PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Golf is an industry initially crippled by the COVID-19 pandemic, but when courses were finally allowed to open, it exploded in popularity. Can the historic win by fan favorite Phil Mickelson Sunday at the PGA Championship build on that growth?
“Obviously you heard the expression that Tiger moves the needle,” said Tri-State PGA professional Tom Beeler. “Phil is right there. He’s had a Hall of Fame career. When you think about the magnitude of him being the oldest guy and 4 years older than Jack Nicklaus.”
Beeler, the head pro at Youghiogheny Country Club, noticed how many of the fans at Kiawah Island this weekend were younger and very enthusiastic for Mickelson. Their club has had an upswing in membership with younger people, specifically 20-somethings.
It’s obviously not just that age group who are inspired, particularly after last weekend.
“It gives the older population of people getting into that 50-year age frame, that you can still do it,” Beeler said.
He says he hears from numerous members who say every year how they are losing distance. Beeler said when Mickelson was in his 30s, he would get gassed at tournaments because of his offseason work, or lack of it.
Beeler advises his members to stretch and stay limber. He sends a weekly email to members with tips of staying fresh, especially in the off-season. The 60-year-old says they tease him calling him, (fitness guru) Jack LaLanne.
He also believes another lesson to be learned from Mickelson is at times to just reach back at let go with bombs off the tee.
“I teach a lot of players that never really swing,” Beeler said. “They try to guide the golf ball. That’s a function of their mentality of how they think about what they are doing with the golf club. They are trying to steer the ball into the fairway instead of swinging the golf club. Most players lose that part of it because they are so worried about the mechanics of the swing that they forget about thinking about what they are doing. Their mental games are not very good.”
Beeler said Mickelson’s was really good last weekend in handling adverse situations with patience and accepting the outcome. Then at other times, going for it.
A rules official during PGA events, Beeler has worked tournaments Mickelson played in remembering at the 84 Lumber Classic at Mystic Rock at Nemacolin years ago.
“Coming up to the 14th tee and I was assigned the 14th hole,” Beeler recalled. “A fan yelled out of the gallery, ‘who you got this weekend’ because it was football season. Mickelson rattled off 6 to 8 games and went back and forth with the fans.”
“It was nice him being in the middle of the tournament that he was still talking to the fans. He was being a nice guy why he was waiting to hit his ball. He’s good for golf.”
“He got a lot from Mr. Palmer. He liked him and he would give him advice. Arnie always told the young guys ‘take your hats off in the building, sign your name so people can read it and always remember that they pay your bills’.”
It’s been a resurgence for golf in America under the most unlikely of circumstances. Mickelson’s win Sunday can only add to that.