Here’s how Bryson DeChambeau’s ‘engineer’ putting style works

Bryson DeChambeau does things a little differently. It’s what makes him the most innovative and, in my opinion, interesting person in golf.

Most golf fans know, by this point, some of his full swing explorations. His crafting of a single-length set of irons in search of a perfectly zero-shift swing. His bulking up for more speed. For a while, Bryson’s putting remained relatively untouched by comparison. He used an Edel Brick putter when he first burst onto the scene, which was a bit eye-catching, but that was the only thing slightly unconventional about his style.

Fast forward to today, and Bryson has adopted an almost entirely different style. His arms are much straighter, his putter is far more upright, and he’s using an arm-lock style.

What prompted the change?

In 2017, Bryson finished the season 145th in SG: Putting. After a short-lived experiment with side-saddle putting, he settled on his new arm-lock method and jumped to 32nd and 28th in SG: Putting the following two seasons.

And earlier this week, co-host of GOLF’s Fully Equipped equipment podcast, Tim Briand, dropped some interesting insight about the method which he learned after a conversation with Bryson himself:

“Basically, he’s using an engineers approach to putting. He’s trying to make it all about angles…he’s trying to rotate his left elbow as far outwardly to its maximum range of motion, and then he’s trying to take his lead left wrist, and he’s trying to rotate it as far the opposite direction as it can possibly go, to its maximum range of motion. And when you look at his trail arm and trail joints, he’s trying to do exactly the opposite.”

So, in a nutshell, Bryson is trying to turn his elbows outwards in opposite directions, and at the same time turn both his wrists inwards, when he’s putting.

Briand explains why:

“The reason why he’s trying to do that is so he can lock these joint capsules in place at their maxed out range of motion so there’s no where for them to go…he’s literally locked in.”

Some really interesting insight that clearly works for Bryson. You can listen to it yourself at the six minute mark below:

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