When he gets going about the intricacies of the game of golf, there’s nobody better the listen to than Phil Mickelson.
And when he gets going about Augusta National—a place where Mickelson has won three green jackets, and finished inside the top 5 in 40 percent of his appearences—you know he’s about to drop some serious knowledge.
During the pre-tournament press conference before this week’s LIV Golf: Miami event, Lefty experienced a similar situation.
When questioned by reporters about how he imparts knowledge to fellow players at Augusta National, Mickelson provided an intriguing response highlighting the unique challenges left-handed golfers face on the course compared to right-handed players.
Mickelson elaborated on the subtle yet significant differences in playing the course as a left-hander.
Phil points out an interesting example, highlighting how left-handed golfers are more penalized than right-handed golfers when attempting to make a shot from the greenside bunker on hole 10.
If the pin is on the right side, whether it is situated in the front, center, or rear, it is effective to hit the ball back towards the right side.
When a right-handed golfer approaches a bunker and adjusts their sand wedge to hit a high, soft shot with a slight cut spin, the ball will gently land on the slope, stop quickly, and allow for an easy recovery shot.
During practice rounds, I have seen players effortlessly place the ball within two feet of the hole.
However, for a left-handed golfer in the same bunker opening up the face and hitting the ball with cut spin, the ball tends to run with the slope of the left-to-right green and fails to stop.
My best shot in this case might only yield an eight-foot distance, as opposed to the ten feet a right-handed player could achieve.
Therefore, this bunker poses a greater challenge for me as a left-handed golfer compared to a right-handed player.”
Left-handed golfers have a significant advantage on the important 12th hole, according to Phil. “Another instance is hole 12, which aligns with our shot dispersion for left-handed players.
When aiming over the bunker, a slight pull results in a longer shot, allowing us to reach the back right pin. If we pull out of it, the shot goes short left but still lands on the green.
Overall, hole 12 allows us to be aggressive.
Bubba and I are strategizing to attack the pin aggressively, whereas a right-handed player, due to the placement of the hole opposite to their shot dispersion, needs to approach it with caution.”