106 inquired about other members who might use unorthodox set-ups to help with gapping issues or weak spots.

They wrote:

“I currently have a PING G430 driver, TM Qi35 3W and a TM Qi4D 7W. Driver and 7W are fine but can’t get on with my 3W and have always struggling with this club over the years. Thinking of adding a 2H which I know would look odd. Just wondering if anyone else had a weird set up at the top of their bag?”

Our members in the forum have offered up their thoughts and personal experiences with non-traditional top of bag set-ups, and their reasoning for thinking outside of the box to begin with. 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.

BowMain42: “Don’t worry about what “looks” odd. If the club does what you need it to do, it’s the right club.”
scooterhd2: “I cant hit 3 woods either. Thats why I roll with a unicorn XL Hibore 2 wood. 400 cc head at 16 degrees of loft and its just a monster 3 wood off the tee. Off the deck, we are playing the f6 baffler. 5 wood at 41.75 inches and its easy to control.”
phizzy30: “I had driver, 3 metal, 2/4 hybrid once upon a time as a higher ss player. 4 hybrid is gone and in place is a driving iron nowadays. I don’t think what you’re proposing is weird in anyway, however the yardage gap might be glaringly huge between driver and 2 hybrid. What is it about your 3 metal that has got you all messed up? You could always go 4 metal with shorter shaft and see if that works.”

Entire Thread: “Interesting clubs at top of bag”

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

Equipment

Members of the Mini Driver Club – GolfWRXers discuss

Published

21 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

Will Schube

In our forums, one user has gone searching for fellow users of a mini driver. In a post, @TightFade asked for other mini driver users to chime in with their weapon of choice, the reason for employing a mini, and what club follows it in the bag.

@TightFade asked:

“What mini are you playing? What spot in the bag did it take over? What’s the next club after it? For me: Elyte mini 13.5. Replacing 3w. Next up club looks like it’ll be 5w.”

Our members in the forum have been sharing their own bag setups featuring the mini driver, and the various reasons they purchased one in the first place. 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.

RCGA: “Ping G430 Max 12* ‘Thriver.’ Next club is a 4w and 2i (I play a weird course).”
JMB3: “R7 at 12.75 with Diamana BB 63s. 3w replacement. Next Club: Elyte Ti 5w at 17*.”
ColdOkieGolf: “R7 15.5 turned down to 13.5 It replaces the 3w. I found it surprisingly easy to hit off the deck, and it’s very rare that I need or want to hit something beyond 250 from the fairway, so next club is my 7w.”
ChaosTheory: “I’m sub-90 MPH with driver. But I’m able to hit DOD. I have been wanting something like the R7 15.5, so I just ordered one. I have a spot in the bag so nothing has to go. But I could see it replacing my trusty 4 wood, which I never use for approach shots. Just tee shots and lay ups. If I drop the 4 wood, I will turn my 7 wood down to ~20 degrees and will have good gaps. I recently tried a thriver build: 12 degree driver turned to 14, with a heavier 44 inch shaft and added head weight. I hit it great. Very accurate and not overly high, but the problem was that it sometimes went as far as a typical drive. And that’s not what I needed. So I will probably turn the 15.5 up to 16.5 or even 17.5. It’s all theoretical at this point. ?”

Entire Thread: “Members of the Mini Driver Club…Check In.”

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

Whats in the Bag

Chris Gotterup WITB 2026 (June)

Published

21 hours ago

Jun 3, 2026

GolfWRX Staff

Chris Gotterup had >14 clubs in his bag when photographed prior to the Memorial Tournament.

Drivers: TaylorMade Qi4D (8 degrees), Ping G440 LST (9 degrees @8), Ping G440 LST (7.5 degrees)
Shafts: Project X HZRDUS Smoke Grey 6.5 TX 70 g, Project X HZRDUS T1100 Handcrafted 6.5 TX 70 g, Project X HZRDUS Smoke Grey 6.5 TX 70 g