Getty Image / Warren Little
Whether intentional or not, Rory McIlroy just made the best case for rolling back the equipment and not the golf ball after he swung some old golf clubs on the range at the latest DP World Tour event in Dubai.
With two sings of an old school TaylorMade driver, Rory McIlroy revealed how much of an edge Pro Tour golfers gain from modern technology. In the 2022-23 PGA Tour season, Rory ranked 1st in Driving Distance at 326.3 yards. He also ranked 3rd in Strokes Gained Off The Tee. McIlroy also ranked 7th on Tour in Average Club Head Speed at 122.80 MPH.
On the range in Dubai ahead of the DP World Tour’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic, Rory McIlroy took two swings with an old driver. He managed ball speed of 168 and 162 MPH, but the drives only went 252 and 244 yards. He also hooked both balls so far to the left he looked mortal for a moment.
“Can I hit one more?”@McIlroyRory uses vintage golf clubs 🚀#DubaiDesertClassic pic.twitter.com/lsA1K6X0XA
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) January 17, 2024
The same clip (with a little more footage) can be seen on Rory’s Instagram. Scroll to the right for the three videos:
Rory McIlroy swinging old golf clubs takes me back to the Titleist 975D driver with the yellow shaft back in 1998-ish. At that time, the 975D felt like a cheat mode on the golf course. It would launch balls 20-30 yards past other clubs…. That was 20+ years ago, the technology change is night and day.
With professional golf’s plan to ‘roll the ball back,’ it really is worth having a discussion about the club technology as well. Look no further than any municipal course where a ‘natural athlete’ shows up with a set of 25-year-old clubs and plays decent but could probably shave 10 strokes off his round with a modern set of clubs.
Rory finished t2nd last week at the Dubai Invitational after losing to Tommy Fleetwood. He’ll seek to get back on the podium this week in the Dubai Desert Classic.