The Coffee That Changed Phil Mickelson’s Life

Twelve years ago, Phil Mickelson suffered a health scare. He was just shy of his 40th birthday when his body started sending warning signs: joint aches and pains, which, at times, became excruciating. This wasn’t something a bit of physiotherapy would fix, and Paracetamol couldn’t take the edge off. The diagnosis was psoriatic arthritis, a condition that causes joints to become swollen, stiff and painful. Not nice for anyone, and especially troublesome for a professional athlete. These days, however, ‘Lefty’ is never ill. Couldn’t tell you the last time he was. He’s actually full of beans – coffee beans, in fact.

Mickelson’s health scare triggered a change in lifestyle, and put him on a pathway to better health and wellness. In 2021, aged 50, he became the oldest Major Championship winner in the history of the game, when he lifted the Wanamaker Trophy at the 2021 PGA Championship. How much of it came down to pure talent – the six-time Major champion is obviously one of the game’s greatest ever players – and how much can be attributed to what he puts into his body is hard to quantify. Mickelson will tell you a lot of it comes down to the latter, as will his friend and world-renowned performance coach, Dave Phillips.

Phillips is the co-founder of the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI), the largest golf, health, and fitness organisation in the industry. Known as a visionary thinker with a passion for teaching, he’s also something of a coffee connoisseur. When Mickelson was going through his health struggles, Phillips, who was introduced to coffee at a young age when living in Kenya, went in search of answers – or, as he puts it, he started to concoct recipes like “Grandma in the kitchen.” He arrived at a special blend that would be called ‘The Good Stuff’, and from there For Wellness (opens in new tab) was born.

These days, it’s not unusual to see Mickelson swigging from a flask as he plays. He’s not pumping his body full of sugary drinks – he’s happily ingesting his very own Good Stuff. In Lefty’s words, “I was looking to make my morning routine healthier, without compromising my love of coffee. Together with The Good Stuff, coffee has changed my life, and helps me perform at my best, every day.”