"People don't factor that in" - Phil Mickelson on factors affecting a good golf shot
Phil Mickelson is among the most popular names in golf at the moment. The player has been a controversial figure ever since his defection to LIV Golf earlier this year. However, he remains a top player and the 52-year-old gained more fans when he won the PGA Championship last year.
Mickelson became the oldest major championship winner in May of 2021. He was 50 years, 11 months and seven days old at the time. During the tournament, the golfer brought forth his A game and showcased his experience to take the win.
The golfer, who has experimented a lot with shots in the past, was in top form. However, Mickelson revealed that his swings have been perfected over years of practice and precision study.
Flew to Houston for @KPMGGolf event and this just happened. Couple of 9’s this weekend and a “one” today 😎👍
Whatever 🤷♂️ https://t.co/Ae6yHNtnT6
Phil Mickelson on being analytical on shots
Mickelson is an entertainer but that doesn’t make him any less tactical. The golfer is a pro of the highest order and his shot selection process is top-notch as well. In an interview, Mickelson once detailed how he works on his shots and revealed that he is highly analytical.
Speaking about the mental aspect of the game and his process, Mickelson said that he practices over a thousand shots a month for reference. He explained how he chose his shots in the game and went on to list the factors that affected his decisions.
In an interview with David Feherty, Phil Mickelson said:
“There’s a lot that I process on every shot and there is a lot of detail. In my practice, I build a reference. So, I hit the same shot over and over building a 9-iron that goes 145 yards. Now that will vary based on temperature and altitude, which will change with time of day as well as wind and those effects.”
He added:
“One of the things people will say is, ‘I hit my wedge 120.' Well, you might hit a 120 under certain conditions but in the morning, the ball is not going 120, maybe in the afternoon when it’s warmer and the ball heats up. But it’s going to go five or ten yards shorter in the morning."
"People don’t factor that in. If you get a little bit of water in between the clubface and the ball, people don’t know that it increases the spin and causes it to go shorter.”
Phil Mickelson also explained how he chooses between shots for scenarios. He added:
“If I have a reference of 145 and I want to fly 142, I can choke down an inch. It will come in a little bit lower, a little bit flatter and release or I can just open it up and hit a little bit of a cut, that’ll be three yards but it’ll back up. All these variables I process… because I hit 1500 balls every month to those specific numbers, my references are pretty on.”
It should be noted that Phil Mickelson is among the most tactical players. He has had the experience of trying out different swings and putters in the past. Interestingly, the LIV golfer won the PGA Championship last year using the Odyssey 'Mickelson' blade prototype, which made headlines at the time.