How Mickelson won a Major at 50
1 Driving
Through the ball, you can see how well Phil gets his right side out of the way. This rapid rotation pulls the arms through quickly and releases the club into the ball with great speed - one of his distance keys. I imagine he’s also been working on pushing up through the lead leg, so he’s hitting up on the ball by using the ground forces much better, a trait seen in various forms in modern golf.
The length of his turn is helped by a lifting of his right heel, and while that makes his legs more active and his foundations a little softer, it assists with his terrific hip and torso turn. Club golfers may want to try this, especially older players, as it can release the hips and allow them to turn a little better.
I believe Phil is reaping the benefits today from having always had a long, free-flowing swing. Coupled with his pursuit of strength, flexibility and general fitness, it’s giving him a wonderful full action. He looked to be in full control of his swing at Kiawah, but can always push it a bit more if required – maybe on more forgiving courses. Knowing when he can, and where his miss would be if
he did, is another talent.
4
Phil is not afraid to reinvent himself and find ways to improve, despite what he’s achieved. At Kiawah, he was using a conventional putting grip, but he has had success with a claw grip, too. This is something I would encourage amateurs to explore. It might look and feel strange, but it helps to ‘remove’ the dominant hand. For mature players – and especially those who start to get a bit nervy over short putts – it can be really effective. It eliminates the likelihood of one arm dominating.
Putting 2 Ball-flight control
At the USPGA, Phil’s iron play and short game excelled. He appeared to start curtailing his follow-through, especially on the back nine. He was still going at the ball fast, but would then hold it off in the follow-through to help him control clubface and ball flight.
When you do this, you’re shortening the muscles in the forearms, which removes any excess hand and wrist action and brings the ball flight down. More importantly, it controls the clubface through impact so much better. If you’re nervous or the penalties are high, it’s a great weapon to have. Phil has both the power and skill to control his ball flight in this way.
His iron play at Kiawah was a masterclass. He admitted that he started to make more committed swings after the first six holes, which played a big part in his success. That’s something club golfers can learn from – ‘commitment’ might have been his word. Ask yourself what your ‘word’ is before you play instead of just hitting and hoping.
3 Short game
All top players have good short games, but Phil’s repertoire is exceptional. His variety of shots is down to how hard he works – and he’s working harder now than ever. How many players have faded in their 40s and 50s as they’ve started to struggle with their chipping and putting?
Yet Phil’s vision, feel and capacity to play extraordinary shots has never been better.
He faced some big examinations at Kiawah, but due to his talent, vision, feel and copious hours of dedicated practice, he can, and did, execute all of the shots demanded of him under pressure.
He showed us everything from holing a bunker shot to bumping a wedge into a bank and, of course, his trademark lob shot. Underlying all of these is his great vision, but then it’s down to confidence. He’s done it so many times before that he knows exactly what the ball will do when it lands.
This is not just technique and skill, but countless hours of practice.