What Phil Mickelson said amateur golfers should do with their legs to get more distance off the tee

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Phil Mickelson might be best known in the game of golf for his short-game brilliance but the six-time major winner also knows a thing or two about hitting it long.

Mickelson is well known in the game for his use of the term ‘hitting bombs’ and it’s almost become a running joke between him and some fans on social media.

Over the years, Mickelson’s distance off the tee has fluctuated as he hurtles towards the grand old age of 56.

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However, that’s not to say that over the years he hasn’t picked up some valuable insight into every aspect of the game.

And looking back at an old advert for Callaway’s ‘Big Bertha’ clubs, Mickelson revealed a nugget of information for how to hit the driver further.

Phil Mickelson’s tip for amateurs to drive the ball further

With golf becoming more and more about being able to hit it long and true, it’s always worth picking up on these nuggets of advice.

As we know, Phil Mickelson has been around the block more than once and while his short-game is exceptional, he could also send the golf ball a fair distance in his prime.

And according to Mickelson, one of the key elements an amateur can work on is getting their legs in the right position.

“Here’s a tip to help you hit your big bertha (driver) farther. The front leg creates a spring on the start of the downswing. If I straighten my front leg it slings the club down,” Mickelson explained.

“It’s very hard to straighten your front leg and keep your arms straight so it creates a sling effect. So on the downswing I try and straighten the leg so that it creates like a whip and creates even more clubhead speed. And that’s how you can hit driver longer.”

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Phil Mickelson’s driving distances over the years

The left-hander has never been one of the very longest hitters in the game but at his best, Mickelson was hitting the ball in excess of 300 yards on average.

According to StatMuse, his longest year came in 2003 when he averaged 306 yards with the big stick.

That was an improvement of more than 30 yards from when the data was first recorded all the way back in 1993.

As time went by, Mickelson’s length fluctuated but even up to 2015 – where the dataset from StatMuse ends – he was hitting it 300.5 yards on average.

Remarkably though, Mickelson’s latest stats for LIV Golf show him averaging 305.3 yards for the 2025 season, showing very much he is still in shape and in tune with his golf swing.