Phil Mickelson is arguably the best chipper ever to have graced the game.
Sure, Mickelson has a penchant for attempting to pull off the impossible shots but he is an expert at executing the simple shots around the greens as well.
The 55-year-old is one of the most popular players in the professional game, although some would say he tarnished his reputation by leaving the PGA Tour to join LIV Golf in 2022.
He has been involved in plenty of controversy over the past few years. Back in March, Mickelson famously said Scottie Scheffler wouldn’t win up until the Ryder Cup in September.
That has obviously proven to be one of the worst predictions of all time.
However, whatever you think of Mickelson as a man, it is impossible to argue against the fact that he is one of the most gifted players of all-time with a wedge in his hands around the greens.
Phil Mickelson tells amateurs how to improve their chipping
Interestingly, the six-time major champion actually struggled around the greens last season.
However, just before The Open Championship, Mickelson admitted to having an epiphany regarding his short game earlier this season.
And the 45-time PGA Tour winner is now very much back to his best with his chipping and pitching.
During a video on YouTube, Mickelson explained to amateur golfers how to improve their short games instantly with one very simple method.
He said: “What I do is I just break the wrist and I hold it going through. Now when I say I hold it, what I am doing is accelerating my hands. I am not holding on to the club.
“I am just keeping my hands moving to the target. If you notice, my arm and club are going to form a straight line to the finish.
“That means at no point did the club travel faster than the arm. We want that with the driver because we are trying to create distance, but here we are trying to control distance. We are trying to hit it to a specific distance to the target.
“The best way to do that is to have the arms and club working at the same speed. It also allows us to be aggressive into the ball and not have it shoot off the club face. So we break our wrists and accelerate into the finish.“
Phil Mickelson explained why he lost his ability to chip well
Even the greats of the game struggle at times.
And Mickelson was no different last year, when his short game took a turn for the worse.
However, he recently opened up on how he rediscovered his best form with his wedges in hand.
He said: “I do have some good news for you. I have had an epiphany with my short game. The week before the DC Virginia it just totally flipped.
“After I did that I went and shot a short game video because it forced me to rethink about all the things I am doing because I never had to think about it.
“I have been struggling with short game for a while, but I have finally started to understand because I started asking questions, made the change and it’s been great.
“I am able to use a 64 now. Because my technique was off it wasn’t an asset, it was a liability.“
Mickelson is the most naturally gifted exponent of the short game since Seve Ballesteros. So the fact that even he struggled at times should offer amateur golfers real hope.
It won’t always be pretty but the key is to try and find more consistency in order to lower your handicap.
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