Movies have framed some profound truths over the decades. I think commonalities or universal themes are what makes movies great. Consider movies like The Wizard of Oz, Casablanca, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory, Forrest Gump, and The Matrix. Each is a classic, and each subsequent film edges closer to one fundamental theme, or truth. However, movies never give us control of the narrative. Why do you suppose that is? For a moment, consider the possibility that “There is no spoon”.

Our minds chew on situations, conventions, legends, myths, and fables all day long. Then, we provide our point of view as if it is original material. I don’t know what that is… arrogance, maybe. However, self-protection or something more akin to survival instinct may be more fair reasoning. In any case, we choose our narrative based on our ability to communicate it.

Articulating an idea requires, in my opinion, connection to truth. Hear me out. Truth does not come looking for us. We have to go find it. We have to search, read, and discuss, which is why books and blogs are always better than movies. Additionally, reading requires that we use our imagination to color the story. And, fortunately, color doesn’t keep the pony on the page from being a pony.

Reading also gives us time to gradually work out our feelings. Moreover, the brain seeking truth through print is impartial, which means truth cannot hide behind motive. There is no “Side” to obey, and no line to toe. The spoon may represent fear. However, fear doesn’t exist in truth-seeking. Therefore, truth is freedom. Now for the golf-spoon connection….

My own process followed this roadmap. There was no material self-interest involved in my research which, in retrospect, is great. I never had anything to sell. “It’s Science”, as Ron Burgundy would say. Connecting the swing to the set-up led to research that expanded my ability to articulate my findings. And, in the process, I became adept at word-punching the instruction industry right in the baby-maker.

You should, too. Read instructional books. Be skeptical. Question everything. Work out your own feelings about the Open Stance. Then, talk to someone about what you discover, because golfers need this message in different words. Provide it. Open your stance, and play golf.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Are you noticing the relationship of winners to the Open Stance? It’s not a coincidence. It’s causal. Therefore, can we really be surprised Bryson DeChambeau won again with an Open Stance?

Yes, Bryson putted great. However, birdie putts require proximity to the hole. Proximity to the hole requires greens in regulation. Also, greens in regulation require a golfer to hit fairways on a Tillinghast course.

Furthermore, hitting fairways requires good contact. Good contact requires a repeatable swing. Thus, a repeatable swing requires the repeatable swing structure provided by the trailing elbow.

Additionally, the repeatable swing structure provided by the trailing elbow requires a repeatable reaction to the ball and target to keep the club from closing. Finally, such a repeatable reaction requires the same, open, set-up orientation.

Bryson DeChambeau, therefore, is a winner because he has set himself up to succeed.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Jordan Peterson and The Open Stance Corollary

Jordan Peterson is a clinical psychologist, erudite teacher, and purveyor of empirical truth in the modern world. He is an advocate for personal responsibility and what is provable over personal rights what is felt. Suffice it to say, therefore, that he and I agree. Anyone who has not heard him speak is really missing out.

I advocate self-directed golf improvement based on personal responsibility and necessary, ‘first things, first’ decision-making. J.P. advocates framing conversation with necessary societal hierarchies. Therefore, I am certain that, upon hearing or reading my holistic explanation of the Open Stance progression, Peterson would understand and appreciate it’s curative nature.

J.P. makes a compelling argument for ‘first things first’ in all areas of life. Examples of his approach are seemingly everywhere. However, I need to thank him for corroborating my one, little corner. Peterson’s line of work and my own are converging (along with every other), as is the conversation about why we are here. As a result, our society moves further and further from the idea of separateness or individualism.

Thought is advancing with conflict in civil debate. Subdividing complex thought into clever, agenda-driven, bite-sized portions is disappearing with bandwidth and “long-form” interviews/interactions. When we finally block out the ‘noise’ of self-interest, we’ll be better able to contribute to the conversation.

Furthermore, I am thrilled to have my work validated by my students, followers, and other prominent intellectuals. For now, my work and Mr. Peterson’s are bridged only by implication. Perhaps soon, I’ll make connections that allow my conversation to more quickly advance.

Obviously, he is not talking about golf in this clip. However, you’ll notice an Open Stance corollary pretty quickly. You will hear J.P. allude to Need, Intention, Philosophy, Anthropological Feedback, and the psychological consequences of winging it. You’ll hear him cite a Progression of thought related to hierarchical structures. Anyway… enjoy the show.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Jim Furyk was on CNBC this morning in a lead-up to the Ryder Cup. At the conclusion of the interview, Kernan questioned Furyk’s unusual move at the ball. Furyk told him his dad was a golf professional and knew he was a feel player. Therefore, he (assumed) “You can repeat what’s natural”, so he allowed it.

Jim Furyk has been a great player for a couple decades. He won the US Open in ‘03, and the Fed Ex Cup in ‘10. Jim is one of the streakiest putters of the last thirty years. He has been known as a great ball-striker, too. His tournament history is equally littered with predictable miscues that cost him many wins. However, let’s discuss the question of repeating what is natural, because that statement implies we cannot repeat what is unnatural.

Is it equally logical to say Furyk’s swing was unnatural to the eye? If his natural swing was repeatable, shouldn’t it be reliable? What if we noticed that, under final nine pressure and predictable course conditions, like trouble on the left, Jim’s swing broke down (reliably) each time? How can something repeatable fail when it counts? It’s because repeatability, like timing, has nothing to do with feel (). Therefore, we can assume Jim was a fairly willful boy, which served him well in competition, up to a point.

I would argue that Jim is a great adaptive athlete, who made the most of a need for maximum motion in his swing. He wasn’t swinging that way for nothing, and he wasn’t swinging that way because it was natural. His swing may have been a form of rebellion. But, one thing is certain… Jim was telling a story with his swing.

He was saying, “I want to stand too close to my ball. So, what I’m going to do is stand up straighter, maybe because my core is softer than others’. Then, I’ll balance an above-the-plane club head with severely under-the-plane hands. My net is a very upright move to meet the ball. Now, to square the club, I’m going to rotate my whole body past the ball, with minimal separation, while the club is still behind me. Then, I’ll rely on perfect timing to pull it off. Meanwhile, I’ll create maximum drama, and leave everyone wondering how I did it.”

Obviously, Jim is a golf swing raconteur, under-par excellence. However, any story told a thousand times has different iterations. If we dissect such a story, we notice differences… inconsistencies. Why? Because it is unnatural to repeat the same story the same way, without variation, for decades. In my view, Jim’s swing guarantees a failure that eventually must come in order to make the “story” interesting for the him, as well.

Therefore, it is not Jim Furyk’s swing that is “natural” or that “You can repeat what’s natural“. The truth is that the golf swing is unnatural. Doing what is natural with an unnatural situation doesn’t, somehow, create nature. Perhaps doing what is unnatural with an unnatural situation is the way to balance the scale – effectively eliminating the boredom while making our personal “stories” more interesting in each telling.

Some say the Open Stance is unnatural and the square stance is natural. Obviously, I disagree. Both are contrivances based on philosophies. However, my philosophy seems logical, because the Open Stance cooperates with my physical well-being while enhancing power and repeatability. Therefore, I chose to set up open, and play golf. I recommend you do the same.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Bubba Watson is a genius ball-striker and shot-shaper. I watched him hit golf balls at Firestone Tuesday while waiting for my interview with Gurbaaz Mann, and I noticed something. He doesn’t hit two shots in a row with the same shape. However, he does hit each different shot from the same open stance.

He has adapted his own swing triggers for each shot shape based on experience. For a straight ball, he lifts his front heel before he draws it back. When he hits the big cut, he starts with it flat on the ground. This can’t be taught. This is his genius. His swing is untouchable with conventional coaching. Therefore, we should just resign ourselves to enjoy the show.

In the following swing, you’ll notice how pointless swing coaches are, and how powerful the open stance philosophy really is. Bubba Watson is not only the “most amazing” (Baaz) shot shaper on tour, but he also is without any coach other than open stance necessities and feedback.

Re-read my post about sides of the plane. One is titled, Which Side of the Plane is Best For You, and the other is titled, It’s Easier to Control The Above The Plane Than The Below The Plane. Either will help you understand why Bubba can do what no one else can.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Golfers struggle, because golf is a hard game to master. Golf is hard to master because most don’t pay attention to their set-up. Time constraints on practicing well is usually the culprit. We stop paying attention to our other half. Thus, we are left with a choice – heal or quit. I’m here to say, don’t quit. If your golf swing is complicating your life, try Couples Therapy.

Click here to begin.
Fred Couples

Timing Has Nothing To Do With Feel

Some instructors promote numbers when fixing swing problems. They believe there is an ideal movement rate away from and back to the ball. They have extrapolated an average timing ratio of backswing to downswing among elite players, and applied it to all shots in golf – even putting.

Until Jordan Spieth arrived, these instructors preached putter movement in a 2:1 ratio. However, his 1:1 ratio called that method into question. But, now that his timing has slowed to its current condition, he misses putts he never missed two years ago. Why? Because, timing has nothing to do with feel.

Feel is an individual expression, in motion, of our psychological and physiological makeup. Why would instructors try to shoehorn golfers into a mental movement trap? Easy… because instructors don’t yet understand that movement is a reaction to a plan. Furthermore, our plan is as unique as our reaction to it.

I was watching my young student do the tee drill while putting, and I noticed the evolution of his putting stroke as he worked. I was sitting on the patio talking to him about how good his putting stroke is. Each putt was a perfect expression of the intentional plan he executed and the feedback of the prior putt.

I told him to be aware of his movement from putt to putt while obeying his plan. He agreed he noticed his movement changed. However, not once did I talk of timing. I explained feel is independent of intellect, planning, or desire for control.

Golf is about practiced, intuitive cooperation with your plan. Feel is much more about submission to the shot and commitment to executing a quality stroke. Commitment, cooperation, and execution cannot happen without an intention. Therefore, neither can they exist without a need. In short, if you don’t need to make it happen, it won’t happen. That is the credo upon which the Open Stance relies.

Open your stance, and play golf.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

It’s easier to control the above the Plane than the below the Plane. People who set up closed may have rounds or periods when they can succeed. Shots below the Plane are easier to hit. And, I’ve never claimed that setting up closed means a golfer cannot hit it straight or that they cannot go low. What I did say is that a closed stance can lead to injury and overall, erratic results. I said the compensations are not worth the violations of Physics.

Below-the-Plane shots are hooks and draws measured by the line of your feet. You may hit your ball at the target for a while, but it never lasts. It only lasts long enough to allow you to think your swing is special and outside the laws of Physics. Building a swing on fantasy is not recommended here. Instead, we recommend you choose a set-up that does not compromise power while engendering control.

The Open Stance set-up allows every shot with your ball to finish above the plane along your feet AND land on the target line. The structures necessary to keep the club from closing are also structures necessary to create repeatable, powerful movement. Only by opening your stance do you set in motion this kenisiological certainty. Therefore, why would a sane person set up closed?

Why players are able to occasionally win with a closed stance may as well be the subject of astrology as physics. However, the best ball-strikers of all time all employed and open stance. Therefore, I will endeavor to explain, in many different golf dialects and accents, why that is the case. Read my other articles for background.

Releasing the club is fraught with danger if too late along the line of your feet. Steep impact with a slice and shallow, quick hooks are common errors. Late releases dominate the swings from closed stances. It’s a perfectly athletic reaction to a catastrophic foundation. It’s like building a house in a floodplain without insurance. You may live there for years without incident. However, sooner or later, the water will overflow it’s banks.

Open your stance, and play golf.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

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Your set-up can feed your brain or starve your brain. Your brain is fed when its asked to cooperate, and starved when asked to fight. Cooperation is harmonious. Fighting is dissonant. Therefore, choosing to set-up any way we like can unconsciously determine our success or failure of efficiency and consistency.

One precept of my research has been that an Open Stance creates swing efficiency. Swing efficiency comes from eliminating extra motion. The degree to which a person wastes motion decreases with practice from any set up. However, an Open Stance set-up saves motion while diminishing athletic dissonance. In short, you don’t have to compensate for unconscious errors, because your Open Stance is a deliberate choice.

Deliberation is planning. Planning is repeatable. Repetition is conscious. Repeated, conscious action becomes subconscious with practice. Practice implies pursuit. Pursuit reveals purpose, or Intention. And, intention is the truest expression of Need. Hence, only when we make a CHOICE about our set-up, do we improve our golf swing. Furthermore, only when we set up open do we generate cooperation with our athletic selves.

Early on in my teaching career, I heard older instructors reference set up. However, while conducting Open Stance research, I remembered zero discussion of foot orientation to target line. All I ever heard was, “Set-up is all that matters.” Set-up had become a discussion of posture, grip, and alignment – without describing cause and effect. All I did was fill gaps in the discussion. In the process, the Open Stance emerged as something more than a fad or an option for efficient ball-striking.

This is our Red Pill moment…. The Golfing Machine and Fifty Years of Bad Advice have drugged the golfing world. Under the auspices of ‘freedom of movement’, we were taught motion is all that matters. And, in the wake of that advice, the instruction industry has grown by leaps and bounds. However, our national handicap has not improved over that time. I can only conclude that the truth must have been omitted from the narrative we came to know and recite. Therefore, golfer health must have been sacrificed for industry health.

I promote the cooperative set-up philosophy which, at the same time, is improving ball-striking and handicap ‘health’ around the world. People don’t need to think about how to put food into their mouths. Brains are wired to cooperate with intention which, nutritionally, involves the cooperative link between health and longevity. Therefore, I’ve made it my mission to provide the most healthy and satisfying “food” for aspiring golfers. All you have to do is sit down, and eat.

You don’t have to see my face to hear my voice. Therefore, open your stance, and play golf. To golfers predisposed toward self-guidance, with a golf-swing diet consisting of jelly doughnut and potato chip fixes, I say, “Pride go’eth before the fall.”

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy