Open Face at Address

**Joe Mama** · August 8, 2015

I've read many times that some golfers have an open face at address, but I've never read a description of how they achieve an open face. Are you supposed to place the club head on the ground, face open, THEN take your grip? Or, do you first take your grip, place the club head on the ground, and THEN open the face? Grip, then open versus open, then grip. There's a big difference, isn't there?

**DrvFrShow** · August 8, 2015

There's more to it....

**Patch** · August 8, 2015

I lay the club open, then regrip normally. If I don't regrip, the club face won't be open at ball contact unless I compensate on my downswing.

**Phil McGleno** · August 8, 2015

There's a big difference, isn't there?

Yes. Next.

**mvmac** · August 8, 2015

There's a big difference, isn't there?

Yes, never grip then open (point the face right).

**boogielicious** · August 9, 2015

I put the club down and open the face with respect to my path. Then I grip.

**Joe Mama** · August 9, 2015

All comments were very helpful, and the video as well. I have been doing it wrong: gripping, then opening. If I had thought about it more carefully, I might have realized that if the grip is neutral at address--never mind whether the face is open or closed, the wrists would tend to return at impact to their positions at address, whether the face was open or closed at address. Maybe I'm wrong about this, too? Putting that aside, is there no reason why anyone would grip, then open?

**Patch** · August 9, 2015

I know some folks who would open their club face with out regripping. However, on their downswing they would compensate with , as you stated above, their hands would return to their normal impact position, which of course closed the clubface to their desired impact position. I have sometimes heard this called the "1/8" rule. Myself, I am not a fan of having to compensate for anything on the the down swing to get the desired ball flight, although I know quite a few who have trained themselves to do so with pretty good success.

**Joe Mama** · August 9, 2015

I know some folks who would open their club face with out regripping. However, on their downswing they would compensate with , as you stated above, their hands would return to their normal impact position, which of course closed the clubface to their desired impact position. I have sometimes heard this called the "1/8" rule. Myself, I am not a fan of having to compensate for anything on the the down swing to get the desired ball flight, although I know quite a few who have trained themselves to do so with pretty good success.

I like the feeling of my left thumb pointing ore along the swing arc when I grip then open. I think it helps me better gauge how much on plane my backswing is.

**billchao** · August 11, 2015

Putting that aside, is there no reason why anyone would grip, then open?

Clubface/hands relationship doesn't change if you open the face after you grip.

**Joe Mama** · August 12, 2015

Clubface/hands relationship doesn't change if you open the face after you grip.

That's true. What DOES change is the relationship between the forearms. Opening after gripping pronates the left while supinating the right, which alters the backswing dynamics.

**mvmac** · August 12, 2015

Putting that aside, is there no reason why anyone would grip, then open?

I don't think it's a good idea. It would mean you pre-rotate your forearms and can effect how the club loads on the backswing. Could also cause the golfer to not turn the lead shoulder down enough on the takeaway.

***iacas*** · August 12, 2015

That's true. What DOES change is the relationship between the forearms. Opening after gripping pronates the left while supinating the right, which alters the backswing dynamics.

A few degrees is not going to appreciably change that much.

You're the same guy who thought being on a slight side slope changed the way your forearms worked, too, after all, and that the forearms had more to do with why golfers start the ball left or right off side slopes.

**Ernest Jones** · August 12, 2015

All comments were very helpful, and the video as well. I have been doing it wrong: gripping, then opening. If I had thought about it more carefully, I might have realized that if the grip is neutral at address--never mind whether the face is open or closed, the wrists would tend to return at impact to their positions at address, whether the face was open or closed at address. Maybe I'm wrong about this, too? Putting that aside, is there no reason why anyone would grip, then open?

Grip then open would just be a stronger grip with an open face. That sounds likely to wreak havoc.

xiek376 · August 12, 2015

Sorry to jump in here with a basic question, but is opening the club face and then regripping what one would do you trying to hit a push draw? I've read other info on this sight about how to draw a ball, but I don't remember seeing anything about opening the face at address, so was just curious if that's what this is in reference too. I do have a draw, but I struggle with starting it out far enough right, so maybe this is my missing key.

**mvmac** · August 12, 2015

Sorry to jump in here with a basic question, but is opening the club face and then regripping what one would do you trying to hit a push draw? I've read other info on this sight about how to draw a ball, but I don't remember seeing anything about opening the face at address, so was just curious if that's what this is in reference too. I do have a draw, but I struggle with starting it out far enough right, so maybe this is my missing key.

Yes, you would want the face aimed at where you want the ball to start, a little right of your target.

Good thread to check out.

**Joe Mama** · August 12, 2015

Grip then open would just be a stronger grip with an open face. That sounds likely to wreak havoc.

Maybe so. Maybe even probably so. But, wouldn't it all depend on which hacker is gripping then opening? Maybe the golfer's swing is not enough inside and he cannot seem to make it happen "naturally." Wouldn't gripping then opening tend to pronate the left forearm at setup and thereby foster a takeaway that's more inside? If failure to come enough inside is the cause of a lot that golfer's bad strikes, must we nevertheless advise him never to try opening and gripping, if everything else he's tried failed? Of course, if we're talking about a tour player, maybe gripping then opening would might wreak havoc for his swing (taking the word of others on this forum), but the Sunday hacker might be thrilled with the "BandAid" fix to his swing.

**Ernest Jones** · August 13, 2015

Yet another Joe Mama attempt to take Erik down a notch or two has fallen flat. It's like a Scooby Doo cartoon! Funny stuff!

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Open Face at Address

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