When Michael Phelps became a golfer

The legendary American swimmer has spent 12 years playing golf, swinging the club about 100 times almost every day, with the goal of no longer having a handicap in the next three or four years.

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

After retiring for the first time in 2012, Phelps took up golf and after two years reached an intermediate level, demonstrated by a handicap of 14. "At first, I hit the ball really far but didn't know where it was going," Phelps humorously recounted his early days of golf on Golf.com recently.

Then he had to temporarily quit golf when he returned to swimming at the top level 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 golf, stabilizing his handicap at 14 for quite some time.

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

Phelps is currently at a handicap of 7, but he wants to reduce this index to 0. "I aim to become a zero-handicap golfer in the next three or four years. At the current pace, this goal is achievable," said the former world number one swimmer.

When aiming for the zero handicap golfer mark, Phelps said he fixed his mistakes in his driving, putted the ball into the fairway more often, increased his field shots, and learned techniques around and on the green from experts. He knew he needed patience, hard work, determination, and confidence to reach the top, as he had created a great achievement in swimming. According to Phelps, each milestone in golf is like each time he wins an Olympic gold medal, because it is the result of a continuous process of striving before.

In the past, Phelps hated hitting with woods because they ruined everything. So, in situations where they should be used, he used long irons. That choice helped him grip the fairway but not far. Gradually, Phelps determined that the fear of hitting a bad shot was the core problem. So he tried every way to fix it, changing many types of woods, trying all kinds of materials as well as hardness and shaft length, and finally found one that suited his hand. After that, he studied technique with the belief that he could do it. Currently, Phelps has better technique, hitting the 3 wood accurately and almost as far as the driver.

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

Every time he goes out on the field, Phelps cannot be without accessories including binoculars to measure hitting distances, a ball marker with a smiley face to help cool down when stressed, and a portable speaker to listen to music.

Every four holes, he eats something, maybe an energy bar, a cookie, or almonds... "A race car needs to constantly refuel to run, and the same goes for humans when they're physically active," Phelps explains.

Phelps has revealed that he has several watches from sponsor Omega, including two gold Seamasters, but he doesn’t wear either of them when he swings, whether on the practice range or the course. In addition, golf equipment company Acushnet, 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 and eventually become professional golfers. "I dream of my children playing golf and trying their hand at a high level. They have seen me love the sport, with golf clubs always next to my desk. Hopefully that will inspire them to practice. I hope so, but above all, I will let them choose and pursue their passion," Phelps shared his views on sports orientation in the family.

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