Phil Mickelson details why he stopped ‘salting’ his golf balls like Bryson DeChambeau
Bryson DeChambeau shocked a few by admitting to ‘salting’ his golf balls at the US Open 2024. The method of using Epsom salt solution to prepare the balls for events gained more popularity after the LIV golfer went on to win the Major held at Pinehurst. Now, Phil Mickelson has revealed that he too used to ‘salt’ his golf balls.
Much like DeChambeau, Mickelson believes in the positives of salting golf balls for events. However, the 54-year-old confessed that he stopped the practice about three years ago. The six-time Major champion noted that golf ball manufacturers like Callaway use technology to find the “center core.”
The LIV Golf marquee said the equipment company’s recent practices have put the salting process out of service. He claimed that the golf balls he receives from Callaway are now “perfect.”
Speaking on LIV Golf’s Fairway to Heaven podcast ahead of LIV Golf Nashville, Phil Mickelson said (at 20:49):
“As recently as three years ago I stopped (salting golf balls). They would be out of round early because the center would move. But Callaway now X-ray images each center core. When they started doing that, every one of my 12 golf balls would come up in a different spot… So, I used to do that and then every ball that I've gotten from Callaway now is perfect.”
Interestingly, he added that some “two manufacturers” still provide only two or three balls that are “perfectly centered” in a batch. However, he didn’t name the manufacturers. The golfer also went on to state methods to overcome this issue.
Phil Mickelson added:
“You can get around that and what he does you want it going end over end. If you don't want the heavy part on the side because it will pull on the roll. It's like if you get mud on a ball, it will fly opposite but it will roll towards it because of the extra weight. The aerodynamics cause it to go the other way but the weight causes it to go towards it.”
It is pertinent to note that Phil Mickelson hasn't won a Major event since moving to LIV Golf in 2022.
Bryson DeChambeau on 'salting' his golf balls
Phil Mickelson's comments on 'salting' golf balls come just days after Bryson DeChambeau won the US Open 2024. During the weekend, the champion LIV golfer revealed that he uses Epsom salt on his golf balls before playing.
Bryson, often referred to as ‘The Scientist’ by fans for his ‘nerdy’ approach to the game, noted that floating the balls in salt solution helps ensure it’s balanced.
Speaking in a press conference during the US Open at Pinehurst, Bryson DeChambeau told reporters:
“I put my golf balls in Epsom salt. Essentially, we float golf balls in a solution to make sure the golf ball is not out of balance… There’s always going to be an error, especially when it’s a sphere and there’s dimples on the edges. You can’t perfectly get it in the center.”
DeChambeau, who is a physics major, noted that the heavy side of the golf ball sinks to the bottom during the process which helps him realize the weight balance. Much like Phil Mickelson, the 30-year-old US Open champion added that “it’s not really that big of a deal” for most of the golf balls he gets in present day.