Rory McIlroy has become one of the greatest golfers of his generation. With 26 PGA Tour wins, 17 DP World Tour wins and four major titles, he’s compiled the sort of career that only a few in the history of the game can match.
Throughout all of his triumphs, perhaps the biggest key to his success has been the driver. With a towering draw and over 180 mph of ball speed in his arsenal, his play off the tee has been downright dominant.
Over the last 10 seasons, McIlroy has ranked inside the top 10 in SG: Off the Tee every year. His “worst” driving season during that stretch, he finished sixth. Pretty impressive stuff.
McIlroy’s accuracy off the tee deserves praise, but the thing that makes him truly great is the distance he generates. Despite standing at just 5 foot 9 inches tall, Wee-Mac is one of the longest drivers on the planet.
Check out the video below where he explains his secret for hitting bombs off the tee.
Rory’s driving secret
When you really need to pump a drive down the fairway, it can be tempting to just swing with reckless abandon. This may give you a little extra swing speed, but it’s far from the most efficient way to generate power.
When McIlroy is trying to really go after a drive, he first focuses on establishing a sturdy base by widening his stance. Then he moves the ball slightly forward in his stance.
Once at the top of the backswing, McIlroy likes to feel a smoothness in transition. This may seem counterintuitive when trying to generate speed, but it helps sync everything up and makes for an efficient start to the downswing.
“From there, as soon as I get the club started down, then I just focus on that energy that I stored up,” McIlroy says. “Just trying to put it all into hitting the golf ball and impact.”
Swinging hard may generate more swing speed, but ultimately it’s more important that you find the center of the clubface. When you do this, not only will you have better accuracy, you’ll also generate more ball speed as the club is being used more efficiently.
Try these tips out next time you need a big drive and you’ll be driving the ball like McIlroy in no time.
