If you were watching the CBS coverage from the Canadian Open today, you’ll have seen a swing breakdown on Rory McIlroy with Driver and how he gets positive (upward attack angle).
There was nothing technically wrong with saying to swing like Rory, but it was the whole thing once again on someone just telling you what they’re seeing, which you can see for yourself, and not a thing on how actually to swing like Rory.
I wrote a few years back that Rory McIlroy might have discovered the key to increasing power through technique when he was spotted letting his leading heel come up during his back swing, but it turned out not to be a permanent thing.
Now, it seems he might be back on a right track, with his apparent discovery that the hips and shoulder are connected.
If I told you that the percentage of players on the PGA Tour who use the Classic Golf Swing principle of performing a free hip turn by allowing the leading heel to release on the back swing pivot is pretty low, you’d likely agree with me.
I like to use the term “release” or “floating” rather than “lifting,” because those two terms compared to the latter connote a passive action rather than a deliberate one.
A while back, Jim asked a question about the “hip stall” he noticed in Mickey Wright’s swing, and which everyone talks about in Rory McIlroy’s impact phase, and I had answered back then that it is part of an efficient transfer of power to the ball (“cracking the whip”) that anyone can do with a proper down swing sequence.
I don’t really have anything swing-wise to say that is overly pertinent, so I thought I’d make this thread a grab-bag and Open Thread for anyone to share their thoughts on this, the PGA Championship’s “Moving Day” at Quail Hollow.
I am wondering myself if it’s Hideki Matsuyama’s time – he’s already won 3 events this season, is coming hot off the win at the WGC at Bridgestone last week and he’s tied for the lead going off on Day 3.
Seems he’s in great position to make history as the first Japanese major champion on Tour and I believe, the 3rd Asian (after VJ Singh and YE Yang) to bag one.
That’s got to be what happened, because the only other explanation for showing a Rory McIlroy drive carrying 365 yards on Wednesday at the range would be that there’s some fraudulent representation going on somewhere.
I will admit that my initial thought when I saw a 365 yard carry with 181 mph ball launch speed was, “My God, the balls are going way too far!”
Of course, that would be anyone’s initial thought if you figured everything was on the up and up, right? But then… I thought a bit and…
**Update At Bottom
If the Modern Golf Swing doesn’t…
I heard all of the uproar about Rory McIlroy’s drive at the PGA Championship venue Quail Hollow this week – a 365 yard carry with the driver is impressive!
I couldn’t wait to get a look at his numbers – I mean, the winning long drive distances from the 90’s were in the 360-380 yard range, and these guys had 135 mph club and 195-200 mph ball speed to get those distances in total, meaning carry and roll, not just carry.
(Updated at Bottom – I was mistaken about Rory’s swing changes being brand new, it seems he changed his swing earlier than I thought…)
I had to go back and watch a few of Rory McIlroy’s swings again from yesterday’s final round at the Bridgestone Invitational.
I was seeing some stuff that I really liked, and it it seems that Rory has made some swing changes for the better.
And I mean, if this is not just an anomaly, that this would be great for Rory and for professional golf – the youngsters today are more likely to want to emulate Rory than Tiger Woods, and if Rory is going back to more mechanically-sound swinging, I would be personally delighted for 1. His back and future and 2. The generations that will follow him.
I thought I’d offer you something Wax reader Peter A. sent to me about Rory McIlroy’s swing.
You all know the concerns I’ve had with it, and it seems that the people at the Somax Performance Institute have compared Rory’s action with that of the greats – the post is not very subtle in calling it “The Most Unstable Swing In History.”
Originally published on the Smash Golf blog Feb 09, 2010, edited to update content
I wrote a post about Rory McIlroy’s golf swing earlier and what I didn’t like about it.
