Many students around the World email me questions regarding how an open stance benefits this body part or that, this move or that, etc. Today, I’m going to explain a dynamic no teacher has ever broached before. I’m here to explain the strategic benefit of an Open Stance.
I was watching a video of Jack Nicklaus explain why he gripped the club weaker with his left hand than most players of his day. He said it was so his tendency would be to miss with a fade or “Right”. What struck me was not the miss his grip promoted, but his set-up and compensatory movement that insured his strategic dynamic.
JW Nicklaus set up Open to his golf ball. Whether his grip initiated the set-up or vice versa, opening his stance insured his hips cleared sooner, more completely, better… whatever. Clearing hips is one clear benefit of an Open Stance and acknowledged by a world of golfers as fact. Why is clearing our hips of strategic import?
Clearing our hips keeps our golf club from closing. When our hips “Clear”, our arms and hands are more passive. Our leading arm’s role here has been covered before, The One Common Swing Link In Every Fade. Therefore, I won’t recover it.
JW’s grip and set-up necessitated more active legs and rotation to square his club at impact. Therefore, if he didn’t quite make it back to square, his club stayed open a bit. The one guarantee was aggressive rotation every time.
It’s not as though he was Bubba Open. He was only open enough to create the right athletic response. His grip got the credit for his miss. However, his Open Stance gets the credit for his good shots. I’ll explain this in more depth on the lesson tee in Florida. Announcement coming in January.
Just as an aside about Mr. Nicklaus…. My college coach, Katman, played at Ohio State as a senior when Jack was a Freshman. Katman always said (in his customary rasp), “Wait a while, wait a while…. Let me tell you somethin’. JW, you’re long. But JW Nicklaus was the longest of all time (Lest we forget our persimmons and balatas). Any time he wanted, it was goin’ 350. It was… awesome.” He always laughed.
John Wright – Founder
The Open Stance Academy
It Is Not The Fade That Creates Control
A Walk and Talk With Jack Nicklaus
First Things First: Create an Intent for Your Game