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
card check glad hybrid par
Check the card before you play. If you have a couple of long par 3s, put an extra hybrid in your bag. You'll be glad you did.
adjust early fooled half last playing putt rolls second slope uphill
Contours on the second half of a long putt have more impact on how the ball rolls because it's going slower. Adjust your speed if that last part is playing uphill or downhill. Don't get fooled by an early slope or break.
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.
course design enjoyed learning
Something I've really enjoyed learning more about is course design.
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.
balls knew
For all the fun, don't forget: I always knew when to put my golf balls down and practice.
believe bother chosen falling line tracking
Before you take your address, while you're still reading the putt, imagine the ball tracking on the line you've chosen and falling into the cup. If you don't believe you can make every putt, why bother trying?
biggest factor grip keeps mechanical mechanics natural smooth surprised swing
Grip pressure - not mechanical flaws - is the biggest factor when you're nervous. You unconsciously grip it tighter, which keeps you from making a smooth swing with a natural release. Keep your grip pressure light, and you'll be surprised how much your mechanics stabilize.
break couple days field four guys last might narrow within
Over four days of competition, it's going to narrow the field dramatically. You might see more tournaments like we had last year, where a couple of guys break away and it's kind of two tournaments within a tournament.
fear forever might missing
There's always the fear that when you come back you will not be the same and something might go missing forever as you say.
shoot
At least I know you don't have to shoot 65 to try to win.
ball easily intended line lose putter settle sight
You should never get set over the ball and then aim your putter face. If you do it in that order, you can easily lose sight of your intended line. Instead, aim the face down your line first, then settle your body into position.
drives longest swinging
Your longest drives will come when you feel you're swinging at 75 percent.
bit might
You probably don't hit as many fairway-bunker shots as you do the greenside ones, and that unfamiliarity might make you a bit nervous.