Remember when you were new to the game of golf, and it was nearly impossible to get your feet, and clubface squared and have all parts of the body working together?

Who would have thought that after just a bit of experience in the game, you would go back to these alternative stances with your feet open or closed?

The open stance golf swing can be a tremendous tool for players when it’s done right. The key here is making sure you understand what an open stance is, how to get into an open stance position, and the impact it has on ball flight.

Keep reading – we have the answers you need to give this a try on the range today.

What is an Open Stance Golf Swing

An open stance golf swing is one where your toes are going to be aimed left of your target while your clubface stays square down the target line. With an open stance golf swing, your toes and heels are still on the same parallel line, but they are no longer parallel to your clubface. What this looks like is a golfer with their hips and toe line aimed to the left of the target.

The key to making a proper open stance golf swing is the swing plane. Once your feet are on this path being aimed left of the target, the swing plane is still the same as if the feet were in the center of your stance.

Therefore the swing plane and path will match what the clubface is doing, not what the feet are doing. As you can imagine, this will have an impact on the ball flight, spin, and overall distance of the shot.

The open stance swing has both positives and negatives. One of the reasons I like players to learn the open stance swing is that it can be helpful in fixing issues that you may have on the golf course or getting you out of trouble.

Pros of Having an Open Stance in Your Golf Swing

The main positive to hitting a golf shot with an open stance swing and swing path is a higher ball flight. However, in addition to this higher ball flight there are benefits to being able to work the ball and to help players that struggle with rotation in their swing.

Higher Ball Flight

When your left foot and right foot are aimed to the left of the target line, the result to the clubface is that it will be slightly open in relation to your stance. The open clubface results in a higher ball flight.

Some golfers that struggle with getting the golf ball up in the air can greatly benefit from this higher ball flight as it can help with getting the ball to stop on the green. I also know that a higher ball flight (within reason) typically leads to a better distance than a low and penetrating ball flight.

Softer Landing On Approach Shots

Approach shots to the green are all about hitting it close. At some point in your golf career, you likely realized that getting the ball on the green is not enough. You need to be close enough to make a putt. One way to ensure you can attack pins is to have a higher overall flight with a bit more spin on the ball.

Think about the angle that many of your approach shots land on the green. Are they coming in high, dropping down, and stopping? Or are they scooting across the green like a line drive to center field? The ability to change ball flight and prepare for this softer landing is essential.

Easy Way To Hit A Fade

The draw and fade equation tends to get over complicated. Players worry about changing their grip, adjusting their swing path, and all sorts of other mental tricks to try and get the ball to turn just a few yards. Many great players will open their stance a bit and watch the ball fade.

The open stance promotes a more outside swing path, and with the feet aimed to the left of the target, the result will be a high fade. Don’t feel the need to make this game any more complicated than it is!

Can Help Senior Golfers With Rotational Issues

If you are starting to feel hip pain or pressure when you swing through the golf ball, chances are the left foot is making things difficult for you. As we age, our flexibility decreases, and so does our power. The result is a move that tries to create power with a less flexible body, and the many golfers end up in pain.

Sometimes by opening the stance just a bit, we make it much easier to swing through the ball, transfer weight and look straight down the fairway at our target. For players that struggle to get to the left side or don’t feel comfortable turning with speed, the open stance is a game changer.

Cons of Having an Open Stance in Your Golf Swing

Like all things in golf, if you make a slight change, there are possibilities for negatives as well. The square stance is where most players like to play, and that is because the golf ball tends to perform best from this position. Here are a few downsides to the open stance, all of which can be controlled by the degree to which you open your stance.

Can Promote a Slice or Fade Spin

The outside-in swing path created by a player who sets up with an open stance has also been known to promote a slice or a fade. For many golfers, this is a great thing, but if you exaggerate this move in any way, expect that your face angle could be a bit too extreme, and the slices and fades can get out of control.

Loss In Distance

Another one of the disadvantages to the open stance golf swing is a slight loss in the distance. Sometimes with the open face angle and the setup to the left of the target, the shots can be a few yards shorter. With a closed stance and clubface that is slightly shut down, there is more topspin on the ball, increasing the amount of roll and distance.

Ball Will Be Subject To Wind

High ball flight is great until you are into the wind. If you are playing golf on a windy day, opening the stance and increasing the ball flight is likely not your best decision. Instead, learn how to play a closed stance as well as an open, and then you are prepared for any situation.

Can Cause Swing Plane Issues

Golfers with an open stance tend to struggle with where the golf club should come around in the backswing. Sometimes the club gets a bit too far outside the target line, which is difficult to recover from. I’ve said it before, but it’s worth mentioning again that adjustments to the golf swing, like an open stance, should be subtle. Don’t go crazy with this; it’s not going to help you.

Other Types of Stances

In addition to the open stance, there are two other types of stances in golf. We wish we could tell you that learning one will be enough. If you want your game to stall at a certain point and not progress to lower handicap, then you may stick with just a square stance.

However, great players will work hard to add tools to their golf bags. These tools are not necessarily golf clubs; instead, they are shots that can be hit using the equipment you already have.

Square

A square stance is a standard golf stance where your feet, hips, shoulders, and clubface are all square to the target line. With a square stance, you set yourself up for a perfect swing plane and for a high ball flight, and a straight golf shot.

Of course, the square stance will not guarantee that you hit a golf ball straight, but it certainly gives you the best chance. However, each golfer has some unique features to their game, and sometimes even with a square stance, the ball will go left or right.

Closed

The closed stance is essentially the opposite of an open stance. With the closed stance, your golf club still stays square to the target, but your feet are going to be aimed right of the target. The closed stance can result in shots that go left of the target as the swing plane is typically a little more inside out.

One of the best fixes for a golfer that is struggling with a slice is to close down their stance and see if it helps straighten the ball flight out. The clubface closes slightly, and the path encourages you to release the golf club.

Which Type of Golf Stance Is Best?

Wouldn’t it be great if there was one type of golf stance that you could learn as a beginner and have that take you throughout your entire golf career? Unfortunately, golf is never that simple.

The square stance is the one you will use the most often. However, once you have the square stance down, it’s time to start looking at the open stance and closed stance as additions to your game. The learning curve on these stance options is short, and you can pick up this skill in one afternoon on the range.

My best tip is to start very subtly. Do not overdo the motion in any way, as it will likely cause a shot that you are not going to favor. Simply start with a slight turn of the toes towards the left and see how this impacts your flight. Chances are you will hit some shots that you have not been able to hit in the past.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children. Current Handicap: 1

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With the way that lofts have changed in golf clubs, players carry more wedges than ever. It’s hard to find a golfer without a sand wedge and a pitching wedge in their bag. However, some golfers have no idea how to use these wedges.

Have you ever stood over a golf ball and had no idea whether to use your sand wedge or pitching wedge? If you have, we have all the answers you need.

As much as I love my sand wedge, I’ve been using my pitching wedge more and more. From the right situation and lie, there is nothing quite like the simplicity of a pitching wedge shot.

Overview of a Sand Wedge and Pitching Wedge

The pitching wedge is the club that bridges the gap between the wedge and irons in the bag. With the loft of a pitching wedge, it’s easy to get a golf ball up in the air, and it happens to be one of the most forgiving irons in the bag.

Sand wedges are often considered the club to use to get out of the bunker. But the sand wedge is more than this. With a sand wedge, you can hit high lofted approach shots, get plenty of spin on your chips and pitches and become a very accurate short game player.

Differences Between a Sand Wedge and Pitching Wedge

The basic concept of a pitching wedge and a sand wedge is the same. The idea is to use these clubs to get the ball close to the hole and ensure lower scores. However, there are some clear differences in the way that these clubs are designed, and it will impact overall playability.

Loft

The standard loft on a pitching wedge will vary depending on the manufacturer. Expect to see that the loft can range from around 43 degrees to 47 degrees on the pitching wedge. Golf iron sets designed for lower handicap players will have a higher loft, less forgiveness, and a bit more workability.

For the higher handicappers, expect the loft to be lower to help promote total distance. In addition, the club will probably be more forgiving, have a lower center of gravity, and be easy to hit straight.

Length

Most of the time, the pitching wedge is slightly longer than the sand wedge. A pitching wedge encourages a bit of extra distance; it could be as much as 20 yards difference between the sand wedge and the pitching wedge, depending on the club’s specifications.

Shaft Differences

Many pitching wedges have a shaft that matches the iron sets. The sand wedge often has a wedge flex shaft that is not a match to the rest of the clubs in the bag. This is why it’s important to get custom fittings done and understand what goes into getting your clubs to have consistent performance.

Grooves & Spin

A pitching wedge and sand wedge have grooves designed to help a golf ball stop where you want it.

The sand wedges tend to have a tighter groove structure, and many times the grooves themselves are deeper. With deep grooves, more debris can be channeled away from the face making it easier to stop the ball on the green when hitting out of the rough.

Club Head Shaping

The pitching wedge is more likely to match the irons that you have in your set. The sand wedge usually looks a bit more like a blade style.

I like the blade-style sand wedges, and I don’t mind that they look different than the irons in the set. With the blade style, I can be a bit more aggressive on certain shots, and it gives me some confidence in my short game.

The sand wedge style helps improve overall trajectory on short shots and eliminates chunking, digging, or thinning of shots.

Pros and Cons of a Sand Wedge

Now that you have a better idea of what a sand wedge is and how it differs from a pitching wedge let’s take a look at the positives and negatives of the sand wedge.

Pros

• Great for short shots around the green
• One of the highest-lofted clubs in the bag
• Clean leading edge
• High levels of spin, even without taking a full swing
• It can be one of the most accurate golf clubs in the bag

Cons

• Not the most forgiving golf club in the bag
• Distance capabilities are not great
• It can be tough to hit clean if course conditions and grass are tight

Pros and Cons of a Pitching Wedge

The pitching wedge has been and always will be one of my favorite golf clubs in my bag. The pitching wedge is one of the first clubs I teach golfers to use because you can do so much with it. Pitching wedges can get you out of trouble, improve overall consistency, and can be a great tool around the greens.

Pros

• Very easy to hit
• High-lofted club for getting players out of trouble
• Enough backspin to stop a golf ball on the green
• A great option for bump and run type golf shots
• Can match your irons or your wedges for versatility

Cons

• Depending on the irons you have, it can be a bit bulky
• The pitching wedge loft is often not high enough for a bunker shot
• Won’t have as much backspin as the highest-lofted clubs

When to Use Each Club

As you can see, the pitching wedge and the sand wedge are both important golf clubs. I would go as far as to say that a golf set without both clubs is not a complete set. However, knowing when to use each club can be tricky.

Golfers tend to get comfortable with one club over another, then overuse it. Here are some of the best ways to use a pitching and sand wedge.

Bunker Shots

Bunker shots require the ball to get a bit higher in the air, which is why I would only use the sand wedge from a bunker. Sand wedges make it considerably easier to get a ball out of sand because of the wider sole.

The bounce on the sand wedge cuts through the turf quite well and encourages a higher ball flight and the ability to get the ball to stop on the green.

Elevated Green

An elevated golf green requires a club with more loft. When I’m hitting a chip or a pitch to a hole higher than me, I’m more likely to use a sand wedge.

Of course, I recommend analyzing the lie as well as the confidence in the shot that needs to be hit, but to an elevated green, the extra loft is certainly a bit of a better choice.

Sometimes if you use the pitching wedge in this situation, the ball won’t make it up to the green, and it could even roll back down and further from the hole.

Pin in The Back – Ball at The Approach

When a pin is in the back of the green, you will have the room to hit a lower shot that rolls a bit more than it flies. In this situation, it makes more sense to hit a pitching wedge. It’s much easier to control the shot, keep it rolling along the ground, and get the result closer to the hole.

When I hit this type of shot, I tend to keep the stroke very simple, almost like a putting stroke, choke up on the club, and hit it close.

Longer Greenside Bunker Shots

Although the sand wedge tends to be the club of choice for shots out of the sand, this is really for the bunkers closest to the green. The pitching wedge could be a better shot if you are a bit further away from the hole.

You can take a smaller swing and get a slightly better trajectory with the pitching wedge. Be careful that the lip of the bunker is not incredibly high; this can cause issues with using the pitching wedge.

Thick Rough

It’s very difficult to get the proper spin launch and control from golf wedges when you are hitting out of the rough. Rough is difficult; it grabs the club, gets in the way of the grooves and dimples on the ball,, and ends up causing you to lose accuracy.

However, with the way golf wedges are designed, the sand wedge does a better job of managing the rough than the pitching wedge.

In fact, sometimes, even when I’m hitting out of the rough, I can still get a ball to stop on the green when I use the sand wedge. I may have to plan for a little more rollout, but it’s still possible to stop it.

Thick rough causes issues with club head rotation as well, and the sand wedge tends to hold up better in this situation.

Approach Shots

The sand wedge and pitching wedge can both work in approach shots. I tend to look at how far I have into the hole and then choose a golf club accordingly. For longer approaches, I use the pitching wedge, shorter, I use the sand wedge.

Keep in mind that it generally makes more sense when you can keep the ball lower. If there is no trouble between me and the pin, I will often use a half swing on the pitching wedge instead of a full swing on the sand wedge.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children. Current Handicap: 1

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