If Phil Mickelson is looking for something to do when he’s done with the Tour, he might consider club design. Based on his input to a new wedge from Callaway—the Mack Daddy PM-Grind —he’s got both a good eye and good sense.
“We listened to him,” said Callaway’s Roger Cleveland, who has designed for Phil for years and says that with a wedge, “he’s the best that’s ever been.” The man knows what works and what he wants.
What Phil wanted was a versatile, high-lofted club that he could use out of sand and rough, and also open the face without worrying about it sliding under the ball in long grass. They gave it a very high toe—the one feature that took me a little getting used to—and added grooves everywhere. “Phil said let’s extend the grooves all the way out to the toe,” says Cleveland, “so when the wedge is open it looks even bigger. You want to have as much confidence as you can on these shots.”
Both men wanted the wedge—available in 56, 58, 60, and 64 degrees, at $129 each—to work for amateurs, and based on my testing, they succeeded. Phil also insisted it be offered in 56 degrees for golfers who can’t swing a higher-lofted club hard enough to produce enough distance. But with its strong weighting (it feels really good in your hands), making an aggressive swing is no problem.
If wedges are your problem, give these a try—and don’t forget to thank Phil.
