Ernie Els Quotes

Something I've really enjoyed learning more about is course design.

If you can hit your 3- and 5-woods with confidence from the fairway, par 5s become birdie opportunities, and 420-yard par 4s are a lot less scary.

Grip pressure - not mechanical flaws - is the biggest factor when you're nervous. You unconsciously grip it tighter, which keeps you from making a smooth swing with a natural release. Keep your grip pressure light, and you'll be surprised how much your mechanics stabilize.

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.

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.

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.

Excessive drinking is not good for my health, my family or my game. There has definitely been a change, and I feel better for it.

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

I've not given up hope the belly-putter will be banned. The R and A and the USGA are looking at it right now.

I have to believe that if I keep doing what I'm doing, the results will reflect that, and I'll give myself plenty more opportunities to win.

I use a 1994 South African 5 rand coin to mark my ball. It reminds me of my '94 U.S. Open win at Oakmont.

I almost never hit a shot all out, and I make a conscious effort to swing my long clubs just as I do my wedges. Keep this in mind when hitting your fairway woods.

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.

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.

When I stay athletic with good posture and get the club away in a good position, I get through it better.

Michelle is 14. Give her a couple of years to get stronger. I mean, she can play on this tour. If she keeps working, keeps doing the right things, there's no reason why she shouldn't be out here.

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.

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.

I think I would have taken a (expletive) load of Advil.

Mondays are a good day to make statements, not Friday.

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.

You have to know how to read your lie and take a calculated risk when you hit out of the rough.

Throughout my career, I've been sponsored by several different equipment companies - Lynx, Titleist, Callaway.

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.

When you get to the tee on a really long par 5, I know what you're feeling. You want to let the shaft out on the driver and try to bomb it down there. I get the same feeling. But a big tee shot is not always the best strategy, especially on a long hole.

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.

You don't have to be long off the tee, and we know the amazing effect an Open crowd can have if you're on your game and how they can lift you.

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.

With shorter clubs, your ball position should be just back of middle, to really promote hitting the ball first on a downward strike.

For all the fun, don't forget: I always knew when to put my golf balls down and practice.

Playing from deep grass is a fact of life in professional golf.

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.

During a tournament, I'm not thinking about mechanics at all. I'm in scoring mode.

For the average player, most three-putts happen because of a poorly judged first putt from long range.

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.'

I've got my life. I'm very serious about my business. I've got my family. And I've got my game.

Contours on the second half of a long putt have more impact on how the ball rolls because it's going slower. Adjust your speed if that last part is playing uphill or downhill. Don't get fooled by an early slope or break.

Your longest drives will come when you feel you're swinging at 75 percent.