Hunter Mahan with one of his S56 irons late in 2012. (Redington/Getty Images)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The first four months of Hunter Mahan's 2013 season have resembled a roller coaster ride. The five-time PGA TOUR winner started off on a high note, finishing inside the top-20 in five of his first six events, including a runner-up finish at the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship.

Since the Shell Houston Open, however, Mahan's struggled to find his game, missing the cut in Houston and at the Masters, while also posting an "MDF" at the RBC Heritage. 

The lack of consistency forced Mahan to make a switch at the Wells Fargo Championship and shelve his PING Anser irons for a set of PING S56 irons. 

The S56 irons were in the bag last season when he won the WGC-Accenture Match Play and Shell Houston Open. 

Mahan had been struggling with his distance control over the past several weeks and felt a switch back to an iron he had success with last season could rectify the problem. 

The Wells Fargo Championship could be the perfect place for Mahan to get back on track. In his last five starts at Quail Hollow Club, he's posted three top-20 finishes (his best a T12 in 2008).

PING staffer Tom Lewis (left) confers with Matt Rollins on the range.

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

LAST WEEK: Q&A with Paul Loegering, TaylorMade-adidas PGA TOUR manager

Matt Rollins is constantly on the go. PING's Senior PGA TOUR manager spent 39 weeks on the road last season overseeing PING's operations on the PGA TOUR and Web.com Tour.

Rollins said he's hoping to "cut back" to 35 events this year, but with names like Bubba Watson, Lee Westwood, Hunter Mahan and Louis Oosthuizen putting their trust in Rollins each week, he said there's always a chance that number could end up being closer to 39 events again.

Even with his hectic schedule, Rollins still found time to chat about life on tour, his friendship with Bubba Watson, and the pressure he faces to get equipment adjustments right.

You obviously have a lot on your plate each week when you're on the road. Give me a rundown of what you do when you step foot on the course Monday morning?

Matt Rollins: I'll usually fly in on Sunday, check in at the hotel and get situated. On Monday morning, Daniel [Udd], PING's master TOUR technician, and I will open up the truck, get a list of the tournament field and see which PING staffers are playing that week.

From there we'll pull PING hats for staffers, along with any equipment they may have requested over the weekend. We'll also start corresponding with the grip and shaft reps if we need anything, and meeting with players as they arrive.

On top of all that, you're posting pictures to Twitter and Facebook, fulfilling ticket requests, and also doing off-site stuff like setting up autograph signings like we did for Louis Oosthuizen during the WGC-Cadillac Championship.

Tuesday and Wednesday is more of the same as guys continue to arrive at the tournament. We're also working with players on the range testing new equipment if they want something in particular. The first three days before the tournament usually fly by.

What happens when after you leave the course on Wednesday evening? I'm assuming you head home to relax?

Matt Rollins: Actually, it's the exact opposite. I'm at the office (PING headquarters) by 8 a.m. on Thursday and usually spend the next couple of days meeting with engineers to discuss what's working and what needs to be changed, as well as testing what's coming out in, say, the next six months. We'll go over everything from the finish to if the club is too flat or upright, open or shut. 

Upper management wants to discuss what's going on each week, and on top of that, I have to book my own airfare, hotel, rental car, fill out my expense report, make dinner ... and find time to go to my kid's baseball game. Needless to say, I'm always busy.

I've heard you and Bubba Watson have a great relationship. Are you really the only guy who's allowed to work on his clubs?

Matt Rollins: To an extent. We've worked together since 2002 and he trusts what I do. As far as putting the clubs together, Daniel actually builds them; I just make sure the grips are on as they should be. I know what he's looking for.

Through our relationship, he's trusted that if I say it's good, he doesn't doubt it, which is nice. But that kind of trust has been earned.

Going back to the trust players put in you for a moment, do you feel extra pressure to get it right when you suggest an equipment adjustment and the player takes your advice?

Matt Rollins: Definitely. There's a reason Lee Westwood trusts me — it's because we have history and he trusts what I've done in the past.

Here's an example: I got a text from Hunter Mahan a couple days ago and he told me he needed a 3-wood that goes a little more left with less spin. He didn't say what shaft, loft or head he needed. To read within the text, he basically told me that I knew what I was doing and to make it happen. I keep saying it, but trust is huge out here.

If you suggest a couple different driver options early in the week and one of them goes in the bag, you're constantly checking driving stats for the rest of the week.

I'll never call a player Thursday-Sunday during the week, but I'll usually text the caddie to see how the new driver or 3-wood is performing.

Is there also pressure to make sure players are using the newest equipment PING has out on the market?

Matt Rollins: That's the other part of the equation. We obviously want PING staffers to feel comfortable with what they have in the bag, but we're in this business to sell clubs as well.

It's tough to promote a win if the player's using a club that's five years old. But then again, there's a fine line between trying to get a guy to play the latest stuff, and making sure they feel confident with the clubs they have in the bag.

You always want your guys to feel confident when they step on the tee. If that happens to be with clubs from a couple years ago, so be it. It all boils down to never wanting to lose the trust of a player out here.

The most important part of Hunter Mahan's bag? He keeps special attention to his pair of wedges.

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

Hunter Mahan will have at least one new Ping wedge in the bag at the Farmers Insurance Open — and he has Bubba Watson to thank for helping him make the equipment switch.

After switching Ping's Anser wedges last season at Quail Hollow, Mahan decided to give the company's Gorge wedges a try after catching a glimpse of Watson's new set.

On Monday at Torrey Pines, Mahan spent time testing the Gorge wedges and, according to Ping PGA  TOUR representative Matt Rollins, put a 60-degree WS (wide sole) in the bag. Mahan may also add a 54-degree WS before the start of Thursday's first round.

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

One of the biggest names on the PGA TOUR will have a new golf ball in play at the Farmers Insurance Open after TaylorMade Golf confirmed that Dustin Johnson would be using the company's new Lethal ball.

Johnson had been playing TaylorMade's Penta TP5, but following his win at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, he decided to open testing again with the Lethal.

After working with it for the last couple of weeks, Johnson finally felt comfortable enough with the ball's performance in the scoring zone to make the switch official at Torrey Pines.