At the end of last season, I didn't finish in a very good place with the Stack & Tile (S&T) swing (here). This season I started playing with my old Width swing to not very good initial results. At the same time, I downloaded Tiger Woods (TW) MySwing app for the iPhone. I have just started experimenting with the app which allows you to record videos of your swing. I've recorded and uploaded an initial down-the-line (DOL) video of my current swing (here) after absorbing some of the TW instruction that comes along with the app. What became clear to me is that one particular instructional tip in the S&T book sent me down the wrong path.
As a drill to encourage tilt, the S&T book suggests hitting balls with the left eye closed (right frame above). You know you've tilted enough if you can still see the ball with your right eye open and your left eye closed. "Keep your eye on the ball" is a figure of speech for most people but for golfers it begs the question of "which eye"? In the Width swing (left frame) it's the left eye that stays on the ball. In the S&T swing, the left eye could still stay on the ball but notice how much smaller the angle is between the eye and the ball (middle frame).
Unfortunately, working on the left-eye drill really got me into the wrong space with my golf swing (left frame above). In the TW MySwing instruction, Tiger suggests keeping the head in front of the orange line (right frame above). As you start the downswing, the head moves toward the target, but never breaks the plane created by the orange line through your right ear (as is evident in the width swing, left frame in the first graphic above). Tiger is staying stacked, but skipping the tilt.
In future posts, I'll review the TW MySwing app and post swing results (here) as I absorb more of the instruction.
Andrew Rice's "84 Degree Rule" puts one into a position at the top of the backswing that appears to be similar to that obtained using the S&T method but which is not the same. To quote Rice: "To be clear this is not Stack and Tilt which actually encouraged the golfer to feel as if they are leaning towards the target. Here the upper body remains steady/centered while the body pivots to the top without drifting across the line."
ReplyDelete- http://www.andrewricegolf.com/2009/09/the-84-degree-secret/
- http://www.andrewricegolf.com/2009/05/the-84-degree-secret-part-4/
- http://www.andrewricegolf.com/2009/09/evidence-of-the-84-degree-secret/
- http://www.andrewricegolf.com/2009/10/ben-hogans-dynamic-golf-swing/
As to the question of which eye should be kept on the ball, would not the matter of eye dominance play a major role in providing the answer?
An interesting article appears on the Richie3Jack Golf Blog:
- http://3jack.blogspot.com/2009/08/dominant-eye-and-golf.html
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I'm left-eye dominant and I have to make sure that my left eye can always see the ball. If I load up to much on my right side on the backswing, I loose visual contact with the ball. Staying centered over the ball helps me to maintain left-eye contact.
ReplyDeleteGeorge, you are moving to much towards the target at the top of the backswing. You'll never hit the ball correct from that position because your angle of attack will be way too steep. Get your center in front the ball at address and keep it there - don't move it forward or ball. From your position I suspect you are smothering the ball with low squirters and no trajectory. S&T is a great method but you must practice in front of a mirror getting into the correct positions. Just look at the Mike Bennet picture at the top of the page in the middle compared to yours. Even though he has most weight on front foot you can still see slight tilt at top of backswing. That is the position should be trying to achieve for much better ball striking.
ReplyDeleteThanks! You are absolutely right. The "left-eye drill" got me into this wrong position. I should have emphasized in the posting that this is *not* an example of what to do!
ReplyDelete