18 thoughts on “Articles”

1. I came across your video on youtube and was very intrigued. I lack flexibility in the shoulders and have for years naturally setup in a closed stance. I don’t go much further than a 3/4 backswing but I have some power so I can make it work. But I often feel restricted or stuck, resulting in blocks or if I strengthen my grip a pull hook. I tried an open stance on a whim this week before I did a search on it. Although, I pulled it a bit, it felt flush, it was longer in distance and I felt less restricted. I may have to line up a little right of target line or play with ball position to keep it straight. What do you think?
   I will give it a go and report back to you.
   Mike

   Reply

   1. Hi, Mike. I think the speed of recovery for your golf swing is proportional to the extremity of the change you make with your feet in your set-up. Remembering that the Open Stance and the flat swing are mitigating elements will keep you on track. The Open Stance steepens impact and causes the flatter swing to emerge to bring impact back to optimal. The lacking element in instruction today, is that no allowance is made for individual adaptation and athleticism. Forty years ago, we in the golf industry, were able to convince people that some are athletic and some are not. Thats where the Method teaching like Stack and Tilt gained a foothold. I’ve seen it taught by award-winning instructors to seventy-year-old men and women who, without one exception, develop back pain. I believe giving people the key to forming their own golf swing is most honest – just not the most profitable. Thanks for your comment.

      Reply

   2. So I continue trying out the open stance and I have some feedback and questions for you.
      First of all, the flushed feeling and compression I get is awesome.
      I find that when I place the ball in the middle of my stance with 5-6-7 irons I get the best results. But when I place in back of middle for the 8-SW I tend to hit it high and to the right. I have tried it a little with the hybrids but not with the driver yet. Can ball position be different for some individuals? Can I move it forward of middle for those clubs? Experiment? Should you have the front foot square to assist with backswing?
      Before, I setup with a closed stance with all my clubs. I don’t have a long backswing as I am a little restricted in the shoulders. I almost always not get a divot and pick the ball. One thing I see withe open stance is a small divot.
      I hesitate to fully adopt it will all clubs due to my my lack of turn and and arm swing. Thinking is that I need more turn hence the closed stance and open back foot. Perhaps, the lack of divot and early extension and casting a times are reasons to fully change.
      Would you look at a pre open stance swing of mine?
      Thanks in advance.

      Mike

      Reply

      1. Mike,
         I’d be happy to help you with your swing. Send me the video with “Openstanceacademy swing help” as the description. Ball position should move forward as the club gets longer. Not only to affect the short-term ball-flight shape, but also the long term, weight shift induction to forward foot. I like your discussion a more generous backswing, btw. I just posted a video on YouTube to help get rid of the shanks with a more generous turn and coincidental release point change – but it applies to your process, too.

         John Wright – Founder
         http://www.openstanceacademy.com

         Reply

         1. John,
            Thanks for your reply and interest to help me.
            I tried to send my swing video to the link above and your yahoo email address and had no luck. They were kicked back as not a valid address. Please let me know what to do next.
            Thanks.
            Mike

            Reply

2. Hi John, just stumbled onto your website. I actually came across your philosophy on the range recently before a round. I have more of a one-plane swing and was trying to hit driver from a closed stance with very bad results. After a couple balls I decided to open by stance and take on a more neutral grip. Wow! Next 3 balls were straight or slight push fade. I decided to take this swing to the course. Out of the 8 times I hit driver that day, 4 hit the fairway, 1 in the rough, 2 pulls and one push slice OB. I also was either hitting my irons straight with the miss being pulls. Do you think the pulls could have been a ball position error? Also you said in one article ball position should be center or back center of stance. Is this with driver as well? I believe this swing helps my take the club back on the proper plan without going ott on the way down. To me there aren’t much swing thoughts after I’m lined up. Wish you were in Atlanta, I’d definitely take a lesson. Look forward to your response. Thanks!

   Reply

   1. Hi, Derrick.
      Be encouraged that you did so well, so quickly. It may be only that your mind is still adapting to a different look at address. The old swing instincts, however, do not go away so quickly. As for your specific questions…. The pulled shot is the result of an outside-in path along the target line and a square clubface – born of a closed stance. So, you can move your ball position backward in your stance, you can rotate your grip on the club counter-clockwise (“Weakened”), as you have done, and you can shift your weight further to your left heel by impact to keep the ball from going left. I read that you’ve done two of the three, which is ambitious. Much respect. As long as you are set up open, you need only to keep reacting to your target on each shot. Your athleticism will make the appropriate swing changes.
      -John J. Wright

      Reply

3. Ok so I play of 5 handicap. I just would like to know that when you step into your shot do you aim slightly right which is a close stance and then drop your left foot back slightly to open your stance. Is this what you are saying correct me if I am wrong.

   Thanks
   Jay

   Reply

   1. Hi, Jay. In response to your set-up question…. I pretend there is a circle around the ball. The ball is in the center of the circle, and my toes are touching the edge of the circle. I move my feet around the circle to the right so that my toes still touch the edge. However much I move to the right is however open I want to be.
      That said, if you keep your feet parallel to one another, you will find your own image to use. No ball position change means my grip will move counter-clockwise to compensate. Sorry it took so long for a response. Travel is increasing.
      John Wright

      Reply

4. I have found this to be the most basic and informing on the issue of open stance. I have some hip restrictions due to arthritis and alway played a straight of closed setup. I would like to get rid of my over the top and pulled shots. My questions is to I set up open and to the right of target or keep my shoulder facing the straight target line. I am a 14 handicap and most of my issues are now with my driver and fairway woods. Wanting only one set up for all shots. Bottom line….where do I line up my shoulders to hit it straight?

   Thanks

   Reply

5. I have read your “geometrics of putting” and find it helpful but I have an issue about the trailing hand being the feeling hand since I am a left handed golfer but am predominately right handed
   I putt better keeping my trail hand out of the stroke
   Any thoughts on this?

   thanks

   Reply

   1. Bob,
      How long were the putts you used in the experiment? Longer putts (30-40′) are better to reveal muscular involvement and movement we can reliably accommodate in our putting strokes. If you have already extensively experimented with putts of this length, let me know.

      John Wright
      Founder – Open Stance Academy

      Reply

6. Hi John
   First of all let me thank you for having a site that encourages people to think about their golf rather than blindly following the thousands of tips online TV and golf magazines.
   Since I am retired, I have the time to try a lot of these tips and while I am looking for a simple repeatable swing, it just gets more confusing. Advent of Trackman and the New Ballflight Laws should have made for better instruction but seems to have just made for more tips added to the confusion
   As I indicated earlier I am a right handed person who plays golf lefthanded ( a backhander),so for the full swing I can’t relate to ideas like “feel like skipping a stone across a pond” or” toss a ball underhanded”. I am more comfortable visualizing tossing a
   frisbee or a tennis backhand.
   I think this may also relate to my thoughts on putting, as I feel comfortable backhanding a 3 footer with right arm only using the trail hand as a stabilizer.
   I am a better lag putter than short putter, so 30-40 footers are comfortable to me (as long as I get a good read)
   Let me know what you think of my theories and if you have any suggestions.

   Thanks
   Bob

   Reply

   1. Thanks for your comments, Bob. On addressing your question, I hit some left-handed putts with my right side (as a right-handed golfer). I can understand your theory. It seemed to give me the sense of familiarity that I understand as exerting control in my putting stroke, but I struggled with path in doing so. Its good you don’t have this issue. My only question would be, why do you think the theory does not translate as well into your close range putting?

      Best Wishes,
      John Wright

      Reply

7. I wish that I could explain the short putt problem
   For some reason I can putt better one handed (right arm only) than with both hands on the grip
   I think it may be that my right wrist is cupped when I use only my right arm but my wrists may cock with both hands on the grip

   Reply

   1. Bob,
      I’d be interested to see a video of your putting if you care to share.

      John Wright
      Founder – Open Stance Academy

      Reply

8. John, Great book, I totally agree with the open stance. I shot my best rounds with an open stance not realizing that this was the key. Always felt natural to me.

   One question I have is do you have any illustrations of ball position thru out all clubs? I have seen Bh’s 5 Fundamentals chart.

   Reply

   1. Colin,

      I like to keep my feet consistently open and bump my ball position a quarter of an inch, from middle to forward, with each longer club. Best Wishes,

      John Wright – Founder
      The Open Stance Academy

      Reply

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