Golf’s Mad Scientist
The constant evolution of golf and the science behind it is nothing short of spectacular. Golf clubs, golf balls and players’ swings (… unfortunately not players’ attire :/) are constantly changing. Everything that fits into a golf bag is constantly being tinkered with in order to improve how far and how straight and how accurately the ball will move. In the past the only way to practice golf was to get out on the range, read books, take lessons and learn from watching the pros on TV. Like everything else, technology is quickly having an influence on the golfing world and now there appear to be easier, more convenient and effective ways to improve at the game. Golfers like Bryson DeChambeau are paving the way in this science and technology driven version of golf. He even goes so far as soaking his golf balls in epsom salts in order to determine their centre of gravity (Soper, 2021). We (Louise and James) , as budding engineers, admired his unusual approach to the game and figured why stop there and so our tale about this unusual golfer and his innovative ideas for golf begins …
This man, Bryson DeChambeau, has certainly taken the golf world by storm since the beginning of last year’s golf season. He has been hailed “ The Mad Scientist of Golf ” ever since he turned professional in 2016. He is known for his unorthodox methods of having every iron the same length and his peculiar putting stroke. Gaining 20 pounds over a 3 month period has also helped transform him into the most powerful and longest hitter in golf to date. He implements physics and data analysis along with his innovative mind to revolutionise both himself and the game of golf.
It’s not only DeChambeau’s body transformation that has enabled his dramatic increase in power and overall distance off the tee. He has continued to think outside the box and has implemented a new style of ‘speed training’ into his swing training regime. DeChambeau often uploads videos of these training sessions to his social media. He practices with swing coach Chris Como in his ‘Living Room Lab’. Here he essentially tries to hit the ball as hard as he can for long periods of time to perfect his swing, ‘practice makes perfect’ he claims. (it also means he can’t lose any balls in the lakes … a big bonus James admits)
Now let’s get into the nitty gritty of this speed training. How exactly does Bryson DeChambeau practice in a living room and why? Thanks to TrackMan golf technology, DeChambeau can practice from the comfort of his living room. The TrackMan technology provides instant feedback on each shot, including distance travelled, ball speed, swing speed, launch angle and much more… including things James as an amateur golfer (being kind) had never once even thought about or considered important (Louise confirms). All of this data is then stored on an app, which can be used to compare against previous sessions and track improvements. The devil seems to be in the data once again, and that got us excited.
So, what is this TrackMan golf technology? How does it work? Why do we want it? Essentially, TrackMan is a radar system that records and interprets changing frequencies of waves that emulate from the club and ball. (Course, 2021) It can be used inside or outside, tracking all kinds of golf shots with great detail. This technology has gone so far as to change one of the oldest ideologies in golf. It has disproved the idea that the path of the golf club is the biggest factor in where the golf ball starts relative to the target line. Thanks to TrackMan technology we now know that it is actually the face angle of the club that has the greatest influence on this. Wow, incredible technology don’t you agree? Perhaps we haven’t convinced you yet, let’s put it into perspective … If we were to head out to the driving range for the day, with a hundred balls each and a TrackMan set up, we would be training like pros. The technology would track and record the data per shot and the data on our average club speed, ball speed, face angle (which you now know is extremely important!), launch angle, swing speed and the carry on our shots (distance travelled). (SkyTrak vs Trackman | Comparison Guide, 2021) In those one hundred shots alone we could learn more about our specific areas of improvement than any book could teach us. I (James) have actually had the chance to use this technology in my local golf club. I must admit that having all the statistics right in front of me was oddly motivational and gave great insight into why this technology is so popular. It definitely made me want to hit the ball a lot harder for greater distance (I can see where Bryson got the idea).
Initially however, we doubted this method of training for the professional game, a game of accuracy and control. To us, hitting the ball as hard as possible couldn’t work. I (Louise) have paid but one trip to a driving range and couldn’t comprehend how employing the tactic of hitting as hard as possible could possibly pay off, because it certainly didn’t work for me… We figured the increase in the speed of his swing would lead to a loss of control inevitably causing more irregularities and inconsistencies. We thought we would be watching the ball fly in every direction off his club face. DeChambeau though, very quickly proved us and everybody else wrong after walking to victory in Winged Foot Golf Club to win his first major at the US Open. His unique efforts to utilize physics and maths to improve his game don’t stop at trackman technology. The flagstick to most, merely indicates where we want to get the ball. To DeChambeau, the flagstick is a tool which he uses to his advantage. After analyzing the coefficient of restitution of different flagsticks DeChambeau says he utilizes the fiberglass flagsticks to help him bounce the ball into the hole (The 11 most unusual things about Bryson DeChambeau, 2021). Regarding his desire to incorporate data into every move he makes, he admits that data analysis helps him understand from a percentage perspective how he should play a certain course(Soper, 2021). Machines, undeniably, have better memory and learning capabilities than humans. DeChambeau is hoping to use machine learning to his advantage, gaining optimized routes and ideas for any course.
What impresses us most about Bryson DeChambeau is his constant pursuit of anything at all that will give him the edge over the rest of his competitors. Bryson is currently working and aiming for a ball speed of 220mph with his driver, something only that’s never been heard of on the professional tour. Achieving this speed of 220mph would put him a whopping 50mph over current tour averages. He spends countless hours hitting the ball as hard as he can with his driver, along with his personal team members giving an extra push of encouragement. Never in a tournament will Bryson try to hit it this hard but he still achieves ball speeds on average of 190mph. He insists on constantly pushing through boundaries. Recently he was asked plainly, “What is the point of all this?”, and his response is one we can only admire.
“Let me put it this way: 1.0 to the 365th power is 1, but what is 1.01 to the 365th power?” he asks, giving the room all of five seconds to sort out an estimate. “It’s 37.7. If I can make 1-percent gains every day, the overall gains are going to be massive.”
Once again putting his maths skills to good use DeChambeau draws huge insights from analysing and learning from his efforts (What it’s like inside a Bryson DeChambeau speed training session, 2021).
The comparison shown in the chart here of Bryson’s evolution can be seen both physically in his figure but also in the figures. On average, Bryson will gain an extra 21 yards off the tee, meaning that every hole he plays becomes shorter than he previously would’ve found them. Another statistic that jumps out of this chart is the strokes gained off the tee. Per round, Bryson is now one shot better than the rest of his competitors due to his advantage in distance. That means then that Bryson knows when going into a golf tournament he has a four stroke lead before he even swings a club. As we mentioned briefly before, the thing that has majorly surprised us is how his driving accuracy has increased after the changes to his training regime and game. He really has changed the dynamic of professional golf and, we have no doubt, will inspire a whole new generation of golfers. DeChambeau has even compelled me (James) to buy one of his signature hats, Louise can be seen rocking it in the last pic of this blog post ;)
But do we really think that this science based style of golf will catch on ?
Well, with the lengthy closure of golf clubs in Ireland due to covid many players have had to cease their visits to the golf course and adapt their training. As a result many golfers (amatures included) have adopted the “Bryson style” of practice i.e online through various softwares/ games/devices. However, as golf courses have been given the green light to reopen soon we questioned the role of this way of golf in the long run. We discussed this more together and agreed that although the traditional golf training will never disappear completely, these new technologies will undoubtedly produce a whole new generation of golfers that will use statistics over gut instinct and feel.
As DeChambeau’s gamble/leap into the unknown continues to pay off as successfully as it has, we certainly agree that his methods will become more popular leading to a huge shift from practicing on the golf course to practicing on a trackman device or an equivalent. As a soon to be engineer James admits that he is intrigued and motivated by this statistical basted style of golf and has plans to implement aspects of it into his game… hoping to shock his friends with his new found skills once the golf courses reopen. We also feel that it could potentially make the golfing scene more accessible as a Bryson style game would reduce any need for expensive lessons. All factors which will lead to more ‘freak’ athletes with unique styles to emerge and reach the top of the sport.
Balls flying further distances, faster flying balls and unique styles making for more interesting tactics — all of it sounds great! However, we feel there are also drawbacks to these advancements. Without a doubt, a huge consequence of this for professional golfers is that golf courses are rapidly becoming too short and too easy for them. These golf courses are not only trying to keep up with the increasing abilities of the players but also with the changing dynamics of balls. Costly changes no doubt.
So could there be a move to virtual golfing events and virtual long drive competitions? They would certainly be better able to facilitate changes made to increase the difficulty of courses for players, and for much cheaper at that. Not only this, but we have noticed that the switch from instinct to statistics has made the game of golf slower. With golfers now flicking through notepads before every shot, we often find our dads giving out about the pace of play! This has inevitably made a long watch, even longer and it is taking what fans call the ‘life’ out of the game. It has had a negative impact on tv viewing, costing the sport both fans and money.
So, the future of golf — well the ball really is up in the air for this one but one thing for sure is that where it will land will certainly rely on the style of golf being played. All in all, whether you are a fan of Bryson’s nerdy style or not, we (and Bryson) hope to have piqued your interest in the game of golf! Finally, with this week being the week of the Augusta Masters, we will be taking notes from DeChambeau with the hopes of turning our hits from looking like this…
to something a little more like this.
Bibliography
Soper, T., 2021. Meet the PGA Tour’s geekiest golfer: Bryson DeChambeau on his passion for tech, physics, data. [online] GeekWire. Available at: <https://www.geekwire.com/2017/meet-pga-tours-geekiest-golfer-bryson-dechambeau-passion-tech-physics-data/> [Accessed 30 March 2021].
Golf Digest. 2021. The 11 most unusual things about Bryson DeChambeau. [online] Available at: <https://www.golfdigest.com/story/the-11-most-unusual-things-about-bryson-dechambeau> [Accessed 30 March 2021].
NBC SportsWorld. 2021. The science guy — NBC SportsWorld. [online] Available at: <https://sportsworld.nbcsports.com/bryson-dechambeau-masters-science/> [Accessed 30 March 2021].
Rain or Shine Golf. 2021. SkyTrak vs Trackman | Comparison Guide. [online] Available at: <https://rainorshinegolf.com/pages/skytrak-vs-trackman> [Accessed 30 March 2021].
Course, H., 2021. What Does TrackMan Do? — Hart Ranch Golf Course. [online] Hart Ranch Golf Course. Available at: <https://www.hartranch.com/what-does-trackman do/#:~:text=TrackMan%20is%20a%20radar%20system,Speed%2C%20Attack%20Angle%2C%20etc.> [Accessed 30 March 2021].
Golf. 2021. What it’s like inside a Bryson DeChambeau speed training session. [online] Available at: <https://golf.com/instruction/bryson-dechambeau-speed-training-session/> [Accessed 30 March 2021].
