Bryson DeChambeau is testing a prototype ball at the British Open that he claims flies straighter and spins more with wedges — but it’s not ready yet.
Bryson DeChambeau’s quest for golf equipment that suits his unique swing and game continued this week at Royal Portrush in the days leading up to the 153rd British Open. This time, however, the equipment in question wasn’t a driver, a set of 3D-printed irons or a golf shaft stiff enough to do pull-ups on. This time, Bryson was testing golf balls.
“I’m working with somebody that’s going to get me a ball that works better for my speeds,” he said Friday after signing his card for a 65 that earned him tee times for the weekend. “Hopefully there’s some more improvements to be made there. That’s something I hope to complete in the next year.”
For all of DeChambeau’s obsession with power, the prototype ball he tested during practice rounds before the tournament doesn’t aim to enhance his driver distance. His primary concern, he said, is finding a ball that flies straighter off the tee but spins more with his wedges.
“I compress down on it really hard and the thing just — I spin it like crazy (off the tee), and then on my wedges I don’t spin it,” DeChambeau said. “Launches high with no spin.”
DeChambeau feels that his current ball — the Titleist Pro V1x Left Dash — slides up the face of his wedges too easily, leading to unpredictability on approach shots and around the green.
On Friday, he didn’t identify the manufacturer of the prototype ball, but NBC Sports on-course analyst Smylie Kaufman helped fill in the details on his Instagram page.
During one of DeChambeau’s practice rounds, Kaufman spotted the American and chatted with him briefly. Kaufman said DeChambeau received prototype balls last week in Spain from Polara Golf and that he had just one with him at Portrush during the practice round.
“He’s on a mission to find a ball that is going to curve less,” Kaufman said.
What kind of golf ball is Bryson DeChambeau using?
Polara is best known for selling the Ultimate Straight, a ball it claims reduces hooks and slices by up to 75 percent, thanks to a unique dimple pattern that reduces drag and sidespin.
However, that ball is explicitly designed for amateur golfers and has a compression rating of 85. The Pro V1x Left Dash has a compression of around 102, making it significantly firmer and more suited to deliver the ball speeds fast-swinging pros want.
If Polara were to create a firmer version of the Ultimate Straight ball, it would also need to put a different cover on it for DeChambeau. The current model has an ionomer cover, while the spinniest tour balls use urethane. If DeChambeau wants his high-lofted wedges to grab the ball and spin it more effectively, he’ll need the softest cover available.
DeChambeau said the version he tested isn’t ready for competitive play and that the manufacturer — without naming it — is working to produce more.
“They can’t make enough as quickly as they’d like,” he said. He expects to have an updated prototype to test within weeks, with a more finalized version targeted for September.
And when that day comes, it won’t just be a ball designed for links golf or the Open Championship.
“It might be for everything,” DeChambeau said. “Most likely for everything. I need a golf ball that on wedges can click on the face more consistently. I get a lot of slipping on the face just because of how vertical I am and how much loft I have, and it just rolls up the face and launches with no spin most of the time.”
For a player always looking for every edge — and never afraid to chase an unconventional solution — that’s one more variable he’s determined to control.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Bryson DeChambeau tests Polara Golf prototype to reduce ball curve
Category: General Sports
