Learning from Rory McIIroy

Along with Brooke and Freddie

First, congratulations to two great golfers. The first is Zander Schauffele who won the PGA, his first major; and the second is Nelly Korda who amazingly won six of the last seven tournaments, including a major. LIV has set golf back considerably but the game is still on solid ground in my humble opinion. I also want to extend my deepest sympathy to Grayson Murray's friends and family. Death itself is hard to deal with but a suicide is the hardest. RIP Grayson.

Now for Rory and his magnificent swing. At the Wells Fargo a few weeks ago, he put on quite a clinic, showing mastery in all parts of his game, especially his driver. He's obviously worked hard to develop that swing and the distance he attains, including long hours in the gym and coaching from experienced teachers; and an amateur cannot easily emulate his swing. But there are aspects of it that we can borrow from and incorporate into our swings.

• For one, he loads up wonderfully on his right side as his backswing progresses, this after a forward press that straightens his left arm at his swing's start. This also helps widen his swing arc going back.

• With his weight on the inside of his right instep, he is able to turn his torso so his back is facing the target at the top. This is a goal for us amateurs which can be attained through flexibility exercises that very gradually increase your limits of what your body can reasonably attain.

• And finally at the start of the downswing after the hips start clearing, Rory redirects his swing slightly but perceptively, helping the right elbow to tuck into the right side of his torso, which helps insure the swing path comes from the inside, helping to strike the ball at impact at a 5 o'clock position. Other pros who do this beautifully include Brooke Henderson and Freddie Couples. If you're a slicer, this move will help correct that slice, by helping to square up the clubface at impact or even imparting a draw spin at times.  Proper timing is important with this move since it's important to clear the hips first and keep the head steady from the top of the swing through impact. That will require time and practice at the range. This move is more pronounced with the driver so its effect is greater around ball flight. But the tee does give a nice advantage of already placing the ball in the air.

This post jibs some with my previous one that advises letting the right elbow fly a bit at the top. This one gets that elbow back where it belongs as the club descends to the impact zone. There's a reason Rory, Brooke, and Fred hit the ball a country mile and it's called solid and square contact, something all of us can work towards no matter our age or physical condition.