Just a general thread to consolidate the discussion. I don't have anything to start off with, so instead I'll quote this page:
When Golf Digest asked Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer to co-author an article, the writer told the pair that the principles they teach their players needed a name. Thus, the name "Stack and Tilt" was born. Unfortunately, in the golf world, if you give a name to something like a set of fundamentals or principles, you may as well stick a target on it and give everyone a bunch of darts. This is both unfortunate and unfair but now that you have found this article please do your golf game a favor and read it with an open mind.
FIRST and FOREMOST...I would like to point out virtually every instructor teaches a method of some type. That is, they believe certain things about the golf swing and their instruction is centered around that. The problem with most instruction and instructors is that their method is cloaked in mystery and the student does not actually get an explanation as to the why when they are being taught certain things...i.e....I want you to swing the club more straight back, only because the instructor "says so" - Instructors should be explaining to the student why they are giving certain advice and how it will affect the corresponding ball flight.
Without a name for the critics - almost all of whom have no true understanding of Stack and Tilt principles - to target, I believe that it would be very easy to see that the Stack and Tilt model is built entirely upon classic swing mechanics. The principles involved are DISPLAYED prominently by a great majority of the finest players and major champions throughout history (important to note: based on what is actually displayed in their patterns not based on what they said or say they did). It was through Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett's cataloging and classifying the swings of these champions, average players, and poor players that Stack and Tilt even came to be. The patterns were always there, in the motions of the greatest players, but only recently has this information been collected and categorized in this manner.
Everything you are told by a qualified Stack and Tilt instructor will be based in fact and you will know how any changes made are impacting your ball's flight (i.e. WHY). You will also be shown clearly on video and still photos how these changes look when implemented. We believe it is only logical to remove the mystery and we WANT you to ask questions as to WHY. Isnt this the point really?
A point of note as an example: Recently on a golf telecast a very reputable analyst called Sean OHair's swing the best in the game today. Over the past six months Sean has spent time putting virtually every Stack and Tilt swing component into his game (GolfWeek article April, 09). This is not an accident and I, by the way, believe his motion is on par with the best in the game. The interesting part about this is that he displays many of the Stack and Tilt pieces every bit as well as a lot of the players that work directly with Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett on the PGA Tour. Here's where the contradiction comes in. During telecasts or in print these Stack and Tilt players are said to have problems with having a reverse weight shift...or they finish in a Reverse C...or that is great with irons but not with the driver...I could go on but you get the point. Because of the recent comments re: OHair it is clear that the negativity regarding S&T is in the MIND of the critic only - let the pictures speak for themselves and you will see that without the stigma, the players who practice Stack and Tilt simply display exceptional mechanics and completely understand why their golf ball flies the way it does.
SO...TO SUMMARIZE...If you are fine with hitting it shorter than you should, having no understanding of ball flight laws and why your ball is always curving AWAY from the target (instead of at it), as well as hitting shots fat and thin with no explanation, then I would say the naysayers are correct. The Stack and Tilt information is a "FAD" and you should stay away from it completely.
IF, HOWEVER, you want to learn to swing the club at the greatest possible speed (for distance) with the most control (of the balls curve) and compress it at the same time (ball first contact) then this Stack and Tilt swing might just be for you!
This thread is for the discussion of the pattern: parts you find difficult, information about the pieces, the ball flight, the terms they use (most of which are TGM), etc. It's a place where people can get help with the pattern if they've adopted it or get information from others who have adopted it for those who are interested.
