Bryson deChambeau feels like any move to reign in the length of golf clubs will work to his advantage … especially now since he’s got the new Cobra Radspeed driver in his bag.
The R&A and USGA recently announced that they will be re-engaging with the golf industry on their Distance Insights project, with one of the proposed equipment rules changes being the reduction of the maximum length for all clubs (except putters) to 46 inches from the current 48.
While he experimented with a 48-inch driver during the off-season, DeChambeau has decided to go with a 45.5-inch Radspeed which has increased his already prodigiously-long distance. Working with long drive champion Kyle Berkshire during the off-season, DeChambeau is already nearing 200mph average ball speeds in competition and has recorded as high as a mind-boggling 211mph on the range this year.
“When it comes to the equipment aspect, they are trying to make it more of a – I guess you could say same or fair playing field – where you can’t just put a 48-inch driver and it works for this person and you could gain six, seven miles an hour, where somebody couldn’t because the driver just doesn’t work for them or whatever,” noted DeChambeau, nicknamed ‘The Scientist’ for his analytical approach to the game.
“I think the most important factor in this whole discussion is that they are focused on keeping the integrity of the game and trying to make it more of a fair playing field while not taking out the human element. From my perspective, I think it suits me really well because, as of right now, I’m still playing the 45-and-a-half-inch driver and it’s suiting me perfectly … and I’m not going to the 48.
“I think it’s going to be more difficult for people to gain speed easily. They are going to have to work really hard, just like I have,” added the reigning US Open champion, speaking during last week’s Saudi International where he finished T18 and topped the field in driving distance with an average of 329.88 yards.
“The new Radspeed driver has enabled me to take my driving distance and accuracy to a new level. The performance afforded by Radial Weighting delivers lower CG for better spin control at high speeds while still providing stability on off-centre hits,” he noted.
DeChambeau’s Radspeed is certainly not for ordinary folk. It’s got just 5.5 degrees of loft and is fitted with an LA Golf BAD Prototype 60X shaft. The colourful American is also famous for his single-length irons, using a mix of Cobra King Speedzone One Length (4, 5) and Cobra King Forged Tour One Length (6-9, P) – all measuring 37.5 inches which is a standard seven-iron length.
For more information on the Cobra Radspeed, log on to cobragolf.com/radspeed
