It seems outrageous doesn’t it? How can a mere mortal golfer use Rory McIlroy’s swing to improve your golf?
The answer is surprising – we can all learn an awful lot from Rory’s swing.
In this article I have included a great slow motion video of Rory’s driving swing – truly a swing of beauty – and then give a sequence of stills from the video with my commentary.
Rory McIlroy – Slow Motion Swing Video – The Best Swing in Golf Today
Please watch the video below.
Superb.
Now let’s take a look in a little more detail.
Rory McIlroy – Swing Review
Golf Swing Clock Angles
Just before we start – I am going to be referring to swing clock angles within this sequence. Clock angles always refer to the position of the hands at a specific point in the golf swing
Just to be sure we all know what we mean – here is an image showing the clock angles.
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
Hands are just about at 9:00
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
Hands now just past 9:00
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
Hands now at 8:00
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
Hands now at 6:30
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
Hands now at 6:10
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
Hands now at 6:00
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
Hands still at 6:00
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
The next 3 shots show Rory moving into his elegant finish position.
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
So What Can We (the Average Golfer) Take Away From This Look At Rory’s Swing?
In many ways the swing analysis is presented to help you identify what you can take away to help you with your own swing.
For me the big learning points are:
1. The World’s best golfer has a very simple swing with very few moving parts.
2. There is very little lateral movement. Very slight lower body sway at the start of the takeaway.
3. Right leg braced and solid throughout the whole of the back swing. It simply doesn’t move.
4. Head position. I know we are told that keeping the head still isn’t that important – keeping your eye on the ball is what counts. Just look how still Rory’s head is throughout the swing. It doesn’t move until he is well into his finish.
There are so many ways ot hit the ball in golf. Most of us can’t learn from some of the top pros – Bubba Watson, Jim Furyk and going back a while, Lee Trevino all come to mind.
In contrast, all golfers could learn something from Rory.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.