Even the world's best ball strikers are constantly looking for an edge in practice, and that certainly looks to be the case with Rory McIlroy ahead of this week's BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.
Rory was spotted using a couple of very interesting training aids during a practice session on Tuesday, which has led to much speculation as to what the devices are, and what the World Number 3 is working on in his golf swing.
Well, let’s end the speculation. The first, and most noticeable device is from UK-based training aid company Sure-Golf, called ‘The Connector’. It is essentially a small molded spongy ball with three short alignment rods protruding from it. The ball is contoured to facilitate the player's forearms, and the alignment rod is designed to give a reference point for arm rotation during the swing.
The device sits between the forearms at address, with the idea being to ensure that it remains there throughout the golf swing, thus maintaining a constant and correct arm structure, and ensuring the bigger muscles of the body are doing the work. If the arm structure breaks down at all, for example with a ‘flying’ right elbow whereby the right arm separates and gets too far behind the player, the ball will simply drop to the floor giving immediate feedback.
The other interesting facet of The Connector is the alignment rods that protrude from the ball. This gives players a very strong visual reference point of how much their forearms are rotating both on the backswing and through the ball preventing excessive opening or closing of the face. Other training aids from Dan Frost, the founder of Sure-Golf, include the Sure set training aid - one of the best golf gadgets on the market for improving your swing fundamentals.
The other device that McIroy was seen using, interestingly in unison with The Connector, was a device called the Tac-Tic wrist-over-glove golf swing training aid. Many people in the comments section of the DP World Tour Instagram post were speculating that it was the G-Snap training aid from George Gankas which is indeed very similar, however when you blow the image up, it is clear to see the letters ‘TA’ on the wrist attachment strap which leads us to believe it is the Tac-Tic version.
This device is designed to prevent cupping in the left wrist at the top of the backswing by audibly clicking if the rod that sits across the left wrist is put under too much pressure. As Rory can be heard describing to his coach Michael Bannon, he is looking to ensure his left wrist stays flat throughout the backswing rather than occupying a cupped position which generally leads to the clubface being open.
McIlroy is clearly working hard at his game at present and was spotted with a number of other training aids at last week's Irish Open. Aiming to achieve a similar result of improving his arm structure, McIlroy was also seen extensively testing the TRS ball designed by former European Tour player Liam Bond, and the Tour Striker Smart Ball, and Smart Ball Sleeve.
McIlroy fans around the world will be hoping that these training aids can provide him with the edge he needs to get over the line at Wentworth this week at the BMW PGA Championship, where he tees off at 3:45am ET (8:45am BST) in the first round with Justin Rose and defending champion Ryan Fox.
