Rory McIlroy’s favorite drill can help you get the club into prime position
rory mcilroy hits a shot during the 2024 open championship
Rory McIlroy uses the split-hand drill to get his club into the right positions.
Getty Images
Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.
Rory McIlroy has one of the prettiest swings in golf. With a move that’s got equal parts grace and power, he’s got a swing that’s admired by pros and amateurs alike.
McIlroy has made good use of his sweet swing, too. So far in his career, he’s racked up 26 PGA Tour titles, four majors and has appeared on seven European Ryder Cup teams.
His swing isn’t just the product of natural talent, though. Each week, McIlroy is busy working on his swing to make sure he’s finding the right positions to hit the ball just the way he wants.
One of his favorite drills to help him find those positions is the split-hands drill, and in today’s edition of Play Smart, we’re going to show you how it works.
Rory’s split-hands drill
The first step in the split-hands drill is to grip the club like normal. But instead of having your hands close together, you should hold the club with a nice gap between them.
This technique might feel awkward, but when you begin to take some swings, you’ll find that the club gets into some great positions.
“It sort of gets the club in the right positions in every stage of the swing without really feeling like you’re trying to get it there,” McIlroy says. ” You get the left hand on top, the right hand is underneath and it gets everything in a really good position.”
When you make a turn to the top, it gets the right arm in a great position close to your body, and it keeps it there as you make the downswing.
“My right arm doesn’t get behind me so much,” he says. “So I love the feeling when I get to the top.”
On the way down, it also keeps you from getting the right elbow stuck behind you, which can lead to flipping at impact and seeing a two-way miss.
If you struggle missing both ways with the driver, this is a great drill to try out. Give it a shot and see how it helps you.
