Mickelson unveils secret weapon for Augusta

In the week leading up to the Masters, Phil Mickelson talked about a secret club he was testing in preparation for the year’s first major. In his press conference on Tuesday, the three-time champion revealed the club’s identity.

The Callaway X Hot Phrankenwood is a prototype club and a bold extension of the X Hot fairway wood technology. Like other X Hot fairway woods, Phrankenwood has a stainless steel construction with a Speed Frame Face Cup, made of high strength Carpenter 455 stainless steel, and an ultra-thin cast stainless steel body.

“You heard me say it’s my driver, right? I mean, I don’t know if I’m getting this clear. It’s a driver, but it just looks like a 3-wood, because our drivers are so big now. But this one is smaller, because it’s an enhanced 3-wood,” Mickelson said.

Mickelson wanted a modern 2-wood and collaborated closely with Callaway R&D to bring the product to life in time for the first major championship of the season. Having experienced significant gains in distance using Callaway’s new X Hot fairway wood technology, Mickelson began looking for a fairway wood built from this technology that he could hit off the tee as far as his driver, but with a flatter ball flight and with greater control of the left-to-right shot shape. With a unique combination of shape, size, X Hot ball speed and a significantly lower spin rate he can do this effectively with the X Hot Phrankenwood prototype.

“If you watch, you’ll see a lot of the shots off the tee that I hit have a lot more scoot on them. Tee shots on (No. 9) are getting down to the bottom of the hill, and I haven’t been able to do that in years.

“Tee shot on (No. 10) is getting another 15-to-20 yards, giving me a club or two less than I’ve had in years. The tee shot on (No. 15) is getting down to where I’m getting one or two clubs less in because it comes off fast, as well as low-spin. So it’s running, which is exactly what I wanted here.”

Mickelson’s X Hot Phrankenwood prototype has an 8.5-degree loft and is 250cc. Mickelson is using a 45” Fubuki k 70X Prototype shaft in the club.