Deciding who is the best requires our use of commonalities. Comparing Bobby Jones to Jack Nicklaus to Tiger Woods to Scottie Scheffler has some obvious hurdles… time, for one. However, I believe fair comparisons are possible, not by eliminating the hurdles, but rather, including the same hurdles.

Golf is an individual sport. Reliance on self is at a premium. Distractions are hurdles that draw priority away from the self. Therefore, if we are judging the “Best”, then identifying the commonality qualifies legends with or without, regardless of time, over time.

Who was the best? Okay, what are the conditions, in each golfer’s life, that we are using as a basis for comparison? I think it would fair to subdivide the discussion under a combination of conditions. However, the two conditions that struck me today and, that each of the greatest golfers experienced are, married with children – where family concerns were the focus rather than playing golf and setting records. Of those conditions, and because Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and maybe Arnold Palmer, never had a ‘unfamilied’ tour win, the only commonality is with family. Fatherhood is the commonality as qualifier.

Jack Nicklaus is the greatest… no close second. His family priority dominated his life from the tender age of 22. Can you even imagine that? Absolutely unbelievable! Everything outside of his amateur career happened as a father. Jack won seventy-three PGA Tour titles and 18 majors as a father. I believe Mr. Nicklaus’ resume will NEVER be equaled. Put that prediction in your books.

Gary Player comes in second. Like Nicklaus, Mr. Player’s family priority dominated his life from the tender age of 22. And again… unbelievable! All but a few titles, outside of his amateur career, happened as a father. Mr. Player won his 159 worldwide titles, including twenty-four PGA Tour titles and nine majors, after his first was born. His worldwide professional record will never be broken. And you can write that down, too.

Arnold Palmer is third. Mr. Palmer got married early and his first child was born in 1956. And again, nearly all his professional wins occurred after he and Winnie had started a family. He won sixty-two PGA Tour titles, including seven majors – only a few of which may have preceded family priorities.

Tom Watson comes in a close fourth. Tom’s family priority dominated his life from the tender age of 23. Everything outside of his amateur career happened as a father. All thirty-nine PGA Tour Titles, including eight majors, happened after his first child was born.

Phil and Amy Mickleson didn’t have a child until 1999… and Phil’s family priority began. Before his first was born, he won thirteen times with no majors victories. Beginning after the birth of his first child, he won thirty-two times with six majors titles. By the family standard, Phil was not as accomplished as Jack and Gary, but good enough to be in the top five.

Bobby Jones won six of seven professional majors and five more amateur majors after his first was born. Remember, however, there was no Masters or PGA Championships, which could have doubled Jones’ total. There again, there was no standard before Mr. Jones began achieving, so there were fewer records to break. Moreover, he retired after little more than a decade in major championship golf – pro and am.

Honorable mention: Sam Snead won 143 professional tournaments and seven majors. However, due to incomplete information about Mr. Snead’s oldest child, we cannot compare his harvest. However, if his first was born prior to 1940 (28 years old) he would have 65 PGA Tour wins, including seven majors. Those numbers would rank him here at T-3 with Arnie.

Tiger was the best ‘unfamilied’ golfer – mostly because Jack, Gary, Arnold, and Tom were essentially never unfamilied. Tiger’s family priority dominated his life from 2007 on. After his first was born, he won twenty-five times with three majors victories. He would still be in the top-25, just behind Raymond Floyd.

Thus, deciding who is the best requires our use of commonalities. Food for thought, anyway.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

No Causal Link Between Muscularity and Winning in Golf

Timing Has Nothing To Do With Feel

The Open Stance wins again as Rors roars at The Players Championship. If it weren’t Rors (Rory McIlroy), I would have written about JJ Spaun. See, if one is up, the other is down, but the Open Stance Academy is proven correct, again, either way.

I’m reminded of the Seinfeld episode when George and Elaine switched statuses as winner and loser – with Elaine getting the worse of things. A mouth full of Jugee Fruits did her in. George started doing “The Opposite”, and flourished by bawling out George Steinbrenner. Jerry assured them that “everything will even out.” In this corollary, Rory is George, JJ is Elaine, and the OSA is Jerry. Every instructor on Earth is Kramer (watching things happen).

The only difference is that JJ did nothing wrong. He played great. I suspect the wind laid down just as he flushed his iron shot to the seventeenth in the playoff. I can’t prove it. However, given the expertise involved and the mutual agreement between caddy and player, wind foil seems most likely. I am sure, like for Elaine, JJ’s episode will amount to a one-and-done, too. The important takeaway is the solid contact inherent in the Open Stance dynamic that allowed Rors roars.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Open Stance Slow Mo

Lag In A Golf Swing Is The Expression Of Submission To Technique

Lee Trevino Recommends a Flatter Swing

Russell. Henley.

Congratulations, brother!

Add ‘em up.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

No Causal Link Between Muscularity and Winning in Golf

The One Common Swing Link In Every Fade

OSaFSGL – Author’s Edition

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.

How Ben Hogan Got Rid of the Hooks

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.

Everyone Improves With An Open Stance!

Subjective Explanations Are Not Proof. They Are Wishes.

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

Harry Hall, etal.

“The Ancestor of Every Action Is a Thought”

Master’s Radio Thinks Speith and Thomas Have a Problem.

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

Will The PGA Apologize To President Trump?

Do Not Be Distracted From Your Own Instincts

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

Hap.. Hap.. Happiest Christmas since …!

The Grip (a.k.a. The Hands on The Handle)

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

The Grip (a.k.a. The Hands on The Handle)

OSaFSGL – Author’s Edition