Stack & Tilt and the Pelvic Thrust

The pelvic thrust takes some of the steepness out of the swing...The pelvic thrust allows the hips to keep turning, which keeps the clubface closing at a constant rate and the hands swinging in a circular arc. Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett

We continue to get lots of mail on Stack & Tilt. Roger Ward of Ontario, Canada says...

"I've been using the swing on and off for over 30 years because I have never been able to shift my weight onto my left side with my 'normal' swing."

Ward pulled an old Golf Magazine piece by teacher George Buck and sent it along. Buck, in his article, wrote that better golf could be achieved by...

...keeping your weight on your left side, which is where it is when the ball is hit, and by not pronating your wrists and thus opening and closing the clubface.....and keeping the clubface square througout the swing

Senior Editor, Instruction Peter Morrice, who wrote the New Tour Swing piece in June based on the teaching Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett, says Buck had the Stack but not necessarily the Tilt. Morrice says Plummer and Bennett point out that the swing is not based entirely on the element of keeping the weight left. They point to the move at impact as described in the Golf Digest story:

Lower Body Swings Up The upward thrust of the lower body that releases the hips...also helps deliver the club to the ball. Because the body is leaning on the front side, the club comes down steeply and will crash into the ground unless the swing shallows out. The pelvic thrust takes some of the steepness out of the swing. The upper arms stay on the rib cagecage, and teh ahnd path comes from the inside. The pelvic thrust allows the hips to keep turning, which keeps the clubface closing at a constant rate and the hands swinging in a circular arc. The club releases without any conscious hand or arm action. At impact, the swing centers are in front of the ball, so the club catches the ball first and then cuts a divot.

In contrast to Buck's teaching, there is no effort to "keep the clubface square" throughout the swing.

On the other hand, it's clear that the debate over the benefits of a pronounced weight shift has been going on for some time. For interesting comment on Stack & Tilt, and lots of it, check out the GolfWrx and Geoff Shackelford blogs. A version of the swing is also captured onhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ23m2X-L3Q

--Bob Carney

(photo: J.D. Cuban)