TomL

For myself it's been at least a three year S&T; ride. I started with the Golf Digest article - I was on the range as soon as I read it - trying the pattern. I played that version for just over a year. Nice hits, and some improvement, but not a big drop in handicap - stuck around 14-15. It was self-taught. Then I bought DVD set and got into the intricate details that weren't in the magaizines. A small game inprovement. I took a live lesson at thegolfevolution with the S&T; guys Dave Wedzik and Steve Sieracki and saw big swing improvement - but scoring stayed the same - just a few bright spots. My daughter bought the Plummer/Bennett book for me at Christmas and in the new golf year this spring I trecked to Erie for another full day clinic. That journey - and a lot of work on all aspects of the game - has finally paid off. My handicap started to drop in the middle of this summer. Better scores, better attitude - and many hours working at the range. My handicap hit 10 (down from 14) RCGA index 8.3! That was my goal about 5 years ago - I never thought it would happen. Then I broke through and reached 9 for two weeks. That was because of scores under 80 - a couple of 79's, 78's and a personal best 77 in there. I am 59 years old - my back feels better than ever and my game is in the best shape ever. My shot shape is a fade. I can count on it. I can throw a push/draw with driver out there on some of the holes that need it and are wide enough - but a fade gets me into the fairway most times. I feel I can do a lot to improve - my irons could be crisper; a few push/draws with my irons would be nice for sure. There are plenty of youtube videos and the forum at thegolfevolution.com has golfers like you working on their S&T; swings and willing to offer advice for free. I thank them for their encouragment of my swing and for their video posts of their swings. The other aspects of the game should not be lost - putting, short game and the mental game all have to be worked on besides the full swing. Oh yes, you gotta believe!! Tom L Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Actually a pretty good few weeks. Tommy Armour III was Top5 at a recent Champions Tour event. Alex Cejka was Top 10 US Open and just over the weekend tied 3rd (2 shots back) at the BMW in Europe. Charlie Wi contended through most of the weekend at The Travellers and ended up 9 under - Top 20 - but he couldn't gain ground on Justin Rose. Rose - not a Stack and Tilter per se - works with Sean Foley who incorporates a lot of S&T; basics into his guys swings. eg - Sean O'Hairas well. TomL

I started right after the Golf Digest article with whatever I could cobble together. There weren't any YouTube videos then. I used that homemade S&T; swing and did well - hitting crisp irons. It took me to the mid-80'ss and once I did break 80 - a 77. Because it was self taught and there were no instructors I didn't have a way to correct faults. I bought the DVD set and found out so much more about the swing. Still,I needed to see some drills etc and those started to show up on YouTube - so that helped. This past year I struggled with irons - leaving short weak shots. I was really swiping across the ball and a fade off the tee became my safe shot. Then a clinic with Dave Wedzik in Erie,PA was an eye-opener. These guys at "The Golf Evolution School" were taught and certified by Bennett and Plummer and wow - did we learn some great stuff. Plus, with video tools we now can see where we were as a baseline - and then know where the faults lie. (Shameless plug!) For me,the hipslide was totally missing and now I'm hitting more draws for distance and really hitting great drives. Push/draws for better distance. Like any swing - a certified instructor can do so much for you - that you can't do for yourself. And video is a great tool. I'm 58 and my back has never been better. And,I did break 80 couple more times this year winning our flight in the member/member. I think I hit every fairway one of the two days. Stack and Tilt is really a good golf pattern. I'm a believer. I better edit my profile - my index is 12.2.