By Paul Myers

Ernie Els is a highly accomplished – and very well-liked – professional golfer with arguably one of the sweetest swings of all time. Els is a tall man, and he uses the leverage that his height offers to create tremendous power without looking like he is exerting undue effort. To watch Ernie Els swing the club is considered an impressive sight by many, and one that can serve the average golfer well just by observing his silky tempo. In his 40s, Ernie is still very competitive at the highest level of the game, and his longevity is possibly due at least in part to his beautiful, flowing golf swing.

To watch Ernie Els swing the club, you might not think that he could hold his own in the swing speed category. After all, it doesn’t look like he is putting relatively much effort into the swing at all. Additionally, considering that he is on the north side of 40 and has been playing professionally for more than two decades, you might think that you would find him at the bottom of the swing speed list behind all of the young guns.

That is not the case.

Even at age 44, Ernie Els currently ranks 100th in the PGA Tour stats for average swing speed, coming in at 112.95 miles per hour. His fastest recorded swing on the season has been 116.90 MPH, and the lowest measurement has been 110.05 MPH. While he is not near the top of the list in generating swing speed, Ernie is more than holding his own in this category as the PGA TOUR average is right about 113 MPH.

Going back a few seasons, we can see that Ernie used to have a little more speed in his swing during the 2007 season. That year, he placed 41st on the swing speed chart, with an average of 115.34. Even then, he similarly had the same impressive, smooth swing that he uses to this day.

Ernie Els’ swing can be considered a great example of how a swing doesn’t have to be violent or aggressive to be powerful. In fact, it could be said that Els has the perfect method of generating power – making a smooth swing that gradually accelerates until it contacts the ball. Given the fact that Ernie has four major titles to his credit, he has obviously done more than a few things right in his playing career.

Watching Ernie Els swing the club can be beneficial to the average golfer for a number of reasons. Among those could include –

  • Tempo. Players with a good tempo usually can control their golf ball much more effectively than those with a poor tempo. Also, it can be easier to hold up under pressure when using a swing that relies on a nice, easy tempo.
  • Making a swing that fits yourself. Ernie Els is a large, tall man, and makes a swing that fits his frame. By some, he is considered able to accelerate the club smoothly into the ball because his height makes for a large swing arc and he has time in the swing to gradually speed up. A smaller player may not have that luxury, and might build a swing that takes advantage of what they have to work with.

Fans of professional golf should take every possible opportunity to watch Ernie Els swing and play golf on the world stage. While his swing speed may have come down a few ticks from the earlier part of his career, there is probably still plenty of great golf left in that beautiful swing.

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