Bryson Dechambeau vs. USGA

[JonnyKrasnodar]

Yeah but in his video last week Crossfield says he reckoned it would need to be AT LEAST 88* for it to be effective and said it would be interesting to test his putter because of all the ones he tried he couldn't even come close. And he indicated something was either not right or he was pushing the limits of compliance with the putter he used on course.

 

That's the point, I think it's obviously been far too upright to be legal and Crossfield in his dicking about found as much.

[ode1]

I say let him use the putter and outlaw the hat.

 

Now that's something we can all support

 

Not me...Looks far better than a quote un quote flat bill.

[Noke]

Yeah but in his video last week Crossfield says he reckoned it would need to be AT LEAST 88* for it to be effective and said it would be interesting to test his putter because of all the ones he tried he couldn't even come close. And he indicated something was either not right or he was pushing the limits of compliance with the putter he used on course.

 

That's the point, I think it's obviously been far too upright to be legal and Crossfield in his dicking about found as much.

 

Having putted sidesaddle for almost a decade, I can tell you that it is entirely possible to perform the motion with a lie angle well shy of 80*. I like Crossfield but I wouldn't put a whole lot of stock into what he's saying on this point.

[msd71]

I have seen pros turn the putter sideways and strike it off the toe when in the fringe (Vijay Singh comes to mind). If that is legal, couldn't you find a nice wide blade (say Odyssey 1W-sized) and just strike it off the toe side in side-saddle position? You'd have a nice 90* lie angle. If this is not legal, then why is it legal to use it as Vijay did?

[wobgon]

I say let him use the putter and outlaw the hat.

 

Now that's something we can all support

 

Not me...Looks far better than a quote un quote flat bill.

Outlaw them also.

[North Butte]

Make players submit all their hats. Outlaw the ones where the bill is too flat but allow the flat-bills that actually have a bit of curve.

 

And then keep it Top Secret which hats were allowed and which were non-conforming. Wouldn't want the details to get out.

[Peanut191]

I say let him use the putter and outlaw the hat.

 

Now that's something we can all support

 

Not me...Looks far better than a quote un quote flat bill.

Outlaw them also.

 

Can we have them outlaw the wispy mustache as well?(especially that thing that Ricky tried to grow on his face)

[ExTrumpet]

I have seen pros turn the putter sideways and strike it off the toe when in the fringe (Vijay Singh comes to mind). If that is legal, couldn't you find a nice wide blade (say Odyssey 1W-sized) and just strike it off the toe side in side-saddle position? You'd have a nice 90* lie angle. If this is not legal, then why is it legal to use it as Vijay did?

 

I'm guessing, but probably because it was not designed to be used that way. Same effect as using the leading edge of a sand wedge...just can't turn it around and use it like a pool cue!

[brentflog]

FYI it is not an Edel putter. My guess is that it is non-conforming because you could turn it sideways and putt with the rounded toe at a 90* lie angle. I have talked to the usga about an idea and they made a big deal about this.

 

Usga leadership sucks. Golf is losing popularity and the usga is making things worse.

[ray9898]

LOL....the USGA is certainly not hurting the game by ensuring putters meet the standards.

[bladehunter]

I say let him use the putter and outlaw the hat.

 

Now that's something we can all support

 

Not me...Looks far better than a quote un quote flat bill.

Outlaw them also.

 

Can we have them outlaw the wispy mustache as well?(especially that thing that Ricky tried to grow on his face)

 

 

was a glued on caterpillar..... outlaw the abuse of caterpillars!!!

[brentflog]

LOL....the USGA is certainly not hurting the game by ensuring putters meet the standards.

 

What part of the putter doesn't meet standards? I am sure it is at least 80* or less. They aren't going to make that mistake.

[ray9898]

 

What part of the putter doesn't meet standards? I am sure it is at least 80* or less. They aren't going to make that mistake.

 

Who knows....probably a sole design that allowed it to play more upright. It obviously differed from the other similar style putters he submitted that were approved.

[ode1]

I say let him use the putter and outlaw the hat.

 

Now that's something we can all support

 

Not me...Looks far better than a quote un quote flat bill.

Outlaw them also.

 

Lol...IMO, Bryson should move to tweed in the same style cap, at least on occasion, make it a Sunday thing.

[ode1]

LOL....the USGA is certainly not hurting the game by ensuring putters meet the standards.

 

What part of the putter doesn't meet standards? I am sure it is at least 80* or less. They aren't going to make that mistake.

 

That has been my ? All along, sounds like a stroke issue not an equipment issue, ala anchored stroke vs. long/belly putter.

[North Butte]

If the sole looks like it was shaped to make it play perfectly well.with a vertical shaft, thereby fooling the lie angle test, then it is not allowed.

 

The rule is not simply a protractor measure of where the shaft enters the head. The rule says that the putter should not be designed to accommodate being played with the shaft vertical.

 

He wants to putt with it hanging down vertical and he wants to design a putter to do that and he thinks he is clever enough to fool USGA into letting him do it. Picking fights with an organization who is free to change the rules anytime they see fit is not a clever man's strategy.

 

From when this guy first came on the scene everything about him screamed doofus to me. Up untll this recent putter deal I was willing to entertain the notion that he was just an oddball who came across kind of silly at times. Professional golf can always use a good oddball.

 

But no, my initial impression seems to have been correct.

[ExTrumpet]

Is Bryson always gonna be the guy that challenges the status quo? Last year it was one-length irons. This year it's a non-conforming putter...what's next?

[North Butte]

Is Bryson always gonna be the guy that challenges the status quo? Last year it was one-length irons. This year it's a non-conforming putter...what's next?

 

Next year? Web.com Tour.

[LittleLeftToRight]

The real question should be why anyone cares about Deshamblah. He hasn't done anything on tour yet worth note except try to be as different as possible just to be as different as possible. This is just the latest iteration in his "I am smarter than every golfer who ever played" campaign. He knows he is skirting the rules but he is doing it anyway.

[Parker0065]

I don't dislike him in any way but every time I see him I can't help but think "Tim Tebow"!

 

A lot of flash, a lot of time in the press, quirky, do it his way,,,,but at the end of the day, not a lot of success.

 

Not that I don't think he may end up a great player, I have no idea, but I just see "Tebow"!

[Marrrk]

The real question should be why anyone cares about Deshamblah. He hasn't done anything on tour yet worth note except try to be as different as possible just to be as different as possible. This is just the latest iteration in his "I am smarter than every golfer who ever played" campaign. He knows he is skirting the rules but he is doing it anyway.

 

Do you really think he's trying to be different just for the sake of it? Most professionals don't reach the top 0.001% of their field with such a careless attitude. There are hundreds of professionals off the assembly line who haven't accomplished what he has, so it goes both ways. Maybe if they stopped trying to be the same just for the sake of being the same they'd be ranked higher than #128 in the world.

 

Even though some of his experiments don't appeal to me, and I'm less interested in equipment than most people, I find him to be a fascinating figure and I hope he inspires more players to think outside the box. The tour's overall product would benefit.

[OffTheDole]

Next year? Web.com Tour.

 

A couple of thoughts:

 

It's quite possible he ends up on the Web.com Tour next year. He can only play in so many tournaments in a year before wearing down, especially since he is unfamiliar to the grind that a full season will end up being.

 

Strategically it seems like a huge mistake to spend the beginning of his first year on the PGA Tour picking a fight with the USGA, which, like you said, as an organization can change the rules as it sees fit and just declare his garage-made putter non-conforming.

 

Perhaps this is a case of him thinking his star power is greater than it really is, giving him the idea that he could take on the USGA and win with his "technically it conforms" putter.

 

Given that he's a rookie with no "crew" to speak of, does he really think people other than Cobra/Puma are going to help him in his fight? I'd imagine the guys who hover above 100 in the FedEx Cup rankings are secretly happy that DeChambeau is missing cuts and tinkering rather than buckling down.

[Dave230]

His strokes gained through putting stat on Thursday was a truly dreadful -4.074 as he missed the cut by eight strokes. Technology aside, maybe he should work a bit more on it in practice before bringing it to the Tour. If you're going to be different, you generally have to justify it with results.

[Hawkeye77]

Next year? Web.com Tour.

 

A couple of thoughts:

 

It's quite possible he ends up on the Web.com Tour next year. He can only play in so many tournaments in a year before wearing down, especially since he is unfamiliar to the grind that a full season will end up being.

 

Strategically it seems like a huge mistake to spend the beginning of his first year on the PGA Tour picking a fight with the USGA, which, like you said, as an organization can change the rules as it sees fit and just declare his garage-made putter non-conforming.

 

Perhaps this is a case of him thinking his star power is greater than it really is, giving him the idea that he could take on the USGA and win with his "technically it conforms" putter.

 

Given that he's a rookie with no "crew" to speak of, does he really think people other than Cobra/Puma are going to help him in his fight? I'd imagine the guys who hover above 100 in the FedEx Cup rankings are secretly happy that DeChambeau is missing cuts and tinkering rather than buckling down.

 

There is no fight. He knows there is no fight. He hasn't even picked a real fight, just some spouting off by his coach.

 

His putting is pretty bad and he is understandably desperate, because the long term outlook for most (not all) bad putters is not good.

[playa]

Would it be so bad for the USGA to say why something is non conforming though especially when it comes to odd rulings like this one? When it comes to equipment i just think transparency would be nice since they have changed two rules recently. I remember there being some mixups when the groove rule was first changed.

 

Where's that moron that penalized Dustin Johnson at the US Open? He loved getting in front of the camera and flexing his muscles. Someone ask him!

Why do them need to tell you anything? Bryson knows why, that's all that matters.

No that's not all that matters. They need to tell everyone cause this ruling could affect anyone who plays the game. Or manufacturers with new putter designs ready for releasr. Should they stop publishing a rules book, and dq players in behind closed doors confidential hearings?

[Short Pete]

He Sent them a few putters and one of them seemingly did not conform. Why should USGA tell the world about it? These tools are not made for selling, so the ruling affects only BDC.

 

Yes, his putting stats are not good by Tour standards. But as Long as he puts his putting game under pressure by missing too many fairways and Greens he will continue to miss cuts. Maybe he should stay out of the spotlight for a while to get his overall game ready for the big show and stop wasting his time to find solutions he does not have a real problem for.

[dlygrisse]

Paralysis by analysis. That sums him up. He tries too hard to act smart. Just play golf.

[G.O.A.T]

Hes just looking for an edge within the rules. Nothing wrong with that. The greens at that level are marble floors. I dont use the sidesaddle, but ive tried it and its very difficult to hit putts off line. So he has a putting style where he hardly pushes or pulls putts, and his full swing technique with same length irons offers a greater increase of distance control. All hes doing is finding ways to put the odds in his favor within the rules. Sure hes not a top player at the moment...but hes made 700k in just tournament earnings....and hes only 23 years old...a lot of time to dial whatever it is he wants to dial in

[ldchristopher]

Bryson vs. the USGA is a weird, "Which one annoys me less?" scenario. In one corner is a bunch of WASP blue-blazer-wearing @sshats who seem intent on making sure the game stays as elitist as possible. In the other corner stands a 24 year old gigantic tool who appears to be more interested in establishing and broadening his "mad scientist" gimmick than he is in winning golf tournaments. Tough call on who to root for in this one. I'm gonna sit this one out and laugh at both.

[North Butte]

I am no fan of USGA. They are laughably smug and full of themselves. But of all the bloody-minded claptrap they've come up with, refusing to approve putting with a croquet mallet doesn't even make the list. If there are going to be any rules at all regulating clubs, this particular one seems pretty straightforward.