Zitat des Tages von Ernie Els:
I've got my life. I'm very serious about my business. I've got my family. And I've got my game.
Make a conscious effort to loosen your hands and let your arms feel soft when you're at address. Take the club back a bit shorter, and feel as if you're cracking a whip on the way down - not tensing up to smash something hard.
Spin is a tricky thing. When you're trying to avoid it - say, on a tee shot, where sidespin puts you in the trees - it's easy to make it happen.
I never thought I'd be comfortable living outside South Africa, but we love London. Our two kids were born here.
Brushing up on your short game at the practice area is fine and good, but taking it with you to the golf course - when your score is really on the line - is another story.
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?
Ball position is everything in iron play. If you aren't careful about it, you can create some major problems in your game just by getting an inch or two off.
It is just a crazy life as a sportsman. My daughter, Sam, wants to go into tennis, and I tell her, 'No, you don't want to go into professional sport.'
The good kind of spin - backspin - comes from hitting the ball cleanly, then making a divot after impact.
I prefer old-world wines like Lafite Rothschild and Margaux.
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 think most amateurs dread playing a 180-plus-yard par 3 even more than a hard par 4. Part of it is psychological: You think you should be getting a breather, distance-wise, and instead, you get hit with a long iron or hybrid shot over trouble.
Something I've really enjoyed learning more about is course design.
Right before I start the putter back, I think about making solid contact. This brings your attention to the back of the ball and helps keep your head still at impact, which is a must. Many amateurs take a peek down the line too soon, and that can cause all sorts of mis-hits.
From the rough, I'd use a 6-iron, play the ball back an inch or two and swing down on a steeper angle to catch the ball first. It also helps to aim slightly left and open the clubface at address. You'll get more height on the shot, and the club will cut through the grass more easily.
From a good lie in the middle of a fairway bunker, I'll make the same swing as I do from an average fairway lie. I'll dig my feet in slightly and keep my lower body stable so I won't slip, but I don't change my club selection or setup. It's only when the ball is sitting down in the sand that I'll make some modifications.
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.
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.
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.
For a 7-iron, you never want the ball to be closer to your left heel than just slightly ahead of the mid-point of your stance. That's especially true if you're a tall player, like me.
Some players like to change clubs around the green to hit high or low shots. I play all of my short-game shots with my 54-degree sand wedge and change my ball position to hit it higher or lower. I think it's easier to learn one club than four.
In 2002, the 2000 Engelbrecht Els wine was released in South Africa and received high ratings.
Playing from deep grass is a fact of life in professional golf.
I'd like to win the Masters and the PGA and complete the career Grand Slam.
For the most part, when you play a full shot from the primary rough at your course, you're gauging how close to a standard shot you can hit based on your lie in the grass.
For all the fun, don't forget: I always knew when to put my golf balls down and practice.
Unless it's a dead-straight short putt, you should focus on a spot somewhere along the line you want to roll the ball on.
With shorter clubs, your ball position should be just back of middle, to really promote hitting the ball first on a downward strike.
