Ernie Els
Ernie Els
Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Elsis a South African professional golfer. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature) along with his fluid golf swing. Among his 71 career victories are four major championships: the U.S. Open in 1994 at Oakmont and in 1997 at Congressional, and The Open Championship in 2002 at Muirfield and in 2012 at Royal Lytham & St Annes. He is one of six golfers to twice win...
NationalitySouth African
ProfessionAthlete
clubs conscious hit hitting mind shot swing
I almost never hit a shot all out, and I make a conscious effort to swing my long clubs just as I do my wedges. Keep this in mind when hitting your fairway woods.
ball bit flatter game hard hitting last plane steep trying worked
I worked really hard on my long game the last two week, especially last week. I'm working on a bit of a flatter plane through the ball. I got a little bit steep on the ball so I'm trying to flatten it out a little bit through the hitting area.
dread hard hit par playing shot
I think most amateurs dread playing a 180-plus-yard par 3 even more than a hard par 4. Part of it is psychological: You think you should be getting a breather, distance-wise, and instead, you get hit with a long iron or hybrid shot over trouble.
ball change clubs easier high higher hit low players position sand shots
Some players like to change clubs around the green to hit high or low shots. I play all of my short-game shots with my 54-degree sand wedge and change my ball position to hit it higher or lower. I think it's easier to learn one club than four.
birdie hit par
If you can hit your 3- and 5-woods with confidence from the fairway, par 5s become birdie opportunities, and 420-yard par 4s are a lot less scary.
coming cover estate hitting instinct power worried
When you're hitting a fairway wood, you've got a lot of real estate to cover to get to your target. Your first instinct is probably to give it a little more power because you're worried about coming up short.
avoid ball club dry flyer hit loft open percent shots sitting swing top trying unless
Because of the grass and open face, I take one more club for shots from the rough, unless the ball is sitting on top of dry grass. Then, I use more loft and swing softer, trying to hit it about 70 percent to avoid a flyer over the green.
downward hitting promote
With shorter clubs, your ball position should be just back of middle, to really promote hitting the ball first on a downward strike.
areas certain clubs coming days experience field four hit longer narrow
Experience is going to be big, even more than it used to be, because you're coming in with longer clubs and you've got to hit certain areas more than you used to. Over four days it's going to narrow the field dramatically.
ball delighted good hitting swinging week
I've been swinging good and hitting the ball really well this week and I'm delighted to be back in contention.
difficult good hit known past putt second shot thinking tried
Right now, the putt on the 72nd hole, that's the putt I'm going to be thinking about. I hit such a good second shot and had such a difficult putt. If I'd known how difficult it was from there, I'd have hit it past the pin, which I tried to do in the playoff. I had my chances, though.
biggest dig ground hitting pinch ripping trying
The biggest mistake is trying to pinch down on the ball and ripping out a big divot, often hitting the ground before the ball. You'll dig up some turf, but you won't create much backspin.
ball builder club confidence delighted hitting swinging
It's a real confidence builder after such a long layoff. I was swinging the club well and hitting the ball great, and I was delighted to be back in contention.
ball came cannot complain confidence game given happy hitting knee practice sitting time
I cannot complain about the way I came back. I could be sitting here without any confidence now, hitting the ball all over the place. But the knee has been pretty good, and it's given me time to practice and get my game back in shape. So I'm happy where I am right now.