possible swing change looking at S&T

[JT77]

Ok, I dont profess to know anything really about the stack and tilt, I have read a bit on line and some of justone's blog. Anyway, I noticed that the like of Justin Rose and Tiger are looking at Sean Foley for to help them, so I figured I would look into it a little for myself.
My standard swing is looks very good so I have been told, and I can generate a lot of power, so I was looking more accuracy than more distance. Weight transfer has always been interesting for me, and this is what i find causes most of my inconsistancy. even though I dont have a huge weight transfer anyway so I dont think the change will effect me too much. It is something I intend to look at fully over the winter once my tennis elbow gets better.
I went to the range today and then played 9 holes this afternoon, trying to maintain more weight on the front foot, and followed what I thought the S&T fundemenatls are.
This is what I found,
Driver went ok, do not feel as though I am generating as much power at the minute, but I realise that is not something that happens over night.
3 wood, I just couldnt hit it properly.
Hybrid, again found this very tough.
Irons, very good, ball striking is the strongest part of my game, and using the s&t I felt even more incontrol.
Knowing how well I hit my irons, and after just one range session and 9 holes, that extra bit with the irons using what i read about s&t has made me very interested in looking at changing fully. Crazy? maybe! I just need to spend a lot more time working on it to see proper results. I would love to know how it works properly with regards to fairways and hybrids though!

JT

 

[USER1999]

Welcome to S&T. You need to look at tha Plummer/Bennet video or book. It does pay off, and all shots are clearly possible. It does get easier, and you will wonder why you haven't tried this before. It is better.

 

[JustOne]

3 wood, I just couldnt hit it properly.
Hybrid, again found this very tough.

What was happening?

 

[JT77]

3 wood came out very low and hooky, just didnt feel like i could get on plane to sweep it away. is this wrong?
Hybrid was going right, i think it was maybe my hands getting behind and not releasing as it was blocking.
but it was really just me dipping my big toe in the water....

 

[JT77]

thanks murph, I dont mind the change if it will be beneficial, i will put the effort in! as i stated my weight transfer wasnt great to start with so hopefully this will favour a more consistant effort. driver although felt less powerful, was not far behind normal distance, maybe 10-15 yards, max on the course, on the range was around similar distance.

 

[golfstick]

S&T is a new concept to me and only really know of duval who would use this. I think it is outrageous that tiger would even entertain the idea of this method. I think its open to personal opinion like, but mine is that it is a gash method lol. In my eyes, but probs not everyones theres more room for error and even tho its ment to bring consistent striking, how will it hold up with creative shots such as low punches, big draws and what not?

I dont know what it is but i dont like S&T and wouldnt touch it with a barge pole. Who out there that is successful uses it?

 

[JT77]

I thought that too a while back, but after looking at it I am starting to come round to the idea. Who knows where it will take me, maybe I can use it maybe not, but I wont know till i try. Justin Rose has won twice after working with sean foley who i think teahches it, and if it good enough for tiger........

 

[golfstick]

is it really good enought for tiger? 14 majors suggests il try to keep swinging using the fundamental ideas from his old swing! I dont know why it gets my goat, i just think duvals swing is shite and looked shite, he hit the ball shite with a big slice and all in all he turned out to be a shite as a one hit wonder lol. Dont do it jamestaylor!! im trying to save u here lol....

 

[JT77]

lol, thanks for trying!
To be honest, I have a good looking swing, and miss more fairways than i hit, so i would take ugly and and consistant over pretty and inconsistant.
It is really for me just something that I will look at, I have a month of competative golf left til the end of the season, then i maybe look at changes

 

[rickg]

I dont know what it is but i dont like S&T and wouldnt touch it with a barge pole.

Nothing like a well informed opinion eh?

 

[golfstick]

i tried.... haha. Well if your going to work on it over the winter to see how it goes then i rekon it cant be a bad thing. I have to say it is an extreme change to take on you have some balls!

 

[golfstick]

I dont know what it is but i dont like S&T and wouldnt touch it with a barge pole.

Nothing like a well informed opinion eh?

haha it may not have been the most useful of responses but i felt i should share my opinions!

 

[birdieman]

There are no easy fixes to good golf, it's a difficult game and only the very few will ever play to scratch or better, no matter what technique they use. Sounds like you’re looking for a way to improve when your game has naturally plateaued. It may not be possible to get much better, everyone reaches their peak in time.

If at some point in the future when I watch the PGA tour and Messrs Faldo and Miller start talking about winning players using S&T then I'll start listening to more about it. That hasn't happened yet.

Telling someone that S&T is a better method is not necessarily a good thing. You could screw up their game totally with no coaches available to tell him what to do. Reading about it isn't usually enough, self teaching is very difficult to get right.

I would recommend the OP proceed very carefully if he chooses to go along this road.

 

[JT77]

Thanks Birdieman, I do not feel like I have plataued at all, I am mearly looking at options that may help me to improve. if it does then happy days, if not, then so be it. I know that if I want to go lower I have to work on my short game and putting, and I will, but just looking at other opts too? Surely stagnation accurs when you stop looking to improve?

 

[JustOne]

If at some point in the future when I watch the PGA tour and Messrs Faldo and Miller start talking about winning players using S&T then I'll start listening to more about it. That hasn't happened yet.

Out of interest why is that?

Are you trying to be a tour player? Your h/cap has gone from 3.7 to 4.2 so I guess you're happy with the way you are headed? I assume you have 'plateaued' too?

They could probably put a stack and tilt guy on the moon and you wouldn't change.

 

[JustOne]

3 wood came out very low and hooky, just didnt feel like i could get on plane to sweep it away. is this wrong?
Hybrid was going right, i think it was maybe my hands getting behind and not releasing as it was blocking.
but it was really just me dipping my big toe in the water....

Make sure that your shoulders are on an incline at the top of your backswing and don't let your weight stray onto the back foot (which is easy to do with the woods as you are probably so used to the feeling that it's hard to stop initially).

 

[birdieman]

If at some point in the future when I watch the PGA tour and Messrs Faldo and Miller start talking about winning players using S&T then I'll start listening to more about it. That hasn't happened yet.

Out of interest why is that?

Are you trying to be a tour player? Your h/cap has gone from 3.7 to 4.2 so I guess you're happy with the way you are headed? I assume you have 'plateaued' too?

They could probably put a stack and tilt guy on the moon and you wouldn't change.

Bit unfair, you've found a way that you think lets you hit the ball better, it hasn't been proved to work ...YET. You may in time be proved right, who knows, but presently coaches teach the more conventional method which works for 99% of us.
Re my game, I would agree I have plateaud, did get to my lowest ever hcap last year at 40, but shoulder problems and less time to play are more at the core of my game worsening this year than by not using S&T. I have not hit a ball since August 11th, should've stopped before that tbh as I've made the shoulder worse.
I don't think you or Murph have improved any either since taking up S&T, have you?
What's the prickly 'stack and tilt guy on the moon' comment for? If you could prove to me that S&T would make me a better golfer I'd be all ears.
We just watch tour players because they're the best golfers, so clearly are doing something right with technique! Copying the moves top players make isn't a bad thing imo. If I could hit the ball like Ernie Els (using his conventional golf swing) that would be great.
The S&T crew keep pushing the fact that some PGA players have gone across to S&T and achieved 'incredible results'. Mike Weir and Aaorn Baddeley seem to be mentioned the most. I would conceed they're both terrific players but they haven't got any further than the scores of other pros in recent times. Weir won the Masters with a conventional weight shift swing did he not?

 

[USER1999]

Handicap wise, no, I haven't improved, so that's a fair point. I do hit the ball better though (so much so that my iron distances are back where they were 10 years ago, before having rotational issues in my back), which is a move in the right direction.

For any one who is interested in trying S&T, I would say give it a go. For those who aren't, don't. It isn't compulsory. I don't get why people are so against it. Just because it is not what they were taught.

Tiger had a conventional swing, and even he can't use it.


What ever technique you use, as long as you are happy with it, what does it matter. If you aren't happy, change it.

Sadly, the limiting factor in my golf will always be me, not technique.

 

[JustOne]

presently coaches teach the more conventional method which works for 99% of us.

Firstly: Wouldn't it HAVE to if nothing else is being taught?


Secondly: Which 99% are you referring to? Only about 2-3% of players are any good at this game and that's after following literally tons and tons of 'top' advice over the past 25years+, and living the game until their hands hurt and their wives have left them.

You can't possibly be implying that 99% of golfers are happy with their game? I'd say it was likely the other way round.

 

[Imurg]

I've read all the S&T threads on here and never thrown my hat into the ring but I think its time.

I'm sure to some people S&T will work wonders. I'm equally sure that it won't work for others. To make a sweeping statement along the lines of "I'm hitting it better therefore its better for everyone" is a bit daft really.

Not having a go at the S&T boys at all here, just with some of the statements. And, as with all changes/lessons etc, they will only work if you have the time,money and enthusiasm to make them work. I, for one, havn't.

My other concern here is the phrase "It'll be hard to find a Coach to teach you S&T".

Why is this? If S&T is the miracle cure that some seem to suggest (and I don't know as I've not tried it), then why are there no Coaches out there? It's not that new a concept is it? Surely if S&T is the universal solution we would have Coaches coming out of our ears. The "traditional" approach to teaching us to play Golf has produced some mighty fine players down the years has it not? So something must be right with it?

It is, at the end of the day, another, different way to get the ball from point A to point B. Just because it works for you doesn't mean its going to work for Joe Bloggs down the road.