It’s pretty close. But when he was really young–like around ‘94 or so–he did swing it a bit flatter, I think his release was a bit better, and he didn’t that bounce-open at the start of his downswing. To me it looks like when he’s going wrong these days, the lower body doesn’t move fractionally before the upper starts to unwind but rather simultaneous with it, and at the same time as that slight opening of the angle, which gives him a tendency to be slightly over the top.

This swing analysis is bogus because those three swings are identical. Draw the same lines and they fall in the same place with each swing.

192=8iron.
i was expecting like a sand wedge or something.

And i am sure that ernie could swing the club much faster. I saw him at the Masters and he might be the largest man on tour (except for vijay; they are pretty close). Tiger could def. get hys swing speed up. But these guys want to hit fairways. I played in a tournament on the course a day after the Nationwide Tour Championship and the rough was insane; I was doing well to get the ball to the green out of the rough, and that was after the rough was cut down an inch. ( i was a 3 hdcp then)

yes, its true that ernie doesn’t have as fast a swing speed as tiger or some of the longer hitters on tour, however, his ball speed is still about the same, within a few mph (180mph or so) . That is more important than swing speed, in terms of distance at least… which makes sense. The initial speed of the ball is one of the main factors in determining its distance.

tiger’s irons already conform to the new grooves that will be enforced next year, and his wedges(except in the majors) are already conforming as well….

Ernie, on the other hand, sometimes looks too soft. I love the flow and the tempo, don’t get me wrong. It’s beautiful. But it does often (not always) lack a certain dynamic quality or focused directional force. Doesn’t matter, I guess, because he still hits it well–just doesn’t make all those six-footers he used to just drop in on their last roll. Nice to see him scoring better lately.

Here’s one thing I’ll just about guarantee: If they go through with the square-grooves ban, and if the rough isn’t cut and/or thinned so as not to make the players look bad (in other words, if it starts mattering if you hit fairways), TW will find some way to get it in the fairway. You notice how much more often he varies clubs these days, hits the 3-wood a lot more than he used to, etc., when he’s playing in a tournament where the rough is penal.

I suppose you could be right. But I can’t help thinking that if he would do with his driver what he did with his shorter irons–it’s not a matter of swinging more passively, but of structurally setting up a more compact and controllable action, with more predictable results–that would do the trick.

i think the opposite is true of Tiger’s current driving problems to be honest……i think he tries to work his driver too much and do tries to steer it way too much nowadays….i think he needs to just step up and rip it like he did when he came on tour, when he was a very accurate driver for how long he was…..as great as tiger is, he really does have a case of the “driver yips” IMHO…..

…they don’t hit it any closer than players of a previous generation would hit 6 or 7. It’s just boringly predictable.

Tiger’s a good example, too, with the driver. When he’s under control, he gets a great combination of distance and accuracy. He can be an accurate driver. But when he’s all-out, he’s all over the place, usually with no consequence. 53% of fairways at the U.S. Open last year, and won? Ridiculous. He’s skilled, obviously, but that’s just a course setup problem.

“Of course Ernie could easily get in the 120’s if he wanted to”–my point exactly.

I don’t think it ever has much to do with size anyway. Some of the longest hitters I’ve ever seen were about your size. And anyway, there’s a point of diminishing returns where the forces exerted on the ball negate the distance advantage (assuming the rough means anything, which too often it doesn’t). You see this again and again with hyperlong players who hit 9-iron from 165 or 170 or whatever, but…

tour average is 112…..highest clubhead speeds on tour are around 125(Bubba, JB, Tiger)……115 for a world class player w/ a huge frame like Els is nothing impressive….im 5′9 150 lbs and can easily generate 115+ mph without too much effort…..of course Ernie could easily get in the 120’s if he wanted to….

True–but try what a lot of old-school teachers would do with their students: Start with part-swings on the range, or even chip shots, and never move back to longer and longer swings until you can hit a majority of shots on the center of the clubface (or the precise sweet spot, which depending on the club may not be in the exact center). Make perfect contact your criterion for moving up to the next level swing. Takes discipline, but worth it.

115 is “not that high”? In a controlled swing, by a player who’s trying to score rather than hit it as long as possible in a long-drive contest? Right.

Like Al Geiberger used to say–one fast moment in the swing, and he doesn’t waste it.

because hes 6′4 and 220+ pounds???? his clubhead speed is around 115…..not that high by any means…..