Editor’s Letter
Phil Mickelson’s Kiawah Island triumph has inspired a gameimprovement awakening.
“It’s a timely reminder for anyone struggling to seek out one of our very own UAE PGA teaching professionals.”
SIR NICK FALDO’S A Swing for Life has been submissively swung open after being condemned to a life of dust collection for too long. Mark my words, Sir Nick’s sage words won’t be returned to my treasured golf library either until my grim midlife crisis is solved, nor before the bookshelf is thoroughly dusted, apparently.
Phil Mickelson is entirely responsible for this despairing journey of self-improvement.
See, my short game is absolutely and utterly horrendous and Lefty has inspired me to finally do something about it. When I say bad, I mean worse than beginner level which makes me wonder what I’ve been doing with my life the past 40 years. It’s never been great but just lately it’s got to the point where I’m a serious candidate to meet Tyrrell Hatton at an Angry Golfers (not so) Anonymous meeting.
I fancy my chances with a 3-iron from 200 yards more than I do with a wedge from a perfectly fluffy lie with no more than a yard or two of completely defenceless fringe to negotiate. The prospect of having to get my ball up and over a bunker gives me cold sweats. Land it soft? Yip, I saw that on TV once. An escape from a bunker? Yikes. Around every corner of every green a card-wrecking shot bladed into oblivion or an equally demoralising flub lurks.
And then Lefty goes and wins the 103rd PGA Championship and inspires middle-aged blokes with aches and pains and involuntary wedge spasms everywhere.
“There’s no reason why you can’t accomplish your goals later in life… it just takes a little more work.”
Given I struggle to activate my calves getting up off a chair, have never been accused of hitting bombs and couldn’t possibly get away with sporting Lefty’s retro shades, I’ve pretty much accepted a major championship is beyond me now. But if Phil the Thrill reckons a little hard yakka is all it takes, I’m all in. My lofty goal? To hit chips and pitches somewhere remotely close to the middle of the clubface more often than not.
Because Lefty is a bit busy right now, I’ve re-engaged Sir Nick to work on my short game shortcomings with his wise musings. So far, so good. After consuming chapter 8 - Chipping and Pitching, My Short-Game System –no less than six up and downs followed in my next round. There was ample misery in between but at least now I have a technique to cling to and hone. I’m so excited, I might even go out and practice instead of trying to figure it out mid-round. Round after frustrating round. It’s ridiculous that I haven’t sought help earlier. Phil’s win in a tournament that honours the men and women of the PGA of America is a timely reminder for anyone struggling with any part of their game to seek out one of the hard working members of our very own UAE PGA. We don’t normally do plugs in these pages but know that new Al Hamra teaching professional Malcolm Young has transformed the author’s putting while a simple takeaway tip in the April issue from Dubai Creek’s Euan Bowden has suddenly produced mid and long iron ball-striking that makes the inability to find the middle of the clubface with a simple little pitch even more confounding.
So book a lesson and read on in these pages to invest in your future happiness. Phil promises it will be time well spent.
“This is so much fun it’s worth the effort, worth the hard work it takes to be in this position,” Mickelson said after eclipsing Julius Boros as the oldest major champion. Who are we to argue with 50 years, 11 months and eight days of experience and increasingly brilliant Phil-isms?
Seriously, how cool was Lefty’s sixth major triumph? As seismic as Hideki Matsuyama’s Masters win was for the global game, Mickelson’s win for the ages was an awakening. Even hobbled Tiger was “truly inspired”. The golf ball really doesn’t care how old you are.
We arrived in South Carolina talking about the potential of this month’s cover star Jordan Spieth claiming the grand slam. We left marvelling about the potential of a grand slam for Lefty at fabled Torrey Pines.
Normal service will surely resume with the young bomb and gouge brigade set to dominate the U.S. Open. But if you believe in fairytales, and why not after Augusta and Kiawah, then don’t be surprised if Mickelson consigns his six previous U.S. Open runner-up finishes to history with back-to-back, Phil being Phil major wins. And after Lefty’s glorious grand slam, Lee Westwood will be rewarded for a life’s great work with a breakthrough claret jug at Royal St. George’s.
Sure, dreams are free. But then, “…it just takes a little more work.”
I’m off to the practice green then, after digesting a few more pages of Sir Nick’s wisdom. Or perhaps it’s time for the book next door, Gary Player’s Don’t Choke. Not even Phil said this was going to be easy.