Keep It Short For More Power With Rory McIlroy

I’m longer than I was and that could be because I’m stronger – I’ve been spending more time in the gym than I used to! But what has interested me is that I get more clubhead speed when I don’t swing the club back so far.

Good Position

I’m posing this position because this is where I like to imagine the club finishing at the top of the backswing (in reality, my momentum will allow the club to reach horizontal). My shoulders have turned 90º and I’m fully coiled. From here I can drop the club down and on plane as I move into the ball.

Bad Position

Because I’m quite flexible, I can turn my shoulders past 90º, but when I do this I feel like my hands get too far behind me. Drop my hands down from this position and they get caught too much on the inside and then the club is off plane and I have to save it with the hand action through the ball.

The Coach says
Rory has a very powerful leg action which means the top can get left behind, especially if he swings too far back. This is why he hits the ball further with a more compact backswing. The timing and synchronisation is there, so the whole action becomes more efficient. Look at John Daly. He has very quiet hips so his upper half has time to unwind. Rory’s hips will never be that quiet, so he can’t afford to over swing.