Stack n' Tilt
 

For those of you that have studied it beyond the magazine articles, whats it all about and why is it catching on?

The Centered Arc of Stack and Tilt
 

I think the greatest benefit of Stack and Tilt (Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett) is its emphasis on the centered and stationary head. When you keep your head steady -- no Swaying (Fourth Snare / 3-F-7-D) -- good things happen.

As Andy explained to me on the practice tee of last year's AT&T Classic, the much misunderstood 'tilt' portion of S&T is necessary to restore the centered head of the player who has swayed to the right (and 'tilted' his spine away from the target). In other words, after the Sway, you must 'tilt back' (toward the target) to re-center the head that never should have moved in the first place! This is the demon they fight in so many of the players who come to them.

"But Andy," said I, "What if the player keeps his head centered and stationary . . . like this . . ." (and I demonstrated my backstroke).

"That's perfect," said he. "You don't need to tilt."

:shock:

So . . . if you sway to the right, S&T dictates that you 'tilt back' to the left to restore the centered head (and the 'stack' of the lower and upper body). But, if you correctly 'stack', i.e., never 'unstack', then you don't need to 'tilt'.

Guess the editors at Golf Digest didn't think we needed a system just called 'Stack'.

:)

Yes, a stationary head from solid anchors and flexable spine angle. It also has solid extensor action from take-away to follow through. Which 'forces' or demands the golfer to stop his back stroke at the end and not the top. This eleminates for the general public the vanity of the long back swing with folding elbows.
I'm no expert but I enjoy the feel of my spine adjusting and re-adjusting naturally on the back swing. I never thought swaying over the right leg, even a little, as in General instruction, was the way to pivot.

It really isn't counter to TGM- just a slightly different constructed machine.

the most misunderstood concepts deal with the actual "spine angle" not staying in the same position but actually continuously flexing and extending throughout the swing

Its the way the head can remain centered and stable. The spine is not a straight rod- so it can't just rotate under the head.

bottom line is that the head does and must remain centered and steady. :golf:

What are some of the TGM methods involved with Stack and Tilt?
 

As a newbie to TGM, which, by the way, really is the greatest golf book ever made, I wanted to gain some clarity on the certain positions from the book that are prevalent in Stack and Tilt. It seems to me that they use the standard knee action, where the left knee bends more and right knee straightens on the backswing, as well as a steady head, but what other things do you guys see that are in the Golfing Machine? I dont have the book in front of me, but would a turning shoulder takeaway make the spine and hip turn too flat to be on the correct plane? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

24 components of S&T
 

Here are the S&T components courtesy of Chuck Evans.
1. Grip-Basic - Overlap
2. Grip-Type - Strong Double Action
3. Stroke-Basic - Punch
4. Stroke-Variation - Triple
5. Plane Line - Square
6. Plane Angle-Basic - Hands
7. Plane Angle-Variation - Single Shift
8. Fix - Standard
9. Address - Impact
10. Hinge Action - Angled
11. Pressure Point Combination - Triple
12. Pivot - Standard
13. Shoulder Turn - Rotated - Backstroke / On Plane - Downstroke
14. Hip Turn - Reverse
15. Hip Action - Standard
16. Knee Action - Standard
17. Foot Action - Flat Left
18. Left Wrist Action - Single
19. Lag Loading - Drive
20. Trigger Type - Right Arm Throw
21. Power Package Assembly Type - Side
22. Power Package Loading Action - Full Sweep
23. Power Package Delivery Path - Angled Line
24. Power Package Release - Auto Sweep


Dave

Any comments on Chucks break down of components #3 and #19.
I don't believe all Stack and Tilt player's are hitters in fact I believe many are swingers.

Sorting Through the Instructor's Textbook.

B-Ray

I tend to agree with you. However in the DVD the emphasis related to TGM was only mentioning the #1 and # 4 accumulators and a emphasis on maintaing the right arm wedge. The swing was compact and not coming above the top in the backswing and both arms were to be connected throughout the swing which I believe leaves you in a punch position. In addition it was clear in their dvd that the swing was a angle hinge and did not have horizontal hinging (if you do it you will hook it off the course) even though it was a draw pattern because the path was a inside to outside swing path.

My opinion based on some recent rumours floating around is that there is a overlap between swinging and hitting between all players to some degrees since both swings are down in a circular path and most golfers hold the club in both hands. Also the concepts that angle hinging creates a fade is not necessarily true since the clubface at impact is going to determine the starting direction and the path the curvature.

I know these statements might create some controversy but modern science and highspeed photography are showing things are not necessarily as they thought and at the last TGM summit a lot of these subjects came to light.

I do still believe this does not undermine the excellent teaching that exists on this forum it just opens other options on ways to successfully hit a golf ball. Homer opened in his book the countless way the swing or hit can be done and the Stack and Tilt just provides another option. Incidentally the authors P & B just demonstrate the pattern and never use the distinction of hitting or swinging.

If you need furthur clarification you would need to look at the P & B videos or dicuss the subject on Orr's forum or others who have more direct insight on S&T. Yoda did some talking with P & B and maybe he has more information to provide.

Regards
Dave

It is a compelling way to control the club swing bottom and limit the rotation of the clubface around impact. In addition, there are a few primary ways the pattern can be adjusted to hit a variety of shots.