I have an Open Stance Guest article coming soon. I’ll post it asap or else I’ll have to write it from memory. Either way, you’ll probably laugh as hard as I always did listening to my buddy’s swing description. It’s sure to go viral. LOL

I’ve asked him to contribute so you can see how different creative processes lead to the same success. I’ll guarantee you’ve never thought of your process like my friend. He’ll be a regular on my Golf Channel TV show, if that day comes.

Hint, it’s from the person in the last article’s photo.

Happy Holidays!

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Blurry Is A Blessing Sometimes

Timing Has Nothing To Do With Feel

It Was Only a Matter of Time…

Many students around the World email me questions regarding how an open stance benefits this body part or that, this move or that, etc. Today, I’m going to explain a dynamic no teacher has ever broached before. I’m here to explain the strategic benefit of an Open Stance.

I was watching a video of Jack Nicklaus explain why he gripped the club weaker with his left hand than most players of his day. He said it was so his tendency would be to miss with a fade or “Right”. What struck me was not the miss his grip promoted, but his set-up and compensatory movement that insured his strategic dynamic.

JW Nicklaus set up Open to his golf ball. Whether his grip initiated the set-up or vice versa, opening his stance insured his hips cleared sooner, more completely, better… whatever. Clearing hips is one clear benefit of an Open Stance and acknowledged by a world of golfers as fact. Why is clearing our hips of strategic import?

Clearing our hips keeps our golf club from closing. When our hips “Clear”, our arms and hands are more passive. Our leading arm’s role here has been covered before, The One Common Swing Link In Every Fade. Therefore, I won’t recover it.

JW’s grip and set-up necessitated more active legs and rotation to square his club at impact. Therefore, if he didn’t quite make it back to square, his club stayed open a bit. The one guarantee was aggressive rotation every time.

It’s not as though he was Bubba Open. He was only open enough to create the right athletic response. His grip got the credit for his miss. However, his Open Stance gets the credit for his good shots. I’ll explain this in more depth on the lesson tee in Florida. Announcement coming in January.

Just as an aside about Mr. Nicklaus…. My college coach, Katman, played at Ohio State as a senior when Jack was a Freshman. Katman always said (in his customary rasp), “Wait a while, wait a while…. Let me tell you somethin’. JW, you’re long. But JW Nicklaus was the longest of all time (Lest we forget our persimmons and balatas). Any time he wanted, it was goin’ 350. It was… awesome.” He always laughed.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

It Is Not The Fade That Creates Control

A Walk and Talk With Jack Nicklaus

First Things First: Create an Intent for Your Game

The Open Stance is what cures every golf swing. If you’ve been following my work on the subject, you know I’m looking for someone who can disprove my assertions… ANYONE. However, to this point and after ten years, I’ve been unsuccessful in my search.

I stay hopeful, though. I suspect my life would be immeasurably easier if I didn’t have to watch the championship golfing world win with an Open Stance without anyone mentioning it by name. But, then again, that is the very evidence that I’ve struck a very important nerve within the instruction/teaching/coaching industry.

Things are coming together in the OSA world! Look for my new World Headwaters location in January.

Best Wishes,

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

I’d Never Heard of Bertrand Russell, Only Russell Brand

Are Butch Harmon and Sean Foley reading my website?

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

If you have ever wondered how to set our plane on THE plane, this is a snapshot of that longer explanation. In order to completely explain our process, I’d have to spend time connecting all the disciplines involved from Physics to Need, and back again. I can certainly indulge the thirsty in practice, but this is a blog, so let’s clip the string a bit to make it more easily digestible.

Every swing has a plane of its own. However, our downswing plane is the material plane. Our backswing plane is important, but not essential to our shorter discussion format. Therefore, lets make this easy…. We have to set our plane on the target plane at impact for optimal shot-making.

The downswing plane is steep, optimal, or shallow, which means outside in, square, or inside out along our plane. Also, we are able to swing ‘over’ the target plane, ‘on’ the target plane, or ‘under’ the target plane with any combination of qualitative differences, depending on set-up. However, none of these are empirically tied to set-up, feet, hips, shoulders, or positioning of any kind. Again, we are looking for simplicity.

Every discussion of “Swing Plane” is ultimately measured by the “Target Plane” – regardless of what we do from set-up to strike. Hearing golfers talk about how their swing works always gives me a chuckle, because the laws of Physics don’t care about how its done if the player’s goal has been met. It’s just that sometimes, one golfer will have a lesser goal than another, that’s all. However, Physics is the base of all informed explanation.

If our set-up is closed, we have to steepen to correct. When our set-up is Open, we have to shallow to correct. etc, etc. What we have to determine is our goal and our knowledge about reaching our goal.

Setting a goal is sort of the easy part. Goals are part dreams and part desires. This is where ambition lives. Knowledge, however, is why you are here. Knowing how the natural laws apply to sending a golf ball out into the air to accomplish our goal is our challenge. Therefore, let’s talk about optimization.

Optimal shots have certain qualities, which are: maximum distance per individual, accuracy as defined by small distance and directional dispersion that is repeatable, and adaptational adjustments for natural elements. However, each golfer has optimal shots, subjectively. The temptation among elitists is to judge someone else’s result by their own goals. That’s why The Open Stance Academy asks a student to provide feedback on improvement- so we never get ahead of the student’s mental process. We engage our students in their knowledge base first, and then introduce corollaries, or bridges, to expand our shared experience.

Optimal shots also occur regardless of set-up philosophy. But, only shots struck from an Open Stance encourage optimal ball-striking with the target plane and optimal shot-making in mind. As previously and constantly mentioned in prior articles, books, and submissions by me, the Open Stance set-up philosophy necessitates certain structures that enhance repeatability, extend physical health and longevity, and create power. All are built into adapting our movement to our set-ups, and our ultimate goal of better golf.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

The Secret in The Open Stance

Our Frame May Change, But The Plane Does Not

The Longer You Stay On The Plane, The Further It Will Take You

The Open Stance Academy is expanding south! Indeed, the greatest idea to ever be uttered in the world of golf and its promoter, John Wright, are growing. He is spreading his philosophy and his talent into the southern US. Can you feel the Earth moving?

This was always an eventuality. It was never in question. Now, Founder John Wright has found partners of like mind and enough resources to create the world’s premier golf learning destination. Expanding with help is always better than expanding alone. Details to follow.

“Always Try New Ideas – Butch”

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

Set-Up Philosophy Can Create or Destroy Golf Swing Efficiencies

Sorry, I was away for a week. Did anything happen in the golf world since then? I just saw Patrick Cantlay used his Open Stance to win the Tour Championship. HMM, WHO COULD HAVE GUESSED!!!!!

Also remarkable that his closest chaser, Jon Rahm, ALSO EMPLOYS AN OPEN STANCE SET-UP!!! Hellooooo! Open Stance Wins… again. Please tip your waiters and waitresses. I’ll be here all week. Thank you and good night.

Be open to change. Without change, there is no life.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Patrick Cantlay Won The Memorial From an Open Stance
The Open Just Won The Open
The Secret in The Open Stance

So, Patrick Cantlay and Bryson Dechambeau finished 1-2? Did anyone notice their set-up?

Hmm. Seems like their is a similarity. But, what could it be? Rocco, can you guess. John D, Jay W maybe you can see it. Garland? Baaz? Anyone? Let me watch it again, and I’ll get back to you.

Anyone Write About An Open Stance Cure Before John Wright?

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

Patrick Cantlay Won The Memorial From an Open Stance

This article is about great wedge play and passive acceleration. In the next few months, you will hear “Passive Acceleration” used for the first time on network golf channels and in your lessons with instructors galore. Wait and see. And just as an FYI, “active” acceleration is moving the club as fast as possible with stretched muscle groups to create maximum clubhead speed, which requires effort. “Passive” acceleration is moving the minimum number of muscle groups just fast enough to stay out of the way of gravity while hitting a feel shot – like a wedge. Great wedge play requires passive acceleration.

By the time I hit wedges with Bruce Fleischer, I had taught myself to allow gravity to drive my downswing. Coincidentally, I recognized once my club was prepared, I had little else to do than stay out of the way into impact. I became VERY accurate with my wedges. Hitting the post as many as three times in a row from 60 yards – four out of five recently.

My realization was that as long as I allow gravity to create my speed, all I have to do is stay out of the way. The force of gravity accelerates an object from zero to 123mph at 9.6 meters per second squared. My acceleration stays ahead of gravity’s. Therefore, I accelerate ‘Passively’ into impact.

Often, golfers try to shorten their movement under the auspices of ‘efficiency’. Some professionals even tense their core or quads or glutes at this moment or that under the watchful eye of their guru – never realizing their drills are the reason their feel suffers. Hence, without realizing the force of gravity is a constant, passive, and therefore – most efficient, we create more work than necessary to hit short shots. In the process, we lose feel.

The key is to set up open to steepen and lean the shaft while gravity delivers on a promise made hundreds of years ago. Listening to “Experts” tell you how to move obfuscates the truth, as usual. Set up Open. Swing your leading arm along the target line, and get ready for gravity to fill in the speed variable. Next time, I’ll describe the leading arm in wedge play, unless another, more prescient topic, occurs to me.

The Key To Great Wedge Play Is Eye-solation

Why Tour Players’ Heads Move “Down” Through Impact

Ball Position With an Open Stance