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PLAY LIKE RORY
By Brian Mogg
Waldorf Astoria
Golf Academy,
Orlando, Fla.
(Top 100 since 2005)
With David DeNunzio
Photography by Angus Murray
R
4
DRILLS FOR
RORY-LIKE DISTANCE
You can’t buy McIlroy’s talent, but you can steal
his best moves with easy drills that tap every
ounce of power in his one-of-a-kind swing
ory McIlroy’s swing is the
one every amateur wants—
balanced, fluid and packed
with eye-popping power.
Problem is, you just can’t
grow out your hair, buy a new
Titleist driver and be the next
Rors. In fact, there’s little chance
you can copy his motion move-formove—it’s too dynamic for even
some of McIlroy’s competitors to
try on for size. But there are bits
you can borrow to add noticeable
pop to your drives and approach
shots. For starters, try the following four drills the next time
you’re at the practice range. Each
is designed to groove Rory’s best
swing traits into an amateur motion, and to help you repeat these
positions in an organized way so
that you get away from fleeting
improvement and instead develop
the consistency and power your
swing has been missing.
Rory’s secrets?
Turning with
resistance and
rotating your
hips as fast as
possible.
PLAY LIKE RORY
DRILL No. 1: TORSO ROTATION PRACTICE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED: A tee
...then point it
as far behind
the ball as
you can when
you turn.
and your driver.
WHAT THE DRILL DOES:
Gets you in the habit of
making a deep and full
shoulder turn on your
backswing. Rory turns
his shoulders almost 100
degrees as he swings his
driver to the top.
HOW TO DO IT: Place a tee
through one of the buttonholes on your shirt. The tee
serves as a visual guide for
your swing—your goal is
to point the tee as far to
the right behind the ball
as possible. Swing to the
top, hold your position,
then check where the tee
points. The tee makes it
easy to see if you’re maxing out your turn or not.
Push a tee through
a buttonhole...
ANOTHER WAY TO DO IT
Try this while you’re waiting for the
foursome in front of you to clear
the fairway. Drop a ball down, take
your regular stance, and then place
your driver across your chest as
shown. Now, turn back and try to
get the butt of the grip behind the
ball. If you really want to get a feel
for Rory’s massive turn, then try to
get your left shoulder behind the
ball as well.
Set up at
address...
...then turn
so the grip
is behind
the ball.
PLAY LIKE RORY
DRILL No. 2: RESISTANCE PRACTICE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED: A small
2 x 4 or block of wood.
WHAT THE DRILL D OES:
Keeps your hips stable as you
max out your shoulder turn on
your backswing. This is the
Rory way to create tons of potential energy to release into
the back of the ball at impact.
HOW TO DO IT: First, make
sure you’ve performed Drill
No. 1—a proper shoulder turn
should be your highest priority. Once you have that down,
add the resistance element by
making backswings with a 2
x 4 under your right foot. Try
to push the ball of your right
foot firmly into the ground
as you turn back. If you do it
correctly you’ll feel a bit more
“wound up” since the heel-up
position makes it difficult to
rotate your hips as you rotate
your shoulders.
A 2 x 4 silences your hip turn
so you can resist more.
Turning is
good. Turning
while resisting
is better.
IF YOU DO IT
CORRECTLY
YOU’LL FEEL
A BIT MORE
“WOUND UP.”
PLAY LIKE RORY
DRILL No. 3: SEQUENCE PRACTICE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED: Two irons
WHAT THE DRILL DOES: Helps you feel what all
great swingers—Rory included—sense when
they take the club back: that the clubhead initiates all movement. Most amateurs turn their
bodies too fast, whipping the club inside and
setting up a poor sequence, tempo and contact.
HOW TO DO IT: Follow the steps below. What
you’ll find when you perform this drill is that
1
3
Lay an iron a few
inches behind the
ball directly on your
target line, with the
grip end pointing at
your target.
Sling the iron
straight back and
far enough away
from the ball so that
you don’t hit it on
your downswing.
the slight resistance provided by the club on
the ground as you try to push it straight away
from the target automatically teaches you to
let the weight of the clubhead initiate your
swing. Notice how the drill helps me to set
the club (wrists fully hinged) before I really
start to turn my shoulders. That’s what you’re
after at the start of your swing—a lot of club
swing and little body motion.
2
4
Your goal is to push
the grip of the club
on the ground back
with the clubhead.
Now you have a
perfect sequence.
PLAY LIKE RORY
DRILL No. 4: HIP SPEED PRACTICE
WHAT YOU’LL NEED: Your driver.
WHAT THE DRILL DOES: Teaches
you Rory’s No. 1 power key: clearing the hips fast and furiously
from the top. McIlroy’s downswing hip action is very similar
to that of a young Tiger Woods
in that he has an amazing ability
to get his hips facing the target
at impact. Do this and you’ll be
certain to unleash the maximum
amount of power your swing is
capable of generating.
HOW TO DO IT: Tee up a ball and
take your stance by first placing
your feet close together, then dropping your left foot back so that the
toes on your left foot are even with
your right ankle. Now swing—
slowly at first because this foot position will cause your hips to turn
freer than what you’re probably
not used to. As you hit balls, focus
on rotating your left hip around
your left foot as soon as you start
your downswing. Your goal is to
get your belt buckle pointing at
your target at impact. If you notice
that you have to swing your arms
more aggressively to catch up to
your hips through impact then
you’re doing it right—and probably hitting the ball a lot harder.
This drill also helps you resist with
your hips on your backswing, creating Rory-like torque discussed
in Drill No. 2.
1
Drop your left
foot back at
address (left
toes even
with your
right ankle).
2
Swing to
the top (you
should feel a
resistance in
your hips)
3
Unload into
the ball,
turning your
hips as fast as
you can (the
left-footback position
makes this
easy to do).
PLAY LIKE RORY
BONUS: A TRAINING AID FOR SPEED
Training aids are great when they provide the
correct feeling and accurate feedback. Once
such aid is the Synchronizer ($59.97, www.
syncyourswing.com), which does an excellent
job of helping you exploit the crucial role your
left hip plays in generating downswing speed.
Al you have to do is place the belt around your
waist and set the arm parallel to the ground. If
Closed or
even square
hips at impact
rob you
of speed.
your hips are too slow on your downswing then
you’ll hit the device with your left forearm as
you swing through impact [inset photo]. Clear
your hips correctly and you’ll have an open
path to the ball and beyond. Like any good
training aid, the Synchronizer allows you to
repeat good sensations immediately after you
take it off and swing without any guidance.
If your hips are
open at impact
like Rory’s,
then you’re
maxing out
your speed.