Ernie Els

[tjglfr]

How does Ernie Els generate so much power with so little effort?

[saevel25]

He's 6'3" tall and weights 220 lbs, thats why. More height you have the more leverage you get and more the club head will descend into the ball at a higher speed.

[plum]

im just as tall and still dont see it. he really seems effortless.

im not up on the terms but he seems to get a lot of separation (his hands higher or away from his body)

[iacas]

Originally Posted by tjglfr

How does Ernie Els generate so much power with so little effort?

He puts a lot of effort into it. Because he's balanced and has rhythm it only appears that he's not giving it a good amount of effort.

[tm22721]

I read recently that both Els and Couples get their easy power (and rhythm) by leveraging gravity and centrifugal force, as you would in a hammer throw. 'Counter fall' against the force of the clubhead with minimal tension in the hands. I believe this method has been around for a long time. I first remember encountering it in an old book 'Gravity Golf' by David Lee...he even claims it was used by Nicklaus.

[Zeph]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tm22721

I read recently that both Els and Couples get their easy power (and rhythm) by leveraging gravity and centrifugal force, as you would in a hammer throw. 'Counter fall' against the force of the clubhead with minimal tension in the hands. I believe this method has been around for a long time. I first remember encountering it in an old book 'Gravity Golf' by David Lee...he even claims it was used by Nicklaus.

I'm no physicist, but are you talking about pushing against the ground, or jumping? If so, it's something a lot of good players do. Tiger Woods is a good example as he squats quite a lot and then pushes off the ground through the ball.

[Stretch]

Ernie "jumps" like anything. Look how much he raises his belt buckle through impact here.

Also gets his hands deep and creates lots of width.

[iacas]

That's a good find because you don't normally associate Ernie Els with either of those things, but there you go - proof positive that what pros say they feel and what they actually do are often different, and sometimes quite a bit so.

[The Recreational Golfer]

Ernie, like the other pros, swings hard and hits hard. This doesn't come across on TV. But when you stand close to them in real life, the power in their swing becomes quite plain. Their athleticism eliminates any wasted effort and there is no misdirected energy. EVERYTHING is poured into the golf ball.

[Deryck Griffith]

I've always wondered why people say that PGA pros are so "effortless" with their swings?  From my observation while closely watching on TV and in person, they absolutely put a LOT of energy and effort into the swing.  The difference is the timing and balance as others have said in this thread.

Ernie drives his lower half through contact nicely and the perfect "timing" of that action is why it looks effortless.  But the fact that he dips and "jumps" through the ball are both movements that require a good amount of "effort."

[Open-Faced Club Sandwedge]

You also really see, in the face-on view posted above, the way he fires his right hand through impact.  I know a lot of amateurs flip the club (lose the wedge early and cup the left wrist), and that's bad, but paradoxically, a lot of those same amateurs are turning the hands over hard enough (not nearly as hard as the pros do, at least).  The result of holding the wedge and then really firing the hands through impact is a ton of speed accumulated at the last moment, and I think it makes the swing look "easier", but really there's a lot of force being applied to the club to make it move like that.

-Andrew

[ohiolefty]

Ernie is going very hard at impact....

I just think it's because his weight/balance is just so good, so solid...that it appears effortless.

[Zeph]

It looks effortless because of his tempo, timing and synchronization. Players like Ernie and Freddy got a tempo that make their swings look very smooth. That doesn't mean the other players got a worse swing. If I recall correctly, people usually put this part of the swing under style, which often is a personal preference. They all got some of the same fundamentals, but do so in different style, swing tempo being one of those.

[Steel]

I have had the absolute pleasure of watching El's and Couples for 18 holes inside the ropes at Nicklaus North when they played the Shell match play there.  Both of them swing the club with perfect tempo and timing, and both of them are very thick through the torso, I think that is how they generate the power seemingly so effortlessly.  Also was inside the ropes for the Canadian Skins game at Nicklaus North in Whistler, Nicklaus, Faldo, Couples and Norman.  Fred literally blew it by them every fairway by 20-30 yards, Couples and Els were neck and neck as far as length goes.  The guy that really surprised me at the skins game was Jack, in 97 he was no spring chicken and he was tied for low score (32) after the first day with Fred and he could hit every shot in the book, worked the ball both ways, great long irons everything he would have been something to see in his prime.  One other note about Ernie Els, met him the day before the match, I was lucky enough to get out for a round the day before it started and he was there with his caddy on the 18th green, he watched us  putt out then stopped and chatted briefly, VERY nice guy, and he said he really enjoyed coming to Canada

[Smyth]

Ernie has a 140 odd mph clubhead speed. Looks easy, but he smacks the thing.

edit* I meant to say ball speed...smart asses :P

[Harmonious]

Originally Posted by Smyth

Ernie has a 140 odd mph clubhead speed. Looks easy, but he smacks the thing.

Well, not quite, but he still is a long hitter.

[Deryck Griffith]

Originally Posted by Smyth

Ernie has a 140 odd mph clubhead speed. Looks easy, but he smacks the thing.

140 mph swing????  Where did you get this information?  The higest swing on tour was either Bubba Watson or JB Holmes and I think they were around 121-122.

[bkoguy07]

Originally Posted by Smyth

Ernie has a 140 odd mph clubhead speed. Looks easy, but he smacks the thing.

lol