Story and Podcast: How Phil Mickelson Chooses New Equipment
Bet you don't do this before putting new gear into the
bag.
Phil Mickelson (famous for experimenting with
equipment) tries new clubs with goggles on. He doesn't
want to be influenced by the ball flight. He has spotters
(Dave Pelz being the most famous) watch each shot
with a new club, while he tells them if it was a good
swing or not. That way, they can come up with
tendencies without him being influenced by seeing the
ball flight, which he would adjust his swing for.
If he can't do that, Mickelson hits one shot with a
club, then switches to one of his existing clubs, then
back. That way he can figure out how he's swinging
that day. If his 5-iron is going straight but a new club
(say a hybrid) is hooking, then it probably needs
tweaking.
Mickeslson also likes to look at video tape of
when he's
swinging good as a reference point, arguing that most
amateurs should also be filming themselves when
playing well, not just when taking a
lesson because they are playing poorly.
If you like
equipment, you'll enjoy this Podcast. Give it a listen!