PLAYER OF THE YEAR
SUPERSTAR OF 2014 Rory McIlroy began 2014 in the doldrums; he finished it with the wind in his sails. In this exclusive interview, he tells TG where it all went so right WORDS JAMES HENDERSON PHOTOGRAPHY GETTY IMAGES, NIKE
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s crowds lining Tower Bridge watched on, and the River Thames glistened underfoot, a hapless Boris Johnson swung aimlessly into the water. Standing alongside him was a smiling Ulsterman, partaking in promotional duty in London, looking every inch the global icon. Rory McIlroy, the Lionel Messi of golf? “I don’t need another year like this one,” laughed the four-time Major winner. “I’d need another 10.” While asked in jest, and answered with equal levity, McIlroy’s mesmerising summer of golf has disarmed even his harshest critics of ammunition, propelling a young pretender into a veteran contender. “I thought winning the Open placed me on a higher level in this game,” recalls McIlroy, speaking after his double Major success at Hoylake and Valhalla, and his Bridgestone Invitational win at Firestone. “I was happy being a two‑time Major champion coming into this year; now all of a sudden I’m a four‑timer going for a career Grand Slam at Augusta. I never 48 IS SUE 327 TODAYSGOLFER .CO.UK
thought I’d get this far so young but it’s been an incredible run and I just couldn’t be happier with where my game’s at.” Though coming to a tiring halt at East Lake Golf Club, host to Billy Horschel’s Tour Championship and £7m FedEx Cup victory, McIlroy’s recent acquiring of the Claret Jug, plus the Wanamaker and Gary Player trophies, shows a maturity beyond his 25 years. “I’m putting golf first and dedicating everything I have into my career,” says a revitalised McIlroy, who returned to the top of the world rankings following his World Golf Championship win in Akron, Ohio. “To be honest I’ve worked hard all year, but I’ve just had this renewed focus and dedication and it seems to be paying off.” Despite four tournaments under his shiny Nike buckle belt this season, including the BMW PGA Championship in May, the year began under a cloud of negativity, as McIlroy’s apparent lack of professional focus came into question. An untimely legal case, a change of club manufacturer and a well-publicised split from tennis player fiancée Caroline Wozniacki had the game’s brightest hope
deflecting criticism at seemingly every press conference. But as the sun went down in Louisville, Kentucky, even the rain and impending darkness failed to deny McIlroy another magical Major moment – his gritty PGA Championship victory symbolic of his unwavering resurgence following 18 challenging months. “Being able to gut it out and win ugly is the most satisfying,” recalls McIlroy, who dodged raindrops to defeat the charging Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler dramatically at Valhalla. “To win it in that fashion and that style means a lot. It means that I know I can do it. I know that I can come from behind. I know that I can mix it up with the best players in the world down the stretch in a Major and come out on top. “Phil Mickelson is one of the best players of this generation and to be able to beat him on the back nine on a Sunday... well it’s great to have that in the memory bank going forward.” A talent nurtured across the Emerald Isle, McIlroy’s humble upbringing in his hometown of Holywood, County Down, ➔
‘I KNOW I CAN MIX IT WITH THE BEST IN THE WORLD DOWN THE STRETCH AND COME OUT ON TOP’
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Cover story
Flight Fundamental #3 Impact swing path Launch monitors show that when the ball is struck with a descending blow, as with short irons, your ideal swing path is actually slightly outto-in. Conversely, an upward attack, as for a driver, works best with a
slightly in-to-out path. It’s down to something known as D-plane. We don’t need to get into the physics of that here – but knowing how to influence swing path will help you match the swing to the shot.
Swing shape follows shoulder alignment Opening your shoulders a little creates an out-to-in path which counteracts that inside attack and promotes a straight shot – assuming a centred strike from a square clubface.
Feel a neutral path Before you can begin to tailor swing shapes to the shot, boost your feel for a neutral path. Find an old sponge and a shaft. Place the shaft inside the ball, aiming down the target line, and the sponge on the far side, leaving enough room for the clubhead to swing between them. Now hit balls. If you find yourself clipping the cane, your path is excessively in-to-out; catch the sponge and you are too much out-to-in.
Hit down, hit in-to-out The clubhead naturally traces a circular arc through impact; it travels down and from the inside, briefly levels out and straightens, before swinging upward and back to the inside. To create the compressing strike needed for irons, impact must take place in the down-and-fromthe-inside section of the club’s journey.
Shoulder aim controls path Swing path is dictated by shoulder alignment. To set up the in-to-out path needed for an upward, driver swing, your shoulders should aim a little right of your target; but here, for a short iron, they should aim a touch left.
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Flight Fundamental #4 Angle of attack Your attack angle affects path and power, but mostly spin. A steeper attack tends to add spin, helping the ball hold its line and making it rise and drop more steeply; an increase of 1000rpm makes the ball’s descent 7% steeper – ideal for holding the green. But high spin also robs distance, meaning a lowerspinning, shallower attack is better for driver. Control attack angle and control your spin.
Create a task to control attack angle
Set-up Use ball position to promote the
Impact Your chest bone controls the
attack you need. Here, for a descending iron strike, the ball’s just forward of centre and my sternum is over the ball.
swing’s low point. If it’s forward of the ball at impact, you will deliver the downward attack that works for irons.
Triangle target
Flight focus
Here, I’ve built a simple triangle some three or four strides in front of me, on my target line. I’ve used alignment canes, but clubshafts will work too. My goal is simply to strike balls through the triangle.
Creating a goal puts your attention on the ball’s flight. When you need to keep the ball low, you will instinctively promote the weight shift and forward shaft lean to accomplish the task.
You will find it easier to train both a steeper and a shallower attack angle by giving yourself a clear goal for the shot. Create a steeper attack by forcing yourself to hit under something; a shallower attack by hitting over it.
Strike down for spin Hitting under this triangle is ideal for training an iron strike, which works best with a compressing impact that increases spin. TrackMan stats suggest the average tour pro hits strikes down on the ball by 4.1 degrees with a 6-iron.
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On your marks, get set.... golf! Ever heard of the speedgolf? Neither had we – until we were invited to take part in the sport’s inaugural British Championship WORDS STUART HOOD PICTURES DAN PULLEN
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Speedgolf Our man prepares to get his rapid game underway.
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magine a world where nine holes takes 20 minutes. Where a full round can be completed in your lunch hour. Where slow play isn’t even part of the equation. Welcome to speedgolf. It was invented by a group of golfmad American athletes in the 1970s. Competitors have to get from the first tee to the 18th hole in the lowest number of shots possible, as quickly as they can. Their score and time are then combined to form a “speedgolf score”. Despite being played for nearly 40 years, the sport only held its first world championship in October 2012. The tournament took place at Bandon Dunes in Oregon and it grabbed extreme sports video journalist Dave Painter and his wife Pam’s attention. “We loved the concept,” reveals Pam. “Soon after we began to notice lots of articles about British golf clubs losing members who no longer had time to play the game. The more we read, the more we thought speedgolf would be a great way for clubs to both re-engage these lapsed members and attract a younger demographic.” The Painters contacted Speedgolf International, who gave them the green light to introduce the sport to Britain. A couple of months later, the Sussex-based duo founded the British Speedgolf Association alongside Callaway’s former head of marketing Dominic Warne. It was Warne who convinced me that taking part in the British Speedgolf Championship – the 18-hole version aimed at elite runners and pro golfers, at that – would be a good idea. Now, on a humid Sunday afternoon at Boar’s Head Golf Centre, East Sussex, surrounded by people that look like they wear trainers for activities other than the weekly shop, it seems like anything but. I am neither an elite runner nor a professional golfer. I have done no cardiovascular training. I have not played golf for a month. I have not studied the course in any way, shape or form. And I have no idea what makes a good speedgolfer. Which is why, with less than an hour to go before my tee time, I find myself rushing around the registration area, frantically trying to glean knowledge from my more prepared rivals. “Walk the course and select the seven clubs that suit it best,” says experienced speedgolfer Allan Ramsay. It’s great advice. Unfortunately, even though seven are allowed, I only have five clubs with me. ➔ TODAYSGOLFER .CO.UK IS SUE 328 73
Fault Fixer With ADRIAN BISHOP
The right arm has remained comfortably extended, this helps prevent the club going too far to the inside.
PGA National swing and coaching tutor
Left arm and shaft parallel to the target line, right arm still maintaining the width. Superb.
Great address position. His arms are relaxed, the club is sitting at right angles to his spine and the shaft is pointing at his belt line.
1 The hips are starting to clear, the clubshaft is pointing directly at the ball and is lined up with the right forearm. A great position to emulate.
The ball has come right out of the centre of the club. His weight has moved left and the right foot has banked inwards enabling the hips to clear.
Shoulders have caught up with the hips, while the arms and wrists are extended and the clubface is rotating on plane. A fantastic release.
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HOW BILLY HORSCHEL KEEPS MOVING PARTS TO A MINIMUM A
lthough a putting tip kick-started Billy Horschel’s $13million winning streak on the PGA Tour, the main reason for the FedEx Cup champion’s breakthrough season is a textbook swing. Horschel says of his action: “There aren’t a lot of moving parts, so the club stays on the same plane during the
backswing and downswing.” That is one of the reasons he hits it so straight (Horschel ranks 13th on the PGA Tour in total driving, a combination of distance and accuracy). Although he makes a modern pro’s athletic move into the ball, there are several aspects you can learn from his game.
Saving you shots every time you play Billy’s hands are opposite the centre of his chest and the club has set perfectly on plane.
He has created some beautiful angles at the top of his swing. Fantastic stability in his lower body.
Billy starts his downswing with a great squatting motion, a very athletic move.
Billy’s right arm has remained comfortably extended, resulting in a tremendously wide arc.
His hips, stomach and chest are all pointing left of target and the arms have folded having absorbed all the energy.
2 The shoulders have continued to rotate at right angles to the spine. The club has remained perfectly on plane.
3 Three things you can learn from Billy’s swing...
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Keep your head centred
Billy uses a centred pivot so his head doesn’t move off the ball in the backswing. To improve your contact, make sure your head stays between your feet throughout the backswing.
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Maintain some width
Billy’s width creates his tremendous power. To help get the feeling of width in your swing get the clubhead as far away from you as possible by allowing both arms to fully extend just after impact.
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Lower body stability
Another key to Billy’s quality ball striking is his lower body stability. If your physique allows, try and maintain some flex in the right knee while allowing the hips and shoulders to turn fully.
HIS 2014 STATS 291.6 Driving distance (76th on the PGA Tour). 67.04% Driving accuracy (23rd on the PGA Tour). 70.43% Greens in regulation (4th on the PGA Tour). 70.52 Scoring average (47th on the PGA Tour). $13.5 million Total winnings in two weeks in September.
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New Gear
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Rory’s new driver has a traditional pear shape and a black crown.
The cavity remains from the Covert 2.0, but this one is braced by a “FlyBeam”.
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t’s big news when the world’s No.1 golfer switches drivers. It’s even bigger news when he does it on the eve of a Ryder Cup. Yet that’s exactly what Rory McIlroy did at Gleneagles, adding ball speed and distance to his tee shots. McIlroy was influential in the development of the Vapor Pro. Like his Nike Covert Tour 2.0, he wanted a 460cc pear-shape profile. He was also looking for stability and speed through added flexibility across the face. So the cavity is now reinforced by a “FlyBeam”, which stiffens the back of the club. This works in conjunction with a new “Compression Channel”. Similar tech was used in Nike’s VR drivers, and it boosts the spring-like effect across the face. “This drives the increases in ball speed we are seeing in athlete and robotic testing,” said Nike’s Nate Radcliffe. The package is finished off with a new adjustability system, FlexLoft 2, which offers five lofts and three face angles within 15 different settings. n Details: Price Rory says tbc. Available on he’s hitting January 31, 2015. this up to 15 www.nikegolf.eu yards longer. 80 IS SUE 328 TODAYSGOLFER .CO.UK
At-a-glance technology 1. Compression Channel Like it did in the VR Pro, VR Pro STR8-Fit and VR Pro Limited drivers, this channel helps the face flex more effectively at impact to generate more ball speed across the hitting area. An adjustable hosel lets you change face angle and loft.
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2. FlyBeam cavity The cavity shifts weight to the heel and toe, effectively creating perimeter weighting, which increases the moment of inertia and helps the Vapor Pro resist twisting on off-centre strikes. 3. FlexLoft2 The new adjustability system is 5g (30 per cent) lighter than before, so that weight has been moved elsewhere to improve the launch. Golfers with previous generations of Covert can use shafts with the original adaptor in the new head or vice versa. 4. More on the way? Three Vapor Speed models have also been added to the R&A’s conforming list of clubs. Expect similar tech in a different clubhead shape.
The club was spotted on the PGA Tour in 2014 in the bags of Keegan Bradley and Graeme McDowell.
A titanium cup face varies in thickness with a thinner heel and toe that creates a larger sweetspot.
A Quick Tune System (QTS) lets you adjust the loft, lie and face angle.
Srixon Z545
At-a-glance technology
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t’s been a few years since Srixon had a full set of hardware. That’s going to change in 2015 with the launch of a range of woods and three sets of irons (see page 85), with a stronger emphasis on fitting. Headlining is the Z545 driver, a 460cc, low spin, mid-launching club that features a cup-face construction with a titanium body and high-strength titanium face. The sweetspot is said to be 35 per cent larger than previous Srixon drivers and it has already found its way into Keegan Bradley’s bag. The face design creates a faster, more resilient impact surface with added forgiveness thanks to enhanced variable face thicknesses. Thinner heel and toe portions have created larger sweetspots in all Srixon Z Series woods (right). Distance is also said to be increased through “Dual Speed Technology”. It means the head is slightly heavier, but the grip is lighter. By raising the balance point in the shaft, Srixon says golfers can swing the club faster, generating more ball speed. Quick Tuning System (QTS) lets you adjust the loft, lie, face angle and centre of gravity settings via the 12way hosel. You can increase or decrease loft by as much as 1.5 degrees. n Details: Available now. £325 in 9° and 10.5°. www.srixon.co.uk
1. More adjustability Two adjustable sole weights (7, 3, 11g) let users adjust the CG to alter launch conditions. The heavier weight increases the launch angle; make it lighter and you’re going to hit it lower.
2. Hotter face The titanium cup face is thinner at the edges to enlarge the sweetspot and helps maintain ball speed on mishits. Grooves across the entire face improves performance in wet conditions.
3. The fairway woods The F45 features a hot steel cup face which Srixon says has raised the springlike effect. It is also adjustable, with 36 settings for loft, lie, face angle and centre of gravity location. £229
4. The hybrid The same material is used for the face of the H45 hybrids. The centre of gravity has been lowered to promote a higher, more penetrating launch. They are not adjustable. £190.
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The Test
WATERPROOFS Don’t let the weather ruin your round – just invest in a new suit W O R D S J O E L TA D M A N P I C T U R E S T O M C R I T C H E L L , H O WA R D B OY L A N
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