If you are looking to learn from the pros, like Rory McIlroy, for example, you are in luck. Sky Sports compiled some of McIlroy’s best tips ever into the below video, and they’re perfect for amateur players.
In simple terms and quick tidbits, the World No. 1 explains how to hit a stinger, how to keep your club on plane, and how to hit a fade on command.
First, McIlroy is asked about the stinger. He walks the audience through his step-by-step process to produce the desired shot. He pulls out a 2-iron (maybe us amateurs won’t be using that club) and talks about the steps. You can see them below.
1. Set up
Shift the ball back in your stance, grip down on the club, and put most of your bodyweight on your front foot.
2. Takeaway
When making a golf swing with the intention of hitting a shot with a lower ball flight, you should feel like your chest stays over the golf ball for a longer period of time. This feeling will allow you to keep your weight forward throughout the swing.
3. Finish
As you swing down on the ball, you should feel pressure down your left leg and foot. By keeping your weight forward, you too can produce a mesmerizing stinger.
Next, McIlroy discusses his warm-up routine. Typically he and the other pros do some sort of warm-up in the locker rooms to activate their muscles. He mentions he takes less time than most of his colleagues, only warming up for 20-25 minutes and maintaining a focus on whatever he’s working on in his swing. On the range, he loves to practice different ball flights and patterns and imagine the course he is preparing to play.
McIlroy says his biggest focus is to keep his takeaway on plane. If the club is not in the right spot on his takeaway, he’s forced to lift up, which causes his elbow to bow out and the club to come across the line, ultimately creating an inconsistent swing path. While warming up, he suggests players with this problem should take the club back to the proper path, pause, then complete the golf swing to ingrain that club position in muscle memory.
Finally, McIlroy is asked to hit a fade on command. He explains that in order to get the ball to move from left to right, you need to swing more to the left. For him, it’s important to exaggerate that movement so he doesn’t end up hitting a giant hook.
Check out the full video above to see each tip in action.
