Russell. Henley.
Congratulations, brother!
Add ‘em up.
John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy
No Causal Link Between Muscularity and Winning in Golf
Russell. Henley.
Rhythm Versus Tempo
This is a discussion of rhythm versus tempo. The following video chat covers extemporaneous thoughts about the two terms. As it turns out, the definitions are different. Therefore, considering the role each occupies in a golf swing and a golf game, the discussion is warranted. Consider how you approach improving your game with regard to each, and I believe you will appreciate how the Open Stance fosters both… even more than before.
Rhythm is an employment of structural components and states in a coordinated sequence of movement that express an underlying objective. Terms like “Coil”, “Leverage”, “Lag”, “Rotation”, “Acceleration”, “Extension”, etc. are all subsets of the ‘Hitting a golf ball’-objective with a golf swing. They each constitute a segment of, and have a beginning and an end within, the overall movement. Therefore, components and states cannot dictate tempo. We spend time in each state with our corresponding components employed, but without regard to amount of time. Coordination is our key to rhythm versus tempo, which holds a time component.
Tempo is how long it takes us to get our coordinated components through the movements. Some have fast tempo, like Dan Pohl. Others have slow tempo, like Payne Stewart. In either extreme, our backswing is slower than our downswing. Our transition determines how we coordinate our change of direction – with our components in a state unique to that segment of our swing. The faster our backswing, the faster our downswing must be to maintain proportional.
You will know if you have mastered coordination when you strike your ball. The foundation of coordination is set-up. If your set-up changes, your coordination compromises because your mind changes. Repeating a disciplined set-up will bring coordination, provided that your set-up allows for maximum flexibility of shots with a minimum of damaging motion. Solid impact is our proof of coordination.
The Open Stance is the only set-up philosophy that demands efficiency and minimizes damage to our components, states, and coordination. Tempo, and its perfection through set-up discipline, is an eventuality and not a hope. And that’s good because “Hope is not a plan”.
John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy
Great Wedge Play and Passive Acceleration
Why Is The Chip And Run Recommended ? Think Of Your Best Answer, And I’ll Tell You Next Week.
What Every Golf Instructor Focuses On
What every golf instructor focuses on is the what, when, where, and how of the swing. Only the Open Stance Academy explains the why – giving players a deeper understanding of their swing that leads to lasting improvement. Long overdue (from the OSA) is the explanation of differences audibly. Therefore, the below video should begin to clear the landscape of explanations that stand between golfers and their autonomy.
Interference was always the point of instructors and teachers. In order to create dependency, practitioners had to remove individual accountability. Unfortunately, for the earnest, the “Best” teachers/Instructors reserved the right to step out of the way when blame for incompetence comes calling. They make you believe that you misunderstood them or misapplied their instructions. And you believe them, because either of those outcomes for failure is better than accountability.
On the other hand, we have the Open Stance.
Pros and coaches, under ideal conditions, should feel an immediate personal connection to my work. Tour Pros, if you don’t know why your swing works, then you don’t know why it fails under pressure. The best players don’t just repeat mechanics. Rather, they convert an idea into motion. Furthermore, most do not understand the fundamental truth of their motion. Coaches, you get in your player’s mind without an informational destination, which is tantamount to malpractice.
Tour coaches spend years refining a player’s motion. But without “the why”, they’re just troubleshooting symptoms instead of solving root causes. Problems continue with each iteration of enabling advice, which has troubled me like no other.
How do I reach golfers who must perform to fulfill dreams, but without ‘one-on-one’ contact? It’s been difficult, and selfish interests exist to prohibit just that level of interaction. But, as I’ve published in other formats… it’s only a matter of time.
The Open Stance Academy is exclusively positioned to offer the very solution they have been missing. But, it’s a big topic, and we live in a sound bite culture now. Again… removal of accountability rules us. I feel we are at a moment in history where we must cut out the middle-men and -women to survive.
If we are to ever escape the ‘problem, crisis, solution’ merry-go-round, in every industry, we must recognize that what every golf instructor focuses on is harmful, and recognize truth when it appears. Check out the following explanation of the learning dynamic to see if it represents your experience with lessons, and leave comments.
No Causal Link Between Muscularity and Winning in Golf
There is no causal link between muscularity and winning in golf. Tiger Woods kicked off the surgery brigade when he trained with Navy Seals and got buffed up. He was already the best, so the sheeple lined up to imitate their hero thinking, “Tiger is buffed-out. I must be buffed-out, too.” I’ll get HUGE like Tiger and start playing great golf. … No. Didn’t happen.
Our national handicap didn’t budge under the Tiger-inspired, weight-lifting period, under which we remain. The only result of all the muscle mass accumulated is back problems and knee surgeries… just. like. Eldrick. If mass equaled winning, where is El, Brooks, DJ, and the hulksters? They’re stronger than almost every professional golfer to this day. I will share the answer. Hulksters are riddled with knee, back, and thanks to cell phones – leg problems that make upper body mass useless.
Our current number one player in the world is a rail with a burgeoning belly. Rory wins without being dominant. Muscle size has nothing to do with winning. The only constant is grip strength. But this is not about what is constant, it’s about the deception. Narratives tricked us into hiring trainers, therapists, and coaches all promising a pot of gold. And, most golfers listened to them, without one of them able to play their way out of a paper bag.
We, once again, allowed ANOTHER industry to form and distract us from within the golf business. As Mark Twain said, “It’s easier to fool someone than to convince them they have been fooled”. Therefore, the deception is likely to continue for a while longer. Fools need time to rationalize their credulity, after all. Fools who have spent untold amounts of money on the dodge need even more time.
I don’t know why I’m the only one who seems to be aware of it. But it’s so predictable. I guess we need a hero to imulate. I’ll leave you with the following rankings from the top 20 golfers of all time. There’s not a mediocre putter among them.
In case that doesn’t do it for you, here are the top 20 of the past 25 years.
Quite a few bellies on that list, isn’t there? There’s not a mediocre putter among them, either, eh? How about a list of #1s? Speith and Thomas? Donald and Scheffler? Where is Koepka and Johnson? …Probably getting another knee surgery a piece. We exhibited an error of association. We see someone rise to the top, begin working out and getting “Stronger”, and assume the workout got them there, when it was always incidental to their luck chart and happiness cycle.
No one plays good golf if they are not happy. I know better than anyone. Believe me. No one achieves outside of a thick luck cycle, either. Tiger’s parents knew this was a legitimate cosmic tumbler. That’s why they took E to an astrologist after his birth – to see when to capitalize on his chart. Every parent should do the same. Only now it’s as easy as opening an astrology link to get the info without the travel. Earl knew how to tailor his training in a pursuit (Golf) that he himself could benefit from (Playing golf), that cultivated character, and that would serve to break racial barriers. In that, at least, Earl was a genius.
John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy
John Wright, the PGA and Mission Inn Decouple
John Wright, the PGA and Mission Inn decouple in latest news from The Open Stance Academy. Wright stated the PGA offered nothing useful in the way of knowledge or support as a member thereof. He added that although Mission Inn was hospitable, constraints placed on who and where he could teach strained their relationship. Wright stated he did not like the idea of conducting business near buzzing power lines, and felt his health may suffer, long term.
OSA continues with only an online presence, for the time being. And John Wright, being no longer a PGA member nor a Mission Inn contractor, will conduct lessons by voice and video until further notice. Wright sees this transition as a step in the right direction, considering his goal of eliminating golf lessons as a lifestyle choice. And, since the majority of the golfing world has become aware of the benefits of an open stance, he sees his move as an inevitability.
”This was the whole point. The world doesn’t need golf lessons. They need self-reliance, self-motivation, and self-realization. The only thing golfers ever needed was a vehicle to get them over the hump and a voice that encourages those mental tumblers to click into place efficiently. The Open Stance Academy does that.”
As for the future, Wright said he will now have time to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a lettuce slicer at Subway …as soon as his application clears saying, “I think there’s a better way.”
Kendall – Contributor
The Open Stance Academy
Golf Digest Takes Yet Another Step Closer to John Wright’s Truth
Ludwig Aberg Had Surgery on His Leading Knee!?
Unbelievable. Ludwig Aberg had surgery on his leading knee – yet another casualty of modern golf instruction. Ladies and gentlemen, this has got to stop. As a fifty-three year golfer of fifty-five years, with no surgeries in my life, I can carry a bag and walk thirty-six holes. WHY are young golfers in need of surgeries? You’ve heard me say it ad infinitum.
Modern golf instruction is responsible for Ludwig Aberg’s condition. However, it’s not just him. Rahm, Johnson, Koepka, Day, Woods, and many, many more have gone under the knife as if it’s just another part of having a professional golf career. When I heard that Ludwig Aberg had surgery on his leading knee, I had to post out of frustration alone.
I blame Haney and Tiger for this devolution of golf swing awareness. However, we could just as easily impugn Ledbetter, Cowan, Como, McLean, Kelley, and their interlopers for contributing mis- and dis- information to deepen the problem. If you believe, as I do, that swinging a golf club should be an injury-free endeavor, then their part in the dodge has been an unconscionable exercise.
By the way, Jordan Speith is now coming back from his own surgery. It’s an epidemic! I pray that the common sense and personable responsibility of prior generations, for their own game, will visit the new. Otherwise, cutters are going to have a consistent revenue stream full of young golfers. And that is BS.
Watch the following video if you want to hear a voice on the matter. It’s not about celebrity, so please enjoy looking at my rug. I have failed to produce a video a day, as suggested with the new year. However, I have picked up the pace. You can find them on YouTube at the following link @theopenstanceacademy487 .
John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy
Merry Christmas from Open Stance Academy!
I want to take a minute to say to all, Merry Christmas from Open Stance Academy!
If in the course of play, you want a golf swing dynamic explained, leave your experience or wondering as a comment. I’ll write the explanation for you and anyone else who needs the assist. My book and postings here have pretty much explained all there is to know from an objective perspective. Therefore, subjective adjustments are available for the cost of a query. Call it a change of philosophy. Mix that with a desire to be of service to golfers whose games have been transformed by the Open Stance.
I have students who could probably explain things equally well, but may lose focus talking about our ball-striking contests. Therefore, I will walk the talk for you, whenever you need me. Allow for any initial forgetfulness, please. I’m still trying to make myself more available to friends and family but, for some reason, never seem to answer my phone. Logging into this portal may be less reliable for a bit.
So I’m sitting here listening to Michael Buble. I just returned from attending the funeral of my second father. Here I am choking back tears and wondering how life will ever be as sweet again. You know what I mean? Childhood lasts only as long as your parents and their friends.
Doc leaves an enormous vacuum of personality and leadership to fill in the community. So I thought, if life is ever going to be sweet again, it will be up to me making a greater effort to be there for people who need me. Whether friend, family, or fiddler, I will endeavor here to give, from this season to all that follow, as I have been given. In the mean time, it might be a solid idea to update my other two books, Luck: …. And turning the First Five Years into The First Ten Years.
As Christmas comes and goes, and if I might be so bold to suggest, please remember those you respect and reach out to them. We all need a 1970s type of connection with our loved ones… face to face. Wear your hip-huggers, bell-bottoms or polyesters if you need to, but go with love in your heart, two ears to hear, and only one mouth. And that’s your Merry Christmas from the Open Stance Academy.
John Wright – Founder
Open Stance Academy
Our Journey from Motivation to Mastery
Our journey from motivation to mastery is not all that great, actually. Experience dictates how markers pass where time and distance are concerned. When we engage in a process of our own design, even within a framework chosen for our own design, time slows down as problem-solving speeds up. There is nothing more than the next session.
When life is coming at you, we scramble to keep up. Fortunately, life’s sometimes aggressive examinations are relatively infrequent. However, when time does seem to fly by, it always helps to act intentionally along a different timeline. Sharing the slowing experience with loved ones, good friends, and new friends can add to our fulfillment for having begun.
The dynamic may be very much like a time tree. With each additional branch to feed with sun, rain, and nutrients of experience, the less focus nature gives to trunk and leader height. Bringing the whole community of branches and leaves into the light is the purpose of time and intention.
Accelerating life finds its moderation in pursuit of mastery. Moreover, accomplishment or achievement marks time well-spent. Motivation to grow in another direction does not infer success. However, having a personal community of like-minded pursuers, even while struggling to grow toward the light, supports our own efforts and measures our own outcomes.
Opening your stance and playing golf is a offshoot of life, no doubt. In fact, the Open Stance is more like an offshoot of an offshoot. Our motivation to engage in the Open Stance mastery process provides an opportunity to look forward and up toward greater achievement, which our larger and stronger lower branch brethren discovered long ago. Our own motivation will persist or not. We will reach the light or not. Will you become a strong and full lower branch or not?
How many branches will your tree have? What are you growing through? How much slower would you like life to be? Upon what foundation might we build the rest of our golfing life? Will our choice frame and measure our ascension, or will time pass unmarked by the conscious choice shared by champions?
Our journey from motivation to mastery requires the same growth elements as the tallest tree. The Open Stance Academy seeks to be the nutrients of a brighter future for all golfers. Your struggles will be the rain, and your inevitable exhilaration and successes are the sunlight. Mastery comes when the top of your life canopy has the best view in the forest. The strongest trees grow the slowest.
John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy PMA
Taking It To The Course at Any Age
OSaFSGL – Author’s Edition
OSaFSGL – Author’s edition is a completely (EVERY PAGE) revised and updated, downloadable .pdf version of the original OSaTSGL currently for sale on A. More. Awkward. Zone. Of. Nuance. with an added fourth lesson – the FLOP SHOT! All for a donation of $7.00.
After procrastinating for years and justifying it with any and all modes of activity, reworking the original OSaTSGL finally became the priority. Every page is different, whether in story, commentary, or phrasing. OSaFSGL – Author’s Edition is an easier read, to learn the magic, because it eliminates more deductive reasoning. Then, of course, there is the flop shot-fourth short game lesson – complete with photos for easier retention.
The portal through which OSaTSGL is sold wanted to charge $1,900 to replace the original file with a new one, which I thought was outrageous, so I decided I’d save it and link the .pdf with a donation to shorten the shopping trip.
Don’t forget to check back periodically for new posts, as more will follow. Subscribe to get them automatically, if you like. It’s important to get this information out into the world of golf more expansively to help others help themselves. The goal of the Open Stance Academy has always been to break the yoke of golf lessons for the ambitious golfer. After all, God helps those who help themselves.
Master’s Radio Thinks Speith and Thomas Have a Problem.
Master’s Radio thinks Speith and Thomas Have a Problem. I don’t.
I don’t know who one of the personalities doing the talking was. But, one of them was Colt Knost. They obviously care about Jordan and Justin’s success, which is great. However, their discussion was myopic.
At one point, one of the personalities began talking about how they had become too analytical, or left-brained, or whatever I may not remember from days ago. They rationalized it with Jordan being left-handed (Right-brained, whatever). And, that’s where the analysis ended. You see, one of the commentators was self-acknowledging his own dyslexia which, of course, must give him special insight into what is at issue with Speith and Thomas.
Mr. Dyslexia’s unassailable tower of victimhood should keep him from contrary opinion, right? Almost. Here’s my contrary opinion. Feel free to disagree. First, let me preface my comments with my view that victimhood is mental weakness disguised as social disadvantage, which is idiocy disguised as helplessness, which is laziness disguised as unfairness. It’s all a passive aggressive attempt to manipulate the other person and win without competing. And, “Homey don’t play dat.”
There is NOTHING wrong with Jordan and Justin. They began to live life. They fell in love with their girl(s), got married, had children, and played golf throughout. The only thing that didn’t change was their circle of mouths to feed telling them they are still the greatest golfer playing, they could do no wrong, and they could do everything just as well as they could pre-‘life’.
Imagine a fully-developed ego based on past success. I know this dynamic as well as anyone. At my best, I could fit a two-iron between a caddy’s wingspan 9 out of 10 times while hitting the sweet spot 10 out of 10 times. Then came another point in my golf career, when I could make four putts in a row on the chosen side of “the tee”. Choose any break you like and in doing so, I would NEVER miss the sweet spot. My path and AoA was THE SAME every. single. time. And at yet another point, I could chip and pitch without EVER missing the sweet spot – from any depth of rough. Blah, blah, blah. I practiced until I could not miss… like Jordan and Justin.
Then, life got in the way. I never got worse in my mind. Only my skills degraded, and they did it without my knowledge and permission. Unfortunately, my memory stayed the same. Therefore, with degraded skills, I was still trying to pull off shots from memory instead of reality. I didn’t even have the refined sugar of “Team” telling me how great I was, and I couldn’t detect an atrophied game. Ultimately, it translates into higher scores and a worsening malaise.
Jordan and Justin, who are immensely talented, and who have each been #1 in the World, are just starting to realize their “teams” have done them no good. Justin has jettisoned Bones. Jordan will probably soon do the same with Mike – all because neither has a voice pointing them in the right direction. All they have are eager mouths to feed. They SHOULD jettison their teams, corporate and personal, and get back to basics. It’s not like they need the money. Jack never needed anyone but Barbara and much later Mark McCormack. Arnie?… Forget about it. He and Winnie took on the World.
Winning is the best agent. Majors are the best Sports Psychologist. Their competition is their best trainers. Need is the teacher. All a “Team” does for a player is insulate them from what is supposed to be an exposed competitive dynamic. Furthermore, it’s all controlled by their sponsors. Sad. However, I believe Speith and Thomas are on the cusp of lightening their life load and regaining their prominence soon.
John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy