Rory McIlroy possesses one of the finest short games in professional golf, so when he shares his advice on how to improve around the greens, we should all listen intently.
It’s fair to say that McIlroy doesn’t actually get enough credit for his imperious chipping and pitching, perhaps due to his explosive power off the tee.
However, every single player on the PGA Tour will tell you that he is one of the very best with a wedge in his hands around the greens, and any golf tips he shares are like gold dust for amateur golfers, if they really want to improve their short games.
McIlroy recently advised amateurs how to hit the simple bump and run shot around the greens.
More often than not, amateur golfers will be better served sticking to that simple shot when faced with a chip onto the green.
However, there are occasions when more loft and spin is required. And now, with the help of McIlroy, you might just be able to pull off the ‘one-hop and stop chip shot’.
Rory McIlroy’s tip to help amateurs hit the one-hop and stop chip shot
McIlroy has offered amateur golfers plenty of advice throughout his career, but his tip pertaining to the ‘one-hop and stop chip shot’ is perhaps aimed at the lower handicappers.
It is an incredibly difficult shot to pull off, but one that is very handy to have in the bag.
During an instructional video for TaylorMade Golf back in 2020, McIlroy shared his best advice for how to hit that chip shot that skips along the ground once before standing to attention.
He said: “This is a shot that I guess is a little higher risk but if you have to go over a slope on the green or something it’s a good shot to have in your bag.
“Basically what I try to do with this one, is that I try to set up pretty square. If anything I will open the club face slightly, just to get a little more loft on there. That encourages the ball to stay on the face a little longer to impart that spin that we need to hit this shot.
“In set up, I stand square to it and try not to have my weight too far forward. I still want 55% of my weight on my left and 45% on my right. From there the shaft at address is pretty vertical and all I am trying to do is get that shaft back to vertical at impact and then release it under the ball and that will impart the spin on it.“
Rory McIlroy produced perfect one-hop and stop chip at the Ryder Cup
Back at the Ryder Cup in Rome in 2023, McIlroy pulled off one of the greatest chip shots you will ever see.
The pressure he was under at the time to pull the shot off made it all the more impressive.
McIlroy was paired with Matthew Fitzpatrick for the afternoon four-ball matches on the second day of action at Marco Simone in 2023.
The European duo held a 1 up lead standing on the par three 17th tee against American pair Patrick Cantlay and Wyndham Clark, but McIlroy pulled his tee shot left of the green.
However, what followed was one of the best short game shots we’ve ever witnessed.
Faced with a short pitch shot, a huge slope between him and the pin, and minimal green to work with, McIlroy opened up his club face and fizzed in a low, spinny trajectory.
His ball bounced once before nestling right next to the hole.
The shot from McIlroy at the Ryder Cup on the 17th hole in 2023 will go down as one of the greatest of all-time and Matthew Fitzpatrick’s reaction to the chip in the video above lends credence to that notion.
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