Unusual Irons
Masters 2024: Bryson DeChambeau tackling Augusta National with 'one-of-a-kind' 3D-printed irons
Warren Little
After posting a first-round 65 at Augusta National on Thursday to take the early lead at the 2024 Masters, Bryson DeChambeau noted, “I put new irons in this week. I think that's a pretty big change. And been using this new driver, 3-wood and 5-wood. So pretty much my whole bag is different since [winning the LIV Greenbrier event] last year, and putter is the only thing that's remained the same.”
As first reported by Golfweek, those irons are not just any irons, but 3D-printed irons from Avoda Golf, eschewing the Ping i230 irons he used in last week’s LIV event. According to reports, the Avoda irons literally hit the USGA's informational database on Monday.
DeChambeau told Golf Channel of the switch, “It’s a speed thing. When I mis-hit on the toe or the heel it flies a lot straighter for me, and that’s what has allowed me to be more comfortable over the ball.”
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Comfortable indeed. DeChambeau hit 15 of 18 greens to tie Joaquin Niemann for the most in round one as he carried a one-shot lead over Scottie Scheffler into Friday's second round. He struggled more in the second round, finding 11 greens in regulation.
As for Avoda, the company produces the one-length style of irons DeChambeau prefers, however it appears these clubs are one-offs made specifically for DeChambeau, with ports in the toe area and some bulge on the face. “They are one-of-a-kind,” Mike Schy, DeChambeau’s coach, told Golfweek.
An upclose look at Bryson DeChambeau's new 3D-printed Avoda irons. (Getty Images)
The bulge is likely the reason the irons needed to be 3D-printed as forging the clubs would be virtually impossible given that a forging press typically flattens the face.
On Friday evening, after DeChambeau's second-round one-over 73 put him tied for the lead at six under through 36 holes, he provided some detail about the irons. The USGA deemed the irons non-conforming last week because "the groove edge was just too sharp" and DeChambeau's team worked on them all weekend. He said it was early Tuesday when the full set of irons was approved by the USGA, but that he has been practicing with them "quite a while before that."
This is not the first-time DeChambeau has used an intriguing set of irons at Augusta National. As an amateur in 2016, DeChambeau used a set of Masters-inspired Edel irons—a shiny new set with enough weights on the toe and sole (to get each iron to the same weight) to qualify as a science-fair project while stampings on each iron showed a sharp appreciation for Masters history.
Among the stampings are “Jackie” and “Keiser” for 1956 champ Jackie Burke and 1946 winner Herman Keiser. “Juniper” and “Azalea” represent the Par-3 sixth and par-5 13th.