Els and Wie work on the same swing philosophy: good setup, setting the club early, making a big, powerful turn and a full, right-sided release through impact.
Analysis by David Leadbetter
It's no coincidence that Michelle Wie's swing has some similarities to Ernie Els'. After all, Ernie is her favorite player. They are both tall -- Ernie is 6-feet-3 and Michelle is 6-feet -- they both have beautiful natural flow and rhythm, and both are very long hitters. Ernie averages 300 yards off the tee; Michelle hits it 280. They also work on the same swing philosophy: good setup, setting the club early, making a big, powerful turn and a full, right-sided release through impact.
Michelle is amazingly gifted, and for her to be so good at 13 years old is unbelievable. She is coached by Gary Gilchrist, who runs my junior academy in Bradenton, Fla. Although she lives in Hawaii, Michelle visits the academy regularly for fine-tuning and is one of a number of great young players who are coming through the "farm system." These kids are so advanced technically, physically and mentally compared to players of yesteryear that it's no wonder they are competing at the highest level at younger and younger ages.
Els and Wie have tall-player tendencies: They clear their hips out of the way on the downswing too early at times and drop the club too much to the inside, moves that cause pushes and hooks. They have great natural tall setups and fully set the club with the wrists halfway back. At the top they wind their upper bodies over a solid yet flexed right knee and get their arms and club into a beautiful "slot." The angle created by the left arm and the shaft halfway down is tremendously powerful. The way they deliver the club to impact -- with the left leg firm and the left arm and shaft in a continuous line -- is perfect. And those full and supple follow-through positions? All youth and flexibility.
