Phil ‘the Thrill’ continues to drill while striking his pill on seaside hills. I noticed that, in the midst of his Clambake victory march, Philly Mick was shelling it all over the map. However, on the positive side, at least he missed into the golf course instead of the ocean. He has abandoned control in favor of speed, for now. But I think, in time, he can have both.

So, we saw that he knows how to release his club without closing his clubface. But, did you notice how he did it? Remember the drill Jack Grout gave Jack Nicklaus to help him release his club? Let me remind you. Grout told Nicklaus to keep his trailing heel on the ground through impact. Did you notice what Phil’s trailing foot was doing?

Foreshadowing aside, you may have noticed his finish was shorter, truncated, or cut off. My attention went directly to his feet, because I observed an unmistakable link. One action necessarily accompanies the other. However, Phil’s driving results did highlight an inefficiency easily remedied.

His misses were all banana-balls. Obviously, he is playing with a swing thought that is movement-based. Great players can do that. They know how to score, so it’s of no consequence to drill as they play. Often, they play better. Even I would occasionally hit-and-hold every full shot during a round. However, Phil does have one thing to modify as he drills his way around a golf course – his ball position.

His clubface is square judging by his starting line. Therefore, after he gets comfortable with his new release on life (My apologies), he will need to control his curvature, which means path. He flattened his downswing as he played from an Open Stance last year a bit. He was on the right track. However, I think Phil did not modify his path to gain efficiency.

Now, the release he is working on pairs with a ball position that is slightly further back in his stance. However, if he does not re-path his club more from the inside, i.e. a flatter downswing, he will heel it. Let’s get the word out. Maybe we can get Phil a U.S. Open before he’s done.

Open your stance, and play golf.

John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy