Tee-to-Green

Swing Easy, Hit Hard!

SWING SEQUENCE WITH ERNIE ELS

What are my key thoughts on the full swing – and particularly with a driver in my hands? Well, first, you need sound basics. By that I mean you need to work on the position of your hands and establish a good grip. You then need to think about creating a tall, athletic posture and a consistent ball position (which with the driver is just inside the left leg). I have worked so hard on these basic fundamentals and they are the first things I think about when I go out to practice.

As we tend to find so often in life, it’s taking care of the simple things that makes the difference. I see so many players in pro-ams who set-up to the ball with such a poor grip that it makes it almost impossible to move the club away with good motion and enjoy the chain reaction that a good repeating swing essentially is.

On a more general note, it’s also very  important that you work on a ‘stock shot’ with your driver. A safe ‘go-to’ shot. When you get into a pressure cooker situation you need a shot you can rely on, whether that’s a right-to left or a left-to-right ball flight.
With the driver I have always worked on a gentle fade. My bad shot – which has cost me a lot of tournaments and a lot of money! – has been a quick hook, when the hands gets a little too fast. So I have worked hard on a gentle fade which I can trust. It helps me to block out the left side of the golf course. That’s what Jack Nicklaus did – he played that fade and won 18 majors. It’s important to know your own game. Ernie Els.

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