Fulton: To try Stack and Tilt or not try Stack and Tilt

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So I am sure the question is there for so many of you - should you stack your weight on the front foot and lean your spine towards the target during the backswing or shouldn't you? If you ask last week's winner on the PGA TOUR -- Aaron Baddeley, he is probably going to give the more the conventional answer.

As it has been well documented over the last few years, Aaron Baddeley was one of the bigger names that adopted the Stack and Tilt method that was introduced by golf instructors Andy Plummer and Mike Bennett. Baddeley among a few others gave the controversial method a real boost after joining the team following his last win back in 2007; however, after limited success the Aussie went back to his long time coach -- Dale Lynch.

Two of the main components that define the Stack and Tilt method are to leave more weight on the forward foot and lean your spine towards the target during the backswing. With the weight on the lead foot at all times it promotes the first fundamental of Stack and Tilt which is hitting the ground in the same place every time. One of the most common errors in the golf swing is hitting in the ground inconsistently or not hitting the ground at all. To hit the ground just in front of the golf ball the weight needs to be on the forward foot at impact. Where the conventional swing will see the weight load slightly into the trail foot and shift to the lead foot on the downswing - Stack and Tilt keeps it forward at all times.

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The second component of leaning the spine towards the target during the backswing is one that is quite interesting and can be a bit scary all at the same time in the world of golf instruction. 3D research confirms that when you compile all the planes of motion your body moves within during the golf swing, the spine does indeed lean towards the target during the backswing. This occurs because the center of the body's rotation -- which is located in the center of shoulders -- needs to stay relatively in the same spot to help ensure a consistent overall spine angle throughout the swing. This concept can be more difficult to grasp and has been left alone to avoid promoting a reverse spine angle. Stack and Tilt printed it and perhaps is trying to make it cool with their marketing campaign -- "I'm stacked".

The truth is that even if you are more conventional at address and have tilted your spine slightly away from the target, your spine would still be leaning toward the target during the backswing if you were to stay in your spine angle. Although you probably don't feel this -- it does happen. Now, imagine that you have no tilt or are tilted slightly toward the target at address, your spine would be well toward the target during the backswing assuming you stay in your spine angle. This exaggerated approach to the spine along with your weight excessively forward, you can see where the name Stack and Tilt starts to define itself.

Although these two components seem to promote a more consistent club head strike in front of the golf ball, it seems it makes it more difficult to control ball flight as the clubs get longer. What's important to understand is not only does the club head need to be moving "down," it also needs to be moving "out" and "forward". These three directions define the geometry of the downswing plane of motion and you need to take them all into consideration when you decide how to use your body. With that said, at the TOUR Academies, we like to see less spine tilt away from the target with the weight slightly towards the target at address/backswing with the shorter shots. However, as the clubs get longer and lose loft, some tilt away from the target and leveling of the weight is highly recommended to help assure the proper launch conditions as well as face and path control.

Since switching back to his old coach, Baddeley seems to be reaping these benefits. One of the things that is clearly evident is he is hitting more greens with all clubs. Currently, Baddeley is 11th on the PGA TOUR in greens in regulation, which is miles better than where has been over the last few years. When you look at this stat further, Baddeley is beginning to show more confidence with his long game where he seems to be in more control of his fairway woods and long irons into greens. With Baddeley not being that long off the tee, his ability to control the long game is critical.

With all this said, it's good to see Aaron Baddeley back in the winner's circle. I often times wonder why Baddeley switched styles after his win in 2007. It's always interesting to me when things seem to be going well and moving in the right direction, the student feels the need to make a change -- and for Baddeley the change was an extreme one. Although Stack and Tilt is very interesting and educational, it seems the jury is still out on the PGA TOUR.

Just Because

We just finished our yearly Instructor Training for all our TOUR Academy Instructors. Our philosophy at the TOUR Academy is to align ourselves with the science of golf as it pertains to the geometry and biomechanics. Now don't be alarmed, this message is scaled way down in the way we deliver it with our "building block approach"; however, from an education standpoint for our instructors - it is trained and understood as is. In addition to the science, we also study what the best players in the world are doing on the PGA TOUR, LPGA TOUR, etc. These efforts allow us to study these players on video and also understand the different methodologies that they follow.

This year we analyzed some of the current methodologies like Stack and Tilt, Jim Hardy's 1-plane/2-plane as well as some our industries greatest including Butch Harmon, David Leadbetter, Jim McClean, Hank Haney, Mike Bender and Sean Foley. These two days were fantastic as not only was it helpful to understand what has worked for them, but also to learn from the strengths of each one of these experienced instructors.

Our mission at the TOUR Academy is to continue to look at everything. With a more comprehensive approach, our programs will continue to be well rounded with an instruction staff that is extremely educated.