Rory McIlroy – Driver Power

“Try and move the thing as fast as you can.” Rory McIlroy.

Rory McIlroy

PGA Championship 2025

Rory McIlroy is a favorite to win this weekend’s PGA Championship, Quail Hollow Club, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA – Thursday, May 15 to Sunday, May 18, 2025.

Quail Hollow Club is a challenging golf course known for its beautiful park-like layout. It has previously hosted major PGA Tour tournaments, including the PGA Championship and the Wells Fargo Championship. The course is famous for its demanding final stretch of holes, popularly known as the "Green Mile".

Quail Hollow

Quail Hollow is a course where Rory McIlroy's driving power can be a significant advantage:

• Course Length and Design: Quail Hollow is a long course that favors powerful hitters. McIlroy's ability to drive the ball long and straight allows him to reach greens in fewer strokes and gives him an edge on many holes.

• McIlroy's History at Quail Hollow: McIlroy has an exceptional record at Quail Hollow, with multiple wins. This success indicates that his playing style, which is heavily reliant on his powerful driving, is well-suited to the course.

• "Bombers Paradise": Some have described Quail Hollow as a "bombers paradise" and that the course rewards power over accuracy.

Quail Hollow's layout and characteristics play to McIlroy's strengths, making it a course where his driving prowess is a major asset.

McIlroy’s Driver Power

Here are the main points of a discussion between Rory McIlroy and Grant Horvat, regarding his golf drives:

Setup:

• Rory emphasizes the importance of setting up correctly to generate power.

• He positions the ball slightly further up in his stance, almost off his front foot.

• He widens his stance slightly with his right foot for increased stability.

• He feels a straight line between his left arm and the shaft at address.

Backswing:

• Rory doesn't change his backswing significantly when trying to hit the ball harder.

• He has experimented with a quicker backswing to increase speed.

Downswing and Impact:

• He focuses on getting into his left side and then forcefully clearing his right hip through impact.

• He aims to get his lower body open at impact, allowing his upper body to act like a "slingshot."

 Increasing Speed:

• Grant Horvat encourages Rory to focus on swinging the club as fast as possible, without concern for accuracy initially.

• They discuss the idea of swinging with maximum effort to increase baseline speed, which can then be refined for control.

Feel and Mindset:

• Rory talks about needing a specific "feel" in his lower body to unlock more speed.

• Grant Horvat tries to shift Rory's mindset away from simply trying to hit a good golf shot, towards prioritizing speed generation.

Numbers and Results:

• They discuss ball speed, clubhead speed, carry distance, and spin rate.

• Rory mentions achieving a clubhead speed of 196 mph in a previous speed session.

Physicality and Technique:

• The discussion touches on the role of physical fitness in maintaining swing balance and speed.

• Rory describes a feeling of "jumping" or athletic movement during the swing.

Medicine Ball Analogy:

• Rory uses the analogy of throwing a medicine ball to explain the feeling of shifting weight and transferring energy in his golf swing. He describes a motion of going "left, right, and then right" to generate power.

Summary

Rory McIlroy is a favorite to win the PGA Championship. Quail Hollow is ideal for McIlroy’s powerful drives and educated touch around the greens. In his discussion with Grant Horvat, Rory reveals how he has developed the speed for a powerful drive, making him a threat on the PGA Tour.

Acknowledgement: Grant Horvat and Rory McIlroy, You Tube.