Summary

• Many top golfers, like Phil Mickelson, hire professional pilots for their private jets.
• Most golfers with private jets use them for tournaments, business, and vacations.
• Arnold Palmer was among the first to fly himself to tournaments, inspiring others.

Did you know that many of the world's renowned golfers are also pilots? With grueling game schedules and a constant need to travel worldwide, many top golf players choose to pilot their own aircraft to and from games. The Dallas Morning News reports that many pilots, including Cameron Beckman, feel that flying an airplane is the closest hobby to playing golf. They need to keep their focus and alignment at all times.

In some instances, piloting may result in increased stress levels and a loss of focus on the game. Forbes reports that golfer and pilot Phil Mickelson was able to reduce his stress levels exponentially after selling his private jet and relying on charters for his flights to games. Notably, many top golfers own private jets but hire a crew to fly them. This article highlights some of the top golfers who are also certified pilots.

Scott McCarron

Like many professional golfers, Scott McCarron grew up in California. Despite being on the University of Southern California (UCLA) golf team, upon graduation, McCarron did not pursue a career playing golf. Instead, he worked with his father in the golf apparel business for four years before deciding to play golf professionally.

McCarron became interested in learning to fly while at college when he and one of his buddies watched the movie Top Gun. McCarron then got his pilot's license and began flying rented Piper Archer 2s out of Santa Monica Airport (SMO). While McCarron loved to fly, he never went out and bought his own plane, preferring to leave the storage and maintenance to someone else. Now aged 57, McCarron has retired from the PGA Tour and now plays golf on the PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour).

Cameron Beckman

Three-time PGA Tour winner Cameron Beckman attended Texas Lutheran University and played in the golf team. After graduating in 1993, the Minnesota native turned pro, hoping to pursue a lifelong career playing golf.

Along the way, Beckman's golf suffered for a while as he worked to get his private pilot's license. When speaking to the Dallas Morning News newspaper about it, Beckman had the following words to share:

"I haven't been as focused on golf. You have to be focusing all the time out here to be competitive, or you're going to get your butt kicked."

He noted that piloting a plane was similar to playing golf, adding,

"It's the closest thing as a hobby to playing golf. You've got to keep your alignment."

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Morgan Hoffmann

American professional golfer Morgan Hoffmann grew up surrounded by aviation. His father flew a Cessna 172, and his mother was a flight attendant with Delta. During his second year at Oklahoma State, Hoffmann decided he wanted to fly and began working on his private pilot license.

After becoming a pro golfer, Hoffmann bought a Piper Lance from his buddy David Booth, an NHL hockey player. When talking with the American sports network ESPN about the plane, Hoffmann said,

"Preparation in both is significant. Flying has really helped me become more regimented in life, especially golf. My time management has gotten a lot better, and I'm definitely more detail-oriented now."

Phil Mickelson

Left-hander and fan favorite Phil Mickelson is also a certified pilot but uses a professional pilot to fly him to tournaments. Phil Mickelson was introduced to aviation at a young age by his father, a former Navy aviator and then later a commercial airline pilot. Growing up in San Diego, California, Phil Mickelson later attended Arizona State University on a golf scholarship.

After graduating, he became a pro and got his private pilot's license to fly to tournaments on the West Coast. After becoming hugely successful, Mickelson purchased a $40 million Gulfstream V. Despite having a pilot's license Mickelson left the flying of the jet to professional pilots. Finally, after 20 years, Mickelson decided to sell the Gulfstream and use VistaJet private air charters. When talking about selling his plane, Mickelson said it was one of his smartest moves telling Forbes magazine:

"The greatest decision I made after owning a plane for twenty years was selling it and going with VistaJet because it has reduced my stress levels exponentially."

People who buy private planes often need to pay more attention to the required logistics. Mickelson added:

"With, VistaJet, they handle that problem. We don't have to tell them months in advance. We can tell them hours in advance, and they drop us off wherever we want to go, and they deal with all the logistics."

Maverick McNealy

The latest professional golfer working on getting his private pilot's license is 27-year-old Maverick McNealy. Ranked 68 in the world, the PGA pro who now lives in Las Vegas, Nevada, plans to miss next week's Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill Golf Course. Rather than compete in Orlando, McNealy intends to complete his solo training and get his pilot's license. He aims to be like Arnold Palmer and fly planes to and from golfing events.

Most pro golfers hire professionals to fly their jets

While some claim that flying is compatible with golf as the latter helps them focus on the tiny details, many of the world's top golf players own private jets but do not fly them themselves. Having a private jet allows some of the world's wealthiest sporting personalities to get from one tournament to the next. They also use their private planes for business trips and family vacations.

Many other top golfers, like Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Rory McIlroy, and Sergio Garcia, own private jets but hire a crew to fly them. Others, however, will go one step further and charter an aircraft only when they really need to travel.

Arnold Palmer used to fly himself to tournaments

The first well-known golfer to fly himself to tournaments was Arnold Palmer. In the early days of his golf career, Palmer would drive across the country to tournaments. Once his two daughters were born, Palmer decided to spend less time on the road and began taking flying lessons.

Palmer learned to fly a Cessna 172 in 1958 and, after getting his license, leased a Cessna 175 and hired another pilot to fly with him around the country. Palmer continued his love of planes, getting his multi-engine and instrument rating, allowing him to fly in all types of weather.

In 1961, Palmer bought his first aircraft, an Aero Commander 500, and then, a couple of years later, a more powerful Aero Commander 560F. Now wanting to fly faster and have a greater range, Palmer bought a Rockwell Jet Commander in 1966. Over the following years, Palmer continued to upgrade his plane, buying a Learjet, several Cessna Citation Jets, and finally a Citation X, his last aircraft, before passing away in 2016 at the age of 87.