The Stack and Tilt Swing: The Definitive Guide to the Swing That Is Remaking Golf

5 Responses to “ The Stack and Tilt Swing: The Definitive Guide to the Swing That Is Remaking Golf ”

1. David L. Arnold
   August 21, 2010 at 4:06 pm

   This is a great foundational book but it does lack some key information that is needed to really utilize the swing concept.

   First, people should understand Jim Hardy’s work which helped the golf world to realize that there are two basic swings, a one-plane swing and a two-plane swing; by understanding this concept then golfers will be able to recognize variations on these two swing types, which is what the S&T is (a variation of a one-plane swing).

   This means that there are some basics that must be understood for both swing types that will transcend the “basics” of any of their variations; case in point: I couldn’t hit the driver with the S&T and my irons were inconsistent in hitting the sweet spot, even though they produced good distance. What the S&T never addressed, at least sufficiently, was covered under Jim Hardy’s “The Plane Truth for Golfers, Master Edition” where it showed that my address posture was too upright. Also be aware that what Andy and Mike (and many people) call a “traditional” or “standard” swing in their S&T book is actually what Jim had labeled as the two-plane swing, or a “modernized” version of the one plane swing where you do a big lateral weight shift to the right and then back to the left.

   This upright address posture in a one-plane swing type will cause you to hit pulls, if you can even hit the ball at all (especially with the driver). The S&T book doesn’t cover this aspect at all. In effect I had mixed a two-plane address setup with a one-plane swing and was all messed up. As Ken Venturi said “good golfers don’t get out of swing, they get out of position”; of course I am not a good golfer, depending on what your definition for that is, but you get the point.

   Also, the S&T book needs a frame by frame instruction shoot to show how to take the club back during the back swing. There are two basic ways that the club can be swung back from the golfers’ perspective; at an angle that rides up and around, or, secondarily, by “pulling” the club up. The S&T book doesn’t define and show this very well (in a one-plane swing you take back at an angle that rides up and around I found when reviewing Jim’s book again). It should be noted that this may be difficult to see from an observer’s viewpoint, as they may look the same.

   This is an important point because how you take the club back is how you will bring it down into impact and the wrong way will cause disaster, especially with the S&T variation I found. NOTE: A two-plane swinger takes it back by “pulling it up and back”.

   The book is very good at helping to understand more foundational aspects of ball flight and why the ball does what it does, and it does an absolute awesome job at dispelling a lot of the myths that cause golfers so much trouble. Some of this classic bad advise is to align yourself parallel with the target, but the book catalogs how many of the pros actually align themselves in a completely different way which makes this advise false. The same is shown with the grip and the notion that the pros hit the ball “straight”, when in reality they typically hit a curve (sometimes big ones) to the left or right that they learn to adapt their alignment to so that they can play; Fed Couples said that when he played his best he hit a HARD cut with the driver.

   As far as the S&T swing variation itself, it is a good, solid concept that has helped many golfers. What I took away from it is finding out where your particular swing bottom is to ensure ball first contact. The downward tilt of the left shoulder to start the back swing which they speak of as another one of their key concepts is actually a normal part of a one-plane swing, so I was already doing that.

   While the back leg (right leg on a right hand golfer) does “straighten” as a consequence of the one-plane swing I am not getting a completely straight leg but I am also not trying to keep the right leg flexed. The idea of keeping the right leg flexed is another key piece of bad information that is commonly taught that the S&T book (and Jim’s book) show is false, depending upon which swing you are using; a two-plane swing uses flex and a one-plane swing straightens the leg more.

   Anyway, the book is very good in some aspects but may leave you needing some help from an S&T teaching professional to actually get it going well. If you have Jim Hardy’s “The Plane Truth for Golfers” and you use that in conjunction with the S&T book you can probably get the S&T going without the help of an S&T teaching pro.
   Rating: 4 / 5
2. J. Nguyen
   August 21, 2010 at 4:21 pm

   This is one of the better books about the golf swing. Since I am not a novice player, I am not sure that this book would be good for the novice. However, I suppose one can be a beginner and learn this technique from the start. There are certain “unconventional” ideas that I don’t adhere to such as straightening the back leg, steeply lowering the left shoulder and bring the club on the inside in the backswing. I can see how one can get very steep on the downswing, but it seems to me that the authors compensate for that by advising you not to bring your arms up and to keep it inside. There are a a few other tips as well (which I won’t go into detail so you just have to buy the book) which are very unconventional mixed with conventional tips. The authors also conveniently choose certain illustrations/pictures to make their point, and I agree with them that the great ball strikers of the past do implement some of the stack and tilt elements. None of the great golf players of the past, however, could be said to be utilizing the stack and tilt technique. If that was true, S&T really wouldn’t be that revolutionary, would it? In other words, there are some elements of the S&T which are very conventional, in my opinion. And frankly, that is really the most important part of the book. But because I know which of those elements work, at least, for me, their importance is so obvious it that has helped me with my own swing. In other words, I know what to ignore within the S&T. That’s why I’m not sure the book is useful for the novice. But this is my own perspective, and I did find the book useful if not the S&T technique in its entirety.

   I don’t think the whole entirety of the stack and tilt swing works for me. I really don’t even think that it would work for most people, and if it did I would imagine that more pros would be utilizing it. That said, overall, I find that it has made my swing a little better … my conventional swing, that is. I give it 4 stars because it is, like I said, one of the better books in terms of providing a different approach to teaching the golf swing. I did not give it 5 stars because I do NOT think the stack and tilt method as a whole is a good technique. But there are certainly elements of it which are useful, important and in my opinion quite “conventional.”
   Rating: 4 / 5
3. Midwest Book Review
   August 21, 2010 at 4:43 pm

   THE STACK AND TILT SWING: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO THE SWING THAT IS REMAKING GOLF is a ‘must’ for any golfer, going beyond traditional moves to present two maverick golf instructors’ unique method dubbed ‘stack and tilt’. The move’s being used on the PGA tour and this book shows how all levels of golfers can adapt their simple approach into a game. Over 200 color photos show how in a pick for any golfer’s library.
   Rating: 5 / 5
4. DAK
   August 21, 2010 at 5:58 pm

   Anyone who has an interest in gaining a better understanding of what makes a sucessful golf swing, need go no further. The Stack and Tilt Swing book does not only provide a definitive guide to teach Stack and Tilt, it provides a comprehensive account of what the key characteristics are to a successful swing, demonstrated by the most celebrated players in the history of golf.

   The not only provides the details in understanding this new swing but it also provides supporting examples of why the elements of the swing work. It provides the theory, describes the principles, and shows the evidence. You may not come away as a disciple of the swing but you will certainly gain a greater appreciation for the method and be able to identify the characteristics of Stack and Tilt with the better players on tour today.

   It’s a must for high handicappers or those who learned the game late in life.

   Rating: 5 / 5
5. Cloyd D. Watson
   August 21, 2010 at 7:01 pm

   The book describes a different golf swing and can help folks have more fun with the game.
   Rating: 5 / 5

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