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Closed stance OK?

Hi Tom. Early days for me into your program, and beginning to build trust and confidence in what you teach. At the practice range today I discarded my strong grip in favor of a neutral grip after watching your lesson on how a strong grip promotes a flipping closed attack. It really cleaned up I so many problems. My question today is whether it’s ok to use a closed setup stance ( I think Hogan did)? It seems to help me find a consistent bottom of my swing.

3 comments

3 Comments

Tom Saguto

Sep 20, 2022

Welcome to the school and to this great forum community!!

The baseline is a neutral stance for all clubs, but that does not mean that there isn't any leeway for individual nuances, and ultimately you need to let your ball striking and shot shape be your guide. You to need to be aware, however, that a closed (or open) stance can skew your alignment and play tricks on you. For example, if the closed stance also closes your shoulder and hip line to the target line, then what appears to be a straight shot may actually be a bit of a pull.

I do strongly suggest that members take sufficient time to ensure that the fundamental components are mastered. From the ground up there is nothing superfluous in the Stack & Tilt swing - in other words, everything with a purpose, and a purpose for everything. (For example, contrary to shift & lift where you may be taught to keep your trail foot perpendicular to the target line as a means of "creating resistance" in your trail side, in S&T we flare both feet out 10-20 degrees in order to facilitate a free flowing, inclined hip and shoulder turn.) I cannot emphasize this enough, as frustrations predominantly occur when students jump ahead in the curriculum without properly dedicating themselves to the foundational base upon which our consistently repeatable, powerful, low maintenance swing must be built. (Also, you may find that with the correct setup a neutral stance will perform well for you.) Chapter 1 of the Golf Swing Simplified program (GSS) and Part I of Get Out & Go Play (GOGP) both address this in detail.

Wally B

Sep 21, 2022

Replying to

Thanks Tom. I am impressed that you read and answer so fast. I will key into the curriculum you pointed to. I am one of those guys that have struggled for over 40 years to find a simple consistent and repeatable way to strike the ball. Your teaching makes a lot of sense.

Tom Saguto

Sep 21, 2022

Replying to

Sounds good, @webseattle! Also, as you progress always keep in mind the V1 Swing Video Analysis service, an effective and inexpensive service that I highly recommend to everyone in the school. I liken it to bringing your swing into the shop for a tune-up or minor repair. Scheduling one on a quarterly basis for preventive maintenance will do wonders for keeping things humming along nicely, and it's also a great tool for pinpointing and resolving any issues that arise. The process involves downloading the free V1 app and then submitting two videos to me through the app - one down-the-line (captured from your stance line, not the target line) and the other face-on. You'll find more information about the V1 Analysis halfway down this page on the Saguto.Golf site.