When it comes to his driver, the long-hitting Bryson DeChambeau is ready and willing to test endless designs to ensure he’s using the longest and straightest driver possible. He frequently switches his driver, sometimes week-to-week, and sometimes even round-to-round.
With his irons, though, it’s a bit of a different story.
Early on in his professional career, when he first signed with Cobra, DeChambeau and the Cobra design team tested boxes full of prototype irons…and each one was more outlandish than the next.
DeChambeau’s irons are different than most other golfers, because he uses single-length builds that require slightly different head designs. Since iron game is based around precision, the irons had to be perfect for his unique swing and preferences.
That’s why when DeChambeau and the Cobra team finally decided on the Forged One Length designs in 2016, DeChambeau has had a tough time getting them out of the bag since. Although he’s tested different iron heads throughout the years since 2016, no other iron head has won out.
It seems like that’s about to change, though.
According to a recent video posted to DeChambeau’s YouTube channel on Sunday, DeChambeau has tested Cobra’s unreleased 3D-printed irons and said he’s going to be “putting them right in the bag” after a tweak to the lofts.
During the iron testing video, posted above, DeChambeau tested three different sets of irons: two different Cobra King Forged Tec sets, and one set of “King Tour” 3D Printed prototype irons built to match the design of his old Forged One Length irons. Based on his reaction, it seemed DeChambeau took a particular liking to the unreleased 3D-Printed versions.
Everyone has a slightly different iron testing process, but DeChambeau preferred to start with his pitching wedge and work up through the rest of the set.
With the 3D-Printed irons, DeChambeau was hitting his 8-iron around 215 yards and his 6-iron around 245 yards. Obviously, DeChambeau has been training his golf swing to increase speed, but those iron distances are still scary to see.
The only problem DeChambeau seemed to encounter was excessive spin rates. As reported in the video, DeChambeau was spinning his pitching wedge around 11,000 rpm, which is likely too high for DeChambeau. At his speed, too much spin will cause the ball to balloon in the air, costing him control as it flies and when it hits the putting surface.
That’s likely why DeChambeau said at the end of the video that he’d be putting them in the bag after making some loft changes. All things being equal, less loft will help DeChambeau hit the ball flatter and with less spin, helping him to gain control with the new 3D-printed irons.
So, what does 3D-printing mean, and why can it help DeChambeau going forward?
Recently, Cobra has been incorporating 3D Metal Jet printing into its iron and putter designs, which helps them create extremely precise builds. This helps speed up the prototyping process, and will also allow Cobra to perfectly match the head shape, sole and bounce characteristics of his old irons.
For DeChambeau, 3D printing means he can switch into new irons while still feeling comfortable with the playability of the heads compared to his old designs. Unfortunately, the new 3D printed irons are still prototypes, so we don’t know exactly what’s new about them from a tech and design aspect.
We can assume from DeChambeau’s video, however, that the King Tour 3D-printed iron faces have technology that makes them spin more, and that DeChambeau is seriously considering switching into them in 2022.
Look out for more information on the irons and DeChambeau’s switch in the future, as it becomes available.
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