Claim Chowder: Rory has another Decade (or has to change his swing)

[jamo]

The big thing I worry about with Rory long-term is his back. If he has to change his swing substantially to take pressure of his back (if that's even possible), his game could change entirely (plus, y'know, regular aging). The short game has never been his strength, so if he can't bomb it past people and knock short irons close, that could limit his effectiveness.

[Aguirre]

Weirdly, this is the major problem with my own golf swing.  But I'm 41, and still have "fast hips."

He can adjust.  And he can do it slowly enough over time as he ages (I mean, it doesn't change overnight) that it won't necessarily will be a problem.

But I think your general analysis is pretty good.  I mean, I can't find any fault.

[natureboy]

I am kinda thinking he can be pretty dynamic and get better sync'd up, and not rely on that move he has. I am not entirely sure how much he gains with a stuck right elbow and driving through the ball with insanely fast hips. There are a lot of powerful players who don't  have this move. It might be the only way he can get his dominant distance advantage with his body size.

Though he could go all Jim Furyk on us. Guy with not fast hips, but has his elbow in his right pocket at impact ;)

I thought of this too with stuck elbows and longevity. Given his Trackman numbers I expect Furyk has a downward AoA (above avg spin with below average swing speed plus apex height and launch angle). I think Rory is level to up on AoA and his path through the ball from delivery may give his arms more room than it appears from the pics.

With distance like Rory & Bubba it doesn't take much of a degree of being 'off' to produce some score-wrecking shots - particularly on tight and curvy courses. I think Bubba has developed a good 'gear-down' shot with his 4 wood for tighter tee shots that might keep his ball in safer landing zones on more demanding driving holes. Rory seems to hit driver a lot, which if he's slightly off can cost him. Re. Wentworth MC: because of the possibility / likelihood of a lost ball, wouldn't a shot to deep woods (with no hazard boundary) be statistically more costly than one to water that moved almost the same distance down the fairway before crossing the boundary?

I also think he sometimes gets a little mentally 'stuck' with his own expectations and desire to still 'make things happen' on days when he isn't as sharp and his resulting frustration compounds the issue.

If course management / frustration errors are substantial contributing factors for him they can certainly be corrected without a new swing, but his swing speed is likely to diminish from where he is now - with any swing - as he ages.

[mvmac]

I think this is a great question @iacas is bringing up. Other than Jim Furyk I can't think of any other "older" golfer that has to open up as much as Rory. Furyk also doesn't swing at 120mph.

I do think the right arm/elbow has gotten a smidge better that last couple years. This is from a few months ago.

Changing this piece could be a tough one for Rory. He's used to lowering the handle almost straight down from 4-4.5. This might be a move that feels powerful to him. Or maybe the fix is as simple as keeping the arm a little more in front on the backswing. Alignment wise it doesn't get "behind" him on the backswing but there's a little move he does at 4 with his right shoulder that then puts the arm behind his pivot. So if he keeps it more "in place" it will be more synced with his pivot. This is basically what Hunter Mahan is working on.

Originally Posted by natureboy

I thought of this too with stuck elbows and longevity. Given his Trackman numbers I expect Furyk has a downward AoA (above avg spin with below average swing speed plus apex height and launch angle). I think Rory is level to up on AoA and his path through the ball from delivery may give his arms more room than it appears from the pics.

Furyk is slightly down, about a degree. Rory hits up 3-4 degrees consistently.

[boogielicious]

I am not an expert on the golf swing like Erik and Mike, but I am an expert on the body breaking down. Rory is on the right path by keeping is core strong on maintaining flexibility.  But eventually he will have failures.  Each injury can then lead to injury in other areas because your body naturally compensates.

This is what Tiger has gone through. First the left knee, then back, achilles, etc.  Tiger recognized that his swing style put a great deal of stress on the left knee and changed. I believe he changed again because it was stressing other parts.

I like Rory and hope that he keeps it going.  With his talent and today's teaching technology, I think he can adapt.

[xilez]

What do you we think about that video emphasizing to start the down swing with the left knee?

[saevel25]

What do you we think about that video emphasizing to start the down swing with the left knee?

If you are talking about the Somax stuff, you can take a look at this thread which covers that video,

http://thesandtrap.com/t/75116/goofy-rory-video-knee-angle-measurement-in-golf-swing

[Wally Fairway]

I'd say he should cross that bridge when he gets to it. As good as he is right now, he should get while the gettin' is good.

I'm not going to get technical and talk about "fixing" the swing for the #1 ranked player in the world; but I completely agree with dkolo - I'd rather get 5 wins (including major(s)), and 5 missed cuts per year, than 1 win and maybe a couple of additional top 10's.

[mchepp]

I think that you are right that he will need to make a change if he wants to compete at the level he is at now. However, I don't agree with the timeline. I think he has 15-17 years to compete with this swing rather than the 10 @iacas claimed.

I also wonder why getting the right elbow more in-front of him would cause him to be less dynamic. What is the thought for that logic? He doesn't need to look like Dustin Johnson but why not going in that direction help him be just as dynamic?

[iacas]

I think that you are right that he will need to make a change if he wants to compete at the level he is at now. However, I don't agree with the timeline. I think he has 15-17 years to compete with this swing rather than the 10 @iacas claimed.

I think he'll start to slow down when he's 33-35. That's ten years from now. Hockey players, baseball players, etc. all slow down at 33-35…

I also wonder why getting the right elbow more in-front of him would cause him to be less dynamic. What is the thought for that logic? He doesn't need to look like Dustin Johnson but why not going in that direction help him be just as dynamic?

Depends on what you mean by dynamic. I think he probably feels tremendously powerful from that position and I think he'll feel more controlled from a different one. At least, so far as this discussion goes… ;-)

[GolfLug]

As long as his core muscles are strong enough to counter his upper body dynamic forces he will protect his joints ok. He can always back off (he will absolutely have to in his mid late 30s latest) a tad to Adam Scott or Louis Oosthuizen type swing - keep the club more in front of the body throughout. That should be easier on, spine, hips and knees.

[jamo]

As long as his core muscles are strong enough to counter his upper body dynamic forces he will protect his joints ok. He can always back off (he will absolutely have to in his mid late 30s latest) a tad to Adam Scott or Louis Oosthuizen type swing - keep the club more in front of the body throughout. That should be easier on, spine, hips and knees.

I think what we've seen from Tiger is that that's easier said than done.

[GolfLug]

I think what we've seen from Tiger is that that's easier said than done.

No doubt. But what would be the option? I think he might just be forced to do so, as was Tiger. No?

[golfnz34me]

I am 51 now, have extremely fast hips, have always had a good back, and have never suffered a golf-related injury.  I don't think fast hips has anything to do with it

[mvmac]

I am 51 now, have extremely fast hips, have always had a good back, and have never suffered a golf-related injury.  I don't think fast hips has anything to do with it

There have been a couple of posts like this. Correct me if I'm wrong @iacas but I think when we're talking about fast hips it concerns how things are synced up as well as the speed that Rory is swinging at. Most amateurs have slow arms and hips that don't get forward or open enough. Not saying this is you @golfnz34me , you may swing at 115-120 mph, just wanted to clarify .

[turtleback]

I am 51 now, have extremely fast hips, have always had a good back, and have never suffered a golf-related injury.  I don't think fast hips has anything to do with it

I doubt your hips are anything like as fast as his, and I doubt you have hit as many golf shots in your 51 years as he has hit in his 20 something years.  Just saying that your personal experiences are not really a good model for what happens to professional golfers. and what might or might not be causing injuries.

[golfnz34me]

I doubt your hips are anything like as fast as his, and I doubt you have hit as many golf shots in your 51 years as he has hit in his 20 something years.  Just saying that your personal experiences are not really a good model for what happens to professional golfers. and what might or might not be causing injuries.

My personal experiences are at least as relevant as the ridiculous speculation that was the start of this thread.  I have very fast hips, and I hit more than enough buckets of balls to know whether or not it really contributes to injuries. It does not.

[djfajt71]

But I'm 41, and still have "fast hips."

That's what she said!