Ernie Els Quotes

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 can hit a lot of drivers, be aggressive, and attack from the fairway.

When your shot has to carry over a water hazard, you can either hit one more club or two more balls.

Placing the ball in the right position for the next shot is eighty percent of winning golf.

At Pebble Beach, even on your good shots, you've got to hit it to the correct side of the holes to save pars.

Chad was in the right spot. He got a little aggressive with the third shot there. He probably didn't want that putt he had there for the par. And you don't want to put it back there where Casey and Sergio did because you have 20 feet of break there.

Being in the fairway, I think the fairways are a little bit more overrated.

My iron game. I get into trouble a lot with my driver, so I tend to hit 3-wood off the tee.

I typically opt for a fade when I'm hitting into greens. It's just an easier shot to control.

Check the card before you play. If you have a couple of long par 3s, put an extra hybrid in your bag. You'll be glad you did.

My first years on tour, I tried to be super professional by considering the yardages to every feature and hazard. Over time my caddie and I noticed I play better when we keep it simple. Think about the distance you want the ball to fly, and only that number.

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.

You have to be sharp with all aspects of your game at Augusta. You need to put yourself in the best spot off the tee and hit the longest drive you can, but I think this is really a second-shot course. If you leave yourself with an awkward putt on the greens, it can be very tricky here.

The game itself, I think, plays into the strength of my game, which has always been tee to green, hitting the ball consistently in play and managing my game. Putting has always been the one thing that's been a bit more erratic.

He started pushing to make birdies and you don't do that when you're down.

But I'd say that probably 70 percent of the bunkering is more to give you an idea of the direction that you want to go or to save your ball from going into worse places.

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.

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

The real success in golf lies in turning three shots into two.

Some players like to change clubs around the green to hit high or low shots. I play all of my short-game shots with my 54-degree sand wedge and change my ball position to hit it higher or lower. I think it's easier to learn one club than four.

You have to make lots of birdies and give your opponent no chance.

Any time you play in a USGA Championship, if you don't drive the ball on the fairway, you're dead. You're done.

I don't know how many times I've been 114 yards from the hole and made double bogey. Well, I hit a great drive, but it doesn't matter. It's only the next shot that matters.

I need to improve my shorter stuff with my irons, from 100 to 175 yards. If I can hit a few more greens with those clubs and tighten up the proximity to the hole, that would help a lot.

Why hit a conservative shot? When you miss it, you are in just as much trouble as when you miss a bold one.