A 230-yard 7-iron?! Bryson DeChambeau’s irons, explained

When Bryson DeChambeau nearly aced Quail Hollow’s 227-yard 17th hole with a 7-iron in the opening round of the PGA Championship — his ball stopped within an inch of the cup — tongues were wagging.

A 227-yard 7-iron?

Cool your jets, people! Yes, Bryson hits it miles, but let’s not forget, the number on the bottom of your iron doesn’t mean much. For you or Bryson, or any golfer in between, irons for specific golfers can be tailored to be hit specific distances at specific heights at specific spin numbers. The number printed on them is…just a number!

Bryson already uses a one of one set — i.e., all of his irons are 37.5 inches in length, all are upright and all are counter-balanced due to Bryson’s thick grip, extreme launch and spin parameter, etc. Put simply, the guy organizes his bag so his clubs are gapped perfectly — not so he can beat his chest about hitting a 7-iron 230.

Here is his current iron progression:

Irons: Avoda Bryson Proto (5i-P)
Swing weight: C2
Shafts: LA Golf Bryson 125G 6TX
Lie: 66.25@37.5
Lofts: 18/22/26/30/35/40

Wedges: Ping S159 Raw (45@5 bounce, 50@6 bounce); Ping Glide 4.0 Raw (55, 60); all special Bryson Grind
Swing weight: C2+
Shafts: LA Golf Bryson 125G 6TX
Lie: 66.25@37.5

DeChambeau’s set composition guards against two main things: over spin and extreme height. For example, if you give him a standard off-the-rack 7-iron with 34 degrees of loft and 37 inches of length, he will hit it straight up in the air with probably 10,000-12,000 RPMs of spin (too much!). The rest of his bag would be just as unpredictable. So, to build a functional set — based on yardage coverage from 0 yards to 360 yards — single-length irons work best for him.

DeChambeau backs into his loft numbers based on spin and launch. That’s it. The numbers on his clubs — i.e., 5, 6, 7 — mean nothing beyond identifying what club he’s gonna grab. If it were my bag, I’d mark the irons with either their carry number or loft.

Point is, for DeChambeau, the number on his iron is not an ego thing. It’s a practicality thing. The results speak for themselves, and I respect him for standing alone on the “this is what works for me” mountain.

Looking for the right clubs for your own game? Find a fitting location near you at True Spec Golf.