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what is considered a open or closed setup in your golf setup.

by Mr. Alvis Fritsch III Published 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago
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An open stance encourages a fade. A closed stance will lead to a lower flight of the ball. It will also impart spin that will encourage the ball to move from right to left. This is because the club head will move along the line of your feet from an in-out swing path relative to the target line.

At address, a closed clubface is one where the line of the face of the club is pointing towards the left of the target line (for right handed golfers). What is this? This is in contrast to a square clubface which sees the club pointing directly at the target or an open clubface which sees it pointing to the right.

Full Answer

What is the open vs closed stance in golf?

The open vs closed golf stance are two of three stances golfers use when approaching the ball. What Is The Open Stance? In this article on the Benefits Of A Closed Golf Stance, we explained that an open stance occurs when you set up aiming to the left of the target, as a right-hander, and to the right of it for lefties.

What does “setting up” mean in golf?

It refers to the golfer’s posture, feet and ball positions as well as the grip of the club, amongst many other things. Sentence: After deciding on a target line and on a club Jim proceeded with setting up for the upcoming shot.

Should you use a closed setup approach?

I have utilized the closed setup position for a period of time and still go to it when I need to hit a draw. The major benefit of his closed setup approach is that you are able to control a swing path that goes to the right for the right handed golfer. This promotes a draw shot if the club face can stay closed to the path.

Why is a good setup so important in golf?

A good setup is such an important part of a good golf swing. Yet routinely golfers overlook it, dismiss its importance or let it slide. Often, problems in your ball-striking emanate from your setup position. And the thing is, it’s probably the easiest thing in golf to fix. There’s no excuses not to have that nailed-down.

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Benefits Of A Open Golf Stance – How It Compares To A Closed Stance

The challenge with golf is that numerous factors impact our swing and performance that it can be difficult to identify where you are going wrong.

How Is Your Stance Going To Affect Your Performance?

David Leadbetter explains that your stance has a direct impact on your swing path.

Overview Of Open Vs Closed are Golf Stance

The open vs closed golf stance are two of three stances golfers use when approaching the ball.

What Is The Open Stance?

In this article on the Benefits Of A Closed Golf Stance, we explained that an open stance occurs when you set up aiming to the left of the target, as a right-hander, and to the right of it for lefties.

What Are The Benefits Of The Open Stance?

An open stance gives you more freedom to rotate your hips and accelerate through impact, which helps to increase your back leg drive for maximum power at impact.

What Are The Disadvantages Of An Open Stance?

If you swing over the top and can’t get your clubface into the correct position at impact.

What Is The Closed Golf Stance?

Contrary to an open stance, where right-handers aim to the left of their target.

Why do you need a closed stance in golf?

Benefits Of A Closed Golf Stance. The benefits of the closed stance are most closely related to the fact that you won’t slice the ball when you are standing close to your target. The closed stance can help golfers that struggle to release the ball actually turn it over as they come through impact. In addition, the closed stance can also lower ...

What are the disadvantages of a closed stance in golf?

One of the disadvantages here is that the closed golf stance can be exaggerated and result in a hook. The hook is a rough shot to recover from and will almost always cause you to have to punch out of the trouble or take a penalty shot.

How does stance affect golf swing?

The stance can impact the alignment, distance, and launch angle of the shots. Depending on how you have your stance, your ball can fly higher or lower, it can fly a long way or lose distance, and you can cause the flight of the ball to go left or right as well. Golfers tend to get a bit too involved in some of their golf swing mechanics.

What does a golf stance mean?

The golf stance sets you up to hit golf shots. If your stance is aiming you left, you will hit the ball left; if it’s aiming you right, you will hit it right. Getting your stance correct can only mean good things for your golf game. When your stance is not right, you are going to have trouble with your takeaway and getting the swing on plane.

Why is stance important in golf?

The golf stance is such an important feature of the golf game. If your stance is not solid, you are going to end up having a hard time getting the club on the plane and completing a golf swing the way you would like to.

What does a closed stance look like?

The closed stance looks a lot like a golfer with the right foot (right handed golfer) dropped back. This is essentially the same thing but is the feeling that most golfers have when they set up with a closed stance. Their body is closed to the target.

What happens when you slice a golf ball?

When you slice the ball, you have a hard time getting the club to turn over, and your body and club are left open to the target at impact. If a golfer is able to slightly close their stance, they will have no trouble getting the club to turn over and the ball to fly towards the target.

What is the key component of a golfer's swing setup?

A key component of a golfer’s swing setup is how he’ll actually hold the club in his hands, accomplished through his grip. For clubs other than the putter, there are three main finger placements as well as three categories of grip strengths.

What does it mean when a golfer is standing up?

Back Tilt. While a golfer will indeed be standing up in order to hit a golf shot he will not be standing perfectly straight. Rather, his back will be tilted forward towards the ball, allowing for the shoulders to rotate, freely moving the arms and hands that hold the club. More on: How to set your spine at address.

What is the aim of a golf ball?

Aim. Aim refers to the direction a golfer wants his ball to go, towards the intended target. Before setting up for a shot, a golfer will normally stand behind the ball and analyze the hole ahead and take into account its characteristics and challenges. Based on the club he is holding and the desired landing area he will then choose a target, ...

What does "line" mean in golf?

Line. Line refers to the path that the ball takes between the moment it is hit and the moment it comes to rest. Sentence: Jim’s ball took an aggressive line around the tree but ended up in the middle of the fairway on this dogleg par-4.

What is the golfer's body position?

The combination of all aspects related to the way the golfer’s body is positioned relative to the ball, to the club in hand, and to the target before the beginning of a swing. It refers to the golfer’s posture, feet and ball positions as well as the grip of the club , amongst many other things.

What is the author's advice to golfers?

In the bestseller “Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book”, the author advises golfers to take dead aim before executing a shot. Sentence: Rather than aiming for the pin Jim set his aim to the right half of the green in order to avoid the bunker and water hazards to the left of the green.

Where are the hands on a golf shot?

For most types of shot, the hands will usually be slightly in front of the clubhead.

What is closed stance golf?

The closed stance promotes an in to out club path, which promotes a draw as long as the face is closed to the path.

What does Shawn Clement believe about golf swings?

He believes that the setup and then swinging along that path will help you curve the ball in the correct direction. He promotes working the ball both ways and using the momentum and gravity of the club and swinging it in the proper direction.

How to hit a good golf shot?

Hands in the perfect spot on backswing. Lead with your lower body. Perfect position at the top of backswing. And on and on and on, you come to realize that there are many different ways to make your swing work. You don’t need all of those items above to actually hit good golf shots.

Do amateur golfers have the time to swing?

Might they help, of course, but in the world of amateur golf, there are many ways to make things work in the game of golf. The reality is that many amateurs do not have the time or the guidance to get the picture perfect looking swing and may even lack some of the physical requirements to look so good with the swing.

Can you hit a draw in golf?

For the golfer that never can hit a draw, this approach is worth a shot. As far as fundamental #3, you might be surprised the distance you can hit a golf ball by quieting down your body and relying on your arm swing, solid contact and some gravity in your swing.

Can you play golf with a closed stance?

Playing golf with a closed stance might work for you. In fact, you can control the three fundamentals listed above playing from a closed stance. Did you know that Arnold Palmer and Sam Snead, two of the greatest golfers of all time, actually aimed to the right?

The Grip

Some people prefer to play with a baseball grip or an interlock grip, but I would recommend using an overlap grip.

The Stance

Your feet should generally be about shoulder width apart, with that becoming wider as you use your woods and longer clubs, while becoming more narrow with your wedges and chipping. The stance is one of the less technical parts of your set up and you should do a bit of your own research for what feels comfortable.

Posture

Your posture in golf is a little different to some other sports, like tennis or baseball. In golf you are mainly bending from your waist, so it is less of a squat or ‘sitting down’ posture. You do need to have a slight bend in your knees, but don’t sit too much.

Ball position

Ball position will vary from the center of your stance for wedges, to just inside your front heel for the driver. You can nudge the ball position slightly forward each time you use a longer club. In terms of distance from the ball, that is part of the stance, so you want your arms to be able to hang loosely but with control.

Summary

Each of you will find that you have different tendencies with where you set up is spot on, and where you cause problems for yourself. There are a lot of areas to cover, as you have seen here, so it is a good idea to write down which areas you want to work on or check up on every couple of weeks.

What does it mean when your golf swing is bad?

A bad angle means something in your setup that’s pointing in the opposite direction than it should be. Your shoulders are tilting down in front of the ball, for instance, instead of up and away from the target. High-handicappers tend to have bad angles. With bad angles, golf quickly becomes a game of compensations.

What is a bad angle in golf?

High-handicappers tend to have bad angles. With bad angles, golf quickly becomes a game of compensations. (Shoulders tilted in the wrong direction also pull your head ahead of the ball and point your body left—more bad news.) Mid-handicaps don’t have as many bad angles.

What happens when you have an open stance in golf?

When you have an open stance, you are essentially creating conditions similar to opening the clubface at impact. As a result, the ball will have a higher trajectory. When you have a closed golf stance, this has the same effect as closing the clubface, reducing the loft, and making the ball fly lower.

How wide should your feet be when addressing a golf club?

When addressing the ball, your feet should be just an inch or so greater than shoulder-width apart. Here’s another great rule of thumb. The bigger the club, the wider your stance.

What is the correct stance in golf?

The correct golf stance is one of the most fundamental parts of the game . It’s literally the foundation on which you build your swing and is so important to get absolutely nailed down. Creating a solid golf stance relies on getting several elements right.

Why is a closed stance important?

A closed stance will lead to a lower flight of the ball. It will also impart spin that will encourage the ball to move from right to left. This is because the club head will move along the line of your feet from an in-out swing path relative to the target line.

What is a driver in golf?

A driver imparts a relatively small spin on the ball. It also has a really shallow loft. As a result, you will want to position the ball towards the front of your golf stance. Somewhere just inside the forward heel is perfect. This is because the club has reached the bottom of its swing and is on the way back up.

What is golf posture?

Your posture is how you hold your body when you are addressing the ball. A correct golf posture isn’t hard to master, provided you follow a few key pieces of advice.

When will golf swings be better in 2021?

February 22, 2021. Like most things in life, a great golf swing starts with solid foundations. You can have the smoothest and best golf swing in the world, but you will not be consistent if you don’t have the right stance and setup to back it up. We’ve done a deep dive on how to get the proper golf stance for each club, ...

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