The defending Masters champion demo-ed it for us shortly after turning pro.
Rory McIlroy’s victory at last year’s Masters, which completed a career Grand Slam (winning all four majors), made us a little sentimental about the then-20-year-old fledgling pro who appeared in Golf Digest’s July 2009 issue. John Huggan interviewed him and his longtime instructor, Michael Bannon, for the piece. Here’s what they had to say about Rory’s still-developing swing.
Rory McIlroy: “People are always amazed by how far I hit the ball off the tee. I’m not the biggest guy out here, at 5-feet-10, 160 pounds, but I’ve always been long for my size. I have a lot of natural speed. In the gym, I work on mostly core stability and flexibility, which has helped make me longer. Plus, I like to swing with no fear. I’m a grip-it-and-rip-it guy. I’ve always played that way, and I’ve quickly found out that nearly everyone on tour does, too.
“Over the ball, I think about nothing other than the target. I don’t focus on technique. But under pressure, I do use one simple swing thought: I pick a spot a foot in front of the ball and hit over it – hard. That takes my mind off the outcome of the shot and keeps me in the process.”
Michael Bannon: “Rory’s swing does have a lovely flow to it; always has. You can tell how comfortable he is by the speed at which he plays. We always focus on Rory’s posture, alignment and ball position. They are where we want them, but we keep a constant eye on them. If he’s been playing in windy conditions, he sometimes lets the ball creep back in his stance. He also has a tendency to narrow his stance a wee bit too much for the short irons. I like the width to stay constant so he can stand into his right leg on the backswing.”
(Comments from Rory’s coach, Michael Bannon): “Halfway back, his right elbow starts to fold and his wrists continue to hinge. He already has made a big shoulder turn, no part working without the others.”
“As Rory turns back to the ball, the club is lowered into a ‘holding’ position by the movement of his lower body. He’s making a very strong move here, with the wrist angle between his club and left arm retained.”
“Like a natural throwing motion, his left side has cleared so his right side can complete the ‘throw’ to the target.”
“This is a lovely finish. You’ll never see him fall back off a shot.”
“I love that his left arm has stayed so straight and his turn is so full, about 110 degrees. Also, you can see the club is parallel to his left arm – that’s square.”
“Just after impact, his right leg tends to lock up – that’s something we’re working on in his driving. I’d like to see it stay softer, as it does with his iron shots.”
Photos by Dom Furore
