Big Ernie not so easy

[Trad1]

I'm brand new to this forum. Here's my first question.

Has anyone noticed that Ernie Els has a very noticable bounce of the club at the top of his swing?

I have noticed this bounce since about 2001. This month Golf Digest has an Els swing sequence. In frame 3 Ernie has the club shaft past the vertical. In fact, the clubshaft is closer to 1:00 than 12:00. I have never seen this position in the swing of an obviously great player.

I could understand if when the left arm was parallel to the ground his shaft would be vertical, but to be over-cocked seems very strange. It seems to me that this may well be why he loses the angle early in the downswing. Peter Kostis has comments several times over the past few years about this club bounce, but has never mentioned the connection I'm referring to.

Compare frame 5 with frame 3. I would suggest the two frames are the opposite of what they should be. Frame 3 should see the club shaft short of vertical or vertical depending on swing style, but certainly not where the Big Guy has it.

Driver Swing Sequence: Ernie Els: Swing Sequences: golfdigest.com

Trad1

[BrianW]

Re: Big Ernie not so easy

Should you have entered a link?

[Martin Levac]

Re: Big Ernie not so easy

Frame 3 shows the backswing but the position is repeated almost exactly on the downswing. We don't see it in that sequence but we see it on many clips of Els. Els will collapse the angle between the left arm and the club on the downswing. Perhaps he wants to prevent casting or whip the club or something. One thing I know about that move, it will slow down the club, not accelerate it. Only when the club releases from its position does it accelerate.