Texas Children's Houston Open

Memorial Park Golf Course



The Loop

More Stack & Tilt

The spine should be vertical at the top, which makes the player feel tipped over the front leg. Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett

For those experimenting with Stack & Tilt, the New Tour Swing of our June issue, this exchange between reader Claudia Hanson of Carlsbad and Senior Editor Instruction Peter Morrice, might be helpful.

Claudia: I played on Saturday using Stack & Tilt for the first time. I am still very inconsistent with it, especially with my longer fairway clubs. It felt harder to get that 30 per cent tilt, it is like I should be exaggertaing the move even more with the longer clubs. Do you experience that? However, on the shots where I executed the move correctly (or felt like it) I really picked up some distance. I hit one drive 25 yards further than normal! I was using my site-scope to track my distance, just to be sure.

__Peter: Claudia, my guess is with the longer clubs you're just used to making more

of a shift to your right side. Some people have told me it's easier to do at first with the short irons and wedges, and I'd say that's the reason. Remember, turn your shoulders in a circle without moving the center--you'll get it. As for finding a pro near you, where are you? Andy gave me the names of pros in NY, NJ, Kentucky and Cleveland who are teaching Stack & Tilt, and I'm sure others will be coming on soon. Until then, use the "feels" we included in the article. Those should help. Good luck.__

Andy Plummer also weighed in on the issue of players having difficulty with longer clubs such as the driver:

Andy: Players who feel too steep coming down with the driver should try one of three things: First, make sure the ball position is far enough forward. The ball should be opposite the front heel with the driver. Second, keep the hand path more to the inside, both on the backswing and more importantly on the downswing. When the hands move out and away from the body on the downswing, the swing gets too steep and over the top. This is a common fault with the driver. Third, the player might need to stand up faster on the downswing. That upward thrust of the lower body helps to shallow out the swing.

Find links to a video demonstrating the move and editor Pete Finch's video account of his lesson, as well as the story itself on our home page. Here is Aaron Baddelely as captured making the move by photographer J. D. Cuban.

—Bob Carney[#image: /photos/55adb4a6b01eefe207f8db5a]|||Stacktilt2|||