The SWING CHANGE RORY McILROY NEEDS! w Brian Manzella, PGA

[@brianmanzellagolf]

For the haters: the day after this piece was shot, I had 10 pros at this facility for a Manzella teacher training class. Made the same change in a couple of swings there and nearly instant improvement. The sickle will beat the convex early shape 90% of the time on draw patterns.

[@martynzl]

I know your good at fixing high handicapper's faults but how good are you at player development or enhancing touring pro's performance. It's a bit of loaded question but I'm pretty sure it will clear things up with haters like me. Do you have any examples?

[@jim60631]

@@martynzl it's much harder to fix amatuers than professionals or even scratch level ams. Almost anything you want a good player to do, they probably will. Doesn't mean it will be good for them long term or on the course.

[@andyk9257]

Just wanted to point out the clip you used to show the "outside takeaway" is from a different camera angle that only makes it appear that way..

[@bga9388]

When Brian talks I listen, rewind, watch again and reflect on it for a couple of days. Then hopefully after some swings I can feel it myself and hope to feel/understand the underlying truth. It may sound simple as he shows and explains it but transition is a crucial point in the swing. Really nice vid - thanks!

[@matthewsalera9967]

Watch the 2011 US Open highlight video, Rory was right at his hands or slightly target line-side, but then went deep from there. His highlight reel is the masterclass of how to hit high towering draws.

[@1DCCX]

Didn’t he get a bit lucky start of final round, hit a raking hook, then got frightened and used three wood a bit? I’ll have to go back and watch. I think there is a mental thing. The massive hook OB at the Masters was a real mental issue, can’t imagine anyone being able to not get scarred by that. I followed him and Sergio in the open that year and a lot of the time they were hitting it to the fairway but two very different ways, one super straight the other big slinging hooks. Then it broke down. Same in 2014, big curves, but he was tuned in that week. Really on it. Maybe he is just one of these players who plays a big curve, is slightly more erratic in scoring, relatively, but when he is on is ‘on’. Maybe accept who he is rather than try and tighten it up. Some players are gifted and have wider scoring patterns, win majors and others just hit a tight shot all day every day, don’t have any stardust but don’t have wild scoring rides and just pick up top 30 cheques every week. See it in all sports and with other pros, some just have relatively more or less tight scoring and playing patterns, some accept it other it bothers them.

[@BEBETTERGOLF]

@@matthewsalera9967 great points Matt

[@zaldyox]

He needs help reading greens and needs a caddy to tell him to stop flag hunting on par 3's where he usually ends up short sighting himself and ends up making bogey more often than not.

[@glenock766]

Kinda odd to start off saying he didn’t win cause of short putts missed then go into he needed a change in his backswing path 🤷‍♂️ Another caveat not mentioned is that in between his last major win he said he suffered an injury that restricted his movement in his backswing so easy to criticize behind a screen and not knowing the full story

[@Ericksonbellgolf]

If you look at the side by side the camera angle is different which makes the arms look more outside. He does seem to be hinging earlier and keeping the clubhead more outside the hands. Also, wedge and putting have been the weakness for Rory so why look at full swing. That said, I agree a natural swinging motion is the way to go.

[@topoDaMornin]

Best ballstriker on the planet but sure lets change it up. He has a very "rolling" release pattern with his wrists, which probably explains why he sucks (relative to the rest of his game) with his wedges. He's not a bad putter really, but his proximity on approach from shorter distances lets him down.

[@SaintKimbo]

Agreed, sometimes it's just a physiological change, as the body gets older, muscles work slightly differently and the 'matchups' go awry. Manzella is too simplistic, with Rory's resources, there's no way they wouldn't have all the data on his swing plane. Ian Woosnam had a beautiful, free and natural swing that got him a Masters and many wins, but he just 'lost it' and crashed out of contention and never got it back, despite years of trying with the world's top Coaches.

[@azmatlodhi9670]

my question to Mr. Brian is what about Calvin Peete and Lee Trevino?

[@SaintKimbo]

He'll use the old cliche, "they could 'match it up'" lol.

[@JimmyVespe]

100% agree and have been saying this about his move forever but everyone just gets all up in arms because he is a top Tour player and has the greatest action. Honestly if a guy sticks his follow through everyone thinks the swing is amazing. Nobody sticks his follow through like Elk did but the stuff that came before it wasn't good anymore.

[@HolyGrailOfGolf]

Did anyone ask Rory what shot shape he was hitting in that video? No, of course not. Most good golfers are always hitting some sort of shot shape. Assuming Rory's attempting to hit the ball perfectly straight is just silly.

[@martynzl]

And here lies the problem with YT analyzation. Camera angles. shot shapes, and confirmation bias.

[@Triis31113]

I like the Brian content. 2011 Rory was my favorite version. Outside takeaway but not overly deep and behind at the top and very free flowing.

[@azmatlodhi9670]

That was when he was all flexible and supple. And then he tried to become another navy seal golfer. 😉

[@ReSourceEnergetics]

Hi Brendan, Speaking of unsolicited advice (I love this name :)…These golfers need to be less neurotic not more neurotic. Pete Cowen doesn’t help with that. Pete is good at what he does, but they need to manage their energy and thoughts better. If Rory could have “cleared the mechanism” better he would have not missed the putts and would have won. They all could use more legitimate and effective between the ears management (it’s not just the mind, but you get it). Everyone tries to fix their game with mechanics, but their energy system is virtually untapped. Most of these guys have “sports psych” people, but their techniques are slow and out of date. Hope all is well, Alan

[@RCGolf]

Golf instructors always think it is a swing issue. An athlete has to respond and perform under pressure. Rory missed two short putts that almost no major championship winner would miss. Why? Most likely because he was over thinking it. Tiger was the best at controlling his breathing and his emotion, which is what made him so a legendary closer when he had the lead.

[@ReSourceEnergetics]

@ agreed.

[@georgewalker03]

Peter Cowan is a great teacher. The problem is that he talks in riddles when describing what he wants you to do. Peter in my opinion could apply a little of what you say. Then again he may disagree with me.

[@industrialpalletworx3548]

​@@RCGolfTiger never won having to come from behind

[@RCGolf]

@@industrialpalletworx3548 Rory was leading at the US Open and then proceeded to miss short putts.

[@A-FrameWedge]

The thing I have noticed is that he misses too many easy wedge shots too far right, and seems to happen more in bigger tournaments or in a final round. Which makes think on his full swings he has more time to get to his desired impact position, but on less than full swing he can have trouble, maybe because he feels too steep with less than full swings and is afraid of pulling them left, so he ends up blocking them to the right when the pressure is the highest. Looking at his swings from 2011 he flattened the shaft much more from p4 to p4.5

[@jim60631]

Love or hate Brian, but many of you are missing the point. If you look at Rory's swing from the last ~5 years, he has less depth at the end of his backswing UNTIL there is this little late move to "find it." it almost looks like if you were taking a golf lesson, made a backswing and your teacher went, "no move the hands here." It's that late & visible. What Brian is saying is, in his opinion, instead of being steeper in the backswing and fishing for that late depth, he should just go back to a slightly flatter backswing where he finds it naturally.

[@BEBETTERGOLF]

nailed it

[@jim60631]

@@BEBETTERGOLF it's like I used to be a Brian Manzella authorized instructor or something 😉

[@RCGolf]

Rory doesn't need a swing change. He lost the US Open to Wyndham Clark because he couldn't make a putt and he lost the US Open to Bryson because he missed two short putts not because his swing. At some point you have to actually get the ball into the hole and missing short putts is not the way to go. Rory's wedges need a ton of work. For a guy that hits so many into greens, his proximity is not great.

[@craigg2058]

Not a huge fan of Brian, but he was correct in his assessment of Rory’s backswing. At the very top it gets too pulled in and deep. Yes, he only lost by a few shots at some big tournaments because of missed putts, but 2012 Rory swing would be lapping the fields in 2024 with average putting. That’s how good he was at his best. Just nobody remembers 10 years ago.

[@RCGolf]

@@craigg2058 If Rory would have made some putts we wouldn't be having this conversation. Pretty much everyone who is highly respected in golf instruction agrees that its his wedge control that needs work not his long iron swing. This guy just likes to talk because he is in love with his own voice.

[@craigg2058]

@@RCGolf I agree, we would be talking about how he won by 5 shots. Rory has even said he bought into trying to chase more distance after Bryson, part of that was more depth and a big push draw and rolling it over. I also agree Brain is hard to watch

[@NickWainwright6970]

It’s Rory missing the green with wedges that’s the problem.

[@valedwards373]

Never seen anyone hit it with a backswing. All kinds of backswings , impact is the moment of truth. Lots of great players made adjustments on the downswing. Hogan went from open club face at the top to pretty square at impact. My mentors Bob Toski and Gardener Dickinson were completely different in their teaching. Both very successful

[@mudddge]

PSA about that “you don’t hit it with the backswing” nonsense. That’s what Stewart Maiden said to Bobby Jones when Jones was completing his backswing too quickly. It’s been butchered since to mean that the backswing doesn’t matter, which is not true.

[@craigg2058]

In most cases the backswing sets up the downswing. Rory isn’t hitting a fade with his current backswing, next to impossible to hit the outside of the ball when backswing is so deep and flat. His old backswing set it up so he could hit any shot, easily hit the inside of the ball or outside.

[@brianmanzellagolf]

TOSKI and Gardner had sickles

[@valedwards373]

@@brianmanzellagolf What's your PGA tour playing record?

[@darrinlygrisse5287]

Rory needs a strategy change more than a swing change.

[@BEBETTERGOLF]

@@darrinlygrisse5287 what part? Aggressiveness?

[@darrinlygrisse5287]

Yeah he seems to go full speed with his short irons too often, reminds me of Norman, and Phil when he was younger. Scheffler has it figured out. Sometimes pin high to the middle of the green is smart. His wedge and short iron play just needs more finesse. Plus Rory seems to be distance obsessed. Use your power smarter.

[@NickWainwright6970]

Also needs a caddie who is strong enough to just sat ”hit a long iron here……hit the fairway”

[@azmatlodhi9670]

Think Rory's issue is more mental. BTW Brendon looking lean and good. 👍

[@iiZAPPx]

My only opinion is him being so I-T-O really hurts his wedges and lower irons.

[@thurlestonetennis2447]

What has cost him major victories is poor course management; one of the best drivers of a ball ever, but better decisions on the course is what he needs to achieve his true potential.

[@1DCCX]

Maybe he is or has been reaching his potential? Maybe his personality and skill isn’t a relentless killer winning machine and something more erratic and more mercurial?He’s had an amazing career. And IMO all players have a 3-4 year period relative to the rest of their careers where they catch lightning in a bottle. Whether your name is Tiger, Padraig, Ben, Nick or Rory. Their physical and mental abilities converge, maybe their motivation and lifestyle outside competition align. Could just be Rory’s ‘time’ was when it was, 2011-2014 ish

[@industrialpalletworx3548]

I think it all makes sense when looking at static positions of a dynamic motion. The big problems i have with this assessment is we don't have the intent of the shot. We don't know if Rory is trying to hit a cut or not. Yes his normal shape is a draw, but he does hit fades too. Secondly, the camera angles are different. You can't compare 1 swing to another from different angles. They are close but different. In 1 clip his stance appears more closed. The onther clip he appears to be more open. Third, Pete Cowen is one of the greatest instructors ever. To crassly take shots at Pete over whether you agree or not is disrespectful. The man has coached up how many titles in his career. The biggest point is intent. You don't know what shots he is trying hit. You may be comparing a low draw swing to a high cut swing. In that case they will look drastically different.

[@giii7599]

Rory has a mental issue. It has always been a mental issue. Every pro has up and down stretches for periods of time. The ones that try to change what got them on tour and winning are the ones that have far more issues.

[@television3771]

Good grief, if I need a mumbling bumbling stumbling geriatric that doesn’t know old swings or new swings Brian’s the guy.

[@markhiggs5321]

yes he just loves the sound of his own voice

[@georgewalker03]

Still waiting for the subtitles to come out. Absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

[@1DCCX]

⁠@@georgewalker03he’s saying he used to go deep early, then up and across the line with the club. And this - this momentum and the forces he used in the club that go with it - was more conducive to his natural draw. But now, is going out and then up and laid off to try and hit it straighter and basically is fighting his natural motion. Basically forcing the club in an opposite way to how he grew up and won with it, in an attempt to straighten his ball flight and be more consistent. Brian is also saying, he is so used to settling the club across the line at the top of the swing, he is also still doing this as well out of habit; but, from a hand position that is not a good place to do that from. So both a) fighting his natural swing and b) got a legacy ‘hitch’ in this swing making it even worse.