Golf Basic Tips

There has been a lot of talk over the past few years about the so-called stack and tilt golf swing. Apparently about two dozen PGA Tour players have adopted it, including some champions like Rick Weir and Zach Johnson, as well as Aussie Aaron Baddeley, among others. This article will explain where the terms stack and tilt come from and what is going on with this approach to the golf swing.

So What’s With “Stack and Tilt”?

It is really a catchy little phrase that has worked well for the people who promote and teach it. If you are like I was, you are asking yourself, “what is stacking and what is tilting”? Well, here’s an explanation I found while viewing some videos in trying to search for an answer. And by the way the answer is not obvious, in case you are wondering why you can’t figure it out for yourself.

Here’s the deal- the stack and tilt golf swing basically says that most of the golfer’s weight should be kept on his left side during the swing (about 60%), and also that the player’s head should remain pretty much in the same position throughout the swing rather than swaying backwards. His left side should not move backwards much during the backswing but should stay pretty much in the same position it was during set up. In addition, his swing is a bit more upright than flat.

So what does that have to do with stack and tilt? Not much, but here’s the explanation I found. When the golfer has completed his backswing using the guidelines mentioned, his shoulders are vertically in line with each other approximately over his left hip. So his shoulders are said to be “stacked” at that point. (All discussion in this article refers to a right handed player, so lefties just need to reverse things.) Also, at this point the golfer’s back is more or less facing the target, and if his head has been kept in the same place it was at the start of the swing, his spine will necessarily “tilt”.

So there you have it, stack and tilt. If you think that explanation is a bit obscure, I couldn’t agree more, but then again, who cares? It is a catchy little phrase, and the fact that this swing has been adopted by some of the PGA Tour’s top players means that it must be bringing something to the party. Let’s discuss now why this approach has been adopted and if it should be used by weekend golfers like you and me.

Why Players Go to the Stack and Tilt

A lot of swing instructors teach that during the backswing it is OK for the head to move backwards a bit, or sway, especially for the driver. Some of these teachers even advocate keeping the head behind the ball to generate more power. The problem with this approach is that sometimes a player cannot fully transfer his weight to the left side at impact, and the club strikes the ball with the face open. Obviously this means a pushed shot to the right. All this is true with the other clubs in the bag as well, not just the driver. So if you are a player who seems to consistently push shots off to the right, this approach might be worth a try.

Who Should Not Use the Stack and Tilt?

As we all know, some recreational golfers don’t have the prettiest or the most effective swings (to put it in the form of understatement). Some in fact keep way too much of their body weight on the left side as it is. So here you have some players that already have too much weight on the left side and who cannot get through the ball squarely at impact. Trying to exaggerate this even more will not help those golfers. So you have to be aware of your weight distribution at set-up, how squarely you get through the ball, and whether you are prone to pushing shots.

Give it a Shot

So if you are in fact a golfer that has a problem with pushing a lot of shots, it is easy to give this swing approach a try. Don’t worry about “stacking” and “tilting”, just address the ball with about 60% of your weight on your left side. Imagine there is a stick or something touching your left hip at address. Keep you left side touching that stick throughout the swing, and you have just tried the stack and tilt. Think about not moving your head backward during the backswing, and this will help. Try it on the range first, of course, and develop a little muscle memory. Despite the name, the stack and tilt is not a big mystery and is easy to try.

One last word, there a lot of short videos on YouTube which discuss the stack and tilt golf swing. They are worth a look if you want to pursue this.

By: Walter Ballenberger

About the Author:

Caffeinated Content

There are almost as many theories about the golf swing as there are instructors. And one of the least understood aspects of the swing is the rotation of the hips to an “open” position just before impact.

Most contemporary golf instructors believe it is necessary to “clear your hips just before the point of impact” in order to get your hips out of the way of your hands. According to this theory, if you don’t “clear your hips” your hands and arms will be impeded and will not be able to attack the ball with power.

This is sometimes used as an explanation for why an overly “vertical” stance is not a good thing. According to this line of thinking, when you stand too close to the ball your hands will not be able to make a clean pass in front of your body because on the way down your hips will get in the way.

But while hip rotation is very important to the effectiveness of the golf swing, it is not because the hips are in the way of anything. In fact I can’t see that this idea of “clearing the hips” makes much sense. Your hips are not in the way of your hands. In fact, rotating your hips towards the target pushes your backside out further towards your hands and puts your hips more in the way than if you did not rotate them.

Most of us — whether we rotate a lot or not — are not in the habit of hitting our hips with our hands when we swing our golf clubs. The reason is simple: our hips do not get in the way of our swing, and to suggest this as an explanation of the importance of hip rotation is just plain misleading.

In my own research, on the course and in my basement “lab”, I have found that hip rotation does indeed put the club on a more powerful, more direct path to the ball coming into the point of impact. But as far as I can tell, this has very little to do with getting your hips out of the way of your hands.

What happens when you rotate your hips is that this allows you to get your shoulders and arms in the optimal power position. This happens because your upper body and lower body move in a synchronized way. In the golf swing, as in most other movements involving the human body, your upper body, including your shoulders and arms, moves in harmony with and in response to the movement of your lower body — your hips and legs.

Think of a power hitter in baseball. Those classic photographs of Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson or Barry Bonds making contact with the ball always tell the same story. Their arms are fully extended, hips are rotated to an open position, head is back, and they are perfectly balanced with most of their weight now centered over their front leg and hip. In fact they have used their front leg and hip as a pivot around which their upper body has rotated. Take that pivot away — swing with just your shoulders and arms — and you’re left with a much less fluid, much less coordinated, and much less powerful swing.

In the golf swing this connection of upper and lower body is less obvious because the golf swing is a combination of vertical and horizontal. But the principle is the same. The rotation of the hips pulls your upper torso around and gets your lead shoulder into the correct position (the left shoulder in the case of a right hander) at the point of impact. Ben Hogan described this hip movement as a matter of throwing your lead hip around and back against the wall — one of the most useful images in all of golf instruction.

Try it in slow motion. Place your club head along the swing path about 18″-24″ behind the ball (on the inside/out arc). Make sure your lead hand and arm are straightened as they should be in the impact position. Now rotate your hips so the club head moves towards the ball (keeping your hands and arms locked in the previous position).

Notice that when your club head reaches the ball, your hips will be “cleared”, and your lead shoulder will be rotated as well. Your lead arm will be in the correct “power position” with the arm and club shaft forming a more or less straight line down to the ball.

Now pick your club up and swing it more horizontally like a baseball bat. If you have had any baseball training at all, your hips will just naturally lead the swing and your shoulders, arms and “bat” will follow.

In fact trying to make an “all-arms” swing without hip rotation will feel awkward and unsynchronized. Your arms will not be able to follow the momentum that wants to carry them around to a natural finish. This is why golfers who do not “finish” their swing by rotating their lower body will often snap the club back to the starting position.

The basic principle here is one taught by golf teachers since teachers first started analyzing the swing: upper body follows lower body. Coming to a better appreciation of this principle can only have a positive impact on your golf swing.

By: Rick Hendershot

About the Author:

Create a video blog…instantly.

Copyright (c) 2009 Stephen Lau

Putting is the smallest form of the golf swing, but is also the last thing you do to complete the hole. If you master putting, you master the game of golf.

Putting is an art, and it requires a proper tool to express that form of art. The putter is quite different from other golf clubs. First of all, there are many different designs in putters. Generally, putters are the shortest of all golf clubs, and they are designed to roll the golf ball when it is on the green. The most significant difference between the putter and the rest of the golf clubs is the grip: it is flat on the top of the shaft to allow you to place your hands comfortably on the grip without exerting undue pressure on the equipment. To master putting, select the right putter, with which you are most comfortable.

Putting is the simplest golf swing because it requires of you the fewest movements. However, these movements are critical to your golfing success.

To master golf putting, it is important to keep your body still and in a solid position before you start your stroke. Hold your putter around the handle with both palms facing each other, while your thumbs are pointing straight down the shaft to the head of your putter. Your putter has a sweet spot, which is the weighted spot of the club that enables the golf club to spring off the face of the club. Now, rest the flat spot on the bottom of your clubhead flat against the surface of the green, and set your putter on the green such that the sweet spot (indicated by a dot or line on the putter) is directly behind the center of the golf ball.

Focus your eyes directly on the golf ball. Bend comfortably as far as you can, while keep your arms hanging freely. Ease up on your legs and arms with your feet shoulder-width apart. Flexibility of muscles is essential to mastering the stroke.

In a pendulum motion, strike the golf ball with your shoulders and arms moving together. And that is it! It is just that simple!

However, to master putting, you need to remember these golf putting tips.

Always keep your legs, hands, as well as head and torso, still and solid while moving your shoulders and arms to create the pendulum motion in your putting stroke.

In golf putting, distance is more important than direction, because a golf ball rolling with the correct distance tends to come closer to the hole than one with only a correct direction. Therefore, it is important to control the length of the stroke and the contact off the face of your putter. Accordingly, for a shorter putt, do not slow down the motion; likewise, for a longer putt, do not speed up the motion. Learn to master maintaining pace consistency with different distances. Given that the direction of the golf ball is controlled by the face angle of your putter, always align the clubface perpendicular to the target line. Maintain that position when you strike the golf ball.

Putting is a simple game to play but difficult to master. However, it can be done through practice and observation of putting tips outlined above.

By: Stephen Lau

About the Author:

Caffeinated Content – Members-Only Content for WordPress

The golf swing takeaway is a 1 piece takeaway. To achieve this, here’s what we need to do.

1) Keep the left and right forearms straight during address. The arms are relaxed and pointing down. This allows consistency in our setup. The distance from our hands to the body is about 1 palm distance.

2) Imagine a triangle formed between the left and right forearms.
This triangle is maintained in the 1st part of the takeaway.

3) Move this entire triangle to the right during the takeaway.

4) Do not rotate the hands, wrist, or cock the wrist early in the takeaway. Focus on keeping the forearms straight, especially the right forearm. This ensures a wide takeaway and allows the wrist to cock naturally.

5) Once the hands reach around the waist level, allow the shoulders to turn to complete the rotation. A tthe top of the swing, ensure that the left wrist is not cupped or v shaped.

Another point to take note of is the rhythm and tempo. A good rhythm is 1, 2, 3. Count 1 initiates the takeaway, Count 2 is when we reach the top, Count 3 is the transition from backswing to downswing. A slow takeaway and straight right forearm, results in a wide and slow backswing that results in alot of torque and prevents us from jerking down the club too quickly in the downswing.

Last point to note is to maintain the right knee bend angle and prevent it from straightening during the takeaway. We can do this by imagining that we’re sitting down on a high chair and have the pressure on the balls of our feet. This provides enough flex in the knees. Be careful not to flex too much also. We should have the right amount of tension in the muscles to maintain the correct angles in golf, and yet not too much that we get all tense and uncomfortable. Everything in the right proportion will allow us to build a nice and enjoyable golf swing.

By: Sherman Choo

About the Author:

Kansieo.com