Five players with golf swings so beautiful they should be hung in the Louvre

The golf swing is a means to end, but some demonstrate phenomenal grace and athleticism which highlights why elite golfers draw massive crowds to watch them play.

Here we look at five players with swings that could be hanging in the Louvre.

Ernie Els

They didn’t call him the Big Easy for no reason and Ernie Els’ swing doesn’t get the love it deserves from golf fans.

Els seems to be swinging at no more than 75 percent power regardless of the club he’s using. Of course, the trajectory of the ball suggests otherwise; despite some recent distance loss, Els is still capable of crushing it when necessary.

Technically speaking, Els’ swing is sound as a pound, therefore there is little to no extra motion needed to get the club on plane and into a square position at contact. That’s another factor that makes it so beautiful.

Steve Elkington

Steve Elkington’s golf swing immediately comes to mind when you consider excellent golf swings from the past, but even today it holds up.

The ease of Elkington’s swing is apparent when watched at full speed. As he squeezes more out of less, and there so little wasted movement.

Elkington had some longevity in the game because he worked out how to adapt his swing to his strengths.

Rory McIlroy

There are a few who claim that Rory McIlroy lost his swing, but he still looks as smooth as ever on the tee box.

Golfers everywhere wish they could swing like McIlroy with his smooth, strong, and freely flowing action.

A relatively small man in comparison to some of the brutish hitters out there, McIlroy confounds with his ability to generate power and maintain accuracy.

Fred Couples

Not many golfers in the history of the sport have possessed Couples’ rhythm, balance, and fluidity of swing.

Couples is likely to be included on any list of all-time great swings compiled by professional golfers and many use him as a case study to improve their game.

As for help on how to replicate his swing, Couples admits he actually knows very little about it.

“As far as swing and techniques are concerned, I don’t know diddly squat,” Couples once said. “When I’m playing well, I don’t even take aim.”

Sam Snead

It is a great pity that Sam Snead played well before the era of High-definition television coverage, but perhaps that made seeing him live and in full colour that much more special for golf fans.

His position on the downswing is textbook perfect and would be taught in golf academies were it not so very difficult to replicate.

Snead was an amazing athlete known for some incredible feats of flexibility and his accurate and powerful drives are simply magical.