The former number 1 in the world, Rory McIlroy, announced that he made an equipment change in a press conference prior to the Barclays. Since the announcement of the Nike Golf club line going out of business, the change might be to his driver, irons, or possibly even a whole new contract with another manufacturer. Nope, since Rory is leading the tour in strokes gained off of the tee, it seems like his long game is in very good shape. Apparently, no need to rush there. So where did he make the big change and why?
Rory McIlroy Makes Equipment Change
It looks like Rory has put a new Scotty Cameron putter into play this week. Even more interesting is that it’s a mallet style versus the anser type head he had used recently.
Currently ranked 96th in strokes gained putting on the PGA Tour, which equates to losing about a stroke per round to Jason Day on the greens, Rory clearly is not happy where his putting currently stands. During a recent break, Rory worked with SAM PuttLab and noticed his putter face angle and stroke path were going too much to the left. This led to multi-direction misses, with both pushed and pulled putts, depending on how he manipulated the face through impact.
Rory was spotted on the putting green working with a path and face mat and a ball direction gate. This putting station setup allows him to put in some practice work, honing his stroke dynamics and better initial ball direction. While his results were not game-changing in the sense that he did not miraculously become the best putter on tour overnight, he did show some encouraging signs of improvement. Hopefully, with more time and practice he will continue to improve, thus validating the changes he opted to make.
How does this translate to the average golfer?
Well, we see an instance where a world-class player has used high-tech equipment to help diagnose what he was doing with his stroke, and subsequently choosing a putter that is better suited for what he was trying to accomplish; more consistency and better results. By going to a mallet style putter with less face rotation, matched up with some path improvements, he was able to reduce twisting and keep the face more square at impact, ideally improving ball direction.
For the average golfer, a trip to a putting studio or facility that has a SAM PuttLab can be an eye opener as to what is actually happening in the putting stroke. It can also help inform the golfer what is happening, why it is happening, and ultimately uncover a path to faster, more efficient game improvement.
Contact Dan Grannan and schedule your SAM PuttLab session today- 239-236-5536.
