Justin Rose’s smooth swing has already carried him to a PGA Tour victory at the Farmers Insurance Open this season. While his success is based on meticulous preparation and elite athleticism, much of his consistency comes down to the refined technical guidance under his coach, GOLF Top 100 teacher Mark Blackburn.
While fans rarely get a glimpse into the inner workings of a coach-player relationship, a recent interview on the Smylie Show provided a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes.
The main focus in Rose’s swing
According to Blackburn, one of the most important elements in Rose’s swing is his right leg – specifically his drag knee on the downswing.
“One of the things that Rosie likes to feel as a player is that he likes to be quite passive in making an impact,” Blackburn says. “So he sometimes has a tendency for his right knee and right leg to work a little too inwards towards the ball, which puts his torso a little bit back and then he has to straighten his arms.”
Together, Blackburn and Rose focus on getting his trail knee more toward his lead knee during the downswing. By keeping the right knee pointed toward the goal (instead of sinking toward the ground), Blackburn says Rose can stay centered and pivot through the shot.
“He [Rose] wants to have a lot of rotation in his golf swing, that’s what he likes to feel,” says Blackburn. “His ‘bad golf’ is played with a lot of sliding and tilting and with his arms outstretched.”
Blackburn continues, explaining that Rose’s best golf is played when he has a little more depth in his backswing while staying centered.
“Then he goes down a little bit, gets the club in front of him again, but the sweet spot behind him, and then he turns,” he says.
Rose’s trusted training aid, explained
To reinforce this centered, controlled swing, Blackburn Rose has a Smart ball just above his drag knee. The simple device encourages the leg to move correctly toward the lead knee, while giving Rose a clear signal that he can feel and see. If his back leg drifts toward the ground instead of toward the goal, his hands will likely clip the ball, giving him immediate feedback.
What’s even more impressive is that Rose and Blackburn only added this practice a week before winning the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines.
“We threw this in this week,” says Blackburn, “he [Rose] likes it [the drill] because it then allows him to reflex or cover the golf ball and be quite passive during the stroke.
“And that’s obviously indicative of how he played this week. A lot of straight lasers, but that’s how he prefers to play. He likes to shoot straight to drop left. Um, and this just allows him to do it,” he says.
For Rose, it’s clear that a great swing comes down to small details that start a chain reaction of better moves. By training his trail leg to move correctly, he stays centered, rotates efficiently, and hits with precision and power. It reminds us that sometimes all it takes is a small adjustment, focused work, and the right practice to turn those feelings into repeatable results.
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