Ernie Els Quotes

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.

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.

The key is to hit the ball first, then the sand. Even if you catch it a bit thin, you'll still get plenty of run. Hitting it fat is what you want to avoid.

I typically opt for a fade when I'm hitting into greens. It's just an easier shot to control.

I love to play three-quarter iron shots. They take a lot of extra movement out of the swing, which increases my chance of hitting it solid with the face square to the target.

My short game's not that good. It just becomes a matter of getting that weight moving.

I need to improve my shorter stuff with my irons, from 100 to 175 yards. If I can hit a few more greens with those clubs and tighten up the proximity to the hole, that would help a lot.

I think of all my iron shots as punches - not punch shots, but how much pressure I'm applying to the hit.

Most tall golfers don't have a lot of success. You have trouble getting steep on the ball too much. Stance, posture, all those things can be bad.

I player my lower-lofted irons slightly higher-up in my stance. Not as much as variable-length, but a little further up can help golfers adapt to the lower-lofted irons.

I rely on my ball striking more than anything.

You'll find that one-length irons are far more versatile around the greens. You can vary the trajectory more, your distance control will improve because you can choke down more if you want.

It's just a matter of hitting the ball where I want to hit it and hopefully making some putts.

If you are going to throw a club, it is important to throw it ahead of you, down the fairway, so you don't have to waste energy going back to pick it up.

Swinging harder with a longer club almost always leads to bad shots.

I very rarely watch anybody swing. All I do is follow where the ball goes.

When I want a long ball, I spin my hips faster.

The ultimate judge of your swing is the flight of the ball.

To flight approach shots lower with the scoring clubs - what I consider my 7-iron through wedges - I stand two or three inches closer to the ball than normal.

I love watching Anthony Kim play, but I'm not a fan of the way he grips down a good two inches on his full-swing shots. Choking down lightens the club's swing weight and effectively makes the shaft stiffer. It also makes it difficult to hit the ball high enough for all situations.

I've got a lot more control with my wedges.

I'm going to have wedge when guys are going have a 6-iron, plain and simple.

My iron game. I get into trouble a lot with my driver, so I tend to hit 3-wood off the tee.

You can roll the ball a long way with a stroke that has the force of a five-yard chip. Good rhythm and less effort are how you control the putterface and, in turn, the ball.

If you make the effort to address the moves that cause a slice, you can straighten out all your shots. It won't happen overnight, but if you're systematic about it, the process will work.