How Phil Mickelson’s top-of-the-bag choices can help your game

Like Bryson DeChambeau, Phil Mickelson approaches his equipment in a cerebral way.

Over the years, his choices heading into majors have been headline-making: the 64-degree wedge he employed at Winged Foot in the 2006 U.S. Open; the two-driver system he rolled out at Augusta that same year (he won); the extra-long driver and mini-driver setup he used to capture the 2021 PGA Championship at Kiawah.

Mickelson thinks things through in detail, and he’ll do whatever it takes to gain an edge.

From what I see this year, heading into the U.S. Open at Oakmont, his thoughts are once more focused on the top of the bag. This is always the trickiest part of the bag to get right because of the distances those long clubs cover. If we do the math for Phil, there’s close to an 80-yard gap between 4-iron and driver. For context, 80 yards through the irons (assuming the standard 12-yard gap) would be six clubs. At the top of the bag, that coverage comes from three or four clubs, max.

This week at LIV Virginia/DC, Mickelson rolled up to the first tee with an eclectic bouquet of head covers. Beneath them were a driver, 3-wood, and two 5-woods.

Mickelson has made it plain on his YouTube channel that as he ages into his 50s, hitting bombs is no longer a top priority. If he’s going to compete with the big hitters, he’ll need to outthink them. That starts with a deep look at his bag.

Here’s the thinking behind his setup:

Ping G440 LST 7.5 w/ Graphite Design VF 6X: Ping’s G440 platform is as stable as anything in the industry. It allows Mickelson to play a forgiving head at a lower loft so he can get it out there when he needs to. Ultimately, though, he’s leaning on forgiveness and spin retention for accuracy. 275 to 300-yard gapping.

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Ping G430 Max 15@13.25 (43) w/ Graphite Design VF 7X: Here, Mickelson is opting for maximum launch, spin and forgiveness. The 430 Max has a high MOI head that gets up into its launch window quickly and affords a ton of forgiveness with its back weighting. 255 to 270-yard gapping.

Ping G430 Max 18@16.25 (42.25) w/ Graphite Design VF 8X: This operates as a 4-wood, complementing the low-lofted driver and strong 3-wood. This club most likely covers the 240 to 255-yard range.

Ping G430 Max 18 (41.5 EOG) w/ Graphite Design VF 8X: Phil looks at this as he would a 7-wood or a 3/4 iron combo that he can hit high with spin with a wide yardage gap. I see this club covering the 220 to 240-yard range.

From there, Mickelson’s setup moves to a hot Rogue ST Pro 5-iron, bent to around 23 degrees of loft. Phil can fly this club some 215 yards, a distance that blends nicely into his Callaway XF 6-iron, bent to around 27 degrees.

It might seem strange to see Phil opting for 4-woods instead of a long-hitter’s set up. But his shift is part of a broader ego-less trend that has elite golfers looking at the top of the bag in a more economical way. From the standpoint of strokes-gained, it makes sense. The top of the bag is where many strokes are sacrificed as the cost of power is often precision. Fred Couples understands this. It’s why he has 4 hybrids in his bag. Tommy Fleetwood gets it, too. His set up is similar to Philes: driver, mini-driver, 5-wood, 9-wood.

Point is, even the best players in the world are punting on long irons in favor of more user-friendly clubs. Golf technology has evolved to the point where there’s no need to be a hero by trying to make 4-iron or 5-iron “work”. In my own bag, I go driver, mini-driver, 5-wood, 4-hybrid, and I have a 5-hybrid coming. I’m not short by any stretch (160-165 mph with a driver) but I know I lose shots with my longer clubs. My strategy now is making sure every club in my bag helps me make par. If I card a birdie, great. It’s bogey or worse that I’m trying to avoid.

Where did I learn that? On the Tour trucks, listening to players strategize with coaches and tour reps.

Golf is chess, not checkers. The smartest player wins.

Five years ago, the thinking was different. These days, though, we can look to Tour pros for smart bag setups. If the best players in the world are looking for help, the rest of us should, too.