Stack and Tilt Golf Swing buzz
Like many of you, I have been watching some of the online videos for tips on improving our golf swing. There is some buzz about ’stack and tilt’ of the spine at address. For the advanced golfer, this could be a valuable key to a consistent golf swing if done properly.
However, This stack and tilt method teaches that the weight should be concentrated on the target leg rather than the back leg. For most of us this is a recipe for disaster. Still, stack and tilt has some validity only with the weight concentrated on the back leg.
I originally learned this from Paul Callaway who was the first director of physical therapy for the PGA Tour. My experience in the clinic has confirmed this that the key for most of us learning how to stack and tilt is to do so without bending and tilting.
Bending the spine rather than tilting at the hips and pelvis will hurt your swing and your back. The sacrum, spine and the back of the head all need to be in line to be properly stacked and provide the mechanical advantage needed for a consistent and painless golf swing.
In my free newsletter at www.ezgolfrx.com I discuss this and other aspects of the golf swing in more detail. In the meantime, have somebody to give you feedback on this practice so that you can get the proper feel of spinal alignment at address.
Take a golf iron and with one hand, hold the heel of the club at your sacrum (above your tailbone) and with the other hand hold the grip at the base of your skull. Straighten your spine so that your head, sacrum and mid spine are all making contact with the club shaft.
Place your feet and knees as you would when addressing the ball. Now, practice shifting your hips left (if you are right-handed or right if you are left-handed) without bending your spine to the right or left. This is where you may need someone to confirm that your spine is aligned with the shaft of the club.
In that position, your weight should still be evenly balanced between each foot. From that position, simply bring the club head down to the ball and have someone check your alignment again. Your spine should remain straight, but tilted slightly toward the trailing leg as your back shoulder dips to accommodate your grip at the address stance.
Practice this maneuver until it is engrained into your muscle memory.
Have a great game!
Steve McMurray MPT
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