An in-depth, full-color, step-by-step guide to the new golf swing that has taken the PGA Tour by storm
The traditional golf swing requires a level of coordination that few golfers have. So it's no surprise that, despite huge advances in club and ball technology, the average golf handicap in America has dropped by only one stroke since 1990. Maverick golf instructors Michael Bennett and Andy Plummer spent a decade researching the swing, eventually combining physiology and physics to create a method they dubbed the "Stack and Tilt." The result? Big-name pros like Mike Weir, Tommy Armour III, and Aaron Baddeley are already converts, and Bennett and Plummer are now two of the most soughtafter swing coaches in the game.
Making these breakthroughs available to everyone, The Stack and Tilt Swing is a handsome, fully illustrated, complete course, packed with more than two hundred full-color photographs that make it easy for golfers at all levels to adopt this radical yet simple approach. Analyzing why the traditional swing won't work for most golfers, the authors explain the importance of keeping the upper body stacked over the lower body, while the spine tilts toward the target during the backswing, greatly reducing the inconsistencies created by the old-fashioned approach. Enhanced with practice routines, a troubleshooting list, test cases, and point-by-point assistance, this is the breakthrough guide to golf's hot new secret weapon. |
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Most Beneficial Golf Book since "Five Lessons"? Perhaps!
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| Review Date: November 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Erik J. Barzeski, Erie, PA USA |
I've played to a low single digit handicap for years, and though I enjoyed the process of working on my own swing, I'd go through lengthy periods of time when I was searching for the key to my swing. Invariably, I'd find something, play well for a few rounds, and then enter another lull.
This year I decided to work with a Stack and Tilt instructor. Like many, I misunderstood a lot of the principles and had a lot of misconceptions about the swing, but with 20 or so PGA Tour players taking to it, I reconsidered. I'm glad I did - this year has been one of the most productive in my golf career. Not only do I know how to swing, I know how to fix it when things go awry.
Stack and Tilt is a fairly simple method of playing good golf, but nobody can do it alone. If you can't find an instructor nearby, this book does a great job as a stand-in (and if you can find an instructor, this book is a great reminder between lessons). The book's photos wonderfully illustrate the concepts and the instructions are simple, clear, and concise. Not only are the positions and ideas explained thoroughly, but PGA Tour pros contribute their "feelings" and "sensations" to help players who are helping themselves.
The book is more than a "here is how to swing the club" guide as well. The last third of the book is invaluable to golfers as it contains drills, common faults and their fixes, and much more. This book does more to actually help the golfer in 240 or so pages than most golf instructional books do in 400. It's not much of a stretch to call this potentially the most beneficial golf instruction book since Hogan's "Five Lessons."
Even if you're not a fan of the Stack and Tilt swing, I encourage you to pick up this book. Read the first chapter - I think you may change your mind. Implement some of the principles of the swing and, when you start beating your buddies, the book will pay for itself in no time. :-) |
Will be one of the classics
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| Review Date: November 13, 2009 |
| Reviewer: bongowentbongo, |
| Portions of this book equal or exceed anything ever written in terms of golf instruction. The way the book is put together with comments from golfers, the instructors and the photos far exceeds my expectation. Should be in every golf library. Will be one of the classics in the test of time. How can I get my copy signed? |
A great learning tool
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| Review Date: November 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Francly Speaking, Florida |
| The book is all you could ever expect from a well-balanced set of golf lessons. Much better than the DVDs themselves. I recommend it to anyone looking for the definitive guide on the Stack and Tilt Golf Swing. If you can't learn the swing from this book, you can't learn it from anyone. |
Awesome content, poorly written
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| Review Date: December 11, 2009 |
| Reviewer: A. Chait, Phoenix, AZ USA |
I preordered this book before it was released because I've heard so much about Stack and Tilt. When it came, I was excited. The ideas are great and incorporating parts of it into my swing has already made a major difference in by accuracy and distance. I'm looking forward to getting the entire swing down. Now - if I could just learn to put.
One criticism of the book is that it is poorly written. It's often hard to understand and the pictures they use don't always coordinate with the text. You really have to read the book twice to understand the nuances of the swing. I think that if the authors were to hire a professional writer and graphics person it would make a world of difference in their next version or next book. I found myself, throughout the book, reading paragraphs over and over to try to understand what they are saying.
Having said that, I still highly recommend the book to any golfer. Their entire swing makes sense. Why shift your weight and try to coordinate that body movement with striking the ball as has been taught by everyone else? It's too hard to time and that's not where the power comes from anyway, so why do it. It's a very interesting book and I can now understand why a lot of the pros are switching to it. It's a great feeling to connect with the ball correctly, feel it, hear it and watch it fly where you want it to go. |
The best thing you can do to your golf swing
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| Review Date: November 18, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Mehrod Magsoudi, USA |
| I had pre-ordered this book from amazon.com. Great idea to publish a book. These guys need to be put at the same level as Ben Hogan or above. They are the only ones that can make a difference in all golfers. Nothing else works out there I have tried them all. Even 3 years of lessons, every week did not get me to where I am now. Stack and tilt is the swing of the future and this book sets in stone. I switched to the S&T swing 3 months ago when I purchased the DVDs. The best thing I ever did. You just have to be patient and stick to the basics if you run into any problems. Otherwise, its the quickest and easiest way to become a great golfer. |
Try it for SOLID ball contact
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| Review Date: February 6, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Bruce W. Gerhold, Oklahoma |
The book is well written, and brings out excellent arguments that conventionally taught techniques are mastered by only a select few. The general player needs a technique that is simpler to execute; something that you do not have to practice EVERY day.
Transition to try the swing was relatively easy. After a few buckets of balls on the range, I consistently hit the club head sweet spot and have better directional control. This swing is not a distance master, but shot consistency lowers you score faster than distance. I did not sacrifice distance, but do not expect extra distance. The swing works best on irons and hybrids with some adaptation and practice required on the driver and 3 wood.
After reading the book, and practicing with the swing, I will keep this new style. I also see many of the moves taught while watching pros on TV - look for the dipping left shoulder and straight right leg - it's on TV, but not taught.
Overall, I think the authors are correct in their teachings and these changes will improve your swing. Some of the full swing basics resemble what Dave Pelz teaches in the "Short Game Bible", and recall the foundation of a good short game is solid repeatable contact. Give the technique a try: the switch is easy, and I suspect you could go back to conventional methods without undoing bad habits.
A second benefit is the swing removes all stress from your right leg, and will help any right knee and hip ailments in right handed golfers.
The only downside is you may have difficulty finding a pro teacher for help: be prepared to study the book and solve your own problems. After all, self help is required to develop a good game so this is a good place to start. |
This is the year!
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| Review Date: January 26, 2010 |
| Reviewer: James H. Foy, Minneapolis MN |
| I'm still reading a little bit every day to try and absorb if fully. The swing makes a lot of sense and will take some doing to unlearn the old habits. I won't fully know how it works until I get out on the driving range in a couple of months. In the meantime, I went to an indoor simulator and was driving the ball further than I ever had. Once you get your mind programed to the new feel of the swing, it seems natural. Why didn't I do some of this stuff twenty years ago? |
prefer book over the dvds
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| Review Date: February 11, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Brad Clemmens, Yukon, OK United States |
| I am a 7-9 handicap golfer who switched to the stack and tilt method about 1-2 years ago. I am tall 6'4", so anything that reduced lateral sway is probably good for me. Ball stiking is much better and misses are not as severe for me with this method. The book does a better job of explaining the geometry than the dvds in my opinion. I really now understand what I am trying to do as well as what I did wrong on my misses. I also really like the idea of developing a shot cone which is explained in the book. Last year I was able to shoot par for one round which was very exciting. I hope to do even better this year with increased understanding and more practice with the method. Great scores usually come from making lots of 6-10 foot putts. Good luck guys, BC |
MY SHORT STORY
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| Review Date: March 20, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Paul Croshaw, |
First, it's a beautifully illustrated, organized and written book. But I learned about S&T in Golf Digest after returning to golf. I couldn't get my cordination/swing back so I gave S&T a try, and immediately was striking the ball better than I've ever had in my life. Started taking S&T lessons from a very good teacher but to learn the proper stacking and tilting requires more exagerated body bending than my 48-year old body was used to. It also seemed to require as much practice as a traditional swing. But what was more surprising to me was since your arms don't go high on the backswing I never felt I was playing golf. In other words my swing became a short mechanical, uncomfortable chore. I never felt free to "swing away."
So I started to use the best ideas of S&T and incorporate them into my old swing and the results were good; hitting the ball farther with a freer swing feeling. My ball striking wasn't as good but my body felt free. But over time (6 months) my ball striking became worse. My golf scores were now back to where I started. At my worse golf low, as I was approaching the first tee, a 148 yard par-3, on an executive course with 2 par-4s, I said, "I got to get this ball on the green - what the heck, try S&T." Not thinking too much about S&T technique I pulled out my 6-iron and hit the ball within 2-feet of the hole - birdie. The next hole, 126 yards, I grabbed my 8-iron and hit the ball 10 yards too long but straight, high and still on the green (but 3 putted for bogey). My hybrids and drivers I still used my traditional swing - which are "OK."
Shot my best round that day on that little course and my game didn't feel mechanical. Here are my observations: First, my body is more flexible now than when I started playing so the swing didn't feel as awkward and I probably wasn't tilting as much as the swing requires, but good enough. I also had the opportunity to "swing away" with my hybrids and driver to satisfy my power needs. But more importantly, and satisfing was hitting those greens consistantly. Nothing beats that feeling.
So, I'm back to S&T - at least for my irons. And the book is a great resource for fine tuning this swing.
Paul
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Love this book!
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| Review Date: June 24, 2010 |
| Reviewer: J. Payton, |
| I have been having issues with fat shots since I started golf back up 3 years ago. I could never figure out why so I read about Stack and tilt and figure I would give it a try. I must say I am very impressed because i could never hit a divot after the ball and my shots were super high and after reading this book my shots come of nice. It's good to see that I have increased my club lengths using S&T since I hit down on the ball now instead of digging a ditch behind my ball. This is well worth the price! |
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