Bryson Dechambeau parts ways with LA Golf after ownership demand, CEO says
Bryson DeChambeau has ended his official relationship with LA Golf after a dispute over ownership and the future direction of the company, a split that removes a long-standing equipment partnership just weeks before the major season. The separation matters because DeChambeau’s bespoke LA Golf setup — including 14 LA Golf shafts in his bag during major victories — has been central to his equipment identity and competitive profile.
Bryson DeChambeau: ownership pitch triggered the split
Reed Dickens, owner and CEO of LA Golf, says the break came after DeChambeau, working through a new business adviser, pushed to acquire a 51 percent stake in the company. Dickens recounted that DeChambeau currently holds 2 percent of LA Golf and that the majority-demand proposal was the decisive factor: “They played chicken with me, ” Dickens said, framing the move as an ultimatum he would not accept. The negotiation impasse led Dickens to conclude there was no path forward and to end their official partnership.
The cause-and-effect is clear in Dickens’s account: the insistence on a controlling share (cause) prompted an irreconcilable dispute and the announcement of a parting of ways (effect). Dickens added that DeChambeau needs a level of bespoke, on-demand club service — “someone serving him 24 hours a day” — that LA Golf does not consider scalable, and the company will instead pivot toward a direct-to-consumer model for U. S. golfers.
Reed Dickens outlines LA Golf strategy and legacy
Dickens traced a close working history between the player and the brand: DeChambeau used LA Golf shafts in both his U. S. Open wins, and he has played 14 LA Golf shafts in his bag during major triumphs. The partnership expanded last year to include LA Golf heads built to DeChambeau’s precise specifications, and the company even launched a DeChambeau-influenced driver that retails for roughly $600. Dickens said the company’s ownership structure includes other investors, among them a roughly 11 percent stake tied to Discovery Golf’s founder, which has influenced availability of LA Golf product in select pro shops.
Facing the ownership dispute, Dickens said LA Golf will move toward selling directly to golfers across the United States rather than functioning as a bespoke workshop that caters primarily to one player’s round-the-clock needs. That strategic shift is an official action stemming from the split and signals a different commercial path for the boutique brand.
Immediate equipment status: shafts remain, future maker uncertain
Despite the end of the official arrangement, DeChambeau retains a commercial relationship with LA Golf in at least one practical respect. Brett Falkoff, DeChambeau’s long-time agent, confirmed that DeChambeau “remains a customer” of LA Golf and still has the company’s shafts in his bag. That detail — 14 LA Golf shafts historically and currently present in his set-up — means the separation is not an abrupt equipment purge but a change in formal affiliation.
What makes this notable is how tightly DeChambeau’s equipment choices have been woven into his competitive identity: he has relied on LA Golf shafts in major wins and has experimented with bespoke iron heads designed to suit his one-plane swing. The timing matters because the split occurs as the golf calendar approaches a stretch of high-profile tournaments, leaving open questions about whether his shaft supply or club-building arrangements will change before the next major events.
For now, the confirmed facts are straightforward: a demand for a 51 percent stake led to an ownership stalemate, Reed Dickens has declined that path and has announced both a parting and a strategic shift for LA Golf, and DeChambeau continues to use LA Golf shafts while his longer-term equipment alignment remains to be determined.
