When Michael Phelps became a golfer

The legendary American swimmer has been playing golf for 12 years, swinging his club around 100 times almost every day, with the goal of eliminating his handicap within the next three or four years.

Michael Phelps plays the pro-am round at Hazeltine National Golf Club, the venue for the Ryder Cup. Photo: Reuters — Michael Phelps plays the pro-am round at Hazeltine National Golf Club, the venue for the Ryder Cup. Photo: *Reuters*

After retiring from professional golf in 2012, Phelps took up golf and within two years reached an intermediate level, reflected in his handicap of 14. "Initially, I hit the ball very far but didn't know where it was going," Phelps jokingly recounted his early days in golf on Golf.com recently.

He then had to temporarily give up golf when he returned to elite swimming in 2014. After the 2016 Olympics, Phelps announced his retirement from competition, ending his career with a record 23 Olympic gold medals. Since then, he has returned to playing golf, maintaining a handicap of 14 for quite some time.

Phelps said that since 2022 he has been playing more regularly despite having to "play many roles" at the age of 38, from motivational speaker and competition psychologist to father of four sons.

Phelps is currently handicapped at 7, but he wants to bring that number down to 0. "I aim to become a zero-handicap golfer in the next three or four years. At the current rate, that goal is achievable," said the former world number one swimmer.

When aiming for zero handicap in golf, Phelps said he had corrected his driving errors, landed the ball on the fairway more often, increased his practice sessions, and learned proper techniques for handling the ball around and on the green from experts. He knew he needed patience, diligent practice, determination, and confidence to reach the top, just as he had achieved great success in swimming. According to Phelps, each milestone in golf is like each time he wins another Olympic gold medal, because it is the result of a continuous and relentless effort.

Previously, Phelps hated hitting with woods because he always messed up. Therefore, in situations where he needed to use them, he opted for long irons. This choice helped him hit fairway shots, but not far. Gradually, Phelps realized that the core problem was his fear of making mistakes. So he tried everything to overcome it, switching between different woods, experimenting with various materials, stiffnesses, and shaft lengths, until he found one that suited him. After that, he studied technique with the belief that he could do it. Now, Phelps' technique is much more stable, hitting his 3-wood accurately and almost as far as his driver.

Phelps practiced golf while on vacation with his family in October 2023.

Every time he steps onto the court, Phelps can't do without his essential accessories: a rangefinder, a smiley face ball marker to help him relax when stressed, and a portable speaker for listening to music.

Every four holes, he would eat something, maybe an energy bar, a pretzel stick, an almond... "Just like a racing car needs constant refueling to perform well, it's the same for people when they're physically active," Phelps explained.

Phelps revealed that he owns several watches from his sponsor Omega, his favorites being two gold Seamaster watches, but he doesn't wear any of them when swinging, whether on the practice range or the course. Additionally, Acushnet, the owner of the Titleist brand, custom-made a Scotty Cameron DSS putter with a gold-plated head for Phelps last year.

After more than a decade of playing golf, Phelps now wants his children to follow in his footsteps, eventually reaching professional level. "I'm dreaming that my children will play golf and try their hand at a high level. They've seen how much I love the sport; my golf clubs are always next to my desk. Hopefully, that will inspire them to practice. That's my wish, but above all, I'll let them choose and pursue their own passions," Phelps shared his perspective on the family's sporting direction.

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