Rory McIlroy's 3 Keys to a Longer, Straighter Drive

Rory McIlroy has driven the ball as long and as straight as anyone in golf for more than a decade, and the technique behind it comes down to three checkpoints he returns to whenever his swing drifts off track.

How does Rory McIlroy set up at address?

McIlroy bends forward from the hips while keeping his back flat, avoiding both a rounded upper back and an over-arched lower spine that would limit his turn. He sets his feet slightly wider than shoulder width for extra stability, flexes his knees slightly, and tilts his upper body roughly 30 degrees toward the ball. That combination leaves his arms hanging freely in an athletic, ready position, with his left hand dangling in front of his toes for a driver swing and closer to even with his toes for an iron.

What is a one-piece takeaway?

McIlroy treats the first two feet of the backswing as the most important part of the motion. He pushes the clubhead straight back along an imaginary line running through his toes and hands, letting that push pull his left shoulder away from the target rather than lifting the club up and out or yanking it too far inside. Either miss forces the swing to reroute on the way down, which he avoids by keeping his lower body still and his hands still tracking in front of his toes as the shaft reaches the end of the takeaway.

How far should golfers turn at the top?

McIlroy's checkpoint for the top of his backswing is simple: he stops turning the moment his left shoulder reaches his chin. "I stop my swing when my left shoulder hits my chin," he has said, using that position as the trigger to start his downswing. He keeps his left arm straight to guard against over-rotating, and rather than holding his hips still for the whole backswing, he lets them turn along with his shoulders while keeping flex in his trail knee — the combination he credits with loading power into the swing.

McIlroy's keys aren't about swinging harder — they're checkpoints for repeating the same positions on command.

The technique traces back to work with Michael Bannon, his coach since childhood and the only instructor he has ever had. McIlroy has credited returning to those same fundamentals, rather than searching for something new, with getting his swing back on track during stretches when his results have slipped.