‘Golf Emperor’ Tiger Woods (USA) is an avid golfer. He keeps an eye on each and every shot of his son, Charlie, and occasionally caddies and carries bags. Every word that Charlie hears from his father on and off the golf course must be a special lesson that is hard to hear anywhere else in the world. Of course, the core of the lesson would be ‘just play like dad’, but Woods recently said the exact opposite. “I told him not to copy my swing. I advised him to copy McIlroy’s swing.” Woods emphasized, “You have to learn his shot to hit as hard as you can while maintaining balance.”
Rory McIlroy (Northern Ireland), the world’s No. Competing for the longest hitter position on the World Tour. The average driver shot distance recorded on the PGA Tour in the 2021-2022 season was 321 yards. Ged Walters, the top 50 coach at Golf Monthly in England, summarizes the key to McIlroy’s swing in three points. ◇ Pelvis 안전놀이터
, rotation and descent at the same time… The secret of 40 degrees and 2.6 inches = Looking at the top posture of the backswing, the right hip is turned backward without any obstruction. Comparing the angle with address – It is 40 degrees. Amateurs often end up turning their pelvis due to the feeling of being away from the ball, but the start of an elaborate long hit is a bold rotation of the pelvis.
A very subtle ‘shaking’ movement can be seen, which means that the right side of the body was pushed in the opposite direction to the target, and the force temporarily moved there. Interestingly, the position of the pelvis at the top of the backswing went down 2.6 inches (6.6 cm) compared to the address position. In order to produce more power, smooth hip rotation is required, and this is a preparatory movement for this. At this time, leave your left leg relaxed and feel that you are supporting it with your right leg.
◇When entering the impact, raise the pelvis and push off the ground = Amateurs feel burdened by opening their bodies sufficiently during the downswing. Mistaking “enough” for “quickly” loses timing and gets frustrated with slices as a result.
The key point of McIlroy’s swing in the impact section is pushing the pelvis. It’s not just opening the body, it’s pushing the pelvis first. Looking at the data, McIlroy’s pelvis has moved about 5 inches toward the target.
The pelvic angle, which was -40 degrees at the top of the backswing, is +7 degrees as we approach impact. At the same time, the pelvis, which has been slightly lowered, is raised, and at the same time, the foot pushes the ground to obtain reaction force.
◇Turn, Push, and Raise = The combination of these three motions of turning the pelvis, pushing it toward the target, and raising it simultaneously creates the ideal launch angle for a driver that can produce maximum power.
Through impact, the pelvis moves up to 6 inches toward the target while the back returns to the same position as at address. Hip rotation now reaches +29 degrees. That’s almost 70 degrees from the top of the backswing right after impact. At this point, the pelvis rotates and moves, serving to transmit energy in the direction of the target while guiding it into a balanced finish position.
It is helpful to remember to use ground reaction forces and correct pelvic rotation to create space for the hands and arms to pass. And it’s also important not to be afraid of moving toward the target at the top of the backswing. That way, you can deliver maximum momentum to the ball.