Open stance putting is a unique style of putting in which the golfer stands with their front foot (the foot closest to the hole) a half step behind their other foot. While well known, it is quite uncommon to see a golfer use this stance. I decided to look into what this stance is and what it has to offer.
How To Putt With An Open Stance
When using open stance putting, there are two things to mainly focus on–weight distribution and foot placement. Generally, the weight is distributed evenly on both feet, however some golfers do recommend to favor your leading foot and apply more weight to it. So for right-handed golfers, put more weight on your left foot and for left-handed putters, put more weight on your right foot.
As for foot placement, your leading foot (the one closest to the hole) should be about a half step (around 6 inches more or less). If you are not comfortable with your foot placement when you first try it out, keeping moving your foot around until you feel like you are able get a fluid swing motion.
What Does An Open Stance Do?
Putting with an open stance does a number of things to the way the club is swung. Firstly, the stance causes the golfer to rotate their body more, as they are now pivoting around their front foot. Additionally, putting with this stance allows the golfer to get a better line of sight towards the hole. More specifically, because the leading foot is stepped backwards, the putter’s line of vision is not as obstructed, thus they are able to get a better view of the line of play.
Additionally, some players that use the open stance putting style claim that it gives them a more ‘pendulum-like’ motion. They feel as though their front arm has a better movement of natural motion with the open stance.
Pros And Cons Of An Open Putting Stance
There are many advantages and disadvantages to the open stance putt. However, in most cases, the disadvantages outweigh the advantages.
| Pros | Cons |
|
|
Clearer Line of Vision to the Hole
A clear benefit to this style is that it allows you to get a better view of the hole. When you are putting on an open stance, your body is able to naturally rotate towards the hole. Because of this, you are able to see the line of putt without having to break your stance. More specifically, your body is facing the hole a bit more in an open stance, this allows you to more naturally see the line of putt to the hole.
Pull Your Putts
One downside to this stance is that it may cause you to pull more of your putts. Pulling your putts means that you are hitting the ball too far in the direction that you are rotating (for right-handed golfers, this means that you are hitting it too much to the left and for left-handed golfers this means that you are hitting it too much to the right).
This ‘pulling’ effect is caused by the pivot point in the stance. Because your leading foot is placed a bit further back, your body is going to rotate more around that foot, meaning you are going to be rotating around that point. This rotation may cause you to pull the ball, thus straying away from your line of putt (ultimately making you miss your putt).
Create Bad Habits
Many people argue that using an open stance when putting could impact your swing for other clubs. While this is quite dependent on how your stance is for your other clubs, it is something to note. By changing your footing for you putts, you may inadvertently change your stance for your other clubs. So, it is very important that you pay close attention to what stance you have for each of your clubs so that you don’t begin to develop these bad habits.
Pro Golfers With An Open Stance
There are a few notable golfers that used and popularized the open stance putting technique–Jack Niklaus is probably the most well-known. Niklaus used this stance as it not only helped him visualize the line of putt better, but it also allowed him to hit the ball with a bit more loft. This loft was more of a necessity back in the day when the greens were not as nice as they are today.
Should You Putt With An Open Stance?
Deciding on whether or not to use an open stance putting style in your game is totally dependent on what kind of putter you are. For most, an open stance putt is not recommended. There are far more beneficial changes that you can make before you make the switch to open stance putting. With this being said, there are some types of golfers that this may be good for.
Good For
An open stance is a good choice for those who may have trouble maintaining the view of their line of putt. As mentioned before, this stance allows the golfer to get a much better view of the hole, essentially increasing their visibility.
Another type of golfer that this stance is good for is those who prefer having more control with their leading hand (for righties this is your left hand, and for lefties this is your right hand). Many golfers who use this stance claim that it allows for them to rotate their shoulders a bit more and allow them to control the putter with their leading hand. So, those who feel more comfortable controlling their putt with their leading hand should try this stance.
Bad For
This stance is bad for pretty much everyone else. As I mentioned above, the downsides definitely outweigh the upsides. The benefits that it offer are just not that applicable to a majority of people. Many golfers do not run into the issues that this stance solves, so it is only beneficial to a very niche group of golfers with specific issues. This is ultimately why its not recommended to most golfers to use.
