PGA Tour - Phil Mickelson

PGA Tour Pro Phil Mickelson, "The Player's Champ" as he is so affectionately known. We all know he has serious game. He has been talented for so long. He is known for his short game, a magical short game, but you know...he is not a bad ball striker either. Let's take a look.

Golf Pro Phil Mickelson is an incredible athlete, and has quite amazing flexibility. It would be very easy for him to get his back swing move going offline. However, he doesn't and it helps him stay solid on his move away from the ball.

The piece to watch in this video is his right shoulder. Watch how he gets the shoulder behind the ball, but it does not go past the middle of his stance. This means he is rotating his shoulders, which creates more torque, and therefore more power. There are many players who get that shoulder all the way back to their back foot. Players who do this tend to think they are getting a bigger swing, but they are actually losing power. It also leads to problems with consistency.

The key is to get your shoulders and hips rotating on the back swing, instead of sliding. A great drill to practice at home is to stand in the doorway facing the hinges. Stand in your golf stance, so that the hinges are in the middle of your stance, than make your back swing. Turn your shoulders so that they only turn as far as the hinges. If they slide past then you have gone to far.

If you can watch this move in Mickelson and some of the other great players it will help you hit the ball better.

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