Stack and tilt: let's have a heated debate

[Monty_Brown]

I confess to knowing very little about S&T, but I am very interested in all golf technique, so am quite prepared to listen to views and be convinced that it is great, not, or somewhere in between.

I would love to hear views from people that have:

- tried it, benefited and stuck with it
- tried it and given up on it
- never tried it for specific reasons.

I'm considering buying the Bennett & Plummer book, not necessarily to adopt the technique, but purely because I'm a swing geek.

 

[USER1999]

The book is very good, and has helped me understand a lot about the faults in my swing. I have not gone 100% down the S&T route, but have incorporated various bits into my own swing. To me, the bad shots with a full on S&T swing were too punitive (massive pull hooks). It is well worth looking at though.

What it gave me was a draw (after years of fading), and a better ball strike. These I have tried to retain. That said, sometimes the draw was silly, and I needed the whole course to keep it in bounds.

If there was somewhere where I could get lessons, at a sensible price, and sensible travel, I would possibly make the jump.

I am thinking about having some conventional lessons instead, and seeing what that has to offer. I have never really had any lessons, so I am interested.

 

[evahakool]

Very much my experience to Murph.after some advice from Justone got the Bennet and Plummer book and tried it. What I found was it was easy to pick up and had better shots with s/w to 5i, for me it does feel a much simpliar and better swing.

I could'nt master any woods with this swing,but I would admit I never tried to long with the woods,so I to have incorparated some of the S/T swing and am quite happy with it.

 

[JustOne]

Heated debate? No thanks, it'll turn into it's usual one-sided slanging match from people that don't know their ass from their elbow.


FWIW The book is very cheap (about £12) and well worth the read.

 

[One Planer]

Tried it when I first took up the game, moved away from it over the last year or so, going back to it over the winter and onwards.

First try was a little half-hearted, but I've brought the book and I'm going to give it a bash.

 

[chris661]

I was having great difficulty a few years ago and on the verge of jacking it all in, went for a final lesson and the pro got me onto this which resulted in REALLY good iron play. The only downside (for me) was that with playing links golf the ball started to go further back in my stance and I was really bracing and loading my left side to keep it low which was causing me all sorts of problems. Went to a new pro and he incorporates some aspects of it but it is a more "classical" swing which, as my understanding gets better, suits me. I do find myself heading back to some of the original things I was taught especially if I am struggling on a given day.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

James spent an hour with me going through it all and explaining why it works. I have to say it makes perfect sense. I did dabble for a while (2009) and had some good results but suddenly got a dose of the s***ks and stopped. Would be tempted to have another go but would need to read the book first I think. Definitely shouldn't be dismissed out of hand.

 

[connor]

I've never heard of it??? What is it

 

[chrisd]

FWIW The book is very cheap (about £12) and well worth the read.

Downloaded it on my Kindle and now all the writing gets stuck on the left hand side!



Chris

 

[Mattyboy]

I've never heard of it??? What is it

Put simply, you load your weight onto your front side and keep it there. OK theres a bit more to it than that but thats the basics. I read the book just recently. Makes perfect sense to me but for the moment I am just working on being centered and not swaying away from the ball.

 

[Imurg]

Downloaded it on my Kindle and now all the writing gets stuck on the left hand side!

Quality!!

Gleaning what I can from what I've read I can see benefits but I wouldn't want to do anything to my swing at the moment.
I don't know what you'd describe it as but it damn well works for me!

 

[Mattyboy]

Downloaded it on my Kindle and now all the writing gets stuck on the left hand side!



Chris

If thats problem get a left handed Kindle next time!

 

[DaveM]

Have not tried it happy with what I have. But I have read the book and it does make good reading. I can see the point of it. But as I said dont want to mess about with what I have. Took to much hard work to get here, to change.

 

[JustOne]

Makes perfect sense to me but for the moment I am just working on being centered and not swaying away from the ball.

It's pretty common to do that, in fact it's also pretty radical to do that. All 'conventional' teaching would have you load up your right side. Consider yourself a rebel!

 

[Monty_Brown]

Chaps, thanks for your thoughts and input. Having spent most of my lessons this year trying to get my weight OFF my left side, I have now developed far too much weight shift to the right side. Seems like I was nearly at S&T 6 months ago...

Book ordered... I'll be interested to see if it's helpful.

 

[JustOne]

Having spent most of my lessons this year trying to get my weight OFF my left side.

Can I ask WHY? I assume you are just trying stuff as you go along and don't have any real guidance other than what you think 'fits' with your swing?

 

[CMAC]

load up my left side too early and too long and get some serious faults, maybe its the domino effect.

It's a good theory but theres a reason its been done the other way very successfully for a long long time.

 

[Monty_Brown]

Can I ask WHY? I assume you are just trying stuff as you go along and don't have any real guidance other than what you think 'fits' with your swing?

I was basically stuck on the left side but within the confines of a more old school Leadbetter-ish swing. When it came to the downswing I had nowhere to go and so was straightening, bailing, whatever I could to clear the hips and get back to the ball.

Earlier this year, after no lessons for a good few years, I worked with my pro on getting more weight transition onto the right side in the backswing, as "conventional" theory would suggest. It worked nicely for a few months. But the effect of this was too much lateral movement as a result of the exaggerated weight shift drill I was doing. Come the winter, it's fat shots galore and ball-striking has gone to pot.

S&T makes particularly strong claims about consistency of ball striking, which really interests me. I felt that given my tendency to leave weight on the left side, looking at a technique that takes that trait and makes a virtue of it might be useful.

I wouldn't class my previous lessons or interest in S&T as trying stuff as I go along. I've played to single figures for 20 years, but am just one of those people who likes to tinker with technique - I enjoy it!

 

[JustOne]

But the effect of this was too much lateral movement as a result of the exaggerated weight shift drill I was doing. Come the winter, it's fat shots galore and ball-striking has gone to pot.

I don't think it's possible to have too much lateral movement forward... only too much on the way back

I certainly know that (Winter) feeling of snatching the club away too fast, losing balance, getting stuck on the back foot.... and creating slappy divots that start 6" behind the ball

People exaggerate what they read and what they don't know they simply make up. If you believe every uninformed person you'd think that S&T is practically standing on one leg, falling over towards the target with the ball so far off your back foot you'd be digging trenches on the way down.....

[video=youtube;05zoiVCmRaw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05zoiVCmRaw[/video]

There's a happy medium to find between distance and control in golf, sure you might want to swing out of your shoes on every shot, but bear in mind that they don't go that far generally when they're fatted

 

[Monty_Brown]

I don't think it's possible to have too much lateral movement forward... only too much on the way back

That's what I meant, sorry! Think we were talking at cross purposes. Too much lateral on the BACKSWING! It meant throwing everything at it to get the club back to the ball.

Looking forward to getting stuck into some S&T.

BTW, there's a guy at my club who does only have one leg... plays to to 9. Amazing to see him play, he hits it miles. He's a phenomenal athlete.