Congratulations to Phil Mickelson on his wonderful victory at the PGA Championship this weekend, becoming the oldest golfer to win a Major at age 50.
What can we learn from this piece of history?
I listened with interest to the media interview with Phil after winning and there were two things that he said that I thought would be worth mentioning that would help us with our game.
The first was that he believed it was possible that he could compete and win, taking on youngsters less than half his age.
The second was that he was working harder than before, honing his game and his fitness.
Both of these comments seem simple enough, but in actual fact they are crucial keys to self-improvement and are synergistic.
In “You Can Shoot Your Age”, Frank and I discuss both of these items. We wrote the book to help inspire and motivate golfers to never give up while facing the challenges life presents, nor to ever give in to the perception that we are old simply because of a date on our birth certificate.
So, what type of golfer do you believe you are? What type of golfer do you believe you could become? What would you like to improve about your golf game? How do you think you should go about this? What is holding you back? Ask yourself these questions, and find some answers. If the answers aren’t obvious, ask your spouse, golf buddy or your golf instructor what they think.
Frank firmly believed that as we age, we should enjoy our maturity, wisdom and experience and share it with others. He exuded energy and passion, and proved on multiple occasions that you can bring your visions to life with belief, hard work and innovation, regardless of your age.
As he often said:
“You are who you believe you are, and can if you believe you can.”
I am sure Phil agrees.
Please share your thoughts below, I’d enjoy hearing from you.
May the Frog be with you.
Valerie
franklygolf 
Thanks for the reminder and confirmation of what I have believed for some time. I shot my age for the first time when I was 68. Didn’t do it very often until I reached my mid-late 70’s when it became fairly routine and then 99% of the time. I’m now 85 and still in the single digits but a recent illness has made it a bit more difficult. After a few months of almost “giving up”, the carrot kicked in and a new goal was set- to shot my age from the green tees at age 90. Golf has proven to be a wonderful combination of sticks( pun intended) and carrots to combat the inevitable aging process.
Thanks Valerie. I suspect Frank would have enjoyed this realization. Jim Cole
Jim, thanks so much for sharing your experience with us. Frank would have loved your story and encouraged you keep going and meet that goal!! Thanks for being a Frankly Friend.
Valerie
Dear Val, It was a win for the aged and the ages. Your underscoring of the win was a beautiful thing and I appreciate it. You are doing an outstanding job and I thank you.
Thank you so much, Ron. Greatly appreciate your kind words.