Open vs Square vs Closed Stance: When and Why to Use Each

Most golfers think of stance as simply where their feet are placed, but stance alignment plays a major role in how the club travels through the ball and how the shot curves. Whether your stance is open, square, or closed influences swing path, body rotation, and how easily the clubface can return to the target.

Many players unknowingly aim left or right with their feet while the clubface points somewhere else entirely. This mismatch is a common cause of slices, pulls, blocked shots, and inconsistent starting lines. The swing may feel the same, but the setup is steering the ball in a different direction before the motion even begins.

A square stance is the foundation for most stock shots, but there are times when opening or closing your stance can be useful for controlling trajectory, shaping the ball, or hitting specialty shots. The key is understanding when each stance helps and when it creates problems.

In this article, you’ll learn the difference between an open, square, and closed stance, how each one affects swing path and shot shape, and how to use them intentionally rather than accidentally. When your alignment is clear and consistent, the club can return to the ball on the intended line and your shot pattern becomes far more predictable.

What Is an Open, Square, and Closed Stance

Your stance is defined by the direction your feet (and hips and shoulders) are aligned relative to the target line.

A square stance means your feet, hips, and shoulders are parallel to the target line. This is the neutral setup and the baseline for most full shots, allowing the club to swing on a natural path with minimal compensation.

An open stance means your body lines (feet, hips, shoulders) are aimed left of the target (for a right-handed golfer). The clubface can still point at the target, but the body is aligned left. This setup tends to encourage the club to travel more left through impact.

A closed stance means your body lines are aimed right of the target. Again, the clubface can still be aimed at the target, but the body is pointed right. This often encourages the club to travel more from the inside.

The key distinction is that stance direction does not equal clubface direction. The clubface primarily controls where the ball starts, while the stance influences the path the club travels on.

Understanding this separation is what allows you to use open, square, and closed stances intentionally instead of letting alignment errors shape your shots by accident.

The Square Stance (The Stock Shot Setup)

A square stance is your default position for most full swings. With your feet, hips, and shoulders parallel to the target line, your body can rotate freely and the club can return on a neutral path with predictable contact and starting direction.

This setup supports a balanced pressure shift and makes it easier to control the low point with irons and deliver the clubface consistently. For most approach shots and tee shots where you are not trying to curve the ball intentionally, a square stance provides the simplest and most repeatable alignment.

When golfers struggle with inconsistent start lines or feel like they have to manipulate the clubface, returning to a square stance often brings immediate clarity and stability to the swing.

The Open Stance

An open stance means your feet, hips, and shoulders are aimed slightly left of the target (for a right-handed golfer) while the clubface can still be pointed at the target. This setup tends to encourage the club to travel more left through impact, which makes it useful for fade shots and for controlling trajectory with shorter clubs.

Opening your stance can help when you want the ball to start left and curve gently back, such as when hitting a controlled fade into a pin or when playing approach shots that need to land softly. It is also common in wedge play and bunker shots because it helps the body clear and keeps the swing moving left, promoting clean contact and a descending strike.

The danger of an open stance is overdoing it. If the body is aimed too far left while the clubface is still trying to square to the target, the swing can become excessively out-to-in, leading to pulls and slices.

Used in moderation, an open stance is a valuable tool. Used accidentally, it becomes one of the most common causes of left-aimed body lines and right-curving shots.

The Closed Stance

A closed stance means your feet, hips, and shoulders are aimed slightly right of the target (for a right-handed golfer) while the clubface can still be aimed at the target. This setup encourages the club to approach more from the inside, which can help promote a draw or a lower, more penetrating ball flight.

A closed stance can be useful when you want the ball to start right and curve back, such as shaping a draw around an obstacle or adding a little right-to-left movement with longer clubs. It can also help golfers who naturally swing too much left feel more room to swing from the inside.

The risk with a closed stance is over-rotation of the body and an excessively in-to-out path. When the stance is too closed, timing the clubface becomes difficult and hooks or blocks can appear. Like the open stance, it should be used as a small adjustment for shot shaping, not as a permanent fix for swing flaws.

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How Stance Direction Affects Swing Path

Your stance alignment influences the direction your body wants to rotate and, in turn, the general direction the club travels through impact. When your stance is square, your rotation is centered and the club can swing on a neutral path relative to the target line.

When your stance is open, your body lines encourage rotation that moves more left through the ball. This often shifts the swing path left and makes it easier to produce a fade pattern, especially if the clubface is left slightly open to that path.

When your stance is closed, your body is oriented more to the right, which encourages a more in-to-out swing path. This makes it easier to deliver the club from the inside and create draw curvature if the face is slightly closed relative to that path.

It’s important to remember that stance influences path, but it does not completely control it. The clubface still largely determines where the ball starts, and the face-to-path relationship determines curvature.

Stance is a steering influence, not the engine, which is why it should be used as a fine-tuning tool rather than a primary fix.

Stance by Club Type

With wedges and short irons, many players naturally favor a slightly open stance. This helps the body clear, keeps the swing moving left, and makes it easier to control low point and trajectory for precise distance control.

With mid irons, a square stance is usually the best default. It allows for a balanced combination of rotation and stability, making it easier to return the club on a neutral path and strike the ball consistently.

With long irons, fairway woods, and the driver, most golfers perform best from a square to very slightly closed stance.

The longer swing and higher speed benefit from a setup that allows the club to approach from the inside and promotes a powerful, shallow delivery without forcing the face to flip.

Stance for Shot Shaping (Draw vs Fade)

To shape the ball intentionally, stance alignment should be adjusted only slightly, with the clubface still aimed where you want the ball to start.

For a fade, aim your body a few degrees left of the target and keep the clubface slightly right of your stance line. This encourages a path that moves left with a face that is open to that path, producing left-to-right curvature.

For a draw, aim your body a few degrees right of the target and keep the clubface slightly left of your stance line. This promotes an in-to-out path with a face that is closed to that path, creating right-to-left movement.

The key is moderation. Small stance changes influence path without disrupting balance or rotation. Large adjustments often create compensation, poor contact, and exaggerated curvature.

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Common Stance Alignment Mistakes

One of the most common mistakes is aiming the feet left while leaving the clubface aimed at the target. This open-body, square-face combination often produces an out-to-in path with an open face, which is a classic recipe for a pull-slice pattern.

Another mistake is closing the stance too much in an attempt to “fix” a slice. While this can encourage an in-to-out path, it often leads to timing issues, blocks, and snap hooks when the face closes too quickly.

Poor shoulder alignment is also a big issue. Many golfers set their feet square but aim their shoulders left, which still promotes a leftward swing path and inconsistent start lines. The body lines need to work together, not fight each other.

Simple Alignment Checks and Drills

One of the best ways to train proper stance alignment is with alignment sticks. Place one stick on the ground along your target line and another across your toes. This immediately shows whether your feet are square, open, or closed relative to where you are aiming.

You can also use an intermediate target a few feet in front of the ball. Aim the clubface at that spot first, then set your feet, hips, and shoulders parallel to it. This prevents the common mistake of setting your body first and then trying to manipulate the clubface to compensate.

A quick shoulder check helps as well. Hold a club across your chest and look in a mirror or down at the range. Your shoulders should be parallel to your foot line, not unknowingly open or closed.

Building Stance Alignment into Your Pre-Shot Routine

To make open, square, or closed stances intentional, your alignment needs a consistent order.

First, aim the clubface at your target or intermediate target.

Second, set your feet so they are square, slightly open, or slightly closed depending on the shot you want to hit.

Third, match your hips and shoulders to your foot line so your body is working as one unit.
Finally, take one last look at your target and commit.

This face-first, body-second sequence ensures that stance direction supports the shot shape instead of fighting it. When alignment is built into your routine, you stop guessing and start controlling both your start line and your curve.

Conclusion

Open, square, and closed stances are not random preferences. They are alignment tools that influence how your body rotates and how the club travels through the ball. When you understand what each stance does, you stop aiming by accident and start shaping shots on purpose.

A square stance is your foundation for consistent, neutral ball flight. An open stance can help control trajectory, promote a fade, and improve precision with wedges. A closed stance can encourage an inside path and help you shape draws or hit lower, more penetrating shots. The key is using each one in small, intentional amounts rather than as a permanent compensation for a swing flaw.

Remember that the clubface controls where the ball starts and the stance mainly influences the path.

When your setup sequence is consistent and your alignment is clear, the swing no longer has to guess where to go. With a disciplined approach to stance direction, you gain control over start line, curvature, and confidence before the club ever moves.

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Nick Foy – Golf Instructor