Weight Shift
Since golf instruction became a huge phenomenon, the idea of the weight shift to generate more power to the golf ball has been an idea that has hurt more amateurs than it has helped. The idea of loading onto the right side has got players kicking out their hips which will lead to over the top swings, inconsistent strikes, and fat and thin shots (see Stack and Tilt). Again there is no right or wrong, but from a consistency standpoint, the idea of keeping your weight on your left side throughout the entire swing allows the swing to bottom out after the ball (with the irons) which results in solid strikes and the benefits of good spin, launch, and distance.
The sway is the general fault of a longtime misunderstanding of weight shift in the backswing.
Luke Donald has one of the most obvious weight shifts to the right side on the backswing. Notice the vertical red line (photo on right) and how little he has shifted away from it. Looking at any swing on the LPGA and PGA tours, I don't think you will see anyone who moves more lateral than Luke. Leastways, if you are going to do a lateral weight shift on the backswing, then Luke's amount of shift should be the maximum before more faults affect your swing.
Stack and Tilt Hybrid Golf Swing
I must say that the ideas in the Stack & Tilt Golf Swing are great for any amateur who wants a simpler and less stressful (on your body) swing that bottoms the arc in consistent way, producing much more consistently solid shots. Sean Foley uses a Stack & Tilt Hybrid Swing style in his teaching, and given his success with students such as Tiger Woods, Justin Rose, Hunter Mahan, Sean O'Hair, and Stephen Ames it is worth taking a look at.
Philosophy: There is no standardization in the way professionals stand to the golf ball. Out on tour you see a multitude of swing planes, grips, and stances. In this section I'm going to advocate Sean Foley's hybrid Stack and Tilt style because he talks about limiting the effect of physical stress on the body by the physical contortions of the golf swing.
Sean Foley: All you have to tell a beginner is that you can't get under the ball. I start every lesson with beginners and amateurs and ask, "what are you trying to do with that ball?" Do you know what loft is? It's the angle the club has with the ground and whatever angle you have at impact is what the ball will launch at. If you create friction between the ground and the grooves and your loft is at 60 degrees, you are going to get the ball in the air. If you compress it into the ground it's going to create friction between the ball and the clubface which creates spin. The greater the friction the more spin there is going to be. Yeah you can smoke the ground. They've been told about grip and being on plane and they don't know that the answer is to smoke the ground.
Ideally, you want to make ball-first contact and then bottom the club out in front of the ball—about four to six inches in front of it. To do that, your axis point needs to shift toward the target when you swing. Picture standing over a clock face. If the "6" on the bottom of the clock represents your ball position at address, and is directly below your sternum (above, left), your goal is to shift the center of your body toward the "5" when you make contact. It's the best way to ensure that your divot comes after impact.
Take your address, and rehearse this correct body position at impact by soling the club out in front of the ball and leaning your sternum toward that spot (above, right). Then, when you swing, if you re-create this position, you're going to hit shots a lot more solidly.
Fundamental 1: Control where the club strikes the ball and make solid contact. The main issue with the "classic" swing is that amateurs struggle getting their weight back to the left side and they bottom out behind the ball causing fat shots or thin shots (depending on how they choose to recover ie: flipping, early extension, etc.), but mainly inconsistency. The goal is to strike the golf ball first, then the ground in front of it.
This idea of staying on your left side in the backswing is not as revolutionary as some people think. On right is Ben Hogan who kept his axis point more or less centered.
Fundamental 2: We want a rotational strike on an arc (not the arms going up and down so much) and generate power from the ground up
Fundamental 3: Understanding ball flight laws and how to change your ball flight
Traditional swinging methods tend to rely heavily on timing. There is lateral body weight shift on the backswing that has to shift back to the left on the downswing. Also, while the shoulders are turning on flat plane, the arms are on a much steeper plane. The Stack and Tilt golf swing advocates swinging in a circular manner, which will be good for power. Setup has body weight 55% on left foot and 45% on right.
Shoulder Turn
Foley: Many golfers try to rotate the shoulders level, but turning the left shoulder down lets the thoracic spine (mid-back) and not the lumbar spine (lower back) handle the twisting.
Leg Action
Foley: If the right knee straightens on the backswing, the right side of the pelvis moves considerably higher than the left, tilting the bottom vertebrae to the left, which puts stress on them.
Stack & Tilt (inset): Straightening your back leg on the backswing frees your hips to turn more, which allows your shoulders to turn more.
Stack & Tilt (inset): Straightening your back leg on the backswing frees your hips to turn more, which allows your shoulders to turn more.
Weight Shift
Foley: At impact, 90 percent of your body weight should be over your left leg, and your shoulders and hips should be level and turning open.
Stack & Tilt (inset): The more forward your weight is at impact, the farther forward the low point of the swing will tend to be. This is the most important factor for ensuring solid contact with the ball
Stack & Tilt (inset): The more forward your weight is at impact, the farther forward the low point of the swing will tend to be. This is the most important factor for ensuring solid contact with the ball
Through Impact
Foley: As you start down, feel as if you're preparing to leap off the ground by making a squat move with your lower body. If you don't squat, you might turn your hips but you won't move your pelvis forward enough. Thrust your pelvis toward the target. Push forward and stand up: You should be at your normal standing height at the finish.
Stack & Tilt (inset): Pushing the hips forward and upward on the downswing allows the body to keep turning. The feeling is that the butt tucks under the upper body as the hips slide forward. This is a major power move because it releases the hips from their tilt toward the ball, increasing their range of motion so they can continue to turn through the shot.
Read More http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-instruction/2010-09/photos-stack-tilt-sean-foley#ixzz2QSYbUxC6
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