I’ve been using the open stance the last 6 months and absolutely love it. I actually might start teaching that to a lot of my students. Or at the least, introduce it to them. For me, the open stance allows my shoulders to NOT begin the downswing like so many players do. Because of how open I am, it would be the biggest pull or a wicked slice. It’s allowed me to compress the ball so much more, and I have picked up some great yardage off the tee because of this change. I’m excited about really diving deeper into the understanding of this to share with my students.
Hi Christo, I actually swing with a closed stance and I have always been taught to swing with that stance especially with the driver, and I have a small handbook showing a closed stance and the reason was given was to get the swing around me on the backswing. But I am definitely going to try this on the next time out there. Thanks for this video as always.
Hi Kenny! I was the same. Just fool around with it sometime and start with a pitching wedge. If you hit the ball solid first, you can make adjustments for aim and curvature!
Hi Christo and Kenny, base on my little knowledge on the D plane, the stance for driver should be close as the impact point is after the low point of the swing plane IE club face is moving up. The club face will be close. This will ensure a straight trajectory IE to the left of target if stance is parallel to target line assuming right hand golfer. So, to direct to target, one should adjust to a close stance .
So many try to get you to do this or do that and you will hit like ______________(name of pro golfer here). I like how you are pointing out subtleties of Will's swing. As we glean from each person, we will find that groove that works for us. For me, being a trans-met amputee of the left foot (lost all the toes in a motorcycle wreck), learning how to have good rotation while protecting the foot has had me on a journey of all sorts - open stance, closed stance, stack and tilt, etc. Thanks Chirsto for pointing out things to consider. BTW - subscribed to the channel.
Excellent !! I’m 60 and pretty long and accurate for my age and using successfully an open stance from a while. I first won 20yds by switching to a S shaft from a R one ( first myth out: choosing a flex according to your speed) and recently had another gain of 15yds with an OS. With a smooth tempo and shorter BS I can accelerate from the right hip as hard as I can , right elbow close to my body and effortless ! Easy feeling and longer( second myth: lack of distance with an OS: no! It’s the opposite )and I can draw or fade I just adjust the orientation of the club face. Another fact, the head stays easily behind the impact zone. I’m sorry when I see slicers closing their stance… PS: hasn’t Will a slight negative loading when starting the BS? Very good video Monsieur !!
Open stance caddy drag power swing through the front of the ball. Open stance places the importance of the swing TOWARDS the TARGET. Caddy drag is an incredible way to gain an extra level of power that most know nothing about. It’s a fluid motion that relieves the arms of tension. When I caddy drag; I feel like I can leave everything soft until the club is powering through the face of the ball toward my target line. It’s just a reactive relax swing that delivers power and grace with a balanced finish. Works for every club.
Have a look at Steve Johnston’s channel. He is a Scottish PGA pro who created Eureka Golf Swing. It’s all about open stance with opposing club path. It’s excellent!
Very Trevino like. It seems to me the common denominator between these great swings (Trevino, Hogan, Norman, Wilcox) is the right elbow and how internally rotated it is and the relationship to the right hip - ie the elbow is in front of the right hip at impact. I think the open stance helps a lot with this right elbow/hip relationship and keeping the right elbow forward and with the elbow joint facing upwards for as long as possible instead of starting to roll over.
If you haven't already done so - you want to get a copy of Carl Lohren's 1975 book 'One Move to Better Golf'. Carl studied Hogan for years and teaches an open position at address. I've been told that Mr. Hogan actually took a look at the book on the advice of a friend and mentioned words to the effect "This is how I play...". Book was endorsed back in the day by Trevino, Chi Chi, and Deane Beman.
The sidearm throwing position is something Mike Dunaway professed and he did it very well. I think the open stance is a very good starting position to that goal. I’m going to give that a go this year. Thanks Christo!
I started doing this drag back thing a few years back. I was using the whip training aid a lot which automatically has that move in it and I also saw a video of Jason Zuback and Jamie Sandlowski have a little drag move they do. I started hitting the ball so well with it I never changed it. Drove it so well one day drove a short par 4 320 yards and hit 2 of the par 5’s in two. Love that move.
Hi, I am exploring this at the moment, it allows me to clear my hips early and power out and away from the body. Getting great distance doing this with the driver and am continuing to go through the irons with this stance.
Hi again Christo: will love to hear your thoughts on focusing on your oblique as you swing your club. Actually you needed to use your obliques 100 percent of the time whether you knew it or not on your Hogan Code when you showed us your golf swing without using your hands and arms. There could have been no other way to have achieved this. Cheers
I was at the range the other day and couldn't stop hitting hooks. I finally dropped my lead foot back about 4 inches to open my stance. I had one of the best range sessions I've ever had after that. I shot 35 the very next day using an open stance. Hit every fairway and GIR.
Wilcox on Driver: Takes club back inside.... right leg straightens. I've talked about this previously and how Hogan did this in at least earlier years and he does it too. One golf video I watched from another instructor said by straightening the back leg, you take the club back on the right path. You talk about his deep right hip. Try this... bend your knees and turn hips while keeping knees bent and then straighten back leg while turning hips. By straightening the back leg, it allows for more hip turn on the backswing. Keeping the knees bent restricts the hip turn relative to straightening the back leg.
Open stance allows you to get through the ball better. It also helps those of us who struggle with clearing our hips. However to make it work you have to have a really good golf grip, your takeaway has to be back along your toe line and you need to re-route the club on the backswing. I used this method very successfully until I found even better results, distance and consistency with the Moe Norman/Graves Golf Method
in my opinion Moe has solved the golf swing insofar as it ever will be. He managed to solve the swing plane equation. The holy grail ! Todd graves mathematically proved it with his broomstick drill (check out that video if you haven't seen it. It will blow your mind)
Very cool to see. I'm self taught so far and the open stance feels the most natural for me.my most viewed vid is an open stance training session that's on my channel of when I was even not playing a year. Pretty recently in December I've posted another training vid for the driver where I experimented with single plane but where I also showed extreme open stance and that feels the most powerful. Check it ... might be fun. Nice vid. Stay metal, Eric. 🤘🏻😎🤘🏻
With an open stance the core reaches a “loaded”condition earlier and dictates that the torso will naturally begin unwinding back to where it started. Like Hansel and Gretal the left hip and left shoulder will pull you back around the corner and back home to your “balance point”.
One thing that, IMHO, an open stance helps with is making enough room for the club to pass to the inside. It’s a tad counter intuitive, but a closed stance means that player has to make a big backwards move with the left hip, or else their right hip will protrude into the hitting area which can result in an over the top swing. I suffered from this issue and is why I moved to a single plane swing. But, for those conventional golfers, you would server yourself well be opening up a bit as it will help to make room for the club to approach the back of the ball because the left hip is already back and the right hip merely needs to move toward the target. This will require a little more lateral side bend to accomplish. All opinions are welcome!
Go Will! The Crunch & Turn Golf swing. Featuring Will’s handsome moving obliques. Will knows his obliques are the central powerhouse in every golfer swing. It is: The Perfect Pendulum Swing Unlike most amateur golfers; Will learned early to empty his head of parasitic swing thoughts He is simply using his obliques muscles one hundred percent of the time. How? Why? When? By starting his swing with his lead side obliques tilting his body; his trail side obliques turns his body to his full backswing and then he simply crunches and turn with his trail side obliques for his downswing. The obliques are the central powerhouse in every golfer swing. It is: The Perfect Pendulum Swing that’s extremely accurate and repeatable. Did you know that our obliques working together are both responsible to safety accelerates and decelerates the golf swing. Our Obliques coils our body creating the torque and elastic energy needed in our downswing. Think of theses facts: 1 Thé harder your obliques are on the job the further and straighter your ball go. The softer your obliques move the less distance your ball will go. 2 Club head speed at impact is the function of angular acceleration 3 Angular acceleration is the function of torque The obliques are the only muscles inside our body that can produce the unique and required angular acceleration and deceleration that the Golf Swing required. Unlike the baseball swing that is vertical and horizontal the golf swing is neither; it is oblique! Christo all you need to do is learn to move your own obliques starting with your lead side in a melodic fashion as Will is doing; and very soon you to will become a minus 6 or lower golfer yourself. Will won’t mind as he just showed you the power behind your own swing and I just explained it fully to you. The Feeling of Greatest of the golf swing is finally out of the bag. Will knows his obliques are the only muscles groups inside his body that will protect his spine for lifetime of fantastic golfing With his open stance; please notice he does not swing along his body line. Swing along your body line with a neutral stance only. If you go back to Hogan’s closed stance again do not swing along your body line; but down the line towards your target area The Feeling of Greatest of the golf swing is finally out of the bag for you and for us all 😃❤️👍⛳️
@@MiracleSwingExperience will love to hear your thoughts on focusing on your oblique as you swing your club. Actually you needed to use your obliques 100 percent of the time on your Hogan Code when you showed your golf swing without using your hands and arms. Cheers
Great way to ensure a lead hip clearing..... But look at Hogan, especially in the later years (Shell WWG Houston).....he addresses the ball with driver and keeps dropping his trail foot back. But that conversely, ensures the trail hip clear in the backswing. So, take your pick.....facilitate the lead hip clear or facilitate the trail hip clear by setting the appropriate hip
The best swing i tryed them all LEE TREVINO i never miss and i interlock or over lap strong grip no problems i like the inter lock want to play but raining like hell your vids are great
6:15 mark...the picture shows him closed How do you get your hands down that low that soon? 8:14 mark, his trail forearm is parallel to his hips and ground, WOW. OK, hitting balls into the ocean......didnt he see that Seinfeld episode? He looks like Geo Knudson 10:00 mark, absolutely NO BLOCKING there, complete and efficient power delivery. Hogan wanted the feeling of running at the ball. Well, with the lead hip open, that certainly facilitates the attempt at that feeling. Off that trail foot early like Justin Thomas. Certainly IMO this is a great drill to get the feel of the unencumbered (no blocking ) downswing feel. The hip depth is really something on this guy.
I’m a lefty with an open stance and everyone always wanted me to close it and then, the snap hook. I’m back to open and I just change up my swing in to out for fade or draw. I’m not saying it’s right but, it works for me.
@@MiracleSwingExperience Do you have or have you seen the Ben Hogan Personal irons from 1983 limited edition? I remember those when they first came out and was told Mizuno copied them with their MP29s. Anyway recently I was able to purchase a set of those still in the box. I had every intention of playing them but upon arrival I realized they are too gorgeous to ever hit. I’m guessing you probably have a set or two.. I actually was never a fan of Hogan clubs growing up I thought they were too “boxy” and not rounded for my taste but the limited edition set I thought was entirely different than any of his previous clubs. I have always considered myself a “club nut” and my passion is still there. Enjoy your videos too👍
Christo, great video. The diagram from the Nicolas book looks a lot like the one from Ben Hogan’s book. Do a TH-cam search for The Lost Fundamentals Of Ben Hogan by Luther Blacklock and check out what he calls the radial swing. Very curious to see what you think after comparing the diagram from Nicolas, with that of Hogan, and Blacklock’s interpretation of the Hogan swing. Thanks!
My apologies for the long comment. I have been studying this as well. I agree completely with the open stance. Here is something interesting that you probably already know; if you look at Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus’ books they all show their foot position in and open stance (except Ben Hogan with his driver). They also all play every shot off their front heel. Their feet adjust, the ball does not. When I thought about why this was, I thought about other sports that I play, every sport, baseball, hockey, tennis, even ping pong the impact with the object is always more in in front of the body than beside the body. I have a feeling golf should not be any different. I always have played better with a feeling of being “behind” the ball at impact. I suspect this is why. If it works for the best golfers to every play, there must be something to it in my estimation. I intend to continue my research.
My daughter and I followed him for a few holes at the Korn Ferry Lecom tournament in Bradenton a couple of years ago because I had known about his ball hitting excellence. He did not disappoint. I hope he figures out what is holding him back.
I believe it depends on where your weight is at impact with frontfoot - toes, middle or heel. Compare for example justin thomas (toes) and john rahm (heel). As long as you are able to rotate freely with clubface square and good turf interaction, it's all good and you can start to focus on different things. By the way, his swing is opposite to ott in my mind, just like lee trevino. His preimpact position reminds me of jim furyk.
My two cents: that wrist bow that most PGA pros have is not an "active" thing; their clubs are so much heavier than the modern amateur club. Pros hit clubs in the high D or low E swing weight range. Most amateur clubs are low D or high C range, the old women's swing weight range. Pros wrists are really, really relaxed so the extra weight and relaxed wrists allows for the increased lag. Try for yourself, build a club with a heavy shaft (Dynamic Gold, KBS Tour) and get rid of your graphite or 95 gram steel shaft and work on relaxing your wrists in your swing. Cheers!
So this is interesting, sometimes I use an open stance with ball off left foot and visualise a Fred Couples swing. I always make good contact but my control suffers as it’s a bit loose.
@@MiracleSwingExperience Perhaps, but I feel a forward ball positions helps with my plane. Even though that’s not how it taught, it works for me. Keep up the great content
I swing in to out, but if the ball is near the furthest point it simply can't get further out if that makes sense. I feel it especially with my driver. I can hook the devil out of my irons if I'm not careful.
Because your swing typically follows your shoulder line not your feet line. It's very possible to have an open lower body and at the same time have a square or even closed shoulder line.
Generally I've found that an open stance creates a steeper swing than a closed stance and that makes sense to me why Hogan would have a closed stance with the driver because it is a more sweeping motion. His swing looks a little like David Duval' s too.
This is what I have found also. I went to an open stance about 20 years ago. After doing so I could really crush my irons and developed a straight to slight fade ball flight. Driver and woods however were another story. Usually it was somewhere between a slice and a huge slice. I eventually found a ladies 5 wood. The shorter shaft and somewhat more vertical lie of that club seemed to help. I could hit it about 225-230 and my 3 iron about 210-215. Between the two it allowed me to get to where I could shoot low 80's. Unfortunately I had to stop playing about 3 years because of travel with a job situation. I've come back to the game this summer but I no longer have that 5 wood lol. I'm searching trying to find a club that will allow me to attack par 5's and long 4's. Considering trying a driving iron. I'm glad I'm back playing!
The further you go back in time, the more open the stance. I have experimented with it and like it. It allows you to turn more fully into your downswing easily. But of course it hampers the backswing....does that result in more coil on the backswing. Maybe. My problem with the open stance is ball position. I set up placing my club in position first with the back of the left hand facing the target. But how far forward or how far back to position the ball. That requires experimentation. But here's the thing. I have a theory about golf. We all (most people) set up to the ball in a position that is not the impact position. Isn't that strange? We ask ourselves to get into position 2 from position 1. That makes no sense at all. Why not set up similar to the impact position and simply return to that position??? That seems more simple!!! The less steps, the more efficient right? And everyone with video now knows that the impact position in every good ball striker features open hips about 45 degrees. That's achieved easier with an open stance. Now here is another variable....the amount of forward bend at the hips. The more you bend forward, the more upright you will take back the club. The closer to exactly upright in the backswing theoretically, the more the club stays on the target line and theoretically allows for an easier way to hit a straight shot. Your thoughts???
You said it, Steve. I definitely feel I'm closer to my actual impact position when I set up this way. Will stands tall, takes it up vertically while gaining flexion in his hips.
An open stance is the only way to ensure a straight shot if one is hitting down on the ball. This is because the face is open at impact before the low point of the golf swing.
The restriction in the back swing is due to the overtly open stance. Otherwise, he would strain his back. Slightly open is the key to allow the hands and arms to move freely passed the hips and legs. Regardless of stance, the key is to swing under, out and up - centrifugal force in action. Supple quickness and a free flowing swing.
I think the restriction has more to do with the timing of when he starts his transtion, as he wouldn't be able to keep swinging back if the rest of his body was starting his downswing.
I would add watch how long his back faces the target on the downswing. You do not see him spinning his shoulders open. He is pulling down with his hands at the beginning
Note this guy’s waist bend. Bet he doesn’t hurt his back though. Open stance guys, IMHO, are “hands n’ arms” swingers, back to the target longer and “turn” later. I note this guy is super upright at set-up, and so must drop his head like 6 or 8 inches to get his butt back and get good waist bend. And I don’t power the club with my right arm past the 2nd parallel, basically, and I don’t think this guy does either. I start out (set-up) more bent at the waist. So though I drop down into the shot, it’s not as dramatic. I’d guess he does that to gain a bit more power in his stroke - and the first half of the downswing is the biggest power generation area in the swing (IMHO). Ultimately he gets nice waist bend (by the 2nd parallel point). That open stance - I don’t know about for this guy, but, for me - provides a better brace at the toes of the right (trailing) foot for better balance in the swing. (But if I don’t swing hands n’ arms style I would lose that advantage and probably extend too soon.) By being a hands n’ arms swinger I have the option to open the stance for stability (and to make a more accurate shot at the expense of some power). If I was turning my hips for power right off the top the open stance would encourage over the top swinging and sort of an “early extension.” So I’m saying I think this is another guy who is a hands ‘ arms swinger but who has nice leg work in the hitting area so he appears to be turning with the hips for power and right off the top.
Total BS - there are many thousands of Nicklaus swings on youtube - Jack addresses the ball a tiny bit open and faded everything. I followed him at the Canadian Open, many years ago, he faded every single shot - it's basically why every single Pro of that era wanted to hit a high fade - and they still do.
@@wallstreetoneil Ahah. Enough of the BS profanities. I read the diagram back to front. The open stance comes as you move from driver to 9 iron. Enjoy your life 😀
Heard him on a podcast talking about this. It was right at the time Cleveland quit making tour drivers (he used the Cleveland classic), and he had to switch to the new Srixon driver. Said the Srixon engineers were different from who he worked with at Cleveland, and he never really got used to the new lower spin stuff that they were releasing at the time. He also talked about his personal issues that kept him off tour. But he seems to be doing great now, and it would be awesome to see him make a comeback.
@@MiracleSwingExperience I’ve enjoyed watching your videos. Your balance is well maintained. Doing yoga and ballet has helped, no doubt. I’ve been holding a 20# and swinging it back and forth (gently) while standing on each leg. It’s hard to do this but i think it helps build strength and improves proprioception across the ankle/foot. You can also do this with a balance board.
Im sorry but he looks nothing like Hogan in that picture comparison. Hogan's X factor (separation between top and bottom) is way more. It almost looks like Will is in a stack and tilt position because his shoulders are leaning towards the target already whereas Hogans are still behind the ball. Hogan's right elbow is way lower and more connected. And of course the obvious lag angle is not even close. If your going to make comparisons, make fair comparisons. Edit. This is why I unsubscribed to your channel. You constantly make changes to your swing instead of sticking with what originally worked for you. It's like your chasing your own tail.
I’ve been using the open stance the last 6 months and absolutely love it. I actually might start teaching that to a lot of my students. Or at the least, introduce it to them. For me, the open stance allows my shoulders to NOT begin the downswing like so many players do. Because of how open I am, it would be the biggest pull or a wicked slice. It’s allowed me to compress the ball so much more, and I have picked up some great yardage off the tee because of this change. I’m excited about really diving deeper into the understanding of this to share with my students.
Wow. I have always been a habitual arm and shoulders type of swinger. But you’re right. I think it activates the hips before the shoulders!
Great information Christo. We enjoy all your swing analysis and old school swings.
I think it's important these things do not get forgotten!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Great diagnosis of his swing, Christo. What I saw also, was a straightening of his right leg going back allowing for a big hip turn.
Yes, that's important because the open stance makes it harder to get a full turn on the backswing.
Hi Christo, I actually swing with a closed stance and I have always been taught to swing with that stance especially with the driver, and I have a small handbook showing a closed stance and the reason was given was to get the swing around me on the backswing. But I am definitely going to try this on the next time out there. Thanks for this video as always.
Hi Kenny! I was the same. Just fool around with it sometime and start with a pitching wedge. If you hit the ball solid first, you can make adjustments for aim and curvature!
Hi Christo and Kenny, base on my little knowledge on the D plane, the stance for driver should be close as the impact point is after the low point of the swing plane IE club face is moving up. The club face will be close. This will ensure a straight trajectory IE to the left of target if stance is parallel to target line assuming right hand golfer. So, to direct to target, one should adjust to a close stance .
So many try to get you to do this or do that and you will hit like ______________(name of pro golfer here). I like how you are pointing out subtleties of Will's swing. As we glean from each person, we will find that groove that works for us. For me, being a trans-met amputee of the left foot (lost all the toes in a motorcycle wreck), learning how to have good rotation while protecting the foot has had me on a journey of all sorts - open stance, closed stance, stack and tilt, etc. Thanks Chirsto for pointing out things to consider. BTW - subscribed to the channel.
Welcome aboard, Willie!
He also has a single axis AKA Moe Norman shaft alignment with the right arm and slightly higher hands than most pro's.
Great observation, Pedro. Exactly!
just read his article, could really relate, like him even more now!
Excellent !! I’m 60 and pretty long and accurate for my age and using successfully an open stance from a while. I first won 20yds by switching to a S shaft from a R one ( first myth out: choosing a flex according to your speed) and recently had another gain of 15yds with an OS. With a smooth tempo and shorter BS I can accelerate from the right hip as hard as I can , right elbow close to my body and effortless ! Easy feeling and longer( second myth: lack of distance with an OS: no! It’s the opposite )and I can draw or fade I just adjust the orientation of the club face. Another fact, the head stays easily behind the impact zone. I’m sorry when I see slicers closing their stance… PS: hasn’t Will a slight negative loading when starting the BS? Very good video Monsieur !!
Crazy clubface control and pivot. *So open* at impact with that open stance. One of the most impressive swings I've ever seen.
Open stance caddy drag power swing through the front of the ball. Open stance places the importance of the swing TOWARDS the TARGET. Caddy drag is an incredible way to gain an extra level of power that most know nothing about. It’s a fluid motion that relieves the arms of tension. When I caddy drag; I feel like I can leave everything soft until the club is powering through the face of the ball toward my target line. It’s just a reactive relax swing that delivers power and grace with a balanced finish. Works for every club.
You know, Vincent, I’m gonna have to try the caddy drag with this tomorrow!
Have a look at Steve Johnston’s channel. He is a Scottish PGA pro who created Eureka Golf Swing. It’s all about open stance with opposing club path. It’s excellent!
Steve's got some amazing insights, I love it
Very Trevino like. It seems to me the common denominator between these great swings (Trevino, Hogan, Norman, Wilcox) is the right elbow and how internally rotated it is and the relationship to the right hip - ie the elbow is in front of the right hip at impact. I think the open stance helps a lot with this right elbow/hip relationship and keeping the right elbow forward and with the elbow joint facing upwards for as long as possible instead of starting to roll over.
That could be it!
Great comment. Completely agree.
If you haven't already done so - you want to get a copy of Carl Lohren's 1975 book 'One Move to Better Golf'. Carl studied Hogan for years and teaches an open position at address. I've been told that Mr. Hogan actually took a look at the book on the advice of a friend and mentioned words to the effect "This is how I play...". Book was endorsed back in the day by Trevino, Chi Chi, and Deane Beman.
I once asked Carl Lohren to name his top three ball-strikers. He said Lee Trevino, Ben Hogan, and he didn’t mention a third.
Thank You for giving us such a great model! Just an amazing Posture and Swing!
Right on!
The sidearm throwing position is something Mike Dunaway professed and he did it very well. I think the open stance is a very good starting position to that goal. I’m going to give that a go this year. Thanks Christo!
Give it a shot, David! You never know!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
I started doing this drag back thing a few years back. I was using the whip training aid a lot which automatically has that move in it and I also saw a video of Jason Zuback and Jamie Sandlowski have a little drag move they do. I started hitting the ball so well with it I never changed it. Drove it so well one day drove a short par 4 320 yards and hit 2 of the par 5’s in two. Love that move.
Hi, I am exploring this at the moment, it allows me to clear my hips early and power out and away from the body. Getting great distance doing this with the driver and am continuing to go through the irons with this stance.
Hi again Christo: will love to hear your thoughts on focusing on your oblique as you swing your club.
Actually you needed to use your obliques 100 percent of the time whether you knew it or not on your Hogan Code when you showed us your golf swing without using your hands and arms. There could have been no other way to have achieved this. Cheers
Looking forward to more, open stance, content.
You got it, Daniel!!! 🙌🏻
I was at the range the other day and couldn't stop hitting hooks. I finally dropped my lead foot back about 4 inches to open my stance. I had one of the best range sessions I've ever had after that. I shot 35 the very next day using an open stance. Hit every fairway and GIR.
Wilcox on Driver: Takes club back inside.... right leg straightens. I've talked about this previously and how Hogan did this in at least earlier years and he does it too. One golf video I watched from another instructor said by straightening the back leg, you take the club back on the right path.
You talk about his deep right hip. Try this... bend your knees and turn hips while keeping knees bent and then straighten back leg while turning hips. By straightening the back leg, it allows for more hip turn on the backswing. Keeping the knees bent restricts the hip turn relative to straightening the back leg.
100% Steve. I need to straighten my back leg a bit more I think.
Open stance allows you to get through the ball better. It also helps those of us who struggle with clearing our hips. However to make it work you have to have a really good golf grip, your takeaway has to be back along your toe line and you need to re-route the club on the backswing. I used this method very successfully until I found even better results, distance and consistency with the Moe Norman/Graves Golf Method
The reason I say the above vs the Wilcox method is that very few of us will be able to replicate his athleticism/flexibility
@@timothyprentice4706 That's a good point. I'm exploring Moe right now, and I'm combining both!
in my opinion Moe has solved the golf swing insofar as it ever will be. He managed to solve the swing plane equation. The holy grail !
Todd graves mathematically proved it with his broomstick drill (check out that video if you haven't seen it. It will blow your mind)
Very cool to see. I'm self taught so far and the open stance feels the most natural for me.my most viewed vid is an open stance training session that's on my channel of when I was even not playing a year. Pretty recently in December I've posted another training vid for the driver where I experimented with single plane but where I also showed extreme open stance and that feels the most powerful. Check it ... might be fun. Nice vid. Stay metal, Eric. 🤘🏻😎🤘🏻
Right on, Eric. Rock on!
With an open stance the core reaches a “loaded”condition earlier and dictates that the torso will naturally begin unwinding back to where it started. Like Hansel and Gretal the left hip and left shoulder will pull you back around the corner and back home to your “balance point”.
Yes, indeed. Thanks for that.
One thing that, IMHO, an open stance helps with is making enough room for the club to pass to the inside. It’s a tad counter intuitive, but a closed stance means that player has to make a big backwards move with the left hip, or else their right hip will protrude into the hitting area which can result in an over the top swing. I suffered from this issue and is why I moved to a single plane swing. But, for those conventional golfers, you would server yourself well be opening up a bit as it will help to make room for the club to approach the back of the ball because the left hip is already back and the right hip merely needs to move toward the target. This will require a little more lateral side bend to accomplish. All opinions are welcome!
Love it, Seth!
I didn't even realize you did a video on Willy. I grew up in the same state and he was an absolute prodigy in high school.
Go Will!
The Crunch & Turn Golf swing. Featuring Will’s handsome moving obliques.
Will knows his obliques are the central powerhouse in every golfer swing. It is: The Perfect Pendulum Swing
Unlike most amateur golfers; Will learned early to empty his head of parasitic swing thoughts He is simply using his obliques muscles one hundred percent of the time.
How? Why? When?
By starting his swing with his lead side obliques tilting his body; his trail side obliques turns his body to his full backswing and then he simply crunches and turn with his trail side obliques for his downswing.
The obliques are the central powerhouse in every golfer swing. It is: The Perfect Pendulum Swing that’s extremely accurate and repeatable.
Did you know that our obliques working together are both responsible to safety accelerates and decelerates the golf swing. Our Obliques coils our body creating the torque and elastic energy needed in our downswing.
Think of theses facts:
1 Thé harder your obliques are on the job the further and straighter your ball go. The softer your obliques move the less distance your ball will go.
2 Club head speed at impact is the function of angular acceleration
3 Angular acceleration is the function of torque
The obliques are the only muscles inside our body that can produce the unique and required angular acceleration and deceleration that the Golf Swing required. Unlike the baseball swing that is vertical and horizontal the golf swing is neither; it is oblique!
Christo all you need to do is learn to move your own obliques starting with your lead side in a melodic fashion as Will is doing; and very soon you to will become a minus 6 or lower golfer yourself. Will won’t mind as he just showed you the power behind your own swing and I just explained it fully to you.
The Feeling of Greatest of the golf swing is finally out of the bag.
Will knows his obliques are the only muscles groups inside his body that will protect his spine for lifetime of fantastic golfing
With his open stance; please notice he does not swing along his body line. Swing along your body line with a neutral stance only. If you go back to Hogan’s closed stance again do not swing along your body line; but down the line towards your target area
The Feeling of Greatest of the golf swing is finally out of the bag for you and for us all 😃❤️👍⛳️
I will focus more on this when I'm out there next time. Thanks, Thomas!
@@MiracleSwingExperience will love to hear your thoughts on focusing on your oblique as you swing your club. Actually you needed to use your obliques 100 percent of the time on your Hogan Code when you showed your golf swing without using your hands and arms. Cheers
Do you think the open stance promotes a fade ball flight or can you use this stance to work it both ways?
Wow, he compressed that ball. The sound is amazing.
It's impressive in person.
Great way to ensure a lead hip clearing.....
But look at Hogan, especially in the later years (Shell WWG Houston).....he addresses the ball with driver and keeps dropping his trail foot back.
But that conversely, ensures the trail hip clear in the backswing.
So, take your pick.....facilitate the lead hip clear or facilitate the trail hip clear by setting the appropriate hip
Yes, it’s a trade and for me right now I need the clearance.
Hogan used an open stance with 5 iron thru wedges.
God bless you Christo !
The best swing i tryed them all LEE TREVINO i never miss and i interlock or over lap strong grip no problems i like the inter lock want to play but raining like hell your vids are great
Will's swing looks so great. Lose, fluid and flexible. 100% going to try an open stance.
Anyone that can say they led the PGA Tour in ball striking is someone to pay a lot of attention to!!!
6:15 mark...the picture shows him closed
How do you get your hands down that low that soon?
8:14 mark, his trail forearm is parallel to his hips and ground, WOW.
OK, hitting balls into the ocean......didnt he see that Seinfeld episode?
He looks like Geo Knudson
10:00 mark, absolutely NO BLOCKING there, complete and efficient power delivery.
Hogan wanted the feeling of running at the ball. Well, with the lead hip open, that certainly facilitates the attempt at that feeling.
Off that trail foot early like Justin Thomas.
Certainly IMO this is a great drill to get the feel of the unencumbered (no blocking ) downswing feel.
The hip depth is really something on this guy.
For sure!!! Great notes!
Is it a Titleist?! Hahaha!
I’m a lefty with an open stance and everyone always wanted me to close it and then, the snap hook. I’m back to open and I just change up my swing in to out for fade or draw. I’m not saying it’s right but, it works for me.
What Hogan irons do you have behind you?
A mix of Apex, Apex II, and F15's! I love them all.
@@MiracleSwingExperience Do you have or have you seen the Ben Hogan Personal irons from 1983 limited edition? I remember those when they first came out and was told Mizuno copied them with their MP29s. Anyway recently I was able to purchase a set of those still in the box. I had every intention of playing them but upon arrival I realized they are too gorgeous to ever hit. I’m guessing you probably have a set or two.. I actually was never a fan of Hogan clubs growing up I thought they were too “boxy” and not rounded for my taste but the limited edition set I thought was entirely different than any of his previous clubs. I have always considered myself a “club nut” and my passion is still there. Enjoy your videos too👍
Christo, great video. The diagram from the Nicolas book looks a lot like the one from Ben Hogan’s book. Do a TH-cam search for The Lost Fundamentals Of Ben Hogan by Luther Blacklock and check out what he calls the radial swing. Very curious to see what you think after comparing the diagram from Nicolas, with that of Hogan, and Blacklock’s interpretation of the Hogan swing. Thanks!
6:28 Why every casual observer THINKS Trevino played everything back!
So true my friend!
My apologies for the long comment. I have been studying this as well. I agree completely with the open stance. Here is something interesting that you probably already know; if you look at Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus’ books they all show their foot position in and open stance (except Ben Hogan with his driver). They also all play every shot off their front heel. Their feet adjust, the ball does not. When I thought about why this was, I thought about other sports that I play, every sport, baseball, hockey, tennis, even ping pong the impact with the object is always more in in front of the body than beside the body. I have a feeling golf should not be any different. I always have played better with a feeling of being “behind” the ball at impact. I suspect this is why. If it works for the best golfers to every play, there must be something to it in my estimation. I intend to continue my research.
Good stuff, brother
My daughter and I followed him for a few holes at the Korn Ferry Lecom tournament in Bradenton a couple of years ago because I had known about his ball hitting excellence. He did not disappoint. I hope he figures out what is holding him back.
Wow. It's a real sound of compression that not all the pros have. Stenson has it for sure.
I believe it depends on where your weight is at impact with frontfoot - toes, middle or heel. Compare for example justin thomas (toes) and john rahm (heel). As long as you are able to rotate freely with clubface square and good turf interaction, it's all good and you can start to focus on different things.
By the way, his swing is opposite to ott in my mind, just like lee trevino. His preimpact position reminds me of jim furyk.
thanks
You bet!
My two cents: that wrist bow that most PGA pros have is not an "active" thing; their clubs are so much heavier than the modern amateur club. Pros hit clubs in the high D or low E swing weight range. Most amateur clubs are low D or high C range, the old women's swing weight range. Pros wrists are really, really relaxed so the extra weight and relaxed wrists allows for the increased lag. Try for yourself, build a club with a heavy shaft (Dynamic Gold, KBS Tour) and get rid of your graphite or 95 gram steel shaft and work on relaxing your wrists in your swing. Cheers!
Very cool swing.
So this is interesting, sometimes I use an open stance with ball off left foot and visualise a Fred Couples swing. I always make good contact but my control suffers as it’s a bit loose.
Try moving the ball back a bit and see if that helps!
@@MiracleSwingExperience Perhaps, but I feel a forward ball positions helps with my plane. Even though that’s not how it taught, it works for me. Keep up the great content
in the open stance,, should the ball go just a tad back in the stance ???
Is his stance open or is he aiming left? His twitter reply says he's aiming left.
He knows where the ball is going but he'll tell you I'm aiming 75 yards left (driver).
Same thing with Fred Couples the open stance where I got the idea play open stance
How do you prevent an out to in swing with an open stance?
I swing in to out, but if the ball is near the furthest point it simply can't get further out if that makes sense. I feel it especially with my driver. I can hook the devil out of my irons if I'm not careful.
Because your swing typically follows your shoulder line not your feet line. It's very possible to have an open lower body and at the same time have a square or even closed shoulder line.
The open stance allows you to clear the left side and drive the right side of your body through the ball.
It sure does, Matthew!
So basically open your stand more before stricking the ball?
Yes
Can you talk about how to prevent from getting too under plane/dumped under in a future video?
There are "Busloads" of great ball strikers, but very few great wedge & putter short game masters.
Agreed. It’s still cool to be the best on the PGA Tour!
He reminds me of Will Zalatoris - Zalatoris not quite as open, but very similar swing characteristics....check him out Christo.
I thought the same thing
Generally I've found that an open stance creates a steeper swing than a closed stance and that makes sense to me why Hogan would have a closed stance with the driver because it is a more sweeping motion. His swing looks a little like David Duval' s too.
This is what I have found also. I went to an open stance about 20 years ago. After doing so I could really crush my irons and developed a straight to slight fade ball flight. Driver and woods however were another story. Usually it was somewhere between a slice and a huge slice. I eventually found a ladies 5 wood. The shorter shaft and somewhat more vertical lie of that club seemed to help. I could hit it about 225-230 and my 3 iron about 210-215. Between the two it allowed me to get to where I could shoot low 80's. Unfortunately I had to stop playing about 3 years because of travel with a job situation. I've come back to the game this summer but I no longer have that 5 wood lol. I'm searching trying to find a club that will allow me to attack par 5's and long 4's. Considering trying a driving iron. I'm glad I'm back playing!
The further you go back in time, the more open the stance. I have experimented with it and like it. It allows you to turn more fully into your downswing easily. But of course it hampers the backswing....does that result in more coil on the backswing. Maybe. My problem with the open stance is ball position. I set up placing my club in position first with the back of the left hand facing the target. But how far forward or how far back to position the ball. That requires experimentation.
But here's the thing. I have a theory about golf. We all (most people) set up to the ball in a position that is not the impact position. Isn't that strange? We ask ourselves to get into position 2 from position 1. That makes no sense at all. Why not set up similar to the impact position and simply return to that position??? That seems more simple!!! The less steps, the more efficient right? And everyone with video now knows that the impact position in every good ball striker features open hips about 45 degrees. That's achieved easier with an open stance.
Now here is another variable....the amount of forward bend at the hips. The more you bend forward, the more upright you will take back the club. The closer to exactly upright in the backswing theoretically, the more the club stays on the target line and theoretically allows for an easier way to hit a straight shot.
Your thoughts???
You said it, Steve. I definitely feel I'm closer to my actual impact position when I set up this way. Will stands tall, takes it up vertically while gaining flexion in his hips.
Shawn clements explains ball position with open and close stance
His left arm whips around him. I think you mention this move in the original Hogan Code.
Gracious! Thank you for that flashback!!
An open stance is the only way to ensure a straight shot if one is hitting down on the ball. This is because the face is open at impact before the low point of the golf swing.
Interesting 🤔
Steve Elkington had open stance - memorising
I have to look into that!
The restriction in the back swing is due to the overtly open stance. Otherwise, he would strain his back. Slightly open is the key to allow the hands and arms to move freely passed the hips and legs. Regardless of stance, the key is to swing under, out and up - centrifugal force in action. Supple quickness and a free flowing swing.
So right, Sandman. Only Freddy Couples has an open stance and a swing past parallel and he hurt his back.
I think the restriction has more to do with the timing of when he starts his transtion, as he wouldn't be able to keep swinging back if the rest of his body was starting his downswing.
@@AndrewDCDrummond Good point
But not down on the ball?
I would add watch how long his back faces the target on the downswing. You do not see him spinning his shoulders open. He is pulling down with his hands at the beginning
Oh, that's a good point!
Note this guy’s waist bend. Bet he doesn’t hurt his back though. Open stance guys, IMHO, are “hands n’ arms” swingers, back to the target longer and “turn” later. I note this guy is super upright at set-up, and so must drop his head like 6 or 8 inches to get his butt back and get good waist bend.
And I don’t power the club with my right arm past the 2nd parallel, basically, and I don’t think this guy does either. I start out (set-up) more bent at the waist. So though I drop down into the shot, it’s not as dramatic. I’d guess he does that to gain a bit more power in his stroke - and the first half of the downswing is the biggest power generation area in the swing (IMHO). Ultimately he gets nice waist bend (by the 2nd parallel point).
That open stance - I don’t know about for this guy, but, for me - provides a better brace at the toes of the right (trailing) foot for better balance in the swing. (But if I don’t swing hands n’ arms style I would lose that advantage and probably extend too soon.)
By being a hands n’ arms swinger I have the option to open the stance for stability (and to make a more accurate shot at the expense of some power). If I was turning my hips for power right off the top the open stance would encourage over the top swinging and sort of an “early extension.”
So I’m saying I think this is another guy who is a hands ‘ arms swinger but who has nice leg work in the hitting area so he appears to be turning with the hips for power and right off the top.
Interesting thought
Steve Johnson’s golf does something similar called Eureka
calling Lee Trevino's golf swing 'your' Eureka is pretty much fraud
I always feel more comfortable open
Cool, me too
The easiest swing in the world to learn is what Jimmy Ballard teaches it's really good stuff and easy on the back
Right on
Hey Christo
Jack's stance is closed, not open. Check his book again. The rear foot is back, same as Hogan, not forward.
Cheers
Total BS - there are many thousands of Nicklaus swings on youtube - Jack addresses the ball a tiny bit open and faded everything. I followed him at the Canadian Open, many years ago, he faded every single shot - it's basically why every single Pro of that era wanted to hit a high fade - and they still do.
@@wallstreetoneil Ahah. Enough of the BS profanities. I read the diagram back to front. The open stance comes as you move from driver to 9 iron. Enjoy your life 😀
A straight shot happens when the D plane is vertical
Hmnnnn... yes. Very interesting
What happened to Wilcox? Why did he leave the tour? Did he lose his swing?
His sponsor went to a lower spin ball and driver combo and that caused some trouble with his control I understand.
@@MiracleSwingExperience it’s odd that the sponsor couldn’t tailor his equipment to suit him
@@Arkade_Perfect You'd be shocked
Heard him on a podcast talking about this. It was right at the time Cleveland quit making tour drivers (he used the Cleveland classic), and he had to switch to the new Srixon driver. Said the Srixon engineers were different from who he worked with at Cleveland, and he never really got used to the new lower spin stuff that they were releasing at the time. He also talked about his personal issues that kept him off tour. But he seems to be doing great now, and it would be awesome to see him make a comeback.
He aims like Couples. The first time I saw couples in person I couldn’t believe how far left he was aligned.
Yes! I should have mentioned Couples. 👍🏻
You would have to get your hands back to hip level before your shoulders unwind. Not easy to do.
I think you have to just see if it fits you
Seems like this would produce a slight fade, but some players like a fade.
He hits a fade as his fairway finder.
@@MiracleSwingExperience I’ve enjoyed watching your videos. Your balance is well maintained. Doing yoga and ballet has helped, no doubt. I’ve been holding a 20# and swinging it back and forth (gently) while standing on each leg. It’s hard to do this but i think it helps build strength and improves proprioception across the ankle/foot. You can also do this with a balance board.
Mindy Blake swing is what looks like to me
Looks similar to the Tom Watson OTT
🤯🤯🤯 yes
I noticed, every time I hit the ball is was because , without thinking I was using a open stance. I am going to open stance 100 %
Im sorry but he looks nothing like Hogan in that picture comparison. Hogan's X factor (separation between top and bottom) is way more. It almost looks like Will is in a stack and tilt position because his shoulders are leaning towards the target already whereas Hogans are still behind the ball. Hogan's right elbow is way lower and more connected. And of course the obvious lag angle is not even close. If your going to make comparisons, make fair comparisons.
Edit. This is why I unsubscribed to your channel. You constantly make changes to your swing instead of sticking with what originally worked for you. It's like your chasing your own tail.
Sayonara. It's called an Evolution for a reason.
@@MiracleSwingExperience Ha Ha. Love it.
Impressive but looks very tough on the spine..
I putt with an open stance I can see the line better.
Fred couples used to do this too
what about freddy?
Pretty sure neimannn has z3 levels
Yes
maybe trevino also
He looks a lot like Johnny Miller
Harry Vardon played with an open stance. David Graham did just the opposite.
His address to the ball, has a bit of a single plane appearance.
It does. High handle at address
Will Willcox looks more like George Knudson
down the line i see hogan.
A swing that looks like it could cause a lot of back strain, especially to the older player
At 65, if I tried this swing you'd have to get a surgeon to glue my spine back together, lol.
Haha 😆
He gets out of the way?
He plays with a open stance how can he be in the way?
😂🤣😂🥺
Way too much you.