In the most recent issue of Golf Digest (June 2007) there is a detailed description of what is called the "Stack and Tilt" swing. This golf swing is being promoted by golf coaches Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett.
Predictably the article indulges in a bit of exaggeration when the author says "Their secret...contradicts almost everything being taught in the game today." But the Stack and Tilt swing does introduce some changes to the way we're used to thinking about the golf swing, and some of them may actually help you play golf better.
The Major Difference
The biggest difference with the "Stack and Tilt" swing is that it completely downplays the idea of shifting your weight to your back foot when making the backswing. In fact this "new" swing encourages the golfer to keep his or her weight on the front foot, and, if anything, move it more directly over the front foot during the takeaway.
Some older golfers will think this looks like a "reverse pivot" where the golfer seems to be leaning towards the target at the top of the swing. Teachers of the typical modern swing have their golf students draw the club back and stack their weight over their back leg when the club hits the top of the swing. But Stack and Tilt encourages the golfer to lean towards the target while the club is taken up.
Other Subtle Differences
For many golfers it may be hard to spot the differences at first, but there are some significant ones. For one thing with the typical modern swing the back leg remains bent with a slight flex at the knee. With the Stack and Tilt the back leg straightens out. The photos featured in the Golf Digest article (p.122) demonstrate how the back leg straightens out as it pushes back towards the target.
As a result the front side of the body is "stacked" over the front foot, and the trailing side of the body is "tilted" towards the target.
For a comparison with the typical modern swing look at photos of Tiger's swing of the last few years, or see the photo of V.J. Singh's swing on page 43 of the same issue of Golf Digest. Singh's upper body is "stacked" over his back leg at the top of the swing, and the trailing side of his torso is perpendicular to the ground as he pushes his weight back over his back leg. This is quite different from the way the torso is angled towards the target with the Stack and Tilt swing.
Shades of the Past
If this looks like a major departure from what has become golf orthodoxy, it probably is. But the modern orthodox swing featuring the weight shift to the back is a relatively new invention. Before the emphasis on "athleticism" that has taken place over the last 15 years, acceptance of the simplistic "weight shift" idea was not nearly as unanimous . You only have to look at old photos of Byron Nelson, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan or Sam Snead to see that these golfers do not make the major shift over the back leg like you see with Tiger Woods.
Or have a close look at the famous 1930s videos produced by Bobby Jones. There is no obvious shift towards the back leg. Jones remains centered over the ball throughout the swing and is more concerned with rotation around the center point than he is with the lateral weight shift characteristic of the typical modern swing.
Can Stack and Tilt Help You Improve?
There are several interesting points made by the the Stack and Tilt advocates which may help the average golfer hit the golf ball more squarely and (perhaps) more powerfully.
The first is the lack of emphasis placed on the weight shift. For many golfers this idea is misleading and results in a lateral shift that basically turns the golf ball into a moving target. Shifting one's weight to the back also results in a "shallower" swing which increases the chances of bottoming out too early. Depending on a variety of factors this can either result in fat shots or thin ones. As an alternative, pressing into the front foot as you take the club back very definitely forces a steeper approach to the ball and should result in fewer topped shots. It also results in a lower trajectory since it de-lofts the club, and this may give you greater run on certain kinds of fairways.
The second point has to do with the flatter swing promoted by the Stack and Tilt teachers. A flatter swing is a more rotational one, and (I think) is part of the Stack and Tilt approach because of the relative difficulty of getting the club going when you have your weight forward. In the place of a lateral shift from back to front to get the club moving, Stack and Tilt suggests a rotational one. In other words you try to maximize club head speed by taking advantage of the rotation of the torso.
The third point is the fairly advanced idea of the "pelvic thrust" which the Stack and Tilt teachers claim helps get the club approaching the ball correctly. This is probably where Stack and Tilt becomes too difficult for many average golfers. With Stack and Tilt, since one's weight and shoulder position are forward, the approach to the ball will be significantly steeper than normal. The pelvic thrust, along with the more rotational swing, helps to "shallow out" the swing. You achieve this by rapidly rotating your hips around and pushing your front hip up and towards the target. This creates the sensation of almost jumping up and striking the ball while on your toes. If you've ever seen Natalie Golbus swing a golf club you've got a fairly good idea what this looks like.
If these seem like subtle differences to you, give the "weight forward" idea a try. You will see that it feels quite different from what you are used to. The biggest difference in your game will probably be fewer thin hits. But it may also result in pushes, especially with the longer clubs. You may also find it more physically taxing - requiring more body contortions - and it's questionable whether that can be a good thing.
Rick Hendershot blogs about golf, exotic and not so exotic golf destinations, and the golf swing. Read his blogs called The Weekend Golfer and Golf Around the World.
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Article Source: Golf Directory
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