Practice like the Pros! The 3-Phase Practice Routine Used by Tour Pros

Why Rory McIlroy Practiced Indoors for 3 Weeks – And What You Can Learn From It

When you think of Rory McIlroy, you imagine one of the most athletic, powerful, and consistent golfers in the world. But even for a player of Rory’s caliber, there’s room for improvement. Recently, Rory made headlines when he revealed he’d locked himself indoors for three weeks to make critical changes to his swing. Why would one of the best players in the game isolate himself and grind so hard? And what can you learn from his approach?

In this post, we’ll cover:

1. The swing issue Rory was addressing.

2. Why his approach to change was so effective.

3. A practical drill to help you fix the same issue in your own swing.

Rory’s Problem: Hands Getting Behind the Body

One of Rory’s tendencies—something that’s common even for amateurs—is getting the club too deep behind him during the backswing. This happens when the hands move too far behind the chest and the club travels excessively inside early in the swing.

Why is this an issue?

• It breaks the chain reaction of a good swing.

• The club often ends up across the line at the top.

• It leads to compensations on the downswing, like steepening the shaft or tilting the upper body.

For Rory, this flaw caused inconsistency, especially under pressure. When he needed to hit precise wedges or control ball flight, his mechanics broke down, forcing him to rely on athletic talent to recover.

The Rory Approach: Isolate, Practice, Simplify

What stood out to me about Rory’s solution was its simplicity and focus. He didn’t react to bad ball flights or spend time tweaking minor aesthetics. Instead, he shut himself indoors, removed distractions, and worked on:

1. Static Positions – Checking key positions to eliminate flaws in the takeaway and backswing.

2. Repetition – Building a repeatable motion that eliminates compensations.

3. Feel vs. Real – Trusting the process and making small changes until they felt natural.

Rory’s changes are built around fundamentals—the same concepts I teach my players, whether they’re tour pros or weekend golfers. If you address the core problem first, the compensations will disappear.

What to Work On: Keep the Hands in Front of the Chest

To fix Rory’s issue, here’s the key checkpoint to look for:

• When the left arm is parallel to the ground, the hands should be centered in front of the chest.

• If the hands are too far behind the body, it sets off a chain reaction that requires recovery moves.

A simple drill to train this:

The Chest Alignment Drill

1. Get into your normal golf posture.

2. As you take the club back, pause when your lead arm is parallel to the ground.

3. Check that your hands are centered in front of your chest.

• If the hands are “sucked in” too deep behind you, you’re off track.

4. From this position, focus on completing your backswing without over-rotating or forcing the arms back.

This drill builds the correct sequence for your takeaway, eliminating compensations and helping you swing more efficiently.

A Practical Tip: Abbreviate the Follow-Through

If you struggle to make clean changes during the downswing, add this knockdown shot drill to reinforce the new positions:

• Focus on a solid takeaway with the hands centered.

• Instead of a full follow-through, hit a controlled, abbreviated shot (like Tommy Fleetwood’s finish).

• This will help you control the club face, improve strike quality, and eliminate unnecessary tilting or early extension.

The Takeaway: Trust the Process

Rory’s practice reminds us of two key things:

1. Even the best players in the world work on fundamentals.

2. Isolating an issue and building new feels takes focus, repetition, and patience.

When you’re working on your own swing, don’t get distracted by immediate results. Focus on the process, make the necessary changes, and build your swing one step at a time.

Thanks for reading! I hope you found this helpful. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share it with someone who might benefit from these tips. Have questions or ideas for future topics? Let me know—I’d love to hear from you