Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.
It’s safe to say Rory McIlroy is feeling pretty dialed with his swing.
After a slow start to 2024, McIlroy seems to have found something over the last several weeks. At the Zurich Classic, alongside teammate Shane Lowry, McIlroy nabbed his first victory of the season. In his very next start, at last week’s Wells Fargo Championship, he won again.
“I definitely took a lot from [winning in New Orleans], especially with how I played at the weekend there,” McIlroy said. “And I think this week was just a continuation of how I felt. I felt like I drove the ball incredibly well at New Orleans, especially over the weekend. I drove the ball great again this week.”
When you can drive the ball like McIlroy does — especially when he’s grooving his high draw — it’s an incredible weapon. Multiple times at Quail Hollow he was able to take advantage of that weapon, routinely hitting wedges into par-4s that measured out over 500 yards.
“This is a golf course that lets you hit driver a lot and you can really take advantage of length off the tee if you have it,” he said. “It’s one of the big factors why I’ve been able to do so well here over the years.”
It’s not likely that any of us mere mortals will ever develop the prodigious driving skills that McIlroy has ridden to a Hall-of-Fame career. However, there are some positions in his swing that even the weekend warriors can benefit from — particularly if you struggle with a slice.
Rory’s anti-slice move
McIlroy has made millions relying on his go-to high draw. It’s not an easy shot to execute, but he’s made the shot look simple for his entire career.
As noted above, hitting the ball like the four-time major winner is unlikely. But if you’re trying to fight a slice in your own game, studying McIlroy’s swing is a good place to start.
During last week’s broadcast of the Wells Fargo, CBS utilized its GOLFTEC Optimotion technology to demonstrate the position that McIlroy gets to in the downswing compared to where a slicer gets.
When McIlroy gets about halfway through the downswing, the clubhead is still inside his hands when you look at it from down the line. But if you were to watch a weekend warrior with a slice, you’d see the clubhead getting outside the hands at the exact same spot.
“Most average players at home, they get that club out in front of their hands,” CBS analyst Trevor Immelman said. “And that is the thing that causes the dreaded slice.”
If you want to improve your shot shape, and turn that slice into a draw, you have to get into this position during the downswing.
“Just allow that clubhead to drop behind you in transition,” Immelman said. “Hit up and out on it like Rory does.”