Phil Mickelson used the Callaway X Hot 3Deep as his "driver" during the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
(Lyons/Getty Images)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

Phil Mickelson came up short in his bid to win the week before a major for the fifth time in his career, but he left the FedEx St. Jude Classic with a number of positives heading into the 113th U.S. Open at Merion.

One of the biggest positives was in the driving department. Mickelson made an equipment adjustment the week before the Masters at the Shell Houston Open, pulling his Callaway RAZR Fit Xtreme driver in favor of Callaway's X Hot 3Deep — a taller-faced version of the X Hot Pro fairway wood that, for Mickelson, was almost as long as his driver and gave him the ability to work the ball both ways with ease.

While Augusta National and Merion Golf Club are nothing alike, Mickelson went with the same bag setup at TPC Southwind, this time taking his Callaway Phrankenwood out of the bag and going with 3Deep as his "driver" for the week.

The decision to go with just 3Deep was clearly done with Merion in mind. At only 6,996 yards, Mickelson likely won't need a driver in the bag to put himself in a good position off the tee.

Plus, he averaged 314.4 yards off the tee (11th in the field) and hit 55 percent of his fairways (T33) at TPC Southwind — Mickelson was 66th in driving distance (288.8 yards) at the beginning of the week — using just 3Deep.

Replicating those numbers next week at Merion will be absolutely critical if Mickelson wants any chance of contending on one of the tightest U.S. Open venues in recent memory.

Harris English switched to a different PING fairway wood this week at the FedEx St. Jude Classic.
(Lyons/Getty Images)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

Harris English claimed his first PGA TOUR victory on Sunday at the FedEx St. Jude Classic, closing with two birdies over his final three holes to win by two shots over Scott Stallings and Phil Mickelson.

The 23-year-old pulled his PING G25 driver and 3-wood at the beginning of the week and went back to his old PING G15 driver and G5 3-wood. The reason for the switch? English was hitting both really well and figured a change could give him a boost. He averaged 289.5 yards off the tee (69th in the field) and hit 67 percent of his fairway for the week.

English also recently put PING's new Nome TR putter in the bag and finished 17th in the field in strokes gained-putting (.860).

Harris English's bag

DRIVER: PING G15 (Project X shaft), 10.5 degrees

FAIRWAY WOODS: PING G5 (Aldila RIP 80X shaft), 15 degrees; PING G20 (UST Mamiya VTS Pro Force 8X Black shaft), 18 degrees

IRONS (4-9): PING S56 (True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts)

WEDGES: PING Gorge Tour (47 degrees SS (Standard Sole), 52 degrees SS, 56 degrees SS; True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shafts); Fourteen Golf (60 degrees; True Temper Dynamic Gold X100 shaft)

PUTTER: PING Nome TR

BALL: Titleist ProV1x

Titleist's 712U driving irons are forged with a hollow body, which makes them easier to hit. (Courtesy: Titleist)

In this week's edition of the Equipment Report Mailbag, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider Jonathan Wall discusses Titleist's 712U driving iron, PING's 2013/14 lineup and TaylorMade's R1 Black driver.

Have a question about the latest golf equipment or what the pros are playing? Send a tweet to @jonathanrwall.

Question: Any idea if/when the Titleist 712U Driving Irons will be available to the public? More specifically Canadian public?!

@jonathanrwall any idea if/when the Titleist 712U Driving Irons will be available to the public? More specifically Canadian public?!

— Kyle Dixon (@kyldxn) June 5, 2013

Answer: I actually wrote something up on Titleist's 712U back in April when the company officially announced it was coming to retail. For those of you unfamiliar with the club, it's a forged utility iron that boasts a forged, hollow-body 1025 steel construction with a high-speed 455 carpenter steel face insert; a deep center of gravity that's positioned for a higher MOI that delivers increased stability and playability when compared to a traditional long iron; and a wider, camber sole design that promotes clean turf interaction.

Adam Scott had a 712U 2-iron in the bag when he won the Masters, and I've seen Geoff Ogilvy and Tim Clark using it as well. The club is a great option if you're looking for an easy-to-hit long iron.

As far as the release date, the 712U is currently available via custom order and comes in three lofts (18, 21 and 24 degrees). You can also order one if you live in Canada, so have at it, Kyle!

Question: Typically PING follows a 2 year rotation on equipment. Any news on the 2013/2014 iron line up?

@jonathanrwall typically Ping follows a 2 year rotation on equipment. Any news on the 2013/2014 iron line up?

— Jason Hodkowski (@jphodko) June 5, 2013

Answer: Great question, Jason. There are a couple equipment manufacturers out there that usually don't release new equipment on a yearly basis. PING happens to be one of them, releasing a new lineup about every 18 to 24 months.

I had a chance to talk to Pete Samuels, PING's Director of Communications, and he said the company doesn't normally comment on the timing of new products. So while I'd love to give you a timeframe, you'll just have to keep watching this space for information in the future.

However, if I was a betting man, I'd guess you may see something from them later this year. The Anser and G25 lines came out recently, so your best bet is probably the new i25 lineup.

PING's i20 line was unveiled on January 1, 2011, which means we could see something in the not too distant future. Again, that's pure conjecture on my part, but it would make sense if PING was going on the usual release cycle.

Question: Black or white TaylorMade R1?

@jonathanrwall Black or white R1?

— Nick Rozga (@NickRozga) June 5, 2013

Answer: To be honest, it all comes down to personal preference. The two drivers have the same specs and features — 168 possible adjustment settings, 12 loft-sleeve settings and 7 face-angle positions — so you're not going to an advantage using one over the other.

I was in Memphis this week at the FedEx St. Jude Classic and had the opportunity to watch Dustin Johnson, Boo Weekley, Peter Hanson, Casey Wittenberg and a number of other players try out R1 Black on the range.

Some guys like Dustin and Casey loved the driver from the get-go and put it in play right away. Others tried it out and liked the club's performance but decided to stick with the white R1. Boo Weekley even mentioned the black version looked a little shut to him at address. Mind you, that's Boo's personal opinion.

My answer to your question is to try both and see which one suits your eye.

Photo credit: @GregSabellaCG

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

To commemorate the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, Odyssey is releasing a USA-themed Versa #7 putter, limited to 250 pieces. The limited-edition version performs the same as the standard white-black-white Versa #7, however, Odyssey decided to make this one unique by adding a blue line to the bottom and white White Hot insert.

The insert and line on the standard white-black-white model are usually black. Each putter is individually stamped on the sole and comes with a custom Odyssey USA putter cover.

The putter measures 35 inches and has a head weight of 343 grams. It carries a suggested retail price of $249 (right-hand only).

The Versa #7 has been a popular model this season. Rickie Fowler switched to the putter at the Arnold Palmer Invitational presented by Mastercard and still has it in the bag; Dustin Johnson, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson Ernie Els and Freddie Jacobson have also worked with the #7 at some point in the past few months.

(Photo courtesy Kentwool)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

For the second straight year, KENTWOOL will release a limited edition sock for the U.S. Open. The Tour Profile sock is slated to be worn by Bubba Watson during the week at Merion.

The 2012 Masters winner wore these exact same socks at last year's U.S. Open at Olympic Club. Crafted from a blend of merino wool and high-tech fibers that create a micro-climate system for superior moisture wicking and odor control, it comes in a red, white and blue version that's currently available for $19.95 per pair.

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

One week before the first round of the U.S. Open, Nike Golf released the apparel scripting for its athletes in the field on Tuesday — including Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

With temperatures expected to be in the mid-80s at Merion Golf Club, Nike will have players sporting styles from the Summer 2013 Collection that incorporates key technologies such as laser perforations, no-sew technology and ultra-lightweight fabrications into each shirt.

“We share our newest innovations for the season with our athletes and focus on the technologies that are most applicable to the climate in which they will be competing,” said Merritt Richardson, Nike Golf's Vice President of Global Golf Apparel and Footwear. “We listen to their performance, comfort and style needs to ensure they are dressed to compete with the best apparel and footwear for the grand stage of a major championship.”

Woods will wear four different looks during the tournament and both colors (black and white) from the new TW'14 shoe line.

McIlroy also has four different looks planned and will go with white slacks on Thursday and Saturday. Unlike Woods, who plans on wearing two different shoes, McIlroy will sport four different versions of Nike's Lunar Control shoe.

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

The best players will descend on Merion Golf Club next week for the U.S. Open. Here's a look at what Bubba Watson, Rickie Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose and Jason Day will be wearing for the second major of the year.

RICKIE FOWLER (Puma Golf)

JUSTIN ROSE, STEWART CINK, MICHAEL THOMPSON (Ashworth)

Along with the four Ashworth outfits, Justin Rose will also wear a custom-made pair of Cardiffs that include his children's names on the heel patch. The shoes won't be available at retail, and Rose won't see the final product until he arrives at Merion.

BUBBA WATSON (Oakley)

DUSTIN JOHNSON, JASON DAY (adidas)

Adidas also confirmed that Jason Day and Dustin Johnson wouldn't wear the same outfit each day of the tournament like they did at this year's Masters.

Will Haskett from SiriusXM PGA TOUR Radio speaks with PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider Jonathan Wall about the latest from TaylorMade and True Temper.

True Temper's new PX prototype shaft. (Jonathan Wall/PGATOUR.COM)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — True Temper unveiled a new PX prototype driver shaft this week at the FedEx St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind that has a higher launch and moderately higher spin rate than the original Project X and Project X Black graphite driver shafts.

The shaft also features a weave pattern in the middle of the shaft that's significantly softer than previous Project X graphite models and acts as a loading zone on the downswing.

"The new PX prototype is still butt and tip stiff like the other Project X graphite shafts," said Simon Wilson, True Temper's PGA and European Tour manager. "The big difference is in the center of the shaft. By softening the middle, you're able to release more energy into the ball and increase ball speed."

True Temper had players testing three PX prototype models early in the week — 55- and 65-gram versions in a 7.0 flex and a 55-gram in a 6.0 flex. The new shaft is also slightly lighter — 3-7 grams depending on the flex — than Project X and Project X Black.

While the weights and shaft flexes offered are common for Project X's line, the addition of multiple loading zone options for each shaft could be the biggest game-changer of all.

If you look closely at the photo of the PX prototype, you'll notice some numbers below the shaft name. The "LZ 18" on this particular model denotes a loading zone that's 18 inches from the butt end of the shaft. There's also an "LZ 16" that has a loading zone that's 16 inches from the butt end of the shaft.

Of course, matching the loading zone to your swing type is critical if you want to synch everything up. According to Wilson, players with slower swing speeds would most likely want to go with the "LZ 16," because the loading zone is closer to the butt end for easy shaft loading.

Players with faster swing speeds would likely want to go with a 7.0 that's 18 inches from the butt end and slight closer to the tip. The higher speed players need a lower loading zone so the shaft doesn't load too early during the downswing.

True Temper hasn't figured out retail shaft weights and loading zones for the new PX prototype, but the company is hoping TOUR feedback over the coming weeks and months allows them to make a final decision on retail shaft options in the near future.

George McNeill was one of the first to test out the new shaft at TPC Southwind and had True Temper reps put a 7.0 55-gram PX prototype in his 9-degree Cleveland XL Custom driver on Tuesday.

Dustin Johnson will use a black TaylorMade R1 at the FedEx St. Jude Classic pro-am. (Twitter: @TaylorMadeGolf)

By Jonathan Wall, PGATOUR.COM Equipment Insider

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — TaylorMade's new R1 Black driver has only been on TOUR for a couple of days, but the new club has already received a positive response from a number of notable staffers.

Defending FedEx St. Jude Classic champion Dustin Johnson tested out a 10.5-degree R1 Black (Fujikura 2.0 X shaft, neutral face angle, 7 heel, 7 toe) on Tuesday afternoon and launched drives over the back of the range with ease.

Johnson liked the driver so much during testing the he decided to put it in play for Wednesday's pro-am. Depending on how the round goes, there's a chance the seven-time PGA TOUR winner could become one of the first to put the new driver in play during competition.

Other TaylorMade staffers requesting R1 Black driver builds this week included Boo Weekley (9.75 degrees, Fujikura 6.1 Speeder X shaft, neutral face angle, 6 heel, 6 toe), Sean O’Hair (9.5 degrees, Matrix TP7HD X, neutral face angle, Tipped 1”) and Brian Gay (9.5 degrees, Oban Purple 65 X, O1 face angle, 6 heel, 6 toe).

Casey Wittenberg was another TaylorMade staffer who spent extensive time doing comparison testing between R1 and R1 Black (Mitsubishi Diamana shaft) on Tuesday morning.

Following the productive range session — both drivers were producing really good numbers on the range — Wittenberg took both drivers on the course for additional testing.