Bryson DeChambeau Moving Forward and Backward With 3D Printed Clubs

In 2024, we wrote about golfer Bryson DeChambeau, who turned to 3D printing to make custom clubs for himself. Rather than find a big-name sponsor (he was temporarily without), he made his own. That was great news for Avoda Golf. Its owner, Tom Bailey, got DeChambeau to test his clubs. Bryson liked them so much that he had them customized for his US Open Win. His performance at the Masters was less stellar, but he still managed to get all eyes on him. The talk was about his club length and his play. He finished outside the top 50 one day.

Bryson then turned to 3D printing, noting that print time is 8 hours, with an additional 4 hours for post-processing. The Athletic quoted him saying that, there is “a robot that measures a club’s geometry and material properties, making sure they comply with the USGA’s standards.” The idea back then was that the clubs were much more forgiving to mishits. He still liked the clubs positively, saying that they gave him a great second shot. He also complained about the USGA process needed to make the clubs conform.

He reportedly used a 3D printed five-iron at the Masters. He also took wedges with a bubble form on them and more weight. He mentioned that the clubs are now ready. He went on to say that,

“There’s this nature that I have about myself where innovation is a habit of mine, and I really find and take pride in that ability to learn — even through failure, even through making a bad decision or a good decision — what I can get from that,”

It seemed before the event that Bryson was teasing his 3D printed clubs. Bit by bit, he let information leak out, seeming to prime his audience for new public availability. Now, however, with a disappointing performance, this seems to be out of the question. Indeed, some may even blame the 3D printed clubs for his lower-than-expected performance.

If Bryson launched his own 3D printed golf club brand, it would be a really important moment in sports. On the one hand, it would be a boost for 3D printing to have the input of a Pro lead directly into his own brand of clubs. But, beyond this, Bryson is trying to build his own brand. Now, this is actually kind of a blast from the past. Lacoste, for example, was a die-hard, tenacious player with the nickname the Crocodile. That led to his eponymous Lacoste brand. Over the past decades, however, even the biggest athletes in the world have chosen Nike’s money over having their own brands. Christiano Ronaldo and Steph Curry have big company-enabled sub-brands, but going it alone entirely is really not attempted anymore.

If Bryson succeeds, this could open the floodgates for more athletes to truly build their own brands. Here we have a branding hiccup and a failure to launch. This is exactly the kind of thing that would not happen if Bryson were with Adidas or another brand. They would take care of slick launches. There’s something endearing about Bryson’s approach here and the way he’s doing it. There is clearly a learning curve. And it isn’t working now. But if Bryson manages to get the narrative on track, he may yet launch a very valuable 3D printed brand of clubs.

His own input and experience make this a very authentic experience. And it may lead to an excellent set up clubs as well. His winnings give him the financial independence to continue this development. If he does so and it gives him an edge, it could propel the clubs to success. We know that with additive, you can enlarge a sweet spot, you can reduce vibration, improve balance, change the way the club head moves in the air, change the impact point of the ball on the club, change how the ball spins, and much more. The possibilities point to huge advantages for whoever unlocks them. But, will “the scientist” get it right? We don’t know. But Bryson would be wise to study the story of Lacoste. Lacoste didn’t always win, but he always went for it 100%, and this endearing quality made him beloved and enabled him to leverage his fame into a brand. Perhaps the Scientist should therefore lean more into that.

Images from Bryson’s Instagram.