SamQuirkePGA
Club Champion
The Stack and Tilt Golf Swing – fundamentals.
by Sam Quirke
Allow me to begin by asking you a question, what are the fundamentals of golf?
I would expect you to answer with grip, stance, posture, alignment, ball position etc. These are the answers I most often hear, and why wouldn’t I this has been drilled into golfers for years. I’m going to raise a few eyebrows now and put it to you that these are in fact variables and not fundamentals. Once you’ve finished choking on your tea and for that I apologise please continue reading.
When we look to the worlds greatest golfers i.e. PGA Tour how often do you see the same ‘fundamental’ `I’d argue not very often at all. Do the tour golfers past and present have the same grips? No, some are strong some are weak. Do the tour golfers have the same stance and posture? No. Do the tour golfers aim in the same place, absolutely not! In one grouping to have the ball finish in the same place there could be potentially 80 yards in distance between the two points the golfers where aiming.
So my next question would be how would you define fundamental? Dictionary.com states a basic principle, rule, law, or the like, that serves as the groundwork of a system. If this is the case would the above ‘fundamentals’ be correct?
Stack and Tilt prescribes the following fundamentals and importantly in this order:
The golfer must be able to hit the ground in the same place each time.
Have enough power to play the golf course.
Control the curvature.
As one works his way through the handicaps from a beginning golfer with no handicap to tour professional one can see how these fundamentals apply. Does the beginning golfer hit the ground in the same spot each time? If you were to line up 29 players in handicap order form 0 to 28 on a grass range and asked them to hit 100 balls from a line, as you moved from one side of the range to the other you’d be able to see the variety in dispersion of divots (in relation to the line) become tighter as the golfers ability increased. This pattern is then true of distance, as you moved down the line you’d see the ball going progressively further as the ability increased. Lastly the better the golfers ability the more predicable a pattern they would hit as the ability improved i.e. handicap decreased.
The last fundamental controlling the curve is not necessarily to be able to work the ball in all directions but in fact to hit the ball in a predictable pattern or cone whether it be fade or draw bias. When golfers talk to me about wanting to improve there golf, I hear the phrase inconsistent so often. We all want to hit the ball far, to be able to achieve this we must be hitting the ground in the same place consistently and now we want to be able to predict with some regularity where the ball is going to go and on what trajectory / shape i.e. be consistent!
At first glance this may appear to be asking a lot, I disagree, once order an order of pieces to work on has been established, always keeping in mind the fundamentals the golfer may work through the appropriate parts and see positive change quickly.
Sam Quirke
Authorised Stack and Tilt instructor
by Sam Quirke
Allow me to begin by asking you a question, what are the fundamentals of golf?
I would expect you to answer with grip, stance, posture, alignment, ball position etc. These are the answers I most often hear, and why wouldn’t I this has been drilled into golfers for years. I’m going to raise a few eyebrows now and put it to you that these are in fact variables and not fundamentals. Once you’ve finished choking on your tea and for that I apologise please continue reading.
When we look to the worlds greatest golfers i.e. PGA Tour how often do you see the same ‘fundamental’ `I’d argue not very often at all. Do the tour golfers past and present have the same grips? No, some are strong some are weak. Do the tour golfers have the same stance and posture? No. Do the tour golfers aim in the same place, absolutely not! In one grouping to have the ball finish in the same place there could be potentially 80 yards in distance between the two points the golfers where aiming.
So my next question would be how would you define fundamental? Dictionary.com states a basic principle, rule, law, or the like, that serves as the groundwork of a system. If this is the case would the above ‘fundamentals’ be correct?
Stack and Tilt prescribes the following fundamentals and importantly in this order:
The golfer must be able to hit the ground in the same place each time.
Have enough power to play the golf course.
Control the curvature.
As one works his way through the handicaps from a beginning golfer with no handicap to tour professional one can see how these fundamentals apply. Does the beginning golfer hit the ground in the same spot each time? If you were to line up 29 players in handicap order form 0 to 28 on a grass range and asked them to hit 100 balls from a line, as you moved from one side of the range to the other you’d be able to see the variety in dispersion of divots (in relation to the line) become tighter as the golfers ability increased. This pattern is then true of distance, as you moved down the line you’d see the ball going progressively further as the ability increased. Lastly the better the golfers ability the more predicable a pattern they would hit as the ability improved i.e. handicap decreased.
The last fundamental controlling the curve is not necessarily to be able to work the ball in all directions but in fact to hit the ball in a predictable pattern or cone whether it be fade or draw bias. When golfers talk to me about wanting to improve there golf, I hear the phrase inconsistent so often. We all want to hit the ball far, to be able to achieve this we must be hitting the ground in the same place consistently and now we want to be able to predict with some regularity where the ball is going to go and on what trajectory / shape i.e. be consistent!
At first glance this may appear to be asking a lot, I disagree, once order an order of pieces to work on has been established, always keeping in mind the fundamentals the golfer may work through the appropriate parts and see positive change quickly.
Sam Quirke
Authorised Stack and Tilt instructor
