Since the emergence of the stack and tilt golf swing in 2007 it has been under heavy fire from skeptics claiming its not for everyone. The elimination of a lateral weight shift have golf instructors up in arms. Skeptics claim no weight transfer sacrifices distance and that is something a lot of average golfers don’t have to spare.
Other athletic movements like a pitcher throwing a ball have been cited as examples to support the need for a weight transfer. I found an interesting interview with Mike Weir when he was still a Stack and Tilt student.
In a question about the reduction of power, Weir offered an interesting analogy to explain how staying centered actually provides more club head speed.
Imagine holding a string with a weight on the opposite end. If you want to get the string swinging in a circle as fast as possible, you are not going to move it laterally. In fact your hand will remain centered while the weight swings around it. If lateral movement is added the weight at the end of the string actually loses speed.
What Are The Top 50 Golf Professionals Saying?
Instructors from the Top 50 were asked what they thought of the Stack and Tilt golf swing. I was actually a bit surprised by some of the responses. There are some strong statements made that seem to be based entirely on opinion and suspicion.
Dr. Jim Suttie
Dr. Suttie’s opinion is basically Stack and Tilt can be a good fit for athletic players with above average flexibility. If a player with poor flexibility attempts the Stack and Tilt Golf Swing they risk serious injury. As you’ll see in my next article, there are conflicting opinions on whether the swing actually risks injury. It is true however that players, Weir included, report a reduction in back pain and discomfort.
Rick Martino
Martino shares a similar view to Dr. Suttie. His statement is that players with superior flexibility and core strength can be successful “Stack and Tilters.” The requirement to sync the torso rotation and upward leg drive, Martino claims, might make Stack and Tilt too difficult for average players however. Couple that with his claim that the swing sacrifices distance and his entire statement falls right in line with the pool of doubters. Too difficult for average players, too much power sacrificed.
Jimmy Ballard
Ballard made a pretty strong statement claiming the players doing it “are headed down a road to disaster.” Basically, his objection comes from the lack of a weight shift which reduces power and causes a reverse pivot. He states this gets the club out of center. My golf instructor speak fails me here, but based on his “road to disaster” claim, getting the club out of center must be a bad thing, and its occurrence must be a sure thing.
Jim Hardy
The only instructor that seemed to be “ok” with the S&T was Hardy. He states his books had supported similar concepts for years, and his one plane swing has some of the same principles as the stack and tilt golf swing. In his books Hardy explained he suggests a limited weight shift or none at all. He seems to be ok with Stack and Tilt mainly because it is so close to his One-Plane system.
Conclusion
It seems the only legit argument against the Stack and Tilt Golf Swing is the fact that it is a system and no one system will fit every player. Makes sense. Of course a lot of factors go into whether a player properly implements a swing “system” or not. Namely the teacher, or the player’s interpretation of what he has learned.
A lot can be lost between Plummer and Bennett’s explanation to the high handicapper “giving it a shot” at the driving range on a Wednesday night.
I think the debate between old school, big name golf instructors and Stack and Tilt “die-hards” is intriguing. What if guys who have built their entire career on the fact that their golf mind is the best, admitted that the hottest, fastest growing golf swing was best for everyone? I can’t help but think a heaping dose of “competition” has been a factor in sculpting some golf instructors opinion of the swing.
Why do you think the Stack and Tilt Golf Swing does or doesn’t work?
Reture to Stack And Tilt Golf Swing 101 here.
