I’m writing to make apologies to an industry, in advance, of my evisceration of it. Ready? The club-fitting industry, for amateurs, in any-and-all places and forms, is ruining golf swings and feeding the instruction industry at the same damn time. I have a newest account to talk about but, may I just say, what a crock!

A gentleman phoned to get some advice on their Open Stance pursuit, which I accommodated. After asking him a battery of questions to triangulate the root cause of his trouble (a persistent slice), I suggested a disciplined practice regimen and what to expect over these next months. As always, I detailed the benefits he would see. Additionally, my description laid out his possible pitfalls, primarily club set-up and, specifically, lie angle.

My initial example centered on an upright lie angle and the damage it would do to anyone’s progress. He then confirmed with a groan and immediate acknowledgement that although he had switched to a standard lie club a couple weeks ago he had, for the two-plus years prior been fitted with irons that were FOUR DEGREES UPRIGHT! Some (under-learned) club-fitter thought they could correct his slice with club set-up and sold this good man on their scam! And yes, I am upset.

Our club set-up, most-specifically our lie angle, is the single-most consequential and least addressed tumbler in the codex of ball-striking success. NO other factor plays as large a part in the silent film of learning to move than the unspoken narrative that feedback provides to guide us as hopeful golfers. Club-fitting steals our joy and wrecks our feedback until, naturally, we submit to its will. In doing so, we believe when our ball doesn’t do what we want, that said destruction is our own fault. We blame ourselves! IT. IS. OUR. CLUB. SET-UP!

For anyone who has seen The Passion of The Christ, I see club-fitters for amateur golfers as the pallid, floating Satan moving just behind the crowd, looking on in delight and enjoying the destruction he hath wrought. And, although it may be harsh to make that comparison, what is demonstrable is this…. Club-fitters, writ large, are stealing time and effort away from us and lining their pockets with our misplaced trust. I want it to stop. ‘Inmates should never run the asylum’, and all that.

You may remember me lauding club-fitter to the Indian pros, Gurbazz Mann and few years ago. Bazz is working from a set of assumptions that are much more homogenous than the average club-fitter. Players at that level already have neutral lie angles. Consequently, changes to tour professionals’ club set-up are very minute. However, when Bazz looked at my own swing and results, there was not a word said until I hit one offline. Then, my club set-up became the issue – never mind I was cold and tight from sitting around waiting to greet him.

There is a seed of interpreting facts to support their own conclusions in EVERY club-fitter regardless of pre-conditions, context, or cause. Club-fitting is an industry BASED on ignorance, willful or otherwise, of contributing factors. If these folks asked enough questions to locate the real problem, they would be out of business immediately.

The reason? Because with a neutral club set-up we would never need a club-fitter OR an instructor. If the toe of our irons sit on the level ground so we might fit a quarter underneath, that is the right set-up. An appropriate shaft flex is assumed. Thereafter, we would only need an Open Stance and Intention.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Fittings vs Lessons 3-4-14

Clubs Too Upright Are Your Swing’s Dynamite

Bhatia and Berger’s Bay Hill bestie barnburner was further confirmation and proof that the Open Stance philosophy promotes superior ball-striking and winning form. We saw the week’s two best players, Akshay Bhatia and Daniel Berger, tame a brute of a golf course and more or less the rest of the field, as well. Putting was prominent.

Akshay led the field in putting. Daniel was rolling it as well. No one wins without filling it up. No one fills it up without being comfortable, which can come from anywhere. For example, maybe the putter feels good in your hands. Perhaps you keep hitting it close to the hole. Then again, maybe your girlfriend or boyfriend has been extra nice to you. Happiness abounds, etc. comfort is, however, a completely psychological ease. Good for those who are feelin it.

What we saw on Sunday, with few exceptions, was that even under pressure their performances were equal to the best of the day. For example, Akshay on hole 6, Daniel on hole 12. Nonetheless, they never looked like they would return to the field. I could cite example after example, but instead, here is a video that shows what I am talking about.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Y2Rn61qvEJQ&si=APsCHNBmx4sD_d8N

But it wasn’t just Bhatia and Berger putting up good scores. Young, Morikawa, Theegala, Henley, and many other Open Stance tour players were, once again, at the top of the leaderboard. Over and over, week after week, the best in the world set up open. Furthermore, you need to understand, it’s a conscious choice for these players – not accidental. What you are seeing is the changing of the ‘old guard’ narrative. Incidentally, my sense is that what we hear from the booth will change as the eventuality becomes reality.

The fact that I identified the value of our Open Stance set-up philosophy doesn’t mean using it is some kind of trademark infringement. I DIDN’T INVENT IT! However, using my knowledge is invaluable to 1) understand why it works for everyone and 2) in shortening the time you spend adapting to change. At any rate, having already changed the language of teaching over the past decade plus, I’ll be here to assist this transition, too… God willing. I’ve said it in so many ways and so many times it rings in my ears as pedantic. But, here it is again….

Open your stance. Change your game.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

It Is Not The Fade That Creates Control

The Open Stance, Shaping Your Shot, and Lower Scores

Giddy Up, Gotterup! The most unabashedly open stance since Bubba Watson, Chris Gotterup is on or near the leaderboard weekly on the PGA Tour. Of course, commentators compare him to Lee Trevino, the Open Stance master, without saying Open or Stance. So be it.

https://youtu.be/Y2DYWD_J6NQ?si=GzhnKGKc_J0uS3Bq

I laugh every time they say, “He sets up way left or way right(lefty)” instead of “(very) open”. I guess they’re trying to fill airtime, so they take the long way round. I’m just glad I’ve pulled back from my crusade to enlighten the golf world, otherwise I’d probably be upset. As a non-pga drone now I don’t have to be upset with their deception.

At any rate, Chris is powerful, accurate, and a great wedge player by commentator admission. Yes, he is a big guy. Built like J.W. Nicklaus, Chris Gotterup is a formidable player. And, like Jack, his greatest weapon may be his mind. We’ll see. However, you can see he hits what the dumbasses announcing refer to as a “push”… as if to passive-aggressively cast shade on his set up. I’d say if Chris is “pushing” it twenty yards past everyone else, then where does the line form to get some of that?

The industrial distraction campaign won’t work. Every year, on every tour, more players choose an Open Stance. It’s not an accident. They’re smart. Did you notice how many different sizes and shapes of golfers are utilizing an Open Stance setup? How about, have you noticed the number of different adaptations leading to completely unique moves at the ball?

As I’ve said from the first day, the Open Stance precludes no shots, promotes increased distance, and produces accurate shotmaking. Why the golf industry wants to keep simplicity out of your ears is anyone’s guess. I have my own opinion. However, I recommend you use your eyes and reject voices that tell you your eyes are lying to you. Peace.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Everyone Improves With An Open Stance!

The Open Stance and The Ball-Flight Tree for Me

I cannot keep up with the disinformation in golf videos on YT. There are an army of instructors posting their rehash of old videos …every day. A few days ago, I watched Golf Digest’s breakdown of Moe Norman. Nearly every conclusion they drew was wrong. The narrator completely avoided analysis back to why and focused on what Moe did so well. I try not to comment, but occasionally, the inclination is overwhelming. All I could do was roll my eyes and moan.

Unfortunately, I’m still upset about it… for many reasons. First, their piece dishonors Moe and his evolution. Second, Golf Digest content distorts truth. Third, the connections and compensations between Moe’s set-up, ball position, target, and swing choices are omitted entirely. Lastly, the other three offended me. Furthermore, they should offend you.

GD is not unique in their incompetence. Take your pick from the legion of hacks taking their ignorance public. Of course, shame is reserved for those who would know the difference, which they don’t. I can’t help but wonder if the average golfer will ever know the truth our Open Stance provides.

It’s finally raining after a month or so without. We had a half an inch last night and today, so I’m feeling rested. I didn’t want to write but, like going to the gym, if it were easy, everyone would do it. So what about Moe’s memory? How, in a world full of people who declare genius without mentioning process, do we honor the man who did the work?

I’ve written about Moe, I think. I’ll analyze his combinations in a video, I suppose. I’ll provide my video preview by listing the things Moe did, which are plain to see. You can watch the video to come with these things in mind. What you’ll realize is that nothing Moe did falls outside of my original thesis. Here are his habits:

Closed set-up
Wide stance
Forward ball position
Weak leading hand grip
Neutral trailing hand grip
Ten-fingered grip
Flat to neutral swing plane
Head dip into impact
Shallow impact
Short hitter
High finish

These things are all connected and counter one another, proportionally, to get the result MOE wanted.

You may remember in my older writings that I said long and straight hitters never set up closed. I also wrote that a closed stance is an impact-shallowing set-up, because the relative ball position is forward along the target line. Additionally, I wrote that a wide stance inhibits not only hip clearing through impact, but requires us to set up further from the ball, thereby flattening our swing and employing our trailing elbow in an arm-dominant swing to secure solid impact.

Golf (in)Digest(ion) covered NONE of these facts. And they are facts. They are absolutes. And, absolutely zero percent of these truths find their way to the public by any means other than the Open Stance Academy. And, as I said, I cannot keep up with the creep.

I’ve heard National PGA teaching officers use my language, (i.e. intention, leading, trailing, target line v. feet line, etc). However, if the PGA heads were using it in seminars and lessons, we would have heard their broadcast narrative change by now. I’m not sure it has.

Today, Scotty is their ‘great closed hope’. Our golf masters are twisting people into knots to reproduce Scotty’s set-up and results. However, they are not telling them how he does it (more than providing a super close-up of his fancy footwork). It’s distraction instruction and no different than the Moe narrative.

Apparently, the goal is to cloak their ball-striking as some mysterious gift instead of digging into the facts and connecting the dots. You know… like science? Personally, I’d like to promote distraction instruction’s destruction, and begin again on conjunction junction’s function in America. Forgive my rambunction.

Please share.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Scotty’s Set-Up Proves His Move

Our Shoulders Hook Our Golf Ball, Not Our Hands

“Thesis Creep”

I’ve won some stuff. Responding to a recent question if I was qualified to critique online videos which asked, “Hum, and how many tournaments have you won?” Well, first I identified the question as the primary issue with the instruction industry, which attributes expertise with playing achievements.

I’ve proven as much when I watched Ian Poulter grind on a pro-am partner at Bay Hill in 2022. He shelled out more worthless information about what works “For me” than I’ve ever heard in trying to help someone else. Now, as stated repeatedly, I thought Ian was fantastic with his ams. He was cordial and collegial with the entire group. He even made an attempt to include me in their fun. Great guy.

Nonetheless, what he tried to do in fifteen holes, I did in one walk from tee to green on the par 3 seventh. I just explained the Physics of impact with a Mastercard executive, who more likely had a left brain bent. And, I was right. Each of his next five swings produced better and better results, including puring two, long, straight shots into hole nine. His mind was blown.

The next week at Valspar, Colli Mo., Brian Gay, and Mackenzie Hughes fumbled around for more than a dozen holes combined before I’d had enough and made my move. Sherwin-Williams President, Heidi Petz, had the same malady my Mastercard student had and worse – wicked heel dubs and slices. Poor girl’s best drive went about 80 yards. I stepped in between 6 and 7(holes 15&16) and fixed her up with the same Physics talk. Nothing applied to me. She drilled every drive thereafter sixty yards further, MINIMUM, and dead straight. She never knew she was so good.

Now, having completely obliterated the idea that tournament success has anything to do with swing knowledge and expertise, I return to my own experience. After a few dozen area junior titles, high school victories (9 holes), All-County, All-Conference, etc., I went to DePauw University where I became an All-American in my Freshman year. I finished second in the long drive contest at nationals without a tee – hitting three straight drives 304 uphill and into a breeze.

There, my winning continued through my Sophomore Fall, when I won the Strimer Invitational in heavy wind. Other teams included nationally-ranked Wittenberg, Ohio Wesleyan, Kenyon, Wooster, and three other competitive schools. My score of 143 (-1) was five shots clear of second place. My luck dried up after that, and winning was less frequent. After college, I played in the ‘93, ‘94, and ‘95 Western Amateurs.

The ‘93 Western was more of a fun trip to my Riddler’s place in Benton Harbor with Whopper. We played a practice round at ‘The Point’, and I fell in love with the golf course. Unfortunately, none of us qualified for the event, but I resolved to make it the next year. In defeat, we drank beer on Silver Beach and got a sunburn I won’t forget. We still managed to be completely juvenile for the rest of the week. Fred Reeder picked up the tab for ten of us at a local pub.

The ‘94 Western came, and I had the low score in the qualifier at my site (LMHGC) with a 71. I was paired with Ariel Canete for the first 36. I discovered how good a short game could be. Even though I only played 36 holes, I bested Ariel, who inspired me to sharpen my short game for the next year, which I did. I was overall low qualifier in ‘95 with a 70, made the 36 hole cut and, if not for an unfortunate Pepperdine Meyer incident(ball I.D. treachery) would have made match play.

I didn’t play in any tournaments after that until I entered the golf business. These Indiana Pro-Assistant victories were the two victories I had. They occurred after switching to an Open Stance and practicing my way to purity.

Both times, we shot morning 67s in Pinehurst format on Ackerman Hills and afternoon 65s in better ball format on Kampen. The ‘05 victory was unusual. We had a marker playing with us in the afternoon. I shot 66 with two bogeys. Both times, we won by two shots. I’ll bet no one will ever equal the record I set in Indiana golf. I believe I am the only ‘Pro’ to ever win every Pro-Assistant they played in.

Partner events are where I excel. During my time in South Florida, I and four different partners won four employee tournaments in seven attempts. I will wager again, is most likely a record that will never be broken.

Anyway, I’ve won some stuff. My handicap was somewhere around +7. I didn’t shoot over par much. Always played the tips. I can’t help but wonder how good I may have been if I’d been able to ask for sponsorship and financial help, or even been in a stable situation there… or anywhere in the golf business, for that matter. It’s a horrible business for an idealist.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Patrick Cantlay Used His Open Stance To Win The Tour Championship

The Open Just Won The Open

Ever heard the putting advice, “Accelerate through the ball”? Yeah… that was another lie. Of course, I’m giving generations of instructors credit for being intelligent enough to know the truth but sell a deceptive phrase. Otherwise, everyone is stupid. And I, for one, don’t believe that.

Why? Is the same why it’s always been – to propagate an industry. Telling credulous people partial truths in selective language is the best way to break what once we understood simply by observation. “Accelerate through the ball” has predicated the dissolution of putting fundamentals for decades upon decades under the auspices of helpful insight.

Any time you see a terrible putting stroke, ask them what they are trying to do. You can be certain to hear them say, “I want to accelerate through the ball.” And they really think they do! But our eyes don’t lie.

If I could go back sixty years and introduce one correction into the instructional lexicon, it would be the following:

”Accelerate Into The Back of The Ball”.

The cure was always that near. Changing the focal point changes the entire meaning of two similar phrases. Boxers pull punches. Golf instructors pull focus. Go practice your putting knowing the point of greatest putter speed should be at the back of your ball. Prepare to have your gaze expand.

Now, when it occurs to you to go slap somebody for lying to you, or go get your lesson fees back for all that wasted time, take a beat, turn around, and just walk away. If you want to win the day, starve the beast.
Intentionally or not, sad but true, instructors insure the only place to find truth is The Open Stance Academy.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

“A Lie Can Travel Half Way Around The World While The Truth Is Still Putting On Its Shoes.”

House of Cards

Is GolfTec Talking Out Of Both Sides Of Their Mouth?