x
Skip to main content
Golf Logo
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
Rory McIlroy has a new swing key that has eliminated the big miss
SHARE
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
Golf Logo
  • News
    • Latest
      • News
      • Features
      • Shows
      • PGA Tour Schedule
    • Series
      • Tour Confidential
      • Monday Finish
      • Hot Mic
      • Rogers Report
    • Shows
      • The Scoop
      • Subpar
      • Seen & Heard
  • Instruction
    • Game Improvement
      • Driving
      • Approach Shots
      • Bunker Shots
      • Short Game
      • Putting
      • Rules
      • Fitness
    • Series
      • Top 100 Teachers
      • Rules Guy
      • The Etiquetteist
    • Shows
      • Warming Up
      • Play Smart
      • Short Game Chef
      • Pros Teaching Joes
  • Gear
    • Clubs
      • Drivers
      • Irons
      • Hybrids
      • Fairway Woods
      • Wedges
      • Putters
    • Other Gear
      • Balls
      • Shoes
      • Apparel
      • Golf Accessories
    • Series
      • ClubTest
      • Winner’s Bag
    • Shows
      • Fully Equipped
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • Travel
      • Course Finder
      • Courses
      • Resorts
    • Lifestyle
      • Accessories
      • Celebrities
      • Food
      • Style
      • Betting Advice
    • Shows
      • Super Secrets
      • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Shop
      • Clubs
      • Shafts
      • Training Aids
      • Balls
      • Bags
      • Technology
      • Apparel
      • Accessories
      • Our Picks
      • Shop All
    • Collections
      • The GOLF Collection
      • The Birdie Juice Collection
      • The Fully Equipped Collection
      • Shop All
  • Newsletters
    • Sign Up for GOLF’s Newsletters
      • Hot Mic
      • Monday Finish
      • Play Smart
      • Our Picks
      • Top Stories
      • Sign Up for All
  • News
    • Latest News
    • Features
    • Shows
    • PGA Tour Schedule
  • Instruction
    • All Instruction
    • Driving
    • Approach Shots
    • Bunker Shots
    • Short Game
    • Putting
    • Rules
    • Fitness
  • Gear
    • All Gear
    • Drivers
    • Irons
    • Hybrids
    • Fairway Woods
    • Wedges
    • Putters
    • Balls
    • Shoes
    • Apparel
    • Golf Accessories
  • Travel & Lifestyle
    • All Travel
    • All Lifestyle
    • Course Finder
    • Courses
    • Resorts
    • Accessories
    • Celebrities
    • Food
    • Style
    • Betting Advice
  • Series
    • Tour Confidential
    • Monday Finish
    • Hot Mic
    • Rogers Report
    • Rules Guy
    • The Etiquetteist
    • ClubTest
    • Winner’s Bag
  • Shows
    • The Scoop
    • Subpar
    • Seen & Heard
    • Warming Up
    • Play Smart
    • Short Game Chef
    • Pros Teaching Joes
    • Fully Equipped
    • Super Secrets
    • Destination Golf
  • Shop
    • Clubs
    • Shafts
    • Training Aids
    • Balls
    • Bags
    • Technology
    • Apparel
    • Accessories
    • The GOLF Collection
    • The Birdie Juice Collection
    • The Fully Equipped Collection
  • Newsletters
    • Hot Mic
    • Monday Finish
    • Play Smart
    • Top Stories
    • Our Picks
    • Sign Up for All
InsideGolf Join Now  / Log In
InsideGolf

InsideGOLF: +$140 value for $39.99

Join Today
Driving

Rory McIlroy has a new swing key that has eliminated the big miss

By: Zephyr Melton
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Follow on Instagram
November 11, 2020
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share by Email
rory mcilroy swings

Rory McIlroy is looking for the career grand slam this week at Augusta.

Getty Images

Rory McIlroy was on some kind of run in the spring. From March of 2019 to March of 2020, he had four wins, 14 top 10s and was named PGA Tour Player of the Year. Then, the world shut down and golf was shuttered for over two months. When play resumed, McIlroy was a shell of his old, dominant self.

Since golf’s restart in June, McIlroy has just two top 10s, and one of them came at the handicap-adjusted Tour Championship. Outside of that and the U.S. Open, McIlroy has been painfully pedestrian. His Strokes Gained: Off the Tee metrics were still in the upper tier, but every other metric ranked him outside the top 70. Hardly the form he wants as he searches for the final leg of the career grand slam.

Get geared up for the Masters

GOLF x Asher Golf Limited-Edition Gloves

GOLF x Asher Golf Limited-Edition Gloves

$75
View Product
Galvin Green Morris Ventil8 Plus

Galvin Green Morris Ventil8 Plus

$74.25
View Product
Nicklaus x Jones Golf Shoe Bag: Limited Edition

Nicklaus x Jones Golf Shoe Bag: Limited Editi…

$70
View Product

But in his availability with reporters on Tuesday at Augusta National, McIlroy indicated that he’d found something in his swing: A key change that has him more comfortable than he has been for the last six months.

“I’d say over the last two months I’ve worked on some technical stuff in my swing that I needed to,” he said. “Swing was getting very flat and very deep underneath the plane on the way down.  I feel like I had to sort of hang on to it through impact to hit it straight, where now it’s getting back down on plane, I feel I can fully release it and the ball is going it’s starting straight. I don’t have to feel like I hold onto it to hit a straight shot.”

News
Rory McIlroy
How Rory McIlroy struggles to go from the range to the course (like you!)
By: Nick Piastowski

It might not seem like McIlroy’s swing has changed much, but when the margins are as slim as they are on Tour, every little tweak is important. When you get your hands too deep (behind you) on the backswing, it can be easy to develop a hook. Coming from the inside and being a touch out of sync will make your hands flip at impact and sent the ball careening left, which is the miss McIlroy was alluding to.

Now, however, he is able to turn fully through the ball without having to rely on timing to hit the ball straight. His hands can fully release without having to “hold on” in order to find fairways.

If this new swing thought can hold up under pressure, we might have a new member of the career grand slam club come Sunday night.

Latest In Instruction

3 hours ago

2 keys for playing golf at elevation, according to LIV pros

1 day ago

The secret behind Justin Thomas’ crazy clubhead speed

1 day ago

How a simple grip change can fix your bunker shots

1 day ago

This 'hallmark' of elite ball strikers is absent in high handicappers

Zephyr Melton

Golf.com Editor

Zephyr Melton is an assistant editor for GOLF.com where he spends his days blogging, producing and editing. Prior to joining the team at GOLF, he attended the University of Texas followed by stops with the Texas Golf Association, Team USA, the Green Bay Packers and the PGA Tour. He assists on all things instruction and covers amateur and women’s golf. He can be reached at zephyr_melton@golf.com.

  • Author Twitter Account
  • Author Instagram Account

Related Articles

News
rory mcilroy hugs daughter poppy off the 18th green at augusta national

In 6 silent minutes, CBS delivered a Masters broadcast masterpiece

By: James Colgan
Instruction
abraham ancer swings during liv singapore

2 keys for playing golf at elevation, according to LIV pros

By: Zephyr Melton
News
Nick Faldo shakes hands with Bryson DeChambeau prior to the 2019 Open Championship held on the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush.

'It's bulls--t': Nick Faldo defends Bryson DeChambeau criticism

By: Kevin Cunningham
Driving
justin thomas swings driver during the 2025 valspar championship

The secret behind Justin Thomas’ crazy clubhead speed

By: Zephyr Melton
Bunker Shots
Andrew Novak plays a shot from a bunker

How a simple grip change can fix your bunker shots

By: Parker McLachlin, with Maddi MacClurg
News
Justin Thomas and fill-in caddie Joe Greiner post-win.

Dahmen's heartbreak, JT's surprising advice, caddie intrigue | Monday Finish

By: Dylan Dethier
Putting
PGA Tour pro Justin Rose lines up putt on No. 6 at the Masters

Make more putts using this tour-trusted alignment hack

By: Maddi MacClurg
Instruction
teacher shows student how to grip golf club

What's the difference between a weak grip and strong grip?

By: Zephyr Melton
Instruction
Golfer writes in scorecard while sitting in golf cart at sunset

The fastest ways to lower your scores, according to top teachers

By: Maddi MacClurg
Sign up for GOLF's Newsletters
Get the latest news, the hottest instruction tips, new product releases, golf media insider reports and more delivered directly to your inbox. Choose your favorites now.
Sign Up
Categories
  • News
  • Instruction
  • Gear
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
Services
  • Masthead
  • GOLF Media Kit
  • GOLF Magazine Customer Service
  • TERMS OF SERVICE
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • Opt-out of Ads/Sharing
  • Your Privacy Choices
Social
  • facebook
  • x
  • instagram
  • youtube
Membership
InsideGOLF Logo
More than $140 Value for JUST $39.99

INCLUDES 12 SRIXON Z-STAR XV GOLF BALLS, 1 YR OF GOLF MAGAZINE, $20 FAIRWAY JOCKEY CREDIT - AND MUCH MORE!

LEARN MORE

© 2025 EB Golf Media LLC. An 8AM Golf Affiliated Brand. All Rights Reserved. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy a linked product, GOLF.COM may earn a fee. Pricing may vary.

Go to mobile version