Bryson DeChambeau leading Masters using 3-D printed irons only approved by USGA on Monday

AUGUSTA, Ga. – The Mad Scientist is at it again.

Bryson DeChambeau, who opened with a 7-under 65 in the first round of the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, is playing with a custom set of single-length irons made by little-known clubmaker Avoda that are made by 3-D printing and weren’t approved by the USGA until Monday. With no hesitation, DeChambeau inserted them in the bag at the Masters.

Avoda is a Hebrew word with multiple meanings, one of which is precision. According to Avoda’s website, the company makes two different types of irons, one-length irons like the clubs DeChambeau played when he was sponsored by Cobra, and combo-length irons.

“The faces have some bulge to them, they are one-of-a-kind,” said Mike Schy, DeChambeau’s longtime coach, who described them as onset. “What happens if you hit it on the toe? It hooks a lot, right? What happens if you hit it on the heel? It cuts a lot. When you have bolts, that offsets that.”

“It’s been an adventure,” Schy added.

That adventure began in November when Schy took a couple of forged clubs and inserted bolts from the center to the toe. DeChambeau hit them and liked them immediately. The question became: How to produce them?

DeChambeau parted ways with Cobra-Puma Golf last year. He has worked with other clubmakers and has found limited options to build him clubs to his specific needs and wants.

“Those ships have sailed,” he said of the major OEM’s. “I told Bryson eventually you’re going to have to do these things by yourself. You have the money to do it now.”

The irons are made by one of Schy’s students, Tom Bailey, owner of Avoda irons, who set out to sell a few hundred sets of irons a year to help pay for his golf habit.

“He’s crazy like us,” said Schy, who noted that DeChambeau isn’t an investor in the company.

But DeChambeau mapped out exactly what he wanted the irons to be. Bailey’s brother created a CAD file, and they found a supplier in China, who took one look at the irons and declared, “It can’t be done,” Schy said. “I said, ‘Welcome to Bryson’s world.’ ”

They tried to do a CNC version initially but based on DeChambeau’s demands, it needed to be a two-piece club and the only way to produce it quickly was via 3-D printing. The irons failed to pass muster with the USGA as recently as last week. The grooves were too narrow because of the way a 3-D printer prints in layers. Connor Olson, manager of DeChambeau’s company BAD, buffed and grinded the grooves until they were deemed conforming. The USGA signed off on Monday and DeChambeau decided to put them in play at the biggest tournament of the year.

“We wouldn’t have it any other way,” Schy said.

Bryson DeChambeau checks a club before a practice round for the 2024 Masters at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports)

According to the Avoda website, the one-length irons are being released in May and are available for pre-order, but the company does not say on its website how long the clubs are. For Cobra, one-length irons are 7-iron-length (37.25 inches).

Schy was in Dallas with DeChambeau two weeks ago and said, “I’ve never seen him hit it so good.”

DeChambeau was asked about his equipment changes during his post-round press conference and confirmed that he had changed irons, but remained coy about the details.

“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,” he said. “So pretty much my whole bag is different since Greenbrier of last year, and putter is the only thing that’s remained the same.”

Later, speaking to Golf Channel, he said of the irons, “It’s a speed thing… when I miss hit on the toe or the heel it seems to fly a lot straighter for me and that’s what has allowed me to be more comfortable over the ball.”

On “Live From,” Golf Channel’s Brandel Chamblee said the concept had good merit. “(Curvature) allows woods to have forgiveness and I thought ‘Why have we never had that on irons?’ As the week goes on, I will certainly be watching his iron play to see if in fact it is an improvement because it really is an interesting concept.”