Ernie Els 38 going swing change?

[Chilidipper]

Pardon I was a little buzzed

***going through a swing change



WTF if you have won 3 majors and countless other tourneys and you are going through a swing change at 38 something is wrong. Be honest is this guy washed up?

[gogolfing]

Tiger went through one in his prime and it seems to have worked out well for him

[Chilidipper]

Tiger went through one in his prime and it seems to have worked out well for him

Last time I checked Tiger was 32 Ernie is 38. I agree that the change doesn't always mean weakness, but with Els is he getting desperate where as Tiger is looking just to become more dominant?

[gogolfing]

Well, I guess from his perspective, the last four years have not been very good from him, so I guess maybe he is a little desperate to get back on track. I saw Harmon's interview on the Golf Channel and he said they weren't looking for major overhauls, but some tweaks. I guess Ernie may also see that the switch has worked out for Mickelson fairly well too. Vijay's changes on the other hand don't seem to be going so well. I guess time will tell.

[Avid Golfer]

Pardon I was a little buzzed

Swings are never exactly the same day to day, week to week, year to year (you should already know that from your own golf game). Things need to constantly be tweaked. One day your alignment could be slightly open, the next square, and then the next time closed. Small little things can make a big difference, and if not monitored or spotted can turn into bigger problems.

Ernie Els isn't completely revamping his swing (and even if he was there is nothing wrong with that). Els and Harmon are working to tighten up Els swing More specifically reduce excess hip rotation, which is leading to excess shoulder rotation, which is leading to the arms continuing to move, and separates the arms from the body, which results in the arms and body coming down out of sync, and finally that results in a loss of power and accuracy. Butch Harmon helped Greg Norman revamp his swing in the early 1990's and that lead Norman to be a dominate player until his shoulder surgery in the late 90's. Butch Harmon took the knowledge he obtained from working with Norman and shared that with his other pupils including Woods and Scott (Woods never would have become the player he became without Harmon). Bernhard Langer worked hard to revamp his swing (watch video of it from the 80's and 90's compared to today), and he is dominating the Champions Tour this year. Nicklaus won the Masters at age 46, and other players have won tournaments on the PGA Tour at even older ages. Look at the fitness and swings of Nick Faldo and Greg Norman, they are as fit if not fitter then many of the golfers out there today, and I strongly believe if they had the drive they could still be winning on the PGA Tour today. Els has plenty of time ahead of him, and he is far from washed up.

[iacas]

Last time I checked Tiger was 32 Ernie is 38. I agree that the change doesn't always mean weakness, but with Els is he getting desperate where as Tiger is looking just to become more dominant?

Tiger's been through two massive changes. Vijay's working on a big one right now. What's Ernie's age got to do with anything?

Heck, Peter Jacobson went through one before joining the Champions Tour.

[Thrash13]

If the current swing isn't working anymore, changes need to be made. It's obvious Ernie hasn't been nearly as consistent over the past few years, so it was definitely time for some tweaks. Hopefully things work out well for Ernie. It's hard to believe he is 38 now, but he still has long future ahead of him.

[Elsfan]

Well, I guess from his perspective, the last four years have not been very good from him, so I guess maybe he is a little desperate to get back on track. I saw Harmon's interview on the Golf Channel and he said they weren't looking for major overhauls, but some tweaks. I guess Ernie may also see that the switch has worked out for Mickelson fairly well too.

Hi I am from earth, where are you from. Vijay has 2 seconds and 2 top fives this year. He might be the most consistent guy playing.

[Elsfan]

Pardon I was a little buzzed

When did washed up players start to win on the PGA tour, cause I believe he won this year.

[Chilidipper]

Missing the cut at the Masters was hardly impressive. I just remain cautious when guys start searching for answers. Didn't Justin Leonard go through a swing change and really started playing poorly, then when he went back to his long time highschool/college coach he really started playing well again.

I just don't think swing change guarntees anything, and the chances of you becoming better because of one if just as good as becoming worse.