'Copy Rory's' - Tiger Woods Once Gave Son Charlie A Key Piece Of Swing Advice
Arguably the greatest player of all time, Tiger Woods told son Charlie to mould his technique on Rory McIlroy instead of copying the 15-time Major winner's method
With a seemingly endless list of wins, records and unforgettable moments over a professional career approaching 30 years, there’s a compelling argument that Tiger Woods is the greatest player of all time.
Even with his own career to contend with, though, the 15-time Major winner is dedicating plenty of time to the his son, Charlie's. Not surprisingly given his mentor, that effort is paying off, as the 14-year-old’s career continues to flourish. However, as Charlie began stepping out of his dad’s shadow late last year, a video surfaced that offered another clue as to why his young career shows such promise.
The footage concentrated on Charlie’s swing, and it demonstrated the kind of poise and control that would make many professionals envious.
But what was equally striking was that the swing wasn’t a carbon copy of his dad’s, but seemed to have elements of another of the era’s great players, Rory McIlroy.
Which golfer does Charlie Woods’ swing resemble the most? 👀 (🎥: @nb3jgnc) pic.twitter.com/Bko9hgAlxGNovember 8, 2022
A few weeks later, at the Hero World Challenge, the reason for that resemblance became clearer, as Tiger said to Paul Azinger and Dan Hicks: “I told him, ‘don’t copy my swing, copy Rory’s."
That’s quite the piece of advice from a player with nothing to prove to anyone about how best to play the game, but he then justified it, adding: “Have you ever seen Rory off balance in a shot? Not ever.
"That’s one of the things my dad instilled in me, is that you should be able to balance and hold your finish until the ball rolls and stops. You can swing as hard as you want, but you need to have balance.”
There’s an argument that Woods was being a little hard on himself, at least indirectly, as he’s hardly known for a lack of balance in his own swing, although it also shows that even the best would probably still like to improve their swing in some way. Still, as role models go, you could do a lot worse than emulating McIlroy’s swing, given the power and speed he generates from it and the success he's had.
Woods’ comments didn’t pass McIlroy by, either. Not long after, he appeared on Inside the NBA, and described Woods’ remarks as “unbelievably flattering,” before identifying what about his own swing Tiger likely admires so much.
He said: “My dad taught me how to play the game growing up and his thing to me was always hold your finish, and I think that’s what Tiger’s dad told him back in the day was try and hold your finish until your ball at least lands or comes to rest.
“Tiger's picked up on that and tried to instill that in Charlie. Charlie is a great kid first and foremost but he’s a great young player and I think we are all excited to sort of follow his progress and see how far he can go.”
A year on and the interest in Charlie’s career is as strong as ever. He will appear alongside his father at the PNC Championship between 16 and 17 December, where viewers can check on his progress, along with his McIlroy-esque swing.
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Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.
He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.
Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.
Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.
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