Today I’ll be discussing sidehill lies, because all lies have an appreciable affect on your impact. I am qualifying my remarks by assuming all set-up variables are equal. My current focus is terrain differences.

In my last post, I discussed how uphill and downhill lies affect impact. We know many factors influence a golf shot’s curvature and direction. But, each factor is knowable. Therefore, we can account for them when planning a golf-shot.

We tend to push or fade our ball off-target when the ball is below our feet. Our impact shallows due to one set of physical factors. Therefore, we are required to steepen impact just to optimize impact. I recommend adapting by opening your stance. Therefore, aligning your feet and body more into the slope creates desirable impact and allows for your lie and clubface to do the rest.

We tend to pull or draw our ball off-target whenever the ball is above our feet. Impact steepens due to another set of physical factors. Therefore, we are required to shallow impact just to optimize impact. I recommend adapting by closing your stance. Therefore, aligning your feet and body more into the slope creates desirable impact and allows for your lie and clubface to do the rest.

In both examples you’ll notice a similar sidehill lie remedy, which is aligning ourselves into the slope. I’ll focus on shoulder movement to answer any confusion you have. Our shoulders function to express our torso position at address. They rotate more horizontally through impact if we stand more upright. They rotate more vertically when we bend over more.

We know that our alignment allows our shoulders to open more or less along our target line by the time we make contact. Remember, all set-up variables in this discussion are “Equal”. Therefore, when we make an alignment change for a sidehill lie, we can still optimize impact by adapting to an optimal set-up.

There are adaptive options for sidehill lies with regard to clubface, torso tilt, ball position, etc. However, set-up variables require their own, individual discussion. Therefore, I’ll be covering set-up variables next. Best Wishes.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

The Open Stance featured heavily at the Masters. It’s a good thing, too. I was ready to write about the hassle and lowlights wrought in Augusta, on Friday, by tens of thousands of coiffed, tightly-wrapped, shaded, and social-butterfly attendees.

Weekend rains seemed to wash ANGC clean of all of its “special people”. An historical difference would take too much time to describe. Suffice it to say, I was hugely relieved that rain fell the last two days. As a result, true, well-mannered devotees remained to peacefully enjoy great golf at the greatest venue in golf. And, did I mention, the Open Stance made several appearances?

I could list all the golfers who instinctively know what I know. However, it would be easier to list the players who didn’t employ an Open Stance. Whether it was a chip shot or a full shot, there seemed to be a consensus about how to get around Augusta. In fact, seven of the top ten set up open… and I’m not sure about Smith and Leishman.

As a nutty aside, I watched Bubba putt his ball into the front bunker at #2! Dad and I looked at each other like, what just happened? However, it didn’t seem to bother Bubba in the least. He flopped out his bunker shot and made a one-footer for par like it was no big deal. Yes… I know he is good.

In the end, the rain was the biggest blessing ever. To me, this weekend was my greatest Masters experience yet because of it. I was able to enjoy the company of father and Uncle without undue distraction. And, at the same time, was able to watch my Open Stance boys tear it up.

Jordan, come see me soon, and I’ll put you in the fairway so you can shoot four rounds in the sixties…. I’m not joking.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

I love the line in Top Gun when Mav answers the incredulous ‘Charlie’ how, if he was above the MiG, could he see it? With forearms crossed in an X, he answered, “Because… we were inverted.” No one believed him. We heard, “Bull-+=t!” from Iceman. Apparently, Mav and Goose were not supposed to be able to pull off an Inverted, negative 4-g dive with a MiG-22. Not withstanding Hollywood effects, an inverted position must have been a daring move, at the least.

Inverted means upside-down, inside-out, or backward – no matter which way you spin it. It is a position that makes repeatability a very dicey proposition, whether in a jet or in a golf swing. It’s bad for your long-term health. But, it’s easier to understand the peril involved in taking a jet for a joy ride than your golf swing. But, let me explain the relative danger in the latter.

I coined the term, “Inversion” to describe the position of the torso in the damaging backswing. I used it in my 2010 manuscript for what would become The Open Stance and Three Short Game Lessons. And, judging by the absence of its use anywhere else, I am left to believe I am the only teacher thinking about the golf swing in original terms. However, I may be an idiot for worrying so much about so little. Nonetheless, if you have an inversion in your golf swing, your spine tilts toward the target at the top.

Creating power is difficult from an inverted position. Your brain employs the correct muscles to support your spine. However, those muscles are the wrong muscles to create power in your golf swing. Thus, you are putting your body in ‘recovery’ mode instead of ‘hammer’ mode as your downswing begins.

There are a number of sufficient indicators that help isolate this problem. A hip slide away from the target is a common culprit. A straightened trailing leg is also common. But, usually, we find it most common in golfers who want to stay connected and keep their head still, but do not, or cannot, turn their hips into their backswing.

A flattened swing plane created by an Open Stance disallows an inversion. Setting up open and maintaining an inversion would doubly-steepen impact, which is an unmistakable error. The need to shallow impact with an Open Stance dictates a flattening process. A neutral or positively-wound torso position at the top is the only way to flatten your swing with an understandable amount of arm run and connection.

Best Wishes for Your Best Golf.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Every golfer has a path to walk in hopes of finding improvement. And, all teaching professionals have a vested interest in helping people find their way. My favorite axiom is “There is an ear for every voice”. Let’s face it, each voice represents a different path to improvement. However, not every one clears the surest path.

Golfers choose their experts based on ideals like passion, knowledge, creativity, and the like. There is an entertainment value in the teacher-student dynamic, which keeps things lively. Because we are all wired differently, what is engaging to one may bore another.

My research, for instance, has been focused upon disproving that the Open Stance is the path to successful ball-striking. And, in the process, I discovered that setting up open is the perfect expression of a specific intent. Furthermore, I discovered that an intentional, Open Stance set-up eliminates confusion during the adaptive journey.

Instructors as well as teachers make many assumptions when delivering their message. Some are wise and some are foolish. Your key to faster improvement is knowing the difference. Unspoken assumptions may create confusion in students while creating wiggle-room for instructors. Consequently, assumptions not spoken leave an “Out” for instructors.

For example, we know Jack Nicklaus set up open and hit a fade. As a result, people were led to believe that hitting a fade required an open set-up. Likewise, it implied that an open set-up created a fade. And, why not… every article you read about hitting a fade will recommend opening your stance. However, what you were not told actually makes the difference in knowledge-transfer.

The missing assumptions are 1) The target does not move, 2) The student’s Intent with their golf ball is precise, 3) The golfer does not change their movement in a new set up, 4) The clubface angle does change in a new set-up, and 5) Results are immediate.

In contrast, teachers communicate the following assumptions to their students…. 1) A specific Intent with a golf ball shapes the set-up relationship between the target, ball, club, and golfer, 2) Golfers adapt in movement to cooperate with a specific intent and set-up, and 3) Results take time

One path leads to relativism and confusion. The other path leads to simplicity and knowledge. The former is the way of instruction. The latter is the way of a teacher. Therefore, my friends, be cautious when vetting your experts.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

“You have to block the ball to hit a fade”. “Just hold off your release to hit a fade.” “Swing left (RH) of the target to hit a fade.” Have you ever heard any of these tips? Have you ever repeated any of them? What if I told you that all of them were wrong because they were movement-based and, therefore, incidental? Don’t worry. Because, ladies and gentlemen, I’m going to give you the one common swing link in every fade.

You have never heard this before, most likely. I’ve been absorbing swing knowledge since I was in college, and I’ve never heard this from anyone. But, just to be fair… if you have, share who it was. I want to talk to them. The link I share now, for free, will eventually show up on The Golf Channel or in a Golf Publication, as does all my intellectual property… so watch for it. Anyway, here it is.

“The leading arm stays against the body deeper into the downswing.” Copyright Mar. 17, 2018, John J. Wright Ent. There will always be instructors who repeat or craft a message that makes them seem clever. I’ve seen that. I say, spin it any way you want. Wrap it in a beautiful word-picture to distract your students if you must…. The underlying truth does not change.

There are several reasons for several reasons that this works without exception. But, I’m not going to give those to you. I’m tired of feeding the content generator for TV personalities. However, if you write in with the correct question, I’ll answer it for you. Otherwise, you’ll just have to have faith. I want to see TV heads wrap themselves around the axle trying to answer this one.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

Imbalances are forces that provide context for all human achievement. Forces counter one another in nature and in your golf swing. Balance is the key. However, I want to explain “why” imbalances are important in creating golf swing efficiency.

I’m the first to admit to pushing an essentially meaningless intellectual exercise. All answers to golf swing questions are provable, but not necessary. The only reason I explain things this way is to counter the trend in modern instruction and help students trust their instincts.

A need, an intent, and a philosophy can easily replace all available ‘expert’ opinions about becoming a better golfer. Choosing the best set-up philosophy is really all that is needed. The student will gain adaptive experience through deliberate practice. Thereafter, my only purpose would be to teach students how to interpret their experience.

Suffice it to say the mind creates it all. Therefore, we are talking about how our mind affects our movement. The same set-up philosophy will create the same solutions to it. Fortunately, we don’t have to argue the point. Physics provides a list, or basket, of possible solutions that solve any set-up challenges.

For example, Bubba Watson and Sergio Garcia look and swing differently using an Open Stance philosophy. Yet, they achieve excellence because their intentions and their chosen philosophy are efficient and constant. Each adapted differently (Shoulder Width…”) to the same set-up philosophy while choosing offsets from the same basket of solutions. In other words, we can look differently while adapting similarly.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

The effect of foot placement on the golf swing seems to be an underexplained relationship in golf today. I suspect there is more money in omissions than cures. Of course, an alternative answer may be that there is a pervasive knowledge deficit. In either case, a student’s quest for knowledge is unfulfilled.

There is an ear for every voice. However, we need to demand that our ear gets a better explanation from our chosen voice. Otherwise, we might be getting instruction from a very confident dumbass. If true, time and money have been wasted getting a sales pitch instead of a golf lesson. Better answers can create a mental connection between our feet and golf swing.

From our first steps, we learn to fight gravity using our feet. As we gain experience walking, we dare to try running. There were answers available on the subject of how to run, but we didn’t need them. We never questioned the process, because we were too busy making it happen.

As long as our intent remains constant, we will always figure out how to move with certainty. Certainty implies commitment and efficiency. Therefore, discussing foot placement and how it affects a golf swing is really a discussion about finding and committing to objective, athletic efficiency. Properly evaluating our feedback is an absolute necessity in determining efficiency. But, what standard do we use?

We need a proper point of reference to objectively observe movement, which is always where and how we place our feet at address. For example, if we turn our rear toe toward the target, we inhibit torso and hip turn and shorten our backswing. If we turn our rear toe away from the target, we encourage more torso and hip turn and lengthen our backswing.

Foot orientation is also a feeding factor of trajectory and shot shape. But, how feedback opens the mind of the golfer is more important than any incidentals of movement. Opening our mind allows us to become more responsive, adaptable, and function with less doubt. An Open Stance promotes an optimal placement of the feet, objectively, for feedback to do it’s job for us, subjectively.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

There is one, most important guideline to follow when you are ready to achieve. That guideline is putting first things first after you create an intent for your game. There are any number of professionals willing to tell you what to do and how to do it, while ignoring why it is doable. The future of learning to achieve in golf will begin by adopting the one true route to excellence. After all, “The shortest distance between two points is a straight line… in the opposite direction, Danny.”

Some very smart people are trying to convince us of an alternate route through mental training, fitness training, dietary training, et.al. Logically, these paths eventually lead to improvement. But, I have never been the kind who suffers detours well. I am pretty impatient, so wasting time makes me cray-cray. It’s a blessing and a curse.

Usually, the instructor who is oblivious to the detour is just responding to the student’s anxiety instead of breaking down the anxiety into progressive parts. This kind of omission takes focus away from self-improvement and makes it about a relationship between instructor and student. As a self-improvement guy, the reliance on someone else for diagnostics seems ridiculous. Therefore, my goal here is really about helping you help yourself.

First, Need to reach a goal. Second, intend to make it happen ASAP. Third, create a philosophy to guide you (The Open Stance, of course). Fourth, before a move is made, decide what outcome will influence every other in your golf shot – having assumed the rest is carved in stone. Nothing will derail the progress of someone who has decided to take a specific outcome to the practice area and practice until they achieve that outcome.

The outcome should be obvious to the golfing world. And, it will be in time. But, for now, I am the advocate for first things first on the road to achievement in golf. If you would rather take second things first, then I’ll get there first. You will continue trying to get more distance or hit it higher, chip it closer or hit better lag putts without ever doing one, most-important thing first.

The following videos contain my advice on where every process should begin. By taking first things first, we eliminate doubt and disappointment. By setting primary, smaller goals, we we can accelerate the WHOLE PROCESS. But, we have to recognize the difference between the first thing and everything’s else. We cannot be distracted from the essentials of golfing excellence.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

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The fastest way to lose your golfing mind is to make a change in movement without changing your set-up. If you try to flatten your plane like Tiger and Phil without opening your stance, you are asking your brain to process new information to get back to a solid strike. Moreover, your brain has to interpret feedback in an illogical way. Repeating an illogical thought process will always distort the feedback loop.

Pros tend to work on movement first, because they are searching for better results. Tiger almost had it with Haney. He flattened his plane, but he kept his stance square. He blew out his knee and his back – never knowing that the set-up creates and defines the movement, not vice-versa. Furthermore, in violating the natural order of things, Tiger took a year to adjust to his damaging new swing. He won a lot of tournaments while he was breaking down, though.

Recently, Phil has been trying to flatten his approach to his ball. He stated that the reason for his swing change because shaft angle was too steep, too deep into his downswing. The swing he wants to change was a reflection of the cognitive or physiological dissonance between his set-up and intent. Phil is changing his swing without an accommodative (and causal) set-up change.

When Phil or Tiger steps up to hit a driver we all think, “Wonder where this is going?” It’s an adventure every time. We also know every time they hit a fairway, they score. But, Tiger and Phil continue to hit it all over the map.

Every time they shell it into the trees, I’m yelling at the TV, “You can’t do both!” I mean, it seems like they are determined to lose their minds by pitting their swings against their set-ups from the tee. How can these greats not know something that the rest of us know? The answer is easy.

‘Why?’ is never asked. Asking why would invite doubt and risk spoiling the happiness brought about by achievement. Also, why question things that make us special? Isn’t it easier to be blissfully ignorant? I would be. If you have been successful at every level for decades, the answer is never philosophical.

Sports heroes are men and women of action. From their experience, action leads to achievement, which leads to happiness, which leads to Ego, the placeholder for knowledge. Thus, “cogito ergo sum” is not part of the hero vocabulary.

But, if these titans of the turf could apply their athleticism to a better set-up philosophy – the Open Stance – they could keep their ego, happiness, and achievement, without diving into their psyches. The Open Stance is the vehicle that would allow their flattening action to blossom. Employing an Open Stance frees the mind to interpret results without the interference of confused expectations. Only then can efficient movement emerge. Somebody, go tell’em.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy

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