The Stack and Tilt Golf Swing - Some Comments

In a recent issue of golf digest (June 2007) a "new" golf swing being promoted by golf coaches Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett is featured. This new approach to the golf swing is called the "Stack and Tilt" swing.

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 Key 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.

Some 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.

It's All Been Done Before

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 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.

Points of Interest

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.

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 is that Stack and Tilt promotes a flatter swing. A flatter swing is less vertical and more rotational, and is the way Stack and Tilt compensates for being more on top of the ball when the downswing is begun.

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 technical points that are beyond your level of expertise, just give the "weight forward" idea a try. All you have to do is start with noticeably more weight on your front foot, and then press into that foot as you take the club up. You will probably find that it feels quite different from what you are used to. This move should result in fewer thin hits. But it may also result in more pushes, especially with the longer clubs, so you may have to adjust the positioning of the ball. You may also find it more physically taxing - requiring more body contortions - and for most of us that is not a good thing.

Rick Hendershot is an avid golfer who writes about the golf swing, golf travel and other golf stuff. Catch his blogs called The Weekend Golfer and Golf Around the World

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Do It Yourself Home Security

Proper and safe home security doesn't have to involve hiring a professional to install the most up-to-date security system on the market. There are numerous diy home security options out there; you just need to be familiar with them and choose what precautions you should take to keep you, your home, and your family safe. diy home security involves everything from teaching your children what to do when at home alone to installing a state-of-the-art, diy home security alarm that allows the homeowner to perform the installation and set up.

diy Home Security Basics
Homeowners often overlook simple, yet effective, diy home security projects. If a home looks difficult to break into or a burglar believes there is a good chance of getting caught, he will usually bypass that home and move on to another. The most important aspect of home security is creating an atmosphere that isn't conducive to a burglar being able to enter your home. The following diy home security projects create this type of environment. Install exterior lights and include either a timer or a motion detector, Secure all exterior doors and windows with well-built, steadfast locks and Trim back trees and shrubs in your yard, especially around windows and doors. These do it yourself home security tasks are easy and fast projects, yet they offer you and your family paramount security.

diy Home Security Systems
Installing a diy home security system is a bit more difficult and time-consuming than replacing locks and adding a few lights. Before taking on this task, you need to be prepared to spend some time and money, but the advantages are well worth the costs. diy home security systems are usually wireless and can cost as little as $100 or as much as several thousand dollars. Installing a diy home security system in your home offers a wide range of benefits. diy Upgrades, Mobility, Ease of Use and No-Cost Installation. Just as hardwired, professionally installed home security systems can be fit with many different accessories to meet your individual security needs, so can diy home security systems. The majority of diy home security systems come with a basic keypad, control panel, and window/door contacts, but the list of accessories available for purchase is virtually endless. Some of the most commonly purchased.

Additions are: Sirens, Strobe Lights, motion Detectors, surveillance cameras, smoke Detectors and Glass Break Detectors.

Integrating these accessories into your diy home security system is an easy process, and tailoring your system to fit your needs is extremely important. diy home security systems also allow you to upgrade your system as needed; as technology advances and the needs of your family change, you can easily install the additional security accessories you feel necessary. From the most menial tasks such as trimming trees to the more advanced job of installing an entire home security system, Do it yourself home security is a great way to ensure your safety.

Ralph Winn writes about Home Security and other related topics. For more information visit http://www.home-security-systems.net

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Personalized Golf Item Will Be Valued

A golf swing trainer implementing golf exercises and stretches to eliminate golf swing faults. A well developed golf fitness program will help you develop the physical skills needed to consistently repeat a good golf swing, add power and distance to your shots, and help prevent, reduce and possibly even eliminate golf related pain and injury.

A word of caution would be apt to include here for inscribed golf balls as against the printed personalized golf balls. Yes, personalized golf balls can also be beneficial. However, none are as customizable as personalized golf balls.

Since you don't know who will be winning the personalized golf balls you can print the logo of the tournament on the ball instead of the golfer's name. They can be as simple as personalized golf balls for a gift basket to more elaborate gifts like a putter or a golf bag with the persons name engraved or embroidered on it. Atypical order for personalized golf balls may approximately take five to eight business days to process, exclusive of delivery time (1-5 days).

golf Workouts

Hire a qualified professional to create your personalized golf-conditioning program. These personalized golf balls are aimed at golf-related celebrations, birthdays or annual tournaments. If the recipient is a golf enthusiast, a golf-themed gift basket or a personalized golf item will be valued.

When you are stronger, you have better control of your short game and if you are doing the correct golf workouts with weights, your flexibility (range of motion) will also improve. golf workouts. You will want to mix up your routines in order to workout your muscles evenly and not neglect anything of importance and also to keep your golf workouts interesting.

golf workouts will change your game forever. She just recently came out with an instruction book and devoted a chapter to golf workouts. You've just got to set up a game plan in regards to your golf workouts for winter.

golf workouts for the winter. The number one player in the world, Vijay Singh, does his golf workouts all the way through Sunday of each tournament. Doing golf workouts can and will dramatically change your game forever.

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