Rory McIlroy has pointed out the mistake he sees many amateurs make with driver and explained how to fix it

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When it comes to the best drivers on the PGA Tour, there is no question that Rory McIlroy simply has to be in the conversation – with the Northern Irishman consistently one of the longest players in the world over the past 15 years.

There is a reason that Rory McIlroy was the player to take the superstar mantle from Tiger Woods. McIlroy is arguably the most talented player of his generation, with four majors under his belt. And it would be no surprise to see him win several more before his career concludes.

Of course, there are areas of the 35-year-old’s game which remain a work in progress. McIlroy himself, admitted that he has been making swing changes ahead of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

But there is perhaps no-one better for amateurs to take advice from when it comes to driving the golf ball. And in 2022, McIlroy told TaylorMade the big mistake he often sees the everyday golfer make with the longest club in the bag.

Rory McIlroy suggests mistake amateurs often make with the driver

“I think one of the things that I notice with a lot of amateurs that they could do better is even just in the setup with the driver, I feel like a lot of people set up to the driver like they set up to an iron, and that really isn’t the best position to start from if you want to create speed and power in your golf swing,” he said.

“So I always try to get people to set up and have the ball a little further forward in your stance, try to have it just inside your left heel there. And try to angle yourself a little bit away from the target – that will help you hit up on the golf ball and that’ll optimise your launch and your spin.

“Even if you don’t add any speed to your golf swing, I think that should help you still hit the ball a little bit further. You really want to try to hit the driver on the upswing, with an ascending blow instead of a descending blow like you would with an iron. And if you can do that, that should help with your drives and trying to get it out there a little bit further.”

McIlroy’s driving numbers on the PGA Tour through the years

McIlroy’s distance off the tee has consistently been exceptional. He has been inside the top four on the PGA Tour for average driving distance every year since 2017. Collin Morikawa admitted to being baffled by how McIlroy hits the positions in his swing he does.

He has always had the talent to average over 300 yards. But there are almost 20 yards difference between how far he was hitting the ball in 2016 and 2023. Meanwhile, he has averaged over 320 yards in each of the last three seasons.

Obviously, it is going to be nearly impossible for the large majority of us mere mortals to emulate anything like the distance McIlroy manages to hit on a consistent basis.

But it is definitely worth taking on board the suggestions McIlroy makes about the biggest errors amateurs make.