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Joined this board simply because I had to give some feedback to this new approach...S&T dramatically improved my game!! I'm a high handicapper and have been practicing religiously (with a few lessons) over the past 2 years resulting in minimal change (inconsistency & little distance). I'm not a huge guy, but also not diminutive either, 33 yo, 5'11, 180 lbs; also, and I've always been fairly athletic. Having said this, my lack of golf progress was extremely frustrating.

I'd highly recommend the S&T approach for people with relatively long arms and legs and short torso (like myself) as it really helps in keeping you centered and balanced. Players with more stout legs and strong core muscles may not find benefit in S&T as it seems like they're more stable and balanced to begin with (just my opinion).

For myself, I now feel much more comfortable on the backswing as I let my right hip move back and up, this keeps me from SWAYING and facilitates a good shoulder turn. My right knee doesnt straighten as much as I thought on the backswing, but its nice to not even worry about it. What I do find critical in making a good swing is keeping my head down and steady throughout. (For the record, I hate tips that say, "you should let your head move 'back and up' on the backswing")

The approach has added about 5-10 yds on all my clubs and I'm now driving the ball much more consistently around 240-260yds (I was anywhere between 200-230 before). More importantly, I'm now hitting my balls flush with a solid divot. I think the major benefit to this swing is not in its power, but the incredible consistency you can generate as it simplifies alot of the mechanics around weight shift. So far (about three weeks), I've been able to reproduce the same swing and feel at the course and range without problems. I've played twice during this time and shaved about 10 strokes off my game. It's solid under pressure.

Your correct, I only saw the last hour on coverage on TV Sunday. And Aaron wasn't in the top 2 or 3 players, so they didn't show him much. But what I did see of him, he had his spine tilted to the right, and the TV commentor mentioned how nice his swing was that way. I don't know what Aaron did the first 3 days as I didn't see it, but it must have been pretty good as he was leading for awhile. I'll try to watch him the next time he's at the top of the leader board and see what his spine tilt looks like. BUT, no matter what he does, I'm sticking with a tilt to the right, what Ben Hogan did, and most of the other top players over the last 60 years.

I wouldn't be too surprised if Badds slightly tilts his spine right when swinging woods/driver. As explained before, S&T instructors state that "tilt" is a feeling rather than the true position of the spine, which actually remains quite vertical.

What I clearly saw during the US Open was that Badds always straightened his back leg at back swing (an ESPN journalist commented this as a weird, unorthodox thing).

This swing DOES work but it involves many swing changes and a LOT of work. This will work ONLY if you are doing ALL of the changes necessary. Leave one element out and the results will be poor. It also require a lot of feel just to get started. It has many of the components of the ONE PLANE swing as proposed by Jim (can't think of his last name). Like any swing, it is definitely NOT for everybody though. If you are a 2 planer, it will be almost impossible to make the changes necessary. I worked on it quite a bit over the winter and it completely eliminated any shot going right. In fact, if it has a downside, it is that it is very hard to hit a fade with this swing. I have never had a natural draw but this swing produced one easily. Contact was always very crisp and I think I gained about 1 club in distance and scary accuracy. Unfortunately, I have a medial collateral ligament tear in my right knee and the emphasis on getting the weight on the left ("left foot should feel like you are crushing a soda can on the downswing") prevented me from continuing this approach. SOME parts of the swing MIGHT be able to be incorporated into your already existing swing. EVerything takes a lot of work in this game and patience is essential.

I practiced this yesterday with a few clubs and my "Birdie Ball" practice balls. Using the tilt, the inside backswing, and the "upward" motion on the downswing gave me some of the most consistent hitting I've had with those things, especially with the 8-iron and pitching wedge.

I have checked out the exact swing motion I used in a mirror, and it's clear that I'm not actually tilting to the left, it just feels like it.

But it does seem to be very consistent, and I like that. Whatever your distance is, you can deal with that, which is why you carry 14 clubs. But consistency, especially for a player like me who has historically lacked it, is critical. And the lack of "moving parts" in the S&T seems to help a great deal with that.

We'll see what happens when I take it to the course.

Is Stewart Cink one of the S&T pros? I don't think so ( I don't have the mag anymore ) but when I saw his swing in slo-mo today, it sure looked like S&T especially his driver swing. So, I guess there are many more S&T guys than we think.

I got tired of rehashing the same stuff about why I don't like S&T so I just put it in a blog.

Stack & Tilt

It's actually quite simple really. Two axis points are harder to maintain than one... esspecially on the human body.

Ringer, it seems you have a problem with the S&T, and dislike it as so. What you might not understand is many of us like the swing very much. It is helping alot more than the regular back tweaking all-too-complicated swing you all so dearly love. For many of us the S&T is helping our game tremendously. I have already improved my game by an average of about 6-8 shots.

So, if you have nothing good to say, please leave this thread to us, the ones who want to learn. All this negativity and tongue lashing is uncalled for. Please take it somewhere else.

Of course, with a name like Ringer, you are probably a golf instructor and are afraid we will take your bread off the table, or you are just what your name implies... a conspirator or impersonator that has nothing better to do than make others uncomfortable.

You are not providing us with any positive insight. Your blog does nothing but clog the minds of those willing to learn a better swing. The current so-called modern swing is maybe the one that should be dismantled piece by piece. Talk about a back breaker... bah.

On top of that, we really don't care what you think about the S&T. Take it to the Michelle Wie thread... there are a lot of your kind over there.

Evidently you didn't even read it, you just had a visceral reaction to the fact that someone doesn't agree with you.

I even said why people will do better with it, but I'm sure just hating guys like me is a better way to go than actually reading what I have to say.

I did provide positive insight, I explained the process of stack and tilt and provided solid reasoning why it is not as beneficial. If you had actually read it, then you might have had a different reaction.

I have no reason to think you're going to take my "bread" away. I understand the swing method quite well and could teach it if asked to do so. But I will always be honest with my opinions to my students.

I fail to see the benefits of this swing over any other in the long run. Perhaps instead of just attacking me personally you might try to attack my arguments. But you'd have to actually READ my post first and that would just be asking too much of you wouldn't it.

Ringer & BB, let's argue nicely. We can still make all our points without insulting the other side, can't we?

Ringer, I read your blog. It is too complicated explanation on why S&T works ( or not work ). All I know is when I adopt S&T, shot feels a lot solid, I can't no longer forward lunge ( with my weight on left, it's impossible ), and according to my Speedstik, it gives me more swing speed too. Yes, if I don't complete my backswing, the shot can go dead left but I had that before with regular swing too. Looking at the mirror, I think the biggest benefit of S&T is stable head. It used to move quite a bit but with S&T, it's not easy to move your head in either direction. I'm not a teacher or anything but I thought I share my opinion on S&T. Thoughts?

You said you don't "lunge" forward which is precisely why I say the swing works for some people. You probably never learned a proper release with your normal swing so it doesn't surprise me that the speed with the S&T increased. You have more ability to turn your body without fear. I'm glad it works for you.

Thanks Ringer, that makes sense. Over the years I had various teachers but they've never pointed that out. I only found out watching my own video..

Hey everyone, let me start out by saying I have never posted here before. I recently started playing golf, about a month ago, and saw the article about this swing. It sounds like something I've got to try. The only problem is, I don't really understand what it is telling me to do. Does anyone have a video detailing to steps, or can someone break it down for me a little more than they did in the article.

Thanks for the help in advance.

I have to say, with out fully understanding the swing, I went out today and just tried it as best I could. I couldn't believe how well i hit my irons. i am very far off from perfecting S&T, but I know my shots feel more solid, I am hitting the irons long and straighter. I can't wait to get back out Monday and keep going.

I think most of us here are having the same problem with this new swing...trying to interpret the article our own way because we have no one to show us the right way to do it, so we just try to imagine what the article is trying to teach and just hope that we get it right....even if we think that we are getting it right, there is no way of knowing if we are really getting it right! a nice instructional video would really help...