Michael Phelps, the winner of 22 Olympic swimming medals, including 18 golds, seems to have left the pool behind for the golf course! Ever since his retirement from competitive swimming, Phelps has been often seen on the golf course and in pro-am’s – he’ll actually be playing at the Waste Management Phoenix Open pro-am this week and be paired with fellow Ping endorser, Bubba Watson! Phelps also took part in an exhibition during last year’s Ryder Cup in Medinah as well as the 2012 Dunhill Links Championship, where he had one of the best shots of the tournament – check it out below! Phelps also sat down with Golf.Com recently and talked about his life after swimming – sounds like he caught the golf bug at a really early age! Michael Phelps – Olympic golfer?!
Ever since I was a sophomore in high school, I wanted to be good at golf. There was even a time when I wanted to quit swimming and join the golf team. My mother was like, “Oh, well, why don’t you re-think that. Maybe you should re-think all of your options?” So I ended up realizing that swimming was the best sport for me at that time.
Phelps will star in this season’s “The Haney Project” on the Golf Channel and has even signed an endorsement deal with Ping. He will be playing 14 Ping clubs on the show and in the pro-am. Ping outfitted Phelps with a custom-fit set of G25 woods, G25 irons, Tour wedges with Gorge Grooves and a new Scottsdale TR putter. For the 6-foot-4 Phelps, who carries a 21 handicap, Ping made the clubs 1 inch longer than standard, 3° upright and built up the grips by 1/32nd of an inch. Phelps also got a unique paint job and we’ve got to say, they are some of the best looking clubs we’ve seen this year!
Source: ESPN Golf, Golf Digest
