Controlling spine angle with arm swing is pretty simple, in theory. And, of course, all the following are independent of set-up orientation.
I was swiping some bullets the other day trying to fight off the retrograde and initiate a new topic for your reading pleasure, and I thought I’d circumvent the Open Stance and get to more mechanical offsets for steepening and shallowing your impact. The following Open Stance Academy video on Bitchute.com is a moment in a process… nothing profound yet. Before – DTL and after – FO.
Our golf swing is nothing but a series of offsets for optimizing impact and our intention with our golf ball. For example, if move your arms flatter or steeper, we will automatically and athletically compensate with a corresponding action. Sometimes, we get into a Funk where we are using one action subconsciously without the benefit of its offset. That’s when we struggle.
If you are topping your 3-wood, for example, that implies, sight unseen, that your shoulders are open before and during impact. Why are shoulders found in an open position? Invariably, our arm swing is too shallow (Flat). If we are standing tall, we get heel hits and shanks. Arm swings don’t generally get too flat if we have sufficient bend at the waist, because swings are measured by the target plane..
So, the next logical question is, why do arm swings get too shallow or flat? Well, follow the logic. A flat arm swing is a subconscious shallowing mechanism for impact, and we are standing tall. What is left to steepen impact that pre-dates entry into our subconscious? Our answer would have to be something physiological, something unique to us. In case of the swing I’m describing, Plane was determined by where our club shaft points at the top of our swing is most often an unconscious pre-condition.
In my next book (Whenever I force myself to sit down and write it), I’ll discuss human idiosyncratic swing traits per year of birth. Grip, posture, set-up orientation, rhythm, etc. are all on the table. Did you know you move in a very predictable way because of the year of your birth? We all do.
Getting back to the topic… A flat arm swing develops in an attempt to gain “A longer backswing”, which is a conscious, quicksand idea. We think because one accomplished golfer recommended it or has a long backswing that its is a necessary for everyone to get to our goal. NO! Backswing length obsession will ruin every swing it touches.
So, we have a objective ruining our goal. We have an underlying club-set predisposition, from which we are trying to get back to the ball with offsets. Layed-off is the start in the unconscious. Upright posture is subconscious. The ultimate, open-shouldered position (Inversion) is the subconscious fix. However, the poison pill is the conscious, flat arm swing based on a fallacy. Anyway, controlling spine angle with arm swing is not plane dependent. Spine angle is a relative measure.
In conclusion, if your arm swing is more upright, your spine angle behind your ball, at impact, will increase to move your ball back into strikable position (Forward). If your arm swing is flat, your spine angle will be less neutral and more inverted, depending on arm-swing severity, to move your ball back into strikable position (Backward).
My layed-off, upright-posture student had heel strikes and topped 3 woods because he instinctively inverted to control his ball position and shot direction. He did so because his arm swing was flat due to a distance goal. I asked him to swing his leading arm upright, and he immediately pounded two dead straight and long. #OSAHappiness
John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy
Why The Open Stance Controls Your Trailing Elbow
It Is Not The Fade That Creates Control
A “Flat” Golf Swing Is A Relative Term