Ernie Els In The Bag

We have released Ernie Els In The Bag details. The South African talks through the clubs he carries each week on Tour

Here, in his own words, are Ernie Els In The Bag details.

Driver: TaylorMade Jet Speed 11˚

We are working on the Adams driver but at the moment I am carrying a TaylorMade Jet Speed. I have always liked the Fujikura shaft that I have in this driver. It’s a 10.5˚ head but it actually plays 11˚. I feel like with the new ball that I use, I get enough lift and carry with this club. I feel like I can control it - hit draws and fades and it’s all about control under the gun. Depending on air conditions, I can carry my driver 295 yards which at my age is not too bad!

Fairway woods: Adams Tight Lies 15˚ & 16.5˚

These are my favourite clubs in the bag. It’s a very forgiving club and I can get the ball up in the air very easily. There is a huge hitting area, the way it has been designed is to get the ball up from tight or difficult lies and I think a lot of amateur players would love the technology. You can play this club out of the rough also. I have the same Fujikura shaft in here that I have been using for a long time. The 3-wood I like to hit 260 to 265 yards in the air. My 5-wood goes 240 to 245 yards in the air. The 5-wood is an exact copy of the 3-wood. On shorter par 5s this will come in from a good height to stop the ball on the greens. I find I can do that very well with my Tight Lies clubs.

Hybrids: Adams Pro Mini 20˚ & 23˚

I’m using the same as this Pro Mini, mine just says something different on the club but it’s the exact same club. The 20˚ model is the equivalent of a 3 iron, it’s almost a 2 and ½ iron and I can hit this 230 yards. I can get this club out of bad lies and out of the rough as well. I can also play this club around the greens with that little chip and run, a Texas wedge kind of a shot. It’s a very versatile club. I also carry a 23˚ which is the equivalent of a 4-iron (a 4-iron would be 24˚). So I have two really great ‘long irons’ in the bag which I can use in the wind, I can keep the flight down with these as well.

Irons: Adams XTD Tour irons

You put this club down behind the ball and you’d think it was a blade but it’s a very forgiving club. This is the most comfortable iron I have ever played and I am not just saying that. I’ve only used it for two weeks, I used it in Los Angeles and at the Accenture Matchplay where I came close to winning. To get a club in the bag that quickly and have results shows how comfortable I am with these clubs. I did speak to the engineers a little bit and we changed the look of the clubs a little bit. They were originally a bit rounded and a bit offset. So they took some of the offset off which makes it straighter into the bottom of the club which means less draw for me. But there’s just enough offset for a little bit of right to left movement. They also sharpened up the edges so it looks like a blade behind the ball but it plays a lot more forgiving.

Forgiveness is very important even at our level. We do miss hit shots every now and again. We’ll hit shots out of the toe or catch them a little bit thin. With a muscleback black you aren’t going to get the same distance out if the ball. But with the XTD irons you are still going to get the carry. So these are a more forgiving, easier club to use.

Wedges: Adams XTD Tour PW, Adams Proto 53˚ & 59˚

I have the normal XTD pitching wedge which is 48˚ or 47˚. It is quite a strong wedge and I’ll hit this between 135 and 138 yards. Then I have two Adams forged wedges, a 52˚ bent to 53˚ and a 60˚ that has been bent to 59˚. This is the loft what I have always used in my gap and lob wedge. I hit the 53˚ 125 yards, and the 59˚ I can hit about 95 yards. I use the 59˚ mostly around the greens. The Adams guys have custom-fitted for me the back of the sole. It is very important for amateur golfers when you are chipping or playing from the bunker that you use the back of the sole to strike the ground and not the front of the club. We use the bounce of the club to get the ball in the air and control the shot. It’s a forged club, its very soft, the feel is immediate and around the greens I really enjoy these clubs.

Putter: Yes! Golf Calle

My new weapon is the Yes! putter. I have been using the belly putter for quite some time and I like the belly grip, its counterweighted. There is a bit more weight in the grip which counters the weight in the head. For most of my career putting with short putters all the weight was in the head. I’ve always felt my hands were working overtime. When you have more weight in the grip your hands and the head work together. So I have almost got a lag in my stroke again. I have almost my little draw stroke back and I’m not cutting across the ball anymore. This has made a huge difference to my game. It has the C Groove technology and the ball rolls unbelievably. You hear that a lot from the people who are selling putters but this groove technology absolutely works. I feel like I don’t have to hit the ball as hard to get it to the hole. It feels like it really runs out.