"The Stack and Tilt Swing: The Definitive Guide..." by Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett

[BigAl5150]

I finally picked up this book a couple of weeks ago and had a chance to go through it and I must say that it is certainly one of the better instruction books out on the market. I haven't had an opportunity to hit balls yet since it's February in Minnesota but just going slowly through the basics of the S&T; explained in the book versus my usual swing makes look forward to this year as the S&T; is much easier to repeat and has much few "moving parts" then my conventional swing.

I do agree with some earlier posters about more pictures but overall I would agree that this book is a must own if you're a golfer.

[david_wedzik]

Just read the book (borrowed from library - now I better order my own copy!). After I finished reading, I tried a few of my current swings & realized my head moves back & forth 3-4 inches. I've struggled to break 100 the past few years (lack of playing time & injuries haven't helped much). About the only consistent thing was my inconsistency from swing-to-swing. Sometimes I hit good shots, but I could never repeat them, and hitting 5-6 in a row hardly ever happened. I really agree about that 1st fundamental - I'm hoping that Stack & Tilt will allow me to hit the ground in the same place & hit the ball more consistently.

Library in Akron...nice! I just checked and it is in the Erie County libraries as well. Fantastic to hear it is there. Focus hard on the areas of the book where the tilting of the spine is discussed and how the golfer tilts, turns, and stands up (extends) in the backswing. This is the key to you keeping your head stable and turning your shoulders in a circle...in order to hit the ground in the same place every time!

Dave

[parplease]

After reading everyone's opinion I ordered it on Amazon. Can't wait for it to arrive.

[WALRUS]

the whole stack and tilt thing has always seemed kinda unorthodox and also like a gimmic

[david_wedzik]

the whole stack and tilt thing has always seemed kinda unorthodox and also like a gimmic

Other than just making a blanket statement "because you can"...what do you see in the Stack and Tilt swing that is unorthodox or gimmicky? Funny thing is that to me nothing could be more orthodox. Staying centered over the ball...keeping the hands and club perfectly on plane and on the required arc...striking the ball first then the ground?? Never mind I get your point

Dave

[boogielicious]

I finally had a chance to play my first round with S&T.; I have been practicing the swing in front of mirrors and with a few (freezing cold) range sessions since Xmas after getting the book. I must say that things worked out very well. I played in St Thomas with rented clubs and shot an 83, easily my best round ever. Only had two mishits, both fat on uneven lies where I should have moved the ball back further in my stance. For the most part, my woods went straight or a draw. My irons were almost dead straight. I had a bit of adjustment with distance control because of the clubs (I was hitting longer that expected).

What I especially liked was how well the swing worked on shots below my feet. By keeping my weight left, the shots came out clean. The only swing thought I used during shots was "weight left" at the start of the takeaway.

This is certainly not a gimmick. I've also noticed while watching golf, that a lot of Pros have a lot of the elements of the S&T.; I've read quite a few books over the last several months as well. This book is one of the most clearly stated and easy to understand. I just picked up the DVDs as well.

Give it try.

Scott

[ERC7.5]

Received my copy yesterday. I'll be babysitting my 2 yr old nephew tonight so I'm thinking about reading it to him. He's gonna have to learn at some point.....want to get him started right.

[goob3r]

the whole stack and tilt thing has always seemed kinda unorthodox and also like a gimmic

Unorthodox, compared to the modern golf swing yes. Gimmick, no. I've never hit the ball as consistantly as I do now with the S&T.; The best golf purchase I've ever made was that book.

[LeftyTrevor]

I have been reading up some on the S&T; method and this forum has helped me decide to give it a go. I ordered the DVD set last night and after reading this thread have decided to pick up the book as well. I look forward to posting my thoughts on the book as soon as I have had a chance to read it and understand the concepts it trys to bring across.

[slash5969]

I received my copy today. I ordered based upon what I read here in the forum, and I'm looking forward to reading.

On a side note, I've got my second lesson with the pro at my club tomorrow afternoon. The first one was a huge help, so I'm feeling a bit torn at this point. The only sure thing I know is that I've been swinging a golf club really poorly for a long time and I AM going to get better, no matter what I have to do.

[CarSB]

I recieved my copy two weeks ago, along with Ben Hogan's Five Lessons.

Not sure if this is blasphemy, but I found this book to be more compelling and informative than Ben Hogan's. In fact, a lot of Hogan's own prescribed moves are easier to visualize and put into practice when viewed in light of SnT principles.

The advice re: path of the hands, the explanation of how the spine works in a golf swing, and the discussion of low points and shot patterns have been more helpful than any instructor telling me to "take the club straight back", "shift weight into right leg", "don't dip", "keep the club on plane", "turn your back towards target", "turn shoulders level", "don't turn your hips", "drop your hands into the slot" etc.

[melchior]

I got my copy of SnT (no other real books... yet?) about a week ago. Finally got out to a course and driving range to put some of the theories in motion and I'm simply amazed.

Until now I realized that I've *never* (in about 2-3 years) hit the sweet spot of any club that I own. I was doing 3/4th swings with the SnT method for most of my clubs just to make sure I had the right impact and club/hand path and I was still hitting the ball farther than I ever had with a conventional swing. I know what I'm doing wrong when I do have a mishit because of a wrong feel during the swing and I can correct it right away instead of "I wonder if this is what I did wrong, lemme try it".

I went out to the driving range, and I was hitting range balls further and straighter than I ever have in my life. I never knew that swinging and hitting a ball that far was really so easy until I started working with this method. I've learned more about golf in the last week than I have in the last 10 years of watching golf on TV, improvement infomercials, golf fix shows, other people and just playing whenever I can.

I'm 100% sold and I'll never go back to my conventional swing.

[BigMikey]

for some reason I didnt read that first review as you having acctually read the book.... no idea why. my apologies.

My opinion on S&T; is open at the moment. It's blanket statements like the one above about Steve going from 398 to 40th that keep me from committing to seriously try it. I've always been cautious of statements like those above, because how can we quantify that the improvements were do solely to S&T; and not other practice items the player was doing...

Can anyone here in the forums attest and quantify what S&T; did for them. I.E. Handicap reduction, GIR went from 15% to 60% etc...

[TommyBoy]

I started reading a couple nights ago. I think it's a pretty good read and I would recommend it. But for me, the "system" is pretty much exactly how I swing from about 140 yds to 30 yds. Weight fwd etc....you will get crisp contact with this! Of that I would put money on.

The book itself feels about 100 pages too long though...in my opinion.

[MMouse]

My opinion on S&T; is open at the moment. It's blanket statements like the one above about Steve going from 398 to 40th that keep me from committing to seriously try it. I've always been cautious of statements like those above, because how can we quantify that the improvements were do solely to S&T; and not other practice items the player was doing...

My handicap has dropped 6 strokes since the beginning of the year and my distances have all increased about a club, but I was a shorter hitter to start with.

[Wildcat]

My opinion on S&T; is open at the moment. It's blanket statements like the one above about Steve going from 398 to 40th that keep me from committing to seriously try it. I've always been cautious of statements like those above, because how can we quantify that the improvements were do solely to S&T; and not other practice items the player was doing...

Here's what it's done for me just over the course of this summer:

Coming into this summer, a good round for me was under 110. Average would be around 115. After I started trying to incorporate some S&T; principles I read on this forum, I shot a 93 in early June. Then it was back to a couple of the usual scores until the book arrived and I read it and hit the range for a couple of sessions trying to incorporate the principles. My last three rounds at my usual course have been 94, 90, and 89. My OOB and mishits are down dramatically. My accuracy with the driver has been greatly improved. My friends have been commenting on how good my shots "sound" coming off my irons. Even when I face a muddy or other less favorable lie, I usually make good contact on the downstroke before the club hits the mud. My short game and putting have always been "strengths" for me, at least relative to the other areas of my game (lots of scrambling practice after all those mishits and errant tee shots I used to have!), and neither of those areas has improved by more than a few strokes per round this year. I've put a new set of irons into play, but I was already seeing improvement from the S&T; while playing my old clubs. Now, I very well may have seen similar improvement with any other methodical approach to rebuilding my swing and/or lessons. But S&T; was the method I've used this summer, and it seems to have paid off nicely.

[BigMikey]

Thanks for the info. That puts it into perspective on how it's helped your individual games which is what is really important to me. The only follow up I would have is one question:

What percentage of your improvement do you credit to the S&T; method?

[Wildcat]

Thanks for the info. That puts it into perspective on how it's helped your individual games which is what is really important to me. The only follow up I would have is one question:

I would say 100% in terms of eliminating fat shots and similar mishits.

Overall, for my handicap drop this summer, I would estimate it at: 60% S&T; 20% playing/practicing more 20% new irons