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From Mickelson’s signature flop shot, to sand plays that make the ball dance around the cup, Phil Michelson’s short game is magical.
That’s just how good his hands are at controlling the ball. You can’t teach that, but a lot of what he does is fairly simple to copy. You can learn quite a bit for your own short game.
The first thing you should learn from Phil: He reads the lie before deciding on what type of shot to play. Also important, he says 99 percent of his body weight starts and stays on his front foot. Most players don’t favor that leg as much.
Ball position and shaft lean are two ways Phil controls contact. That shaft lean at address and the forward ball position allow him to hit down on the ball solidly and get it up without having to scoop at it with his wrists like so many amateurs do. They play the ball too far back to hit it high.
The simplicity of his technique is evident here. Once he hinges the wrists, he maintains that hinge through impact. This prevents poor contact. Amateurs should start this hinge early. You don’t need a big swing arc here. Hinging narrows the arc and makes good contact easier to get.
Phil creates the backspin for this checking wedge by forcing a lot of friction between the ball and the leading edge of the clubhead. His hands take the club down into the ball on a fairly sharp angle. His head also has rotated a little to the target side. He tracks the path of the club and ball.
Stare at this swing at impact for a few seconds, then go back and see the photo of Phil at address. Look familiar? With the exception of his head rotating, the two positions are virtually identical. That’s something to work on. Create a good impact look at address, and repeat it when your club meets ball.
His grip pressure is super light. Soft hands let him keep clubhead speed up on those short shots. Also, a lot of amateurs bring the shaft back around to their hip pocket to finish the swing, but his left arm extends and his body keeps rotating toward the target for accuracy. It’s terrific technique.
