Effortless Inside Swing with Closed Stance

[Joe Mama]

@Joe Mama , I'm going to stand by this. If you're pulling the ball 30° and playing the ball off your back foot, you're really compensating heavily. It sounds like someone who has thrown in the towel on actually improving. Good luck.

If by "pulling the ball" you mean that I'm intentionally drawing the ball, that's not something I've ever said is happening. I'm hitting it straight, not to the left. I cannot help what sounds you hear, but I've never said or tried to imply that I've given up on improving. Quite the contrary. Do golfers who've given up on improving join golfing forums to describe their discoveries (actual or imagined)? I would not have given up on curing my OTT using the orthodox stance if I hadn't found a suitable work-around. I would relentlessly be seeking the cure. Now, you may say that my work-around is second best or worse to what you consider to be the best, but I still say that I am better today than I was last week, because of the 30 degree closed stance with ball near the right foot, three knuckle strong grip.

[Joe Mama]

I think we've all had a chance to adequately express our views. In looking ahead, I cannot see how further discussion by me will be welcomed by others in this forum, so I will devote my attention to other threads and not succumb to the temptation to comment further. Thanks to all for their participation and constructive comments.

[mvmac]

If by "pulling the ball" you mean that I'm intentionally drawing the ball, that's not something I've ever said is happening. I'm hitting it straight, not to the left.

I cannot help what sounds you hear, but I've never said or tried to imply that I've given up on improving. Quite the contrary. Do golfers who've given up on improving join golfing forums to describe their discoveries (actual or imagined)? I would not have given up on curing my OTT using the orthodox stance if I hadn't found a suitable work-around. I would relentlessly be seeking the cure. Now, you may say that my work-around is second best or worse to what you consider to be the best, but I still say that I am better today than I was last week, because of the 30 degree closed stance with ball near the right foot, three knuckle strong grip.

You say you aim your body right, aim the face at the target and the ball starts at the target (or slightly right), that would be pulling the ball. The ball is starting well left of your body lines.

[Ernest Jones]

I think we've all had a chance to adequately express our views. In looking ahead, I cannot see how further discussion by me will be welcomed by others in this forum, so I will devote my attention to other threads and not succumb to the temptation to comment further.

Thanks to all for their participation and constructive comments.

I all due fairness, you are not discussing, you are proselytizing.

I don't think anyone here has any problem discussing various ways to improve at golf, even unorthodox ways provided you have some "meat" to back up your theories. So far you haven't made good with any of the "meat" which makes it pretty difficult to "discuss".

You also seem, as far as I can tell, to be advocating a technique (for lack of a better term) that is a dead-end. It won't lead to improvement. It may provide an initial spike of improvement if you lose less balls this way but ultimately you'll be hamstrung by adopting these low, limited carry, pulls with an extremely closed stance and hooded face. I mean, 30* closed? Really? 30* is a lot...one of the reasons I asked to see video was to verify if 30* is accurate or if you've overestimated that angle.

So, with an absence of any "meat" to discuss coupled with the fact that any new golfer that stumbles upon this thread and adopts your strategy will be severely limiting their potential, yeah, you're going to get negative feedback. We all like to help other golfers get better, but what you are doing is the opposite.

[newtogolf]

I think we've all had a chance to adequately express our views. In looking ahead, I cannot see how further discussion by me will be welcomed by others in this forum, so I will devote my attention to other threads and not succumb to the temptation to comment further.

Thanks to all for their participation and constructive comments.

I think it's great at 70 you're still enjoying the game and found ways to compensate for an admitted swing flaw.  I don't think you should refrain from commenting, but more so realize that a swing that you built to compensate for your OTT move is not a swing you'd want to encourage others to adopt.  If you had to do it over would you keep this swing or learn to swing properly?

[Ernest Jones]

If you had to do it over would you keep this swing or learn to swing properly?

Well put.

[vangator]

I hit some chips with a slightly closed stance sometimes. I still play it basically in the middle, maybe slightly back. I can make crisper contact. It will run more. But this is not my main technique. BTW, a friend of mine has a real bad OTT move that comes from a too quick transition and them initiating the downswing with his shoulders.

[Ernest Jones]

BTW, a friend of mine has a real bad OTT move that comes from a too quick transition and them initiating the downswing with his shoulders.

We must have the same friend.

[Golfingdad]

BTW, a friend of mine has a real bad OTT move that comes from a too quick transition and them initiating the downswing with his shoulders.

We must have the same friend.

LOL ... @vangator actually just described my dad as well.

[Pretzel]

LOL ... @vangator actually just described my dad as well.

And a large number of other golfers with an OTT move, if I were to hazard a guess.

[Tref]

I play regularly with a guy who uses a closed stance for his pitching and chipping and he is deadly with both...I myself have tried it for those 30-50yd low runners and it works well.....if you are striking the ball well and judging distance and direction what ever your doing is right!...Golf is always easier when you find something that works!

[jose c]

I've recently squared maybe 5% closed my front. I've fought an OTP move my whole life and this is really helping.

[TRUCKER]

 I play with a closed stance and just out of curiosity googled "closed golf stance" and this thread popped up. The title is exactly what happened to me when I was introduced to a closed stance. An effortless inside swing. I could not no matter what I tried start inside to out. I was ott and steep. As soon as I closed my stance my swing shallowed out and stayed inside. Gained big yardage too. Almost eliminated fat shots instantly without any other swing changes. I was always hanging around the 19-20 handicap range and after adopting this change I got down as low as a 12 and have not been higher than a 15 since. (14 now). I also scored a lifetime low round of 75.

[62toyou]

I use pretty much this setup/swing and agree that it requires almost no thought once you take the stance.  Contrary to some opinion mentioned herein, I have not given up but rather am trying to find a swing that will get me back to the low single digit handicap of my youth (pre-70's), which is slowly happening.  I would really like to see a young beginner try this swing, it seems so effortless and powerful that my guess is that a beginner could get pretty good within a year or so.  Sadly though, anyone trying this swing as a beginner (and ever as a 76 yr old), would have to be capable of standing up to some well-meaning corrective instructions.  Golf on.

[lastings]

On 11/30/2014 at 2:19 PM, Joe Mama said:

 I would guess that 90% of high-cappers have varying degrees of OTT problems. If it were easy to fix, we'd never mention it. Rather than fighting what--for most--is evidently an un-winnable war, 

definitely not an un-winnable war. took me about 3 years, but I beat it.  And, correspondingly, my handicap has dropped from a 14 to an 8.5.   fight the war, it's worth it in the end. 

[garyt]

On 11/30/2014 at 3:57 PM, Phil McGleno said:

I dont think most golfers count giving up and giving in like you have done as 'success'-Are you done improving? Giving up?-So you are here for validation rather than help/discussion?

I asked if anyone else had experienced the same kind of success as I've had in the hope that the support of others might encourage others to try out the closed stance swing. Maybe it will work for them, too. I wasn't looking for a critique of my swing at this point. Maybe later.

Lots of people just want a swing that's fairly consistent and lets them get out and have some fun. Joe Mama looks like an older guy who's not getting any better physically, so if he's happy with his swing good for him.Not everyone is looking to keep improving, in fact I'd say the vast majority aren't. Those of us on a golf forum are the big minority.

[iacas]

7 hours ago, garyt said:

Lots of people just want a swing that's fairly consistent and lets them get out and have some fun. Joe Mama looks like an older guy who's not getting any better physically, so if he's happy with his swing good for him.Not everyone is looking to keep improving, in fact I'd say the vast majority aren't. Those of us on a golf forum are the big minority.

Quoting posts from 2014 without knowing any of the background doesn't generally go very well. And @Phil McGleno has taught golf for decades, so he knows a thing or two, while @Joe Mama likely never broke 80.

Nobody really cares here if someone is happy to play golf and shoot 90 and have fun. More power to 'em! But for players who are trying to get better with good information, the topic here is just a band-aid hack that allows for a player to hit over-the-top pulls rather than working toward a better golf swing.

[chilepepper]

If I had to line up 30 deg offline to keep it in the fairway I’d be beating a path to the pro I see occasionally ,not trying to sort it out myself. Kudos to you if it works and you're happy.