Hot topic: More Mickelson secrets

Mickelson tees it up with one of his drivers at Augusta

Details are still emerging on the secrets behind Phil Mickelson's success at the US Masters - not only carrying two drivers in his bag but using a prototype Odyssey White Hot XG putter.

The left-hander's decision to use two Callaway Big Bertha Fusion FT-3 drivers was one of the most inspired tactical club selections ever for a major championship and followed extensive discussion with Englishman Dr Alan Hocknell, vice-president of Callaway's Innovation and Advanced Design at their San Diego headquarters.

It's no secret that Mickelson employed one driver for shots to be played with a draw (left-to-right shot) bias and one with a fade (right-to-left shot) bias. This, says Callaway, reflected their effective re-distribution of 44 grams of weight inside the FT-3 clubhead as well as using its customised Optifit System.

But what has remained unknown until now is that four months‚ of Augusta-targeted planning, testing and development went into Mickelson's second successive major victory and the idea for two drivers was the brainchild of Hocknell, a former Loughborough University lecturer.

Hocknell, 34, is the pioneering designer behind some of Callaway's hottest drivers and was working with Mickelson on the practice tee at Callaway's Carlsbad test centre in California back in November 2005, discussing the player's success at the USPGA Championship and planning for the US Masters, when the subject of driver distance was raised.

"Phil wanted to hit the ball longer to give himself an advantage over the lengthened Augusta National course but he didn't want to commit to one long driver that wouldn't allow him to hit his preferred fade shot from the tee," reveals Hocknell.

"It was at that point I suggested using two drivers - one he could rely on to find the fairway with a fade, and an additional, longer-hitting driver to draw the ball."

Fusion FT-3 driver

After studying copious performance data and factoring in Mickelson's own astute observations, it was decided that he would take a 46-inch 'draw driver' and a 45-inch 'fade driver' to the BellSouth Classic, the week before the Masters. The result of the tournament test at TPC Sugarloaf in Atlanta, was clear and decisive - one swing, two different ball flights, 28-under-par, and an amazing 13-stroke victory.

"It started out as a great experiment, but it took on a different degree of seriousness when we realised it worked - and worked exceedingly well," says Hocknell. "Under pressure, Phil could hit a solid cut shot that he knew would find the fairway, and then bust one out there on a draw if he needed more distance. The ultimate advantage, though, was that he could produce two different drives with the same swing and we knew this would give him an advantage at Augusta National."

Technically, both drivers Mickelson took to the Masters are FT-3 Tour models, both with 9.5 degrees of loft. However, the internal weighting of each club was modified to create the ball flight Mickelson wanted.

Caddy hands over the XG putter

With the standard fade driver, Mickelson's preferred club for his stock right-to-left tee shot, he used a 45-inch Mitsubishi Diamana, extra stiff shaft, which produced a right-to-left fade (5-15 yards movement, depending on hole).

For his draw driver, he had a clubhead weight which was six grams lighter and with a slightly lower centre of gravity. The shaft was a 46-inch Mitsubishi Diamana (extra-extra stiff) producing extra long, high-flying left-to-right shot. This also gave Mickelson a shallower angle of attack, optimising his distance and propelling his drives the extra yards he wanted.

His naturally steeper angle of attack with the standard length driver allowed him to hit his stock fade drive.

Mickelson had to take one club out of his set of 14 to make way for the additional, longer-hitting driver. At the BellSouth, he set aside his 56-degree sand wedge but at Augusta, the 3-wood was taken out because he felt that with the course running faster than expected, his primary fairway wood would be largely redundant.

Internal weighting modified for each FT-3 driver

"Everything was being done specifically with Augusta in mind," Hocknell reveals. "To be so focused and targeted is unique in my experience. What was interesting, is that although Phil had a game plan for Augusta, his confidence in his driving was such that he was able to hit his longer 'draw driver' on holes where you would have expected him to hit a fade. Both the 14th and 17th would naturally favour a right-to-left fade, but he decided he wanted extra distance from his draw driver - and he got it."

So did having two drivers give Mickelson the advantage he needed to win the Masters for the second time?

"I think it had a significant impact," says Hocknell. "Having that one swing on the tee and have it produce the shot he wanted to hit, gave Phil enormous confidence and set up his entire game. And we know how devastatingly good his iron play and putting is.

"Essentially, it's about configuring the technology to a specific player's needs. In many ways it is consistent with the choice we are giving club golfers through Optifit and the draw, neutral and fade bias we offer in our FT-3 drivers. For better players, it's about giving them a shot shape and for average golfers it will often be about helping them correct 'a tendency' and straighten out their drives."

Hocknell says that research shows that approximately 80 per-cent of club golfers slice the ball with their driver, though, amazingly, he claims the average golfer's swing repeats almost as precisely as a pro golfer's swing.

"But that swing tends not to be along the optimum swing path," he says "and this is where the 44 grams of discretionary weight, nearly one quarter of the weight of the driver F-3 clubhead, help average golfer change their slicing ball flight to a straighter, more solid shot without changing their swing.

"Most weekend golfers haven't the time or ability to change their swing. With the FT-3 driver, properly custom-fitted, they can see an immediate improvement. It's all about optimising performance, which is precisely what Phil Mickelson did at the Masters."

That was close - Mickelson with the prototype

Mickelson also used a prototype Odyssey White Hot XG putter to win on the teacherous greens of Sugarloaf and Augusta in successive weeks.

"We asked our Odyssey research team to develop a better putter insert than the White Hot insert technology that has anchored the best-selling putters in the world for the past six years," said Callaway's President George Fellows. "That's a tall order and they were up to the challenge. The new multi-layer insert in the White Hot XG Putter is a significant improvement."

Mickelson agreed: "I am really rolling the ball exactly the way I want to with this putter. In the past, I had been sceptical of whether insert technology was for me, but with this I'm getting consistency of feedback and true roll."

The core of the insert is made of a soft yet resilient elastomer material with a thinner outer striking surface urethane for fine-tuned responsiveness. A textured impact zone also enhances feel.

The White Hot XG putter will be available in eight models for right-handed golfers (No.1 to No.7 and a Rossie model) and for left-handers (No.1, No.3, No.6 and Rossie). All models are available in with shafts from 33-36 inches, except the No.3 model, which is a half-shaft offset. All White Hot XG putters carry a suggested retail price of £99.

Tell us one the forum your experiences with two drivers - is it the future for us all, or just a passing fad? Who'll be the next pro to carry two drivers?