Phil Mickelson - A great example of the chunking process, Golf's Mental Game

Phil Mickleson shows how detailed his shot selection process is. This is a huge part of Phil's golf mental game and was built up over hours of deliberate and contextual practice.
It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner, intermediate or advanced golfer, recreating and simulating the specific challenges you will face on the golf course is such a powerful training methodology for one main reason - it gives you the opportunity to chunk. Which isn’t as terrible as it sounds.
Imagine a piece of information. Within that piece of information, there are details, nuances, concepts, movements and much more. The piece of information is what’s being referred to as a chunk and is stored in our memory. Chunks then become accessible pieces of information that, if trained to do so, golfers can retrieve and use in a tournament situation.
To be accessible during the competition, your practice must have heavily involved both the recreation and the simulation of game-like situations.
Over a period of time the stimulus that is created from the environment around a golfer will fire the right patterns, connect to the right chunks of information and allow you to transfer skills you’ve practiced into tournament play.

[@Ducksoup67]

I actually do much of what Phil is talking about here. If it's an early morning round and I hit a full 2 inches behind the ball I know my 5 iron is going to go about 37 yards. But that same shot in the afternoon will easily carry an extra 5 yards.

[@rdw7628]

That is hilarious

[@gabrielbotsford791]

Me too...but........ Also, horsefeathers!!! Lol, nice...

[@markwiemels]

Lol. Omg. Thank you.

[@jhgolf25]

😂

[@ribusgan]

Epic!!

[@actionfigure4005]

Like telling a heart surgeon your chest hurts then he explains the process down to the tool of a quadruple bypass. Gotta love Phil

[@g00gle-]

Nice analogy!

[@3036bc]

I love watching Phil. Followed him around at the Honda one year. He's so respectful of the volunteers. Made sure to say hello and thank each one of them. And he is hilarious! Hits it every where but in the fairway and shoots 4 under LOL. Was behind about 17 trees after a drive and some guy says " nice positioning Phil " and everyone laughed. Phil says " yeah, I have the perfect opening from here ( he had no shot, so we thought) " and proceeds to hit four iron through the first set of trees and then it slices around the next group lands 12 ft. and says to the guy " it's all about positioning " with a shit eating grin. Oh yeah, made the putt!!! UNBELIEVABLE LOL

[@mikemissesthefairway]

Feherty once said, "Phil's watching a movie only Phil can see."

[@TheSteve1126]

He’s great at explaining his thought process though. He’s a brilliant teacher without even trying to be.

[@Ducksoup67]

I want Phil to play competitive as long as possible, but I can't wait until he's in the broadcast booth ala Johnny Miller.

[@hurfdurfy8167]

@@Ducksoup67 He could definitely be the next Tony Romo like I've seen many reference.

[@billdunlop8683]

I'm just happy to find my ball !!

[@whenmullet2674]

...and if I hit off the hospitality tent floor, the rebound off the hard floor with 3/8" artificail turf going against the grain gives me 1.75 yards more distance, so I choke down 3/4 of an inch, open the club .5 degree and knock it over the green by 7 yards and think why the hell don't I practice driver more?

[@andyrichards587]

amazing

[@ptr1537]

When Mullet thats funny

[@j.j.lindseymusic]

The best comment I’ve seen on here in a long time

[@adamfenney681]

Wow 😂. I could show this comment to a 1,000 people and only 3 of them would understand how brilliant this comment is

[@SoundsofSulfur]

Well played, mullet.

[@vivaunited5480]

A true genius, honestly, a genius of his trade. This level of detail and knowledge is akin to that of a surgeon or a rocket scientists for their respective professions.

[@seizethecarp_]

Faherty's face at 1:56 lol... Like "Hooolyyyy sh*t".

[@darren767]

I'm almost the same as this....when i stand over my wedge I'm thinking,...." please don't chunk it,....please don't chunk it!!!"

[@hurfdurfy8167]

I'd give anything to trade my tendency to top it across the green for a chunky one instead, hahahaha

[@jasonwalsh8512]

Boy when I am standing over the ball I say just hit dame thing Jason sometime it works for me 😂😂

[@robertfenton4629]

If there is water or a Bunker I will find it doesn't matter T box or by the green

[@cozyslor]

I factor in temperature and altitude as it pertains to my beer consumption on the course. Higher temperature requires faster beer consumption. Higher altitude and I'll drop down to a slightly lower ABV.

[@irnbrubhoy]

Yeah I do exactly the same thing: I process wind, temperature, time of day, lie, cut of the grass etc etc. Then lift my head on the downswing and fuck it 20 yards with a huge divot.

[@paulh7589]

Watched this 6 times, I will probably still be a 4. Amazing insight into the mind of a great golfer. I never even thought about half the factors he mentioned. What I wonder about is the power of the subconscious mind and his ability to trust himself when even his caddy tells him he is wrong. We, as humans, are quite a bit smarter than we give ourselves credit for. I like Phil's analytical approach to the shot making process, but I also think that he has eye-hand-body coordination that will correct mistakes before they happen. This is extremely interesting to me. Using a baseline for every club makes perfect sense, but anyone who has seen him play knows that he is not entirely analytical. He is a psychological case study. I mean that in a good way.

[@bleedinblue5675]

I do not feel that I am remotely worthy to even look at my irons much less touch them now.

[@davidstevens3934]

The words of an expert craftsman.

[@kevinmcniff9498]

Great !! Thanks Phil !! Next time I'm in the fairway waiting for Mister "thorough analysis" to get done deciphering his shot, lie, temp, wind speed, grain, open face dew AND if the drink cart has caused a mini vortex I'll have you to blame. Now hit the damn 24yd chip shot!!!

[@curtlewis5857]

Still the most entertaining golfer on and off the course.thanks Phil for always making it a show

[@B.K.7]

Honestly, this is brilliant...

[@mattitude2471]

As a fellow lefty, I would kill to have a lesson from Phil. He honestly seems like a great teacher.

[@Ducksoup67]

Just find a good right handed teacher and watch him in the mirror. : D

[@skillet4068]

At 1:56 Feherty learns the difference between the PGA and the European Tour.

[@sduke39]

This really hits home now after watching Phil win the 2021 PGA Championship. Congrats to Phil for making history!

[@D-Lib]

yeah....I know some of these words

[@p38shocker]

Phil needs his own show

[@CatsAgainstCommunism]

I love how Feherty was just cheesing as Phil explained his process. To be fair, it was really cool.

[@philipcarthy2977]

Brilliant

[@johnjutton103]

He's just a genius phil he's brilliant man absolutley brilliant he comes across as if he doenst know much thus man is very streetsmart trust me he knows exactly what's going on

[@robosullivan704]

So awesome!! As an Engineer,I literally think like that

[@ctcv-to8kq]

I'm just happy I found the fairway.

[@lencavallaro6781]

Wait. You hit the fairway!?

[@ctcv-to8kq]

@@lencavallaro6781 Was that humble bragging on my part? If so, sorry, Len.

[@rwt1889]

Yup lol

[@BriansThing]

I use the same approach when I play/practice

[@zcmini000]

I love how every Tour pro does this but for some reason Bryson gets called "The Scientist" for also doing it

[@courtesyflush4333]

Feherty's eyes start glazing at 1:15 🥴

[@saylor150]

That's how I feel about donuts.

[@PongGod]

Feherty: "You've always thought that way, very analytical." Bryson: (cough, cough)

[@JB-ki9ql]

Ferthty hadn't got a clue what Phil was talking about.

[@sethfarmer590]

Feherty used to play so I think he might.

[@gregmajewski3406]

That close up cut to his face was literally me trying to follow this.

[@jeaniewolfe6693]

The look on his face spelt... 'My head hurts just trying to keep up with you Phil!'

[@mikemissesthefairway]

Feherty was expecting grip it and rip it.

[@JGunit]

Yes he does. Just in awe.

[@bh5606]

Makes sense.

[@kathrynmcfarlane1243]

Makes sense to me

[@frankgrizza2120]

Don’t bash. Second best golfer of our era. I’ll wait until DJ, Koepka and the rest notch 40 wins. Well see

[@vic_0315]

Dude the field isn’t how it once was... 40 wins is just not feasible nor possible ANYMORE. If Phil was a rookie joining the tour right now, and played the exact same game in every way, he’d probably have at most 10-15 wins thru entire career.

[@timmcdonald9856]

I think maybe a big part of why his iron play is so good came at the end there. "I hit 1500 practice iron shots a month". I remember Larry Byrd talking about shooting 3 pointers 2 hours a day, 365 days a year. Work ethic counts.

[@jgfunk]

My mind = 💥

[@paws057]

Wow! What I’ve found is your ball will never go farther than when it’s going the wrong way!

[@gldewkis]

Genius

[@vinestreet4031]

It’s awesome to have a big CPU.

[@gaoxinglangblog]

This is why most people never become scratch golfers. While there are many that can make it to single figures, to consistently break par you need to be able to mentally process this level of detail, even if it just gains an extra yard or so closer to the pin, that can lower your score by 5-shots.

[@jarbird83]

After listening to Phil's mental calculations, I have decided to quit golfing. If this is where it leads, I want no part.

[@BourneAccident]

No no... take two weeks off, relax, think about things, review your game, your life, etc... and then quit.

[@jacobr4558]

Yes and all that is not even referring to the complications of technique. Golf is way too hard!

[@rayoconnor8353]

😂😂😂 class comment

[@surindersingh724]

I want to know what Phil's thought process was when selecting that jacket to wear to this interview.

[@tomperri3693]

Well, this is what pretty much separates the absolute legends from the great golfers. This game is so finely nuanced at it's most competitive levels.

[@ribusgan]

Phil Bryson!

[@iamthew0lf]

🤯

[@ignatiusjk]

Did y'all get that.

[@zanzabarr]

Way to go FIGJAM

[@angelmatos9143]

Genius. Imagine Tiger’s mind.

[@user-wh6sp6st8s]

Tiger is much much much more simple. He thinks like a child

[@angelmatos9143]

Robert Davis The Chip, 16th Hole, 2005 Masters. Doesn’t look like child thinking to me. Or the time he drove the ball one fairway to the left & he was using the Pythagorean Theory to calculate the distance to the green. I’m sure we could agree these are 2 geniuses at work.

[@user-wh6sp6st8s]

@@angelmatos9143 I mean in terms of how he would explain things to someone

[@johnobrien4766]

For those that may be wondering, this kind of micro processing with every shot is not the norm with guys on tour. Phils mind is just wired differently and feels that being this anal retentive makes him a better player....it's worked out well so far, but he's also had plenty of missed cuts and over par rounds as well. Can never tire of listening to him talk about mechanics and his thought process though. Has a real talent for communicating that to people.

[@qbb01]

Worked out 'well'? Are you kidding me? He's one of the greatest of all time and won many more tournaments than most people on the planet. I think it has served him EXCELLENTLY. Everyone has missed cuts and over par rounds.

[@jessrobinson1971]

Honest.

[@texomajohn2916]

But what happens after the beer chick leaves

[@vinestreet4031]

Feherty doesn’t know what hit him. His mind can’t even handle the distilled explanation of what goes on in a champions mind. He can stick to reading scoreboards and players’ names. Hahaha. So good.

[@chrispearce9224]

Phil asked ahead of time if Feherty wanted to hear it. LoL..

[@chrispearce9224]

Phil asked ahead of time if Feherty wanted to hear it. LoL..

[@daylearceneaux4083]

What does 6-8 yards “dead” mean?

[@definitiveenergy1]

Feherty's jaw was dropping about 145 yards as he heard the master talk physics.

[@camelcase9225]

I mean, when you think about how this is what it takes to beat golf, I'm happy with my +9s

[@lencavallaro6781]

Came for the video - stayed for the comments.

[@agila2009y]

what he is saying is fine if you hit the ball as consistent as the pros.

[@nobadhabits]

Phil describing a electrician doing a residential ceiling fan install..

[@dukane14]

Ha dude anyone who has played Mario Golf 64 at a high level isn't really impressed with this explanation lol

[@caseyseason9201]

And I’m over thinking just don’t duff it...

[@deedub3]

Aim small miss small

[@philguy8563]

Really, we're not going to talk about the jacket..??

[@SlayerODragon]

I will allow Phil to wear anything

[@HumbleServant3777]

Davids face while Phil is talking about shot variables. 😅

[@RunninMan5K]

1500+ balls a month people, just with the wedge...probably for the last 30 years, and that is just at the range practicing. Sicko and committed.

[@davestewart3555]

Yah Phil..all thats ok when you pure your 9 iron 99.9% of the time

[@scottlandb6579]

The whole time Phil was in his philosophical shot dissertation, I was overly concentrating on being 100% sure his fucking leather members only jacket said, “Tee-Birds” on the back?

[@CrazyAboutVinylRecords]

IBM tried to get the Big Blue computer to process all of this and the system blew up.

[@atatat54321]

Like listening to a sniper describe the process.

[@TomasNolanmossynolanmusic]

Big Chunky Line

[@immasoxfanbaby]

See ball hit ball walk ahead

[@Garret_bruh_homey]

lol whoever edited this did Feherty no favors.

[@zoots15]

Gotta love Phil bafflin' us with the BS 😂

[@johnnyparker9928]

Wow...😦, I thought the brand of ball made all the difference.

[@brendanayres7920]

GO HOME BALL!. Why you don't you just go HOME? That's your HOME! Are you too good for your HOME? ANSWER ME!

[@bigmaxy07]

Hey tell me about it!

[@rgetso]

That's years of experience explaining exactly what goes on. Phil is the modern day Ben Hogan ... but much more likable.

[@jlcsr9163]

Some of this might be true but he's just bull shitting . That's just his warped sense of humor.

[@fradaja]

Schooled

[@vinestreet4031]

There’s something zen and not so zen about Phil’s explanation. Nevertheless it was stimulating.

[@waynepuckett3150]

Just hear Gary Player saying, “paralysis of analysis”... 🤣😂🤣

[@williamkerner]

Jack Nicklaus, says that he can have 4-5 swing thoughts at the same time. I don't think you can look at Phil's game and say that he has "paralysis of analysis." Gary may not be capable of thinking this way, but Phil and Jack are.

[@fradaja]

It's paralysis by analysis , the quotes from Quincy Jones ,

[@charlesking6584]

Fehrety is looking at him like ... omg Phil is psycho

[@RealHIFIHelp]

1500 balls a month?

[@mathewfullerton8577]

Just his 9 iron.

[@sooweeq123]

Is that Phil Fonzi Mick? Cool name. I sometimes wore misplaced attire. However, I didn't ever apologize. It was all me. Go Phil! Just sayin'.

[@kylewilson9457]

Frick

[@brandonjordan2516]

Phil is the most confident bullshitter in the world while telling you the truth at the same time and enjoying every second of messing with you. He's a class act.

[@chrispeters5748]

In another life Phil would be a stock broker or hedge fund manager

[@rayspooner1982]

I didnt know that guy from Madd TV played golf.

[@BourneAccident]

WTF? Every time I think like that a little voice inside me says... "just hit it".

[@samxyx]

Could’ve gone to work for NASA if the whole golf thing didn’t work out

[@markjeffers4663]

Imagine asking bryson to explain his thinking on his game zzzzzzz

[@michael61341]

Phil's lipstick is too light, lol.

[@m.lymann2185]

When he is playing for that kind of money then it's perfectly fine to fine tune his game. To the rest of 99% weekend hackers, this is useless info.

[@PantsofVance]

Not useless, you should generally know things like if you're downgrain/into the grain, if the fairway is wet or hardpan, playing morning or evening, hot or cold day, etc..all those things do have a real effect

[@m.lymann2185]

@@PantsofVance perhaps useless is an improper term. Us 99% mortals will have very little use of the information. Even Feherty looked perplexed at certain point of the interview.

[@user-xt7qb8ep6w]

LMFAO

[@m74796]

Then you join the liv tour where nothing matters lol

[@GreenDistantStar]

Still less complex than Bryson.

[@outlander234]

And then you hit a bunker.

[@happy1382]

Moisture takes off spin. Recalc!

[@tylerfreitas1453]

blog.tourspecgolf.com/wet-versus-dry-golf/

[@tylerfreitas1453]

Phil’s right buddy you need to recalc

[@tylerfreitas1453]

Look at backspin rates even with drivers it increases . All controlled testing

[@rorybrennan360]

L.H.F.