This Is Why Gurbaaz Mann Is The World’s Best Club-Fitter

JW: Hello, Baaz. Thank you for taking time to talk today. In our opening interview, you told us a bit about your background. But, today I want to talk about club-fitting and your particular set of skills.

GM: Sounds good.

JW: O.K., then. My first question is meant to draw a line between what we are told and what you know. Therefore, let me first ask, what differentiates your methods from others?

GM: My method works on contact (club head and ball relationship with respect to components) -backward to the player, rather than player and body toward the contact. Let me explain, in detail.

Current certified teaching methods worldwide follow the – Grip, Posture, Stance, Alignment, Aim, and Plane – format (not necessarily in that order).
         
My method, of Positive Correlation, follows a priority list from beginning to end. Lie of Ball is first. Then, I consider the club face at address, lie and length of club (dictated by hand position of player), shaft dynamics (weight, material, flex etc), grip of the club (size, texture,etc.), dynamic weight of the club, grip of the player, posture, stance, alignment, aim, and plane.

Why these preliminary steps? Assume a 13 year old with a hand postion of 24 inches from the ground wants to play a 3-wood at the men’s market standard (43.5 now! @ D2-D6 swing weight) instead of a junior set. Here is what is going to go wrong assuming the current certified methods:

1) Their grip will become strong because they adopt a much higher hand position (31 inches) with the assumed “need to see 2 knuckles”.

2) Posture is compromised by positioning their arms well outside the shoulder line and decreasing their spine angle at address. They will produce even more straightening at impact with arms, possibly, much higher.

3) Their stance will become too wide with straightened knees.

4) Alignment, needless to say, starts going right for right-handlers. It produces disconnections between their shoulders, hips, and feet due to lie angle, flatter arm plane, and right to left ball flight.

5) Their aim becomes skewed with different lofts, lengths/lie. Generally, aim is to the right for a right-handed golfer and to the left for a left-handed golfer.

6) Their swing plane is adversely affected, too. Because their club is too heavy and too upright, they adopt a strong grip and high takeaway, which lead to an inside-out, downswing re-route.

Furthermore, kids always adapt with an over-swing or have a backswing that is well past parallel. Their leading foot is invariably off the ground through impact – leading to their head dropping to the right with insufficient balance to finish well. But, HERE IS THE REAL ISSUE….

The player, after repetition and practice, has found a way of compensating to make the club work. We must understand that the COMPENSATIONS are INVOLUNTARY MOTION. Single or multiple COMPENSATIONS are making the player COMPETENT with the club in their hands.

JW: Absolutely right. That’s the recipe for disaster.

GM: Here are the problems their coach/teacher will battle:

1) Video analysis will force a grip change to little success.

2) The shaft defines the plane. And, the length of the shaft, which is their real problem, makes it impossible to deliver the clubhead relatively more ‘on plane’. In fact, the certified methods that instructors will use actually makes the player INCOMPETENT compared to their COMPENSATED swing. Teachers hit a road block, as a result, and are not able to fix certain issues. According to me, ‘the golf swing is a combined result of what has been learned as IDEAL VOLUNTARY MOTION (learned either through body-movement self-awareness or instruction), compensations to equipment, and turf conditions.’

3) Teachers are teaching better GOLF SWINGS, but not necessarily better GOLF SHOTS. The former is merely a promise of the latter. But, scoring results are clearly a consequence of better golf shots. Golf swings are the responsibility of the player. Better golf shots require the player and the equipment to cooperate. Our entire industry is based on teaching the GOLF SWING and yet no two players in the world swing it the same through the bag.   

My Method centres around the GOLF SHOT, which means I concentrate on:

1) Contact – centeredness, divot pattern, and compression (smash, spin)

2) Ball flight – high, low, mid, draw, fade etc., and

3) Control – shot shaping, spin control, and club face orientation/awareness 

In my experience- IF THE CLUB WON’T ALLOW IT THE SWING CANNOT ACHIEVE IT. 

JW: That is a very complete thought, Gurbaaz. Thank you for expanding your answers, by the way. My second question is, whose clubfitting or scientific work inspires your own? 

GM: Lloyd E. Hackman (Inventor of the Fitchip), Dr. Ajit Chaudhry, OHIO STATE, and Katsuhiro Miura

JW: I recognize Miura. His club’s have sort of set the standard for upscale, custom-fitting. I think he just made Tiger’s new iron sets. I’ll look into Hackman and Chaudhry and report back. For now, however, let me ask an industry question. I’m interested in getting your opinion on whether or not, under current rules, manufacturers have any more technology on the horizon?

GM: There are only so many materials on the planet earth. And, cost-effective production must conform to R&A and USGA legal guidelines. Therefore, our club heads aren’t any better than they were ten years ago. The forging process of iron heads moved to CNC production that changes the aesthetics of the back of the club with every new model. But, the basic club face, design dimensions are practically the same. Different grades of metal give us little-to-marginal improvement, and sometimes less. Our club head is pretty much static. Our shaft, however, is bending and torquing, which changes the orientation of our club face in relation to our hands and grip.

The shaft industry will eventually control the game of golf. As soon as they know exactly how to match a persons unique acceleration signature through the bag with multiple shot shapes, we will move forward. For example, the technology for measuring the added kick of our shaft as a part of club-head speed has not yet been implemented. However, when developed, it will make the shaft industry more important than the club head industry. I dare say I have a good idea of how this can be done.

At that point, club heads will be reduced to the prices of common tools. It’s just metal in the end. However, in the mean time, my advice to golfers is when you find a club that you are completely satisfied with, don’t change just because the manufacturer has promised better technology.       

JW: Speaking of developing methods to further subdivide component performance, do you think manufacturers are trying to distract us? Do you have any opinion on how marketing is used to sell golf clubs and services? 

GM: Golf clubs are meant to perform better with each new model. But, my experience tells me that the honeymoon period is exactly a week of concentrated golf before seven out of ten players miss their previous clubs. The reason is because our learned response with the previous clubs doesn’t match our new ones, and our timing has been thrown off completely.

For example, top tennis players use the same rackets with the same tension and grip size throughout their careers. How come they don’t change every year to newer technology?!

JW: (Eyebrow raise)

GM: There – I’ve just hit a chord, haven’t I? We see the same dynamic with craftsmen and their tools, surgeons and their scalpels, or musicians and their favourite instruments.

Marketing is done by advertising the newer Driver faces to launch our ball faster for longer ball-flight. SHOULDN’T THIS CALL FOR A LAW SUIT?! The parameters have already been set. So if a ball were to fly longer with every model by a yard then, in ten years, you are longer by ten yards. And I’m sure that would interest the R&A and USGA. Our rules experts would have to investigate the legality of golf balls. Therefore, the marketing may be ILLEGAL.

The same goes for club heads. Some people have actually gained distance. But, that happened over several years due to better shaft timing and better shaft construction. With every passing year, the high-modulus graphite is making it possible to achieve lighter weight, lower torque, and relatively higher stiffness with less material.

I can prove that a legal titanium club made in the late 90’s and early 2000’s will go equally long or longer at 380 – 400 cc than the 460 heads today – purely by installing the right shafts. And, yet, nobody advertises the shaft to be 10-15 miles faster with the same effort. The CLUB HEAD hype is absolutely UNTRUE and FALSE MARKETING TO SELL!  

JW: O.K. Then. Since we are moving into clever marketing versus complete manufacturing honesty, I’ll ask a question that may make a material difference to the golfing public. What is the most material thing, in your opinion, that the club-fitting industry is keeping from the public?

GM: COST of PRODUCTION and actual margins of profit are a complete mismatch. SHOCKING DISPARITY. There are some better final-product, assembly processes available in manufacturing, but they are bypassed due to expense.

JW: Before we stop, would you comment about industry-standard club set-up, swing weight, and measurements?

GM: Sure. The average club is made for a golfer with a hand position, at setup, that is 30-31 inches off the ground. But, only 20-30 percent of players fall in this zone. The swing weight scale is obsolete due to change in shaft weights. And, the club heads are still manufactured at 7 gms apart for every half an inch based on swing weight and yet no two sets fall at a desired weight when bought.  

JW: Ladies and Gentlemen – Gurbaaz Mann.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Has Ricky Fowler revealed the secret of famous instructors? Maybe, but the last sentence in the latest Golf Digest piece raised my eyebrow. I flipped to the cover story and found some insightful information. Butch thanked his students for educating him. DJ, and Ricky spoke well of Butch. It was a love fest.

However, there was one line, which quoted Ricky Fowler, that stood out to me. Golf Digest placed the quote on the picture that ended the article. Before you read it, remember that my opinions about instruction and famous instructors are well-documented and cynical. Therefore, take that into consideration as I explain my view. Here is the quote.

Am I the only one who sees it? Didn’t I just read that Butch has created a mystique so potent that it allows him to cherry pick his players based on their chance to be great? Ever hear of catching a shooting star? What a fortunate position to be in, huh? Having the gravitas to write your own ticket must be wonderful. But, before you think that hard work led to his success, let me tell you that it was inevitable.

I’ll hold Butch’s astrology in reserve, or at least until enough of you ask for it that I feel compelled to share it. In the mean time, I can just say his heritage provided a paved path to success that never wavered. Additionally, Butch has always been nice to people who can help him.

He learned golf from his father, who provided his sons an immediate “In” with top players. It’s a dynasty – a continuum of consistent presence in one field of work. As a dynasty grows, it intensifies. Hence, over the past thirty years, we witnessed the weight of the Harmon family dynasty manifested in Butch and his brothers’ fame. But, dynasties are fickle things.

The Hilton’s had a dynasty. Paris is their matriarch now. However, she is famous or, infamous, not because she has any special business skill, but because she has the benefit of the Hilton dynasty. Her family maintains business partners that Paris used to turn her sows ear of an image into a silk purse.

Then, there is the Open Stance Academy. Descended from no one teaching the Open Stance, I work without the assistance of ropes and safety nets, inheritance or privilege. My only possession is the brain between my ears and the desire to free golfers from the cult-of-personality, instructional treadmill. Hopefully, I’ll have the opportunity to be a hypocrite in the near future, so I can find out if I’m any different than he who floats on a raft of adoration. In the mean time…

Open your stance, and play golf.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Ladies and Gentlemen, An Interview With Gurbaaz Mann, the world’s greatest club-fitter:

JW: Mr. Mann, we spoke at-length last year at The Bridgestone Invitational, where you impressed me with your intelligence and comprehensive knowledge of club-fitting. Suffice it to say, I came away with the opinion that the world needs to know who you are and what makes you the world’s greatest club-fitter. So today, if you please, I want to sort of lay the foundation for further talks by going backward in your golfing history. Do you mind?

GM: “Fire away at will.”

JW: Okay. First, Lets talk about what led you to your current career. I’d start with academics first. But, since schooling and golf for us began about the same time, Ill start with golf. So… Baaz, tell us about your playing resume. Are there highlights that stand out in your memory?

GM: Sure, I was No 1 Junior in India in 1999-2000. Then, I earned a partial scholarship from Arizona State to play on their golf team. I turned pro after school and played on the Indian Tour, where I was Rookie of The Year. I won twice and earned Asian Tour Status. Then, I played on the Asian Tour for six years and earned a world-ranking.

JW: Your upward playing trajectory sort of flattened off. What was behind that?

GM: In 2010, I suffered a Labrum Tear injury in my hip that ended my playing for two years. I did recover from the injury in 2012 and my best finish on the Indian Tour thereafter was 2nd in 2013.

JW: Tell us about your schooling. I would guess you were an excellent scholar. What were your favorite subjects?

GM: I attended High School at St. John’s High School, Chandigarh, India before attending ASU. My strongest schooling subjects were Economics, Math, Physics and English.

JW: Those subjects certainly make sense considering your command of physical concepts with regard to the golf ball and club interactions. I’ll ask more pointed questions about the empirical data you, alone, possess later. For now, and on the lighter side, who were your golfing heroes?

GM: My Father starting out as a 10 year old. He was a three-time Club Champion and a scratch handicap. He represented India for the Senior Championships. After him, I like Jeev Milkha Singh, David Duval, Ernie Els, Tiger Woods, Colin Montgomery, Seve Ballesteros, Jack Nicklaus, Davis Love… not necessarily in that order.

JW: That’s an extensive list.

GM: I couldn’t ever pick one as a favourite as I enjoyed each of their games for different skills.

JW: Yes, I certainly understand that. They each had a specialized skill in their skill-set, which leads me to my next question. What were your strengths on the golf course?

GM: I was the longest hitter on the Indian and Asian Tour, which contributed to my high rank on the eagles and birdies list. My wedge play around the greens was also very strong.

JW: And your weakness was…?

GM: My putting was probably the weakest part of my game until 2014 where I re-learned it all in a fresh way, and I dare say it has become a stronger part of my game. I took time off from pro golf and doing research into golf technologies and protocols in manufacturing etc. to understand this. Also when I was able to apply this to more players in my academy and see immediate results I knew I was on to something.

JW: I sense we are headed toward another interview about what you do on the other side of the ropes. So, Baaz, let me ask one more question for this episode. Do you still play/competitively? 

GM: Yes. I have recently been able to qualify for the Indian Tour as I have been positioned here for a while. I finished 16th in the Q school to earn a full playing card status. Otherwise, I only play as I am a mentor to some players on the tour and it helps me to keep applying my process to myself, which has yielded good results. Considering I have not played actively for four years and only eight competitive rounds last year, it was good to finish 16th on a really tough scoring track.

JW: Thank you for your time, Gurbaaz Mann. Talk soon.

Open your stance, and play golf.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Watching Bryson DeChambeau win in Dubai reinforced what we all know and raised a second question. Which is, if putting wins, why worry about full-swing set-up? The answer is simple, actually. However, I will draw it out as if a proof of work.

I can answer the question with a question of my own. I ask, how would either part of the game exist without intention? Putting excellence and set-up consistency both begin with perfect practice rooted in the desire to repeat what works. We express our desire by intending to fulfill it. Intention requires attention. By definition, any desire unfulfilled, was not a desire. Hence, future proves past.

Assuming the expression of desire is underway, the next step is that we have to create a philosophical anchor for our technique. Our philosophy is expressed in an intentional set-up to our ball and target. The “putting wins” axiom is true. However, it is incidental to excellent putting, which is also subject to a set-up anchor for technique.

Technique, on it’s own, has more to do with movement. Therefore, I will bypass that topic, for now. However, I will say my Open Stance following is quickly growing. And, in my opinion, it’s because golfers are beginning to understand that they are responsible for their own expression of desire.

Open your stance, and play golf.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

 

Watch out for Rabbits, Sheep, Boars this year… (and Tigers and Rats). The Chinese Year of the Pig is agreeable for lots of people. However, 2019 will especially favor Rabbits (Cat), Sheep (Goat), and Boars (Pig). Tigers and Rats also have a decent shot at achieving. Basically, any PGA Tour golfers born in odd numbered years will do well for the next sixteen months, but especially my big three.

Rabbits include Woods, Hadwin, Stanley, Day, Lowry, Burgoon, Hadley, Poulter, Malnati, Willett, and Streb. These guys will have to focus their nervous energy without over-taxing their bodies to do it. The best examples of the Lucky Rabbit are Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Tiger Woods, and Vijay Singh.

Boars include Leishman, Champ, S.W. Kim, Na, Hossler, Steele, Gay, and Blaum. These gents will have to have a good home life to feel free to achieve. The best examples of the friendly Boar are Gary Player, Fred Couples, Mark Calcavecchia, and David Duval.

Sheep include Howell III, Ancer, Glover, Gooch, Conners, Bozelli, An, and Werenski. These boys will have to outwork everyone else so they feel deserving at the big moments and foil their inclination to get run over. Best examples of the Sheep are Billy Casper and Fred Funk.

Tigers include Kizzire, Chappell, Niemann, S.J. Im, and Gore. They will have to fight off boredom in practice, which they do not like. Notice how few get to the top? They’d rather go fishing. The best examples of the dynamic Tiger have been Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen, Hal Sutton, and Bruce Lietzke.

Rats Johnson, Woodland, Kisner, List, Bradley, Aphibarnrat, Sharma, Wise, and Burns are happiest when they are staying busy. Their brains never shut down. These guys have to set specific goals with a scoring part of their game and reach them with their relentless practice. The best examples of the Industrious Rat are Hogan, Nelson, Snead, Miller, Fleisher, and DJ.

The last few years have been dominated by the hard working signs. Rats, Roosters (Spieth, Thomas, DeChambeau), Horses (Koepka, Reed, Watson, Kutcher), and Dogs (Rahm, Molinari) have owned the majors. However, the Pig doesn’t like confrontation, so those types will have a hard time getting over the hump.

I’ll always take the hard workers over the lazier animal signs. Therefore, we can look to who is trending. Anyone inside the top 100 and moving up is worth watching. Let’s see what happens.

Open your stance, and play golf.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

 

Here we go again! The Open Stance (2012) and Three Short Game Lessons (2016) versus Golfweek (Jan/Feb 2019). Wouldn’t it be more wise to buy my book for $9.00 than spend $25 every year for a Golf et.al. magazine subscription? Most of their instructional content originates from my work anyway. I think you’d have fun using my book to find out how GD uses it.

In the latest issue, Dr. Bob Winters offered a two-page spread on becoming a great putter in three attitude changes. He subdivides one issue into three neuroses.

His bottom line is create an intention that leads to proficiency. However, he doesn’t use the word intention. He uses “an action plan”, “plan”, “create an appreciation”, and “mental blueprint”. Could word use be distracting or destructive. I think we already have our answer.

If these dazzle-merchants can hook an audience with flashy words, Dr. Drag and Professor Prod can pull you away from pursuing more central issues, which actually lead to improvement. Therefore, let me say to our periodical few, ‘catch phrases are running out, people! You’ll have to use fact-based definitions sooner or later, so you might as well start now.’

Obviously, Drag and Prod believe improvement is secondary to personality. I certainly don’t believe it. Why do you think my site is free? Yes, I charge for my books, but WAY less than several golf publications designed for consumerism. Maybe we are helpless to resist the pretty pictures and, therefore, continue on our Golf Mag. blender bender.

Open your stance, and play golf.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

 

In this post, I’ll be reviewing the Open Stance changes made in elements of set-up and golf swing. My comments assume you are using a consistent, open stance. I was going to expose the latest Golf Digest, again. But, that’s too easy. Besides, the adaptation to an Open Stance is so much more interesting.

Here is a list of elements to consider altering to adapt to your Open Stance.

Set-Up: Pre-wound backswing
Clubface square to your target
Grip orientation to facilitate Open philosophy
Shoulders parallel left of target, and closed to your hips
Hips closed to your feet
Feet open to your target line

Flattened Golf Swing
Ball position – move back in your stance along feet line
Leading foot square to feet line
Lower armswing facilitated by increase in torso tilt away from target, along feet line
Club shaft across feet line at the top of your swing and parallel to or at the target

Weight Distribution
Due to closed hips and shoulders, weight moves forward, which is why ball position may modulate from club to club without increasing your tilt from wedge to driver.
Your temptation will be to move toward the target in your downswing…. Don’t.
As I have always said and written: Move, in balance, to your forward heel through impact. If you cannot reach your ball initially, move closer at address.
Leg drive will compensate for thin misses by keeping your hips and shoulders closed a fraction longer in your downswing – allowing you to release your club into the ball.

Let me know.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Do we love David Ledbetter? Maybe we do. But, we can be sure Golf Digest loves Ledbetter, and uses Ledbetter’s gravitas to further their interests. Does David Ledbetter love truth? Maybe he does. Nonetheless, he certainly knows someone outside the established instruction hierarchy is its only purveyor. Here, in another example of the power of truth, Golf Digest takes yet another step closer to John Wright’s truth.

Page 16 shows a picture of David with his right elbow planted inside his trailing hip. Moreover, at the top of the page, there is a quote citing the import of the right elbow (no regard for lefties?). Additionally, the text alludes to practicing properly using the trailing elbow in a movement common to great ball-strikers.

And, which ball-strikers are mentioned in his piece? Lee Trevino, Calvin Pete, Jim Furyk, and Fred Couples. Why this selection of golfers, you ask? Because, the two who don’t set-up open have physical limitations or abilities that most symmetrical people don’t have. One has a handicap, and one has hyper-mobility in the hips.

Every Open Stance player has the move Ledbetter recommends. However, his job is to sell it to people who don’t set up open. In doing so, he and Golf Digest are guaranteeing broken swings.

You see how it’s done? They take two anomalies, advise an important structure but not the Open Stance, then cite two, Open Stance champions as indemnification. Accordingly, they can deny any intentional misdirection when their advice, inevitably, backfires. Plausible deniability is great thing for maintaining influence.

Ohhh, this was fun! Conspiracy theory is a hobby, I suppose. I also thought I’d have some more fun at the expense of Golf Digest and David. However, we won’t press the idea so as not to invite a denial. That way, we can all be friends.

Open your stance, and play golf.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy