Phil Mickelson says even ‘the nicest of clubs’ have this ‘huge problem’ since Covid
Phil Mickelson has been left unimpressed by golf players.
In case you don’t remember, Phil Mickelson joining Twitter way back in 2018 was a big deal. Lately, Lefty has used the platform more to promote personal political grievances, but he’ll still chime in with some golf gold from time to time. Or a really, really bad hot take, like when he predicted Scottie Scheffler wouldn’t win a tournament in 2025 before the Ryder Cup. Whoops.
This week, he gave golf fans something in between. A golf-related grievance. That had many recreational golfers shaking their heads in agreement.
It started with a public grievance from golf statistician Lou Stagner, who posted a photo of a bad lie he drew in a bunker due to someone not raking the sand properly. And that prompted this reply from the six-time major champ:
It’s really unfair to the players coming behind you when you don’t bother to rake the bunkers or fix your pitch marks. This kind of thing has gotten a lot worse since COVID, even at high-end courses.
Phil Mickelson is basically pointing out that a lot of the newer players who picked up golf during the pandemic still need to learn the basics of course etiquette. (And let’s be honest—some seasoned players could use a reminder too.)
So consider this your friendly reminder: Always rake the bunker after you hit and fix your pitch marks on the green. Not just for yourself, but out of respect for everyone else on the course. Even if you don’t care about Phil, at least care about the group behind you.
You go to a LIV event, you feel different. Here’s why: You have music going when you’re out on the course. We don’t hear little people saying stuff,” Mickelson said earlier this year. “So you’re not as anxious about having your kids be quiet. There’s a fan zone like on the course where you can sit down, take a break, grab some drinks. It’s like a little hang. You can take a nap.
They have a kid zone by the clubhouse where, again, you can take a nap, play putt-putt, play games for them and entertain them with a big screen so you can still see what’s going on with the golf. So when you go there, you feel calm. You feel comfortable. It’s like, ‘OK, our kids had a great time’. I was relaxed. I wasn’t worried. I think that’s the number one reason why LIV is going to be successful.”
