Stack and Tilt

If you have been playing golf for any period of time, you may believe that there is nothing new under the sun. However, experts and coaches periodically buck conventional wisdom and come up with new techniques. In 2007, golf coaches Andy Plummer and Mike Bennet introduced a new technique that has come to be known as the stack and tilt swing. If you have heard of this, you may not understand exactly how this differs from what has been taught in the past. By now you will of course be asking yourself if this new swing could improve your own game.

Conventional wisdom teaches that a proper golf swing is most effective when you shift your weight to the back foot while making the backswing. This new stack and tilt swing, in contrast, encourages you to straighten the back leg and keep your weight towards the front and actually lean into your swing as the club impacts the ball. In practice, it looks much like the reverse pivot. This completely goes against the norm but generally, if you compare amateur golfers, no two swings are identical anyway.

Is it possible to improve your game using this new technique? No doubt about it – yes. I  say that there’s always room for improvement and this swing could well be the answer to putting right some of the fundamental weak points in your game. The swing does a few things. A properly executed stack and tilt results in a steeper approach and a lower trajectory. The resulting swing is somewhat flatter. If these are areas of weakness in your own game, you may want to try to learn this swing. For some golfers it may be quite hard to put this swing into practice. It may be hard to teach an old dog new tricks but perseverence is key. It might be difficult for you to adjust to this new swing if the tradition alone is very much ingrained. If you take the time to practice this you will get there even if your game suffers a little short term.

Individual variations and interpretations abound in the world of golf. Of course, not every golfer needs the stack and tilt method but for many it can provide the boost they need. Tiger Woods, for example, uses a very traditional swing. And, like the saying goes, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. Of course you might not want to change a thing if you’re already happy with your swing.