How to Use Rory McIlroy’s Swing to Improve Your Golf

1 – Address

• Fairly wide stance – feet are slightly more than shoulder width apart
• Ball in line with left heel
• Left and right arms very straight
• Club shaft looks to be an extension of the left arm
• Eyes on the back of the ball

2 – Takeaway

• At this stage the hands have reached about 7:30 in the clock face
• One piece takeaway.
• Clubhead has moved back along target line
• Arms still straight
• Very little hip movement at this stage
• Right leg is firm and braced against the backswing
• Left thigh has moved slightly inwards and there is slightly more flex of the left knee

3 – Backswing – 1

• Hands just approaching 9:00
• Wrists beginning to cock
• Right arm now slightly bent
• Still very little hip movement – right leg still firm and braced
• Left knee has flexed a little more but the alignment of the left leg hasn’t changed

4 – Backswing – 2

• This shot is milleseconds later than the previous backswing image
• Note that the hands have barely moved but that the wrists are much more cocked.
• There is a hint of hip rotation though there is no sideways movement
• Absolutely no change in head position – this becomes a point to note throughout the rest of the swing

5 – Backswing – 3

• A lot happens in the very short time in the backswing in which the hands move from about 8:00 to 10:00
• With his hands at 10:00 there is now 90 degrees plus of wrist cock
• Hips have rotated slightly more – that’s about as much as Rory’s lower body mores in his backswing
• No change in the right leg position
• You have just got to love the head position

6 – Top of Backswing

• Not that much changes in getting from 10:00 to the top of the backswing
• Essentially it is the continuance of the shoulder turn.
• Left arm remains very straight – club shaft parallel to the ground
• No further movement of hips
• I love the right leg and head position throughout the whole of the backswing – no movement in either!
• This position somehow conveys an impression of balance and power

7 – Transition to Downswing

The magic move to generate power and distance

• The transition to the downswing is often reckoned to be the key move in golf.
• It starts before the backswing has completed as the left knee subtly moved forwards to a position over the left foot to start the transition of weight – this bit is very difficult to capture using stills.  You may want to go back and watch the video again from about the 17s point
• The right knee has bent and the right leg is drivng the hips rotation to the front
• At this stage there has been v.little movement of the arms and shoulders – the change in shoulder position is largely due to the transference of weight to the front foot.
• At the risk of being very repetitive – keep a close eye on that head position

8 – Downswing – 1

• Keys here are that the hips are now square
• Wrists are are still fully cocked – at this point the club shaft is considerably more than 90deg to the arms.
• Downswing now largely the rotation of the shoulder around the spine
• Still watching that head position?

9 – Downswing – 2

• Shoulders have continued to rotate with the hands dropping vertically
• Left knee is now over left foot
• Hips have rotated slightly past square
• The head has tilted very slightly to the right with the eyes very firmly on the back of the ball
• If anything the lag angle (angle between left arm and the club shaft has increased)

10 – Downswing – 3

• This is where we begin to see the power coming into the swing
• The hips have continued to rotate and have now started to face the target
• There has been a subtle, lateral, forwards shift of the hips
• Shoulders continue to rotate about the spine
• Now begin to see the movement of the arms as the hands have continued to drop vertically While maintaining the wrists fully cocked
• Keep an eye on that head position.
• While the hips have shifted and the shoulders continue to rotate the head has remained fixed. Consequently Rory’s body is beginning to adopt that classic bow shape that you see with all great golfers

11 – Downswing – 3 – Approaching Impact

• The next 3 images are all with the hands at around the 6:00 point in the swing
• Note the solid left leg with the right leg now driving through.
• Hips have continued to rotate to the target line
• Wrists are just starting to uncock
• The club head is accelerating – the driver head is becoming more blurred

12 – Approaching Impact

• This image is only a couple of milleseconds after the last
• The biggest change to note is the continuing uncocking of the wrists
• Club head continues to accelerate – even more blurring in the image

13 – Pre-Impact

• Note how little the hands have moved since the last shot
• The hands have now reaced 6:00 but the club head still lags the handsLook at that head position

14 – Impact

• In some ways this shot of the swing at impact tells us no more that the last image just before impact
• Rory seems to have perfect timing and all lag (wrist cock) has now been used
• Notice that the ball is flying off ahead of the club head. Many people don’t realise the degree to which the club compresses the ball and how much the ball bounces off the club face. The pros typically achieve ball speed up to around 180% of the club head speed – that ball is moving at something like 200mphKeep looking at that head position – it gets even more interesting in a few moments

15 – Follow Through

• The follow through tells us much about what has gone before. These 3 images of Rory’s follow through are, in many ways a mirror image of the takeaway and the start of the backswing.
• Immediately after impact the clubhead has continued on the target line with the shoulders, arms and club all moving as a unit
• Shoulders, arms and club all continue to rotate around the body
• Only in the last shot do we see the wrists start to break and the right hand obviously rotating over the top of the left

Have you spotted any head movement yet?

16 – Finish

• Only now, with his hands passing through the 2:00 position, does Rory’s head start to lift. When you look at this in normal time it looks like Rory (and all top golfers) look up to follow the ball as soon as they hit it. Seeing these stills shows just how long Rory keeps his eyes fixed on the orignal ball position
• Not sure there is too much more to say
• Sure looks pretty