Why Rory McIlroy is grinding on this backswing move

Rory McIlroy is one of the best ball-strikers in golf, and the best driver of the ball in his generation.

Perhaps the best driver ever.

So why is he tweaking his golf swing?

Because that’s what top players do—and it’s a good thing! Stand still at the top of the sport, and you’ll start going backwards. Amateurs tend to think it’s all-or-nothing when it comes to swing changes, both with their own and with pros. If things are going well, don’t touch it. If they’re not, blow it all up.

In reality, pros are constantly making smart and subtle upgrades to their technique. That’s how they stay at the very top through the years.

Which brings us back to Rory…

Before/After

I get into it in more detail in the video below, and as I wrote about here, Rory’s golf swing has drifted more across the line over the years (meaning the club is pointing to the right of his target). If you look closely, you’ll also notice that Rory’s left wrist is a little more cupped, too.

Here’s a 2014 to 2024 comparison…

Again, different isn’t necessarily bad, but in Rory’s case, with his arms moving deeper and his club pointing more to the right, the club would tend to re-route behind him, which would cause a wide right miss, especially with his irons. Occasionally, he’d yank it left as a kind of overcorrection.

Which is why he’s making this his offseason golf swing project.

Speaking to Golf Digest last week, Rory explained that the root cause comes on the takeaway.

Rory says his tendency is to let the clubhead get outside his hands, with the clubface slightly shut, on the takeaway.
Instead, Rory says he wants his clubhead more in line with his hands.

When he lets the clubhead get out, Rory says it causes his right arm to stay too high, which pitches the clubshaft more vertical. Instead, he says he wants the end of the club pointing more towards the ball, with his right elbow staying low.

“When the club gets too vertical my right arm stays high, and that’s what causes the cupped and across look,” McIlroy explains.

“When I set the correct arm and wrist structure early on the takeaway, I can just turn it to the top.”

A little DIY golf swing upgrade from Rory, which he says involves hitting lots of balls at a blank screen focusing only on technique—which is strangely good advice for the rest of us.

.@McIlroyRory's working on his swing, and he told our @LukeKerrDineen all about it. pic.twitter.com/yeqyTbW9P9
— Golf Digest (@GolfDigest) November 2, 2024