Driver stance - is open ok?

[Sandwedge74]

hi - curious about what people think about this issue. I can hit a controlled fade and its by far the most reliable of my tee shots. To do it - I need to have my stance opened up a little. Say if dead straight is 12 o'clock than my feet would be pointed anywhere from 11:30 to 11. my question is : is this a bad habit to get into or is this how some pros play a controlled fade?? I would like to have this be my main set up since Its reliable but I don't want to develop any bad habits - what do you all think??

[Ben]

That's how I hit my power fade.

[The Rambler]

Sure, Singh plays a fade and he hits it a mile

[Avid Golfer]

hi - curious about what people think about this issue. I can hit a controlled fade and its by far the most reliable of my tee shots. To do it - I need to have my stance opened up a little. Say if dead straight is 12 o'clock than my feet would be pointed anywhere from 11:30 to 11. my question is : is this a bad habit to get into or is this how some pros play a controlled fade?? I would like to have this be my main set up since Its reliable but I don't want to develop any bad habits - what do you all think??

Of all the body parts to align (shoulders, hips, eyes, and feet) feet are the least important. A few studies on the science of the swing have noted that a slightly open stance promotes quieter leg and hip action on the backswing, and preset the lower body in a position that it will require less movement and less effort to get in an open position at impact. If you're comfortable and get consistency from an open stance then you should stick with it. One drawback to the open stance is that it may put added pressure on your back (due to the additional resistence it produces). Historically players who have played with open stances for a long time have also experienced periods of back pain (Couples, Irwin, Trevino, Zoeller, and Mediate being examples).

[Richie3Jack]

There's been a lot more good players, particularly tour players with an open stance than a closed stance. The feet are not exactly important, but generally where the feet are aligned the hips follow.

I could go into detail about why the open stance works, but let's just say it is pretty common for golfers to hit the ball well with an open stance.




3JACK

[QWKDTSN]

When I am really striking the ball well I play a predictable fade. I turn my feet and aim at the left rough, and it curves its way to land in the fairway. I think it is a good shot but I would love to be able to hit a straight ball or a slight draw. My problem is that when I am not striking the ball well my power fade turns into a slice that goes half the normal distance and into the opposite fairway (or the street).

[ks8829]

I think Fred Couples does the same thing. What works consistenly don't fix.