Quiet drop at the top delivers on impact

At the top of his swing, the palm of Ernie Els’ right hand faces the sky, anchoring the club in the so-called “tray” position. This is a very solid, no-nonsense position to begin his return swing to the ball. Because most of the work has been done in the backswing, the downswing appears to be quiet and fluid.

As Els begins his downswing, three key moves occur simultaneously: (1) his left shoulder separates from his chin; (2) his hands separate from his right shoulder and (3) his left knee begins its drive to the target. This ensures that his hands have dropped straight down, with no tendency to throw the club over the top.”

By T.J. Tomasi

They call Ernie Els “The Big Easy,” but there is nothing “easy” when it comes to his application of force on the ball.

Many amateurs leak energy as they start their downswing, which leaves little left for impact. In the photos below, you can see that Els begins the downswing with a quiet drop of the hands, conserving energy for a fluid release into the back of the ball.

The transition from backswing to downswing should be a quiet time, a dropping of the club into the “power slot.” As this drop occurs, keep your back foot planted but tilted in, on the inner rim of the foot. This will prevent any premature spinning of your chest and allow you to hold your power angle (wrist cock) until the last second.

It takes a strong, flexible body to achieve the position Els has in the first photo. You can see by the stretch of his shirt that his torso muscles are coiled tightly against a stable lower body. In relation to his massive shoulder turn, his hips have barely moved, which creates a powerful tension that, when released, sends the ball tremendous distances.

Dr. T.J. Tomasi is a teaching professional in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Visit his website at tomasigolf.com.