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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. In describing the Stack and Tilt swing, Peter Morrice, the author of the article, indulges in a bit of overstatement when he says "Their secret...contradicts almost everything being taught in the game today." But is this swing really that unique? The Major Difference The major difference with the "Stack and Tilt" swing is that it encourages the golfer to keep his weight on his or her front foot during the entire swing. In other words, it does away with the idea that there should be a "weight shift" during the backswing. With the Stack and Tilt swing the golfer starts with about 60% of his or her weight on the front foot, and actually shifts more weight to the front when taking the club back. To some golfers this sounds a lot like a "reverse pivot." That happens when the golfer leans towards the target at the top of the swing - a move that has been completely banished from mainstream teaching during the last generation. Most of today's teachers of what we might call the "typical modern swing" want their students to stack their weight over their back foot as the club reaches the top of the swing. But Stack and Tilt has the golfer make a leaning motion towards the target while the club is taken up. Other Subtle Differences To the golfer who is not familiar with the subtle variations promoted by various teachers, it may be hard to spot the difference at first. For one thing with the Stack and Tilt Swing the back leg does not remain flexed as in the typical modern swing. The photos featured in the Golf Digest article (p.122) demonstrate how the back leg straightens out as it pushes back towards the target. When the club is at the top, there is almost a straight line running thru the back leg along the torso neck and head. This line is angled about 10 degrees (from vertical) towards the target. This means that the front side of the body is "stacked" over the front leg, and the trailing side of the body from leg up through torso is "tilted" towards the target. For a comparison, 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. At the top of his swing Singh's upper body is "stacked" over his back leg, and the trailing side of his torso is (more or less) perpendicular to the ground - not angled towards the target as with the Stack and Tilt swing. Shades of the Past If you are familiar with the teachings of most modern golf coaches this may sound like a radical departure from golf orthodoxy. But the fact is, there have always been alternative schools of thought which questioned the simplistic "weight shift" idea. In particular, look at old photos of Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan or Sam Snead. None of these golfers make the major shift over the back leg like you see with Tiger Woods, for instance. Or look closely at the famous teaching videos produced by Bobby Jones in the 1930s. He does not shift his weight to the back. Nor does he shift it to the front. He remains centered over the ball throughout the swing with his focus on rotation around the center point rather than the lateral weight shift advocated with the typical modern swing. Can Stack and Tilt Help You Improve? There are clearly some aspects of the Stack and Tilt swing that may help the average golfer hit the golf ball more squarely and more precisely. First there is the downplaying of the the weight shift to the back. For many golfers this idea has always been misleading and probably quite unhelpful. It tends to turn the golf ball into a moving target and adds a dimension of complexity to the swing that makes it harder to be consistent. Shifting one's weight to the back results in a "shallower" swing and this increases the chances of bottoming out too early. As most golfers know, this can either result in fat shots or thin ones. Stack and Tilt recommends pressing into the front foot as you take the club back and this forces a steeper approach to the ball on the downswing. This should result in fewer topped shots. It should also result in less flipping of the hands and therefore a lower trajectory and more distance because of the de-lofting of the club that takes place. The second has to do with the position of the back elbow and the flatter swing advocated by the Stack and Tilt teachers. A flatter swing is a more rotational one, and in advocating a more rotational movement the Stack and Tilt theory has something in common with other "alternative" swing concepts like the Single Plane Swing recently adopted by Tiger Woods (compliments of Hank Haney.) I'm not sure why a flatter, rounder swing is essential to the Stack and Tilt swing, but I suspect it has to do with the relative difficulty of getting the club going when you have your weight forward. In the jargon of some teachers this weight forward position is what might be called an "unathletic" one. So the idea is to maximize club head speed by taking advantage of the rotation of the torso. And third there is the intriguing idea of the "pelvic thrust" which the Stack and Tilt guys claim is necessary for a couple of interesting mechanical reasons. The most important one is that since one's weight and shoulder position are forward, the approach to the ball will be significantly steeper than normal. In order to "shallow out" the swing you have to whip your hips around and thrust your lead hip up and towards the target. This makes you feel like you are almost jumping up and striking the ball while on your toes. If you have seen those photos of Natalie Golbus or Sergio Garcia, or a younger Gary Player you have some idea what they are talking about. The best way to see if Stack and Tilt has anything to offer your golf game is to just give the "weight forward" idea a try. Just set up with noticeably more weight on your front foot, and then as you take the club up press more weight into your front foot. It should feel quite different from what you are used to, but it should result in fewer thin hits. Unfortunately it may also result in more pushes, especially with the longer clubs. The easiest fix is to adjust the positioning of the ball by moving it slightly forward. You may also find this swing more complicated and more physically taxing - and for most of us that will be enough to keep it on the shelf.
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Rick Hendershot is an avid golfer who blogs about golf swing theory and golf travel. Read his blogs called The Weekend Golfer and Golf Around the World. Don't reprint the same version as everyone else. Get your own unique content stack and tilt article here.
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