Why Bryson DeChambeau tested (and marked up) a myriad of driver heads at the Masters

Bryson DeChambeau's equipment idiosyncrasies have been well documented. Single-length irons. Drivers designed for the long-drive circuit with distinct bulge and roll properties. Sets of 3D-printed irons with distinct bulge and roll properties. Analyzing golf balls in Epsom Salt. Bryson generates gear conversations.

On Tuesday, he added another item to his list of gear idiosyncrasies when he was spotted testing a myriad of driver heads on the Augusta National range. Only this wasn't your standard range session. Instead of taking all of the cuts with one driver, DeChambeau would hit a shot, analyze the data on his launch monitor, mark the sole with a red Sharpie and replace it with a different driver head.

DeChambeau's testing process would've screamed indecision for almost any player in the field but as the 31-year-old revealed during his Masters pre-tournament press conference, there's a method to the madness.

"For my speeds, it's just so tedious, and [the driver headas] have to be so precisely measured and defined," DeChambeau said. "It's tough; the manufacturing process is not easy. It's one of those where for speeds of my caliber, it has to be super precise. So I'm testing different heads to see how it reacts, how I feel, how it feels in my hands. I'm swinging it really good right now, so I'm just trying to get the most precise thing in my hand for this week."

In other words, Bryson is looking to play the hot hand. If one driver feels good in his hands and produces the launch and spin numbers he's looking for, it stands a chance to make the bag on Thursday. If the head is spinning too much or doesn't produce the correct shot shape, it's relegated to the scrap pile.

Think of it like a baseball player selecting a bat from a few worthy options before walking to the plate. You're trying to find something that gives you confidence, even if they all look the same.

When you're dealing with driver heads boasting similar lofts and designs, it can be difficult to keep them straight. This is where the red Sharpie becomes an important tool.

To figure out which heads are worth keeping for a tournament week, DeChambeau marks the sole of each head to identify if it "spins too much or it misses left or it's hanging out to the right."

"I can kind of identify, okay, this one probably has too much [center of gravity] here or whatnot," he said.

Interestingly enough, DeChambeau has employed this testing process for years with success. During the final round of the 2020 U.S. Open, DeChambeau switched from a Cobra SpeedZone with 5.5 degrees of loft into a head with 5.25 degrees that offered a more penetrating launch and less spin. He wound up hoisting the U.S. Open trophy later that day.

So why does DeChambeau put himself through the wringer on the range during a tournament week? As he revealed, it's done in search of the perfect driver. In his eyes, it's the Krank driver head he used to shoot 58 at LIV Golf Greenbrier in 2024.

"If I could use that driver, that would be great," he said. "But I don't want to use it because I don't want to change the face curvature and dynamics. I want to have that head as-is. I don't want it to change."

The problem is that DeChambeau's speed makes it difficult for a head to retain the same face properties for long. Inevitably, the launch and spin numbers start to change and it's back to the drawing board.

If the driver testing process sounds tedious, that's because it is. It comes with the territory for one of the biggest bombers on tour. But knowing DeChambeau's idiosyncrasies, he wouldn't have it any other way.