The Stack and Tilt golf swing has become immensely more popular the last few years. 

If you’re wondering what the Stack and Tilt golf swing is, you’ve come to the right place!

After reading this article, you’ll be able to decide if you want to implement some of principles of this method into your golf swing.

What is The Stack and Tilt Golf Swing?

While most golf techniques focus too much on variables like stance, grip, and posture, the Stack and Tilt golf swing puts more emphasis on fundamentals of the swing like keeping the bodyweight forward and the arms straight. This leads to better ball striking, which leads to increased distance and improved control.

Golfers who struggle to hit the golf ball off the sweet spot of their clubs consistently should try out the Stack and Tilt method. 

The Stack and Tilt golf swing was initially invented by Andy Plummer and Michael Bennett, two golf instructors who are obsessed with simplifying the golf swing. 

This golf swing was only known by a small circle of folks until Golf Digest did a feature article on Aaron Baddeley, who was adamant about how much the technique had improved his game. 

More PGA Tour golfers have adopted the Stack and Tilt since 2005 and some folks consider it to be a game-changer to the world of golf.

Breaking Down How The Stack and Tilt Golf Swing Works

The above YouTube video from Nick Taylor Golf does a fabulous job of explaining the differences between the Stack and Tilt and the conventional golf swing. 

Here is a brief rundown of the basics of the Stack and Tilt and how it works.

1. Make Consistent Contact By Keeping Your Weight Forward

If you break down the swings of all the best golfers in the world, you will see a wide variety of grips (strong, weak, or neutral) and alignments (some aim right, some left, etc). 

You’ll also notice that some of the top players in the world swing with an upright posture while others seem to be more hunched over during the swing. In other words, these variables of the conventional swing can be left up to individual preference.

Though the best PGA Tour players differ in lots of areas, they all have one thing in common: the ability to make consistent contact. 

This means that they hit the ground at virtually the same place every single swing. This is why the most important principle of the Stack and Tilt golf swing is to focus on making consistent contact.

Keeping your weight forward during the entire swing will allow you to hit just in front of the golf ball, which is the ideal spot for the clubface to hit if you’re hitting an iron. The conventional swing calls for golfers to start with their weight more on their back foot. 

This causes some folks to never make good contact consistently due to the lack of balance.

2. Increase Your Power By Tilting Your Left Shoulder Down

Instead of moving the left shoulder inward as the conventional swing calls for, Stack and Tilt students focus on simply tilting their left shoulder down during the takeaway. 

This helps keep the head still and ensures you’ll hit the ball first, not the ground. No more painful chunks!

This slight tilt increases your distance without adding any extra head movement. This means you’ll be able to hit the ball flush more often.

3. Bring Your Hands In To Control the Curve

Have you ever noticed that very few golfers hit the ball exactly straight? 

The natural swing of most folks leads to either a draw or a fade. A big part of keeping the ball in the fairway is learning how to control the curve of your shots.

The Stack and Tilt swing is built on bringing the hands in during the backswing. This promotes a nice in-to-out golf swing that will lead to nice draws. 

This is a huge benefit for newer golfers, as most of them struggle with a wicked slice that leaves them frustrated most of the time.

4. Knee Position Changes During the Swing

For a true Stack and Tilt golf swing, the knee position changes during the backswing, downswing, and the complete follow-through of the swing. 

During the backswing, the right knee straightens as the left knee flexes a little bit. This is of vital importance because it allows the hips and shoulders to turn more easily.

During the downswing, the knees both return to their original flexed position just like in the swing setup. When completing the follow-through, the left leg straightens out a tad.

5. Keep Both Arms Straight At Impact

While the left arm will naturally bend a bit during the takeaway, once the downswing starts both arms should straighten out.

When a golfer bends one or both arms too much during the swing, this messes with the radius of the swing. This makes it nearly impossible to make solid, consistent contact with the golf ball.

Too much bend in the arms can result in the banana slices that all golfers hate. That is because any bending in the arms makes it too easy to cut across the ball. 

The golfer is much more likely to hit a nice baby draw when the arms are kept straight.

Players on Tour Who Use This Technique

You may be surprised to learn how many PGA Tour golfers employ the Stack and Tilt method. Here is a quick list of them.

Aaron Baddeley: 4 Wins on the PGA Tour

You knew Baddeley would be on this list since the Golf Digest article put the Stack and Tilt golf swing on the map. 

Baddeley turned pro in 2000 and racked up eight wins on a variety of tours. The 40-year old Australian utilized this swing for several of his best years on the PGA Tour.

Mike Weir: 8 Wins on the PGA Tour

Weir has 14 professional wins since turning pro in 1992. He won The Masters in 2003 and for a large part of his career was a huge fan of The Stack and Tilt method. 

The 51-year old Canadian recently won his first PGA Tour Champions tournament in May of 2021.

Justin Rose: 10 Wins on the PGA Tour

Rose has one of the prettiest swings on tour and has accomplished a great deal on the links. The 2013 US Open champ may not be a true Stack and Tilt student but he definitely has some of the core principles in his swing. 

Rose’s coach, Sean Foley, may teach some proponents of this method, as several of his PGA Tour students have similarities.

Charlie Wi: 7 Wins on the Asian Tour

Wi has yet to win on the PGA Tour but his seven Asian Tour wins are tied for ninth in the record books. Wi is a true Stack and Tilt disciple, as he is coached by Mike Bennett and Andy Plummer. 

Heck, Wi even helped them name the swing “Stack and Tilt”. Bennett and Plummer consider Wi’s swing the best example of the method.

Grant Waite: 1 Win on the PGA Tour

Waite has four professional wins and loves the Stack and Tilt technique. The 57-year old New Zealander turned pro in 1987 and last played on the PGA Tour Champions in 2019.

Is It an Effective Technique?

Absolutely – the Stack and Tilt technique has been around a long time and has helped many golfers improve their ball-striking ability. 

Stack and Tilt golf instructors have helped 10 different PGA Tour winners. That’s quite an impressive track record.

Though the conventional golf swing is more commonly taught, one cannot argue with the amount of success that some golfers have had with the Stack and Tilt. The technique has helped golfers all over the world shoot lower scores.

Who is The Swing Best Suited For?

The Stack and Tilt method is suited for almost any golfer who wants to improve their game. 

Here is a brief list of folks who could benefit the most from implementing the technique in their golf swing.

1. Habitual Slicers

If you struggle with a mean slice that you just can’t seem to solve, read up on the Stack and Tilt. The Stack and Tilt will teach you how to bring your hands in during the swing. 

This will allow you to swing with a more in-to-out path and will help eliminate your slice. No more playing out of the wrong fairway because now you’ll hit a nice penetrating baby draw.

2. Golfers Who Struggle to Make Consistent Contact

If you are constantly catching the ball too thin or chunking the ground before you even touch the ball, try out the Stack and Tilt. 

The key move to the Stack and Tilt is to make sure your weight distribution is more toward the front foot. A good rule of thumb is to aim for 60% of your body weight to be on the front foot at set up.

This will allow you to hit the ball first, then the ground. You’ll love the crisp, clean sound of a purer strike on the golf ball. There is nothing quite like it!

3. Newer Golfers Who Feel Overwhelmed

When a golfer first decides to take up the game, learning the conventional golf swing can quickly become overwhelming. 

There are too many variables in play like tempo, grip, stance, alignment, and posture. This can lead to overthinking, which almost always decreases performance.

The Stack and Tilt technique cuts through a lot of that noise and breaks the swing down to three dynamic principles (Contact, Power, and Control). For some folks, this is a much easier swing to learn. 

The last thing any golfer needs is some sort of long mental checklist while on the tee box.

4. Senior Golfers or Golfers With Back Problems

The Stack and Tilt could be a great option for older golfers or golfers with any type of joint pain. 

The method calls for the toes to be pointed outward. This may take some getting used to, but it’s actually quite comfortable. 

This takes a great deal of stress off the joints and leads to less back, knee, and hip problems. Many senior golfers also find that they can hit the ball further using the Stack and Tilt because of the increased leverage that is created.

Mike Noblin

Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He’s been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.

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Did you know that three of the greatest golfers of all time use the interlock golf grip? 

Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, and Rory McIlroy all utilize the interlocking grip and it has helped them win a combined 37 major championships. It’s hard to argue with those kinds of results!

Not sure if the interlock golf grip will work for you and your golf game? Here is a look at the interlock golf grip, why it is used, and how to use it correctly. 

This grip may not help you win a major championship, but it could be the hidden key for you to shoot lower scores.

What is an Interlock Golf Grip?

An interlock golf grip is a popular grip and it has been around for quite some time. Lots of amateur and professional golfers swear that the interlocking grip is great for making the hands act as one unit. Here’s how the grip works:

1. Put the shaft of the golf club in both your left hand and right hand.
2. Take your right pinky finger and lock it in between your left index finger and middle finger.
3. Be sure to wrap your right index finger around the handle of the golf club to make sure the left thumb doesn’t slip off the handle.
4. If you’ve performed the grip correctly, your right thumb will be pointing straight down the shaft.

 ThoughtCo

The Benefits of This Golf Grip

Lots of golfers use the interlocking golf grip because of the many benefits that it provides. Keep in mind though that making any type of grip change can take quite a while to get used to. Here is a shortlist of advantages that the interlock golf grip provides.

1. Makes the Hands Act As One Unit

A common problem for golfers is that their dominant hand wants to take over their entire golf swing. When this happens, the golfer’s clubhead speed is reduced, which means he’ll lose lots of yardage with his shots.

Since the interlock golf grip locks the hands together, it becomes almost impossible for one hand to dominate the golf swing. This leads to a more balanced swing that is both powerful and accurate. The two hands working together in unison make it easier for the golfer to square the clubface.

2. Keeps the Hands from Slipping

Have you ever had your hands keep flying off the golf club during your backswing? Needless to say, it is super frustrating. Slippage tends to occur when golfers use the baseball grip (AKA the 10-finger grip) since the hands are not linked together in any way.

The interlocking golf grip makes sure that the hands stay on the golf club throughout the entire golf swing. This gives the golfer peace of mind, knowing that he doesn’t have to worry about his hands slipping down the shaft.

3. Perfect for Golfers with Smaller Hands

The interlock golf grip is an excellent choice for golfers with smaller hands. Jack Nicklaus had small hands and he was adamant that the interlocking grip helped him keep a better grip on the golf club. 

Tiger Woods doesn’t necessarily have small hands, but he also uses the interlocking grip. Nicklaus was Woods’ idol when he was a kid, so that’s why he started using the interlocking grip.

4. Golfers Can Use Less Grip Pressure

Since the interlock golf grip keeps the hands together, the golfer can relax the wrists and hands a bit more than he could with other grips. Applying less grip pressure helps the golfer increase his clubhead speed, which leads to more power off the tee.

So much of playing good golf is counterintuitive. The lighter you grip the golf club, the further the golf ball will go. It may sound crazy but it’s true.

Do Most Pro Golfers Use The Interlock Golf Grip?

Though the interlock grip is considered a proper golf grip, it is not the most popular on the PGA Tour. In fact, nearly 90% of golfers on the PGA Tour use the overlap grip (aka the Vardon grip).

Most golf instructors today teach the overlap golf grip to folks who are just starting to learn the game. This could be the biggest reason why most pro golfers use the overlap grip.

Other Common Golf Grips

Overlap Golf Grip

The overlap grip was made famous by Harry Vardon, a highly successful pro golfer who won 7 major championships from 1896 to 1914. This grip is considered to be the best choice for golfers with large hands. 

Many golfers feel that the overlap golf grip gives them more power since the wrists have more freedom to explode through the golf ball at impact. Here’s how to use the overlap grip:

1. Grip the shaft of the golf club with your left hand (for a right-handed golfer).
2. Set your right hand on the club but set your right pinkie on top of the space between your left index finger and left middle finger
3. This grip is similar to the interlocking grip but keep in mind that the hands are NOT locked together. The right pinkie simply laps over the middle fingers of the left hand

Ten-Finger Grip

This is also known as the baseball grip. This golf grip was the most widely used before the overlap grip burst onto the golf scene back in the late 1800s. The ten-finger golf grip is the simplest way to learn that all ten fingers rest comfortably on the club at the same time.

The 10-finger grip is a popular choice amongst kids and beginners. Some golfers feel that the 10-finger grip is the most comfortable option. This grip is rarely seen on the PGA Tour for a variety of reasons.

Strong vs Weak vs Neutral Grip

In addition to the way a golfer can align their fingers to hold the club, there are also 3 common grips that have to do with the positions of your hands:

Strong Grip

A strong golf grip is often used by golfers who are fighting a slice. With a strong grip, the golfer will be able to see three or more knuckles on his left hand while addressing the golf ball. Many golfers feel that a strong grip gives them more power and control of the clubface.

Weak Grip

A weak golf grip helps players who are struggling with a hook. With a weak grip, the golfer will see two or fewer knuckles on their left hand during their setup. PGA Tour superstars like Jordan Spieth and Jon Rahm use a weak grip.

Neutral Grip

With a neutral grip, the golfer will be able to see two or two and a half knuckles on their left hand at the address. Both Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods use a neutral grip, which works well with their interlocking grip style choice. Neutral grips are becoming more popular in the game of late. 

When to Use The Interlocking Golf Grip vs Other Grips

Here are some reasons to use the interlocking golf grip instead of either the overlap or the ten-finger grip.

• If you are a golfer with smaller hands or don’t have much forearm strength, go with the interlock golf grip. The Vardon grip and baseball grip are decent choices but they are a better fit for golfers with large hands.
• If your dominant hand tends to take over the golf swing (aka getting too handsy), opt for the interlocking grip since it’ll force you to use both of your hands equally.
• If you hook the golf ball quite a bit, try using the interlocking grip since it promotes more of a power fade type of shot shape.
• If you are using any other grip but having problems with your accuracy, give the interlocking grip a shot. It has helped lots of golfers hit the ball straighter.
• If your hands tend to slip off the golf club, consider using an interlocking grip. The interlocking grip may limit your wrist action a tad bit, but it’ll make it much easier to keep both of your hands on the club.

Mike Noblin

Mike has been involved with sports for over 30 years. He’s been an avid golfer for more than 10 years and is obsessed with watching the Golf Channel and taking notes on a daily basis. He also holds a degree in Sports Psychology.

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Amateur golfers often struggle to optimize rotation. Leading to a loss of power, accuracy, and distance. It is especially prevalent among senior golfers who do not possess the flexibility they once did. There is a solution to this challenge. In this tutorial, I am breaking down the mechanics of the closed golf swing.

This post aims to help you understand the distance and accuracy benefits of the closed coil technique. Plus, I will explain how it works and who should be using it.

If you are familiar with the coil action, rather spend your time familiarizing yourself with a flat or inside out golf swing.

What is The Closed Coil Golf Swing?

A closed coil golf swing occurs when your legs stay stable, and you load your pelvis to create spring at the top of your backswing. It helps create an optimal spring at the top of your backswing, prompting an accelerated downswing.

Elite Golf Coach Dan Whittaker simplifies the explanation by comparing lower body rotation to a corkscrew. If you twist a corkscrew with no downward pressure, you get nowhere. The same applies to your golf swing.

By keeping your legs stable, you create slight tension while shifting the majority of your weight from your left to right side. As a result, you create an optimal coil at the top of your backswing, generating maximum power on the downswing for a longer shot with greater accuracy.

How it Works

Step 1 – Setup

Approach your ball and setup. Open your legs for a standard width stance. If you are a right-hander, make sure your left foot aims parallel to the target line. Then position your right foot slightly behind the left, and turn it away from the target. That encourages torque and a smooth weight shift onto your tailing leg during the backswing.

Employing a poor setup makes it challenging to execute a closed coil golf swing.

When you are in position ensure your left and right leg are grounded. That helps keep them stable during the swing. Before starting your backswing, do a few rotations and ensure that your cleats are gripping into the turf and enabling optimal turn.

Step 2 – Backswing

A closed coil golf swing relies on a powerful rotation during the backswing. Failure to optimize torque while hip turning reduces the spring effect produced at the top of your backswing.

At no point should your feet be moving during the backswing. If your left knee bends towards the back, it means you have merely shifted your hips and upper body without creating the optimum coil.

Keep low and let the power in your legs drive the weight from the front to the back. Mark Crossfield recommends that your left shoulder and chin should point to the inside of your right toes at the top of your backswing. Reaching this position is another part of achieving coil during your backswing.

Legendary coach David Leadbetter also suggests that you keep your left arm straight during your backswing. By keeping it straight you increase the coil and wind up. That generates added power on the downswing. Bending your left arm reduces your control of the club and ability to generate power.

When you produce superb coil on your takeaway, you reach the top of your backswing with immense energy storage. From that point on, it enables you to unload for your downswing.

Step 3 – Downswing

You reach the top of your backswing, and you can feel the tension in your right gluteus maximus muscle. The tension is ready to shift towards the left side of your waist, enabling you to clear your hips at impact and drill the ball.

To achieve this, drive your back leg forward for right knee flex, which helps you thrust the tension to your front leg. This shift optimizes power and gets your hips parallel to the target line at impact.

The stored energy enables you to release from the top-down, encouraging accelerated clubhead and swing speed. That helps you maximize the coefficient of restitution (COR) at impact. Leading to explosive ball speed and increased distance.

Optimizing the coil during your backswing also encourages the ideal posture. When you are in the correct body set up at the top of your swing, it helps you to get your club on plane. Encouraging a square position at impact. Thus, you reduce the risk of slicing or hooking your shots and instead deliver straighter ball flight.

Step 4 – Impact

When your clubface strikes the ball, your hips should be parallel to your target line and weight on your front leg. After impact, the momentum will send your club upwards for your follow-through.

If you maximize your body’s rotation during your backswing and downswing, you will be in a prime pose to strike the ball cleanly at impact. Catching the ball in the sweet spot of your club with the power generated from coiling produces the speed needed to increase yards off the tee box.

Catching the ball in the sweet spot with that power boosts the chance of you hitting straighter shots. Therefore you enjoy superior accuracy and ball position, spending more time in the fairway than in the woods.

Overall, employing a closed coil golf swing helps seniors and younger golfers enhance the power generated during your backswing.

What The Closed Coil Golf Swing Does

Power

Rotating your hips with no pressure on your lower legs results in minimal power and an erratic swing plane. There are noticeable differences between rotating your hips and coiling.

The closed coil golf swing promotes optimal torque for enhanced spring on your downswing. Initiating it during your backswing increases your power and clubhead speed. Those two elements impart rapid pace onto the ball and provide increased yards.

Distance

Thanks to the immense power initiated on your downswing, you produce accelerated clubhead speed and increased COR. Together these features impart rapid pace onto your golf ball, leading to a high, long shot for considerable distance.

Accuracy

Not only does the closed coil swing deliver remarkable distance, but it also boosts your accuracy. Getting your body into the ideal position at the top of your downswing allows you to place your club on the path to square the face for impact. At the very worst, your club may be marginally closed, prompting a draw.

When you take rotation out of your game, you leave your arms to do all the work, and they can’t get the clubface to where it needs to be at impact.

Reduces The Risk Of Injury

Leadbetter explains that the coil swing requires less turn off the ball and a shorter backswing. That reduces the risk of hip, back, or shoulder injuries resulting from extended rotation. It is one of the core reasons why the swing is heavily associated with the veterans of our game.

Besides the reduced risk of injury, a closed coil golf swing lowers the chance of experiencing extreme aches in your joints and stiff muscles after your round.

Who Is This Swing is Best Suited For

Although most golf pundits recommend that seniors employ the coil golf swing, I think it can benefit most amateurs. If your game completely lacks hip and upper torso rotation, it is worth practicing the coil golf swing to get used to shifting weight from your front leg to the back.

In addition to the optimal rotation produced by this swing, it creates impressive power, distance, and accuracy. These are three features every golfer could use and why I feel all amateurs could benefit from the swing.

However, after breaking down the mechanics of the coil golf swing, we see that they offer the most value to senior golfers. The reduced risk of injury, optimal power, and accuracy, help make the game easier for the veterans.

As a result, the closed coil golf swing best suits seniors.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

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Shoulder and hip rotation are essential components of your golf swing.

An inadequate turn reduces your clubhead speed and impacts your swing path. Rotation is required from takeaway until impact for optimal results.

Your upper body and hips should rotate through impact until they are open to your target line. Failure to reach this position decelerates your clubhead velocity and leaves the clubface open through contact. As a result, you produce fewer yards and more slices.

In this article, I break down how to clear your hips in a golf swing.

What Clearing Your Hips Means in Golf

Clearing your hips means you get your lower body and shoulders open to the target through impact and follow through. This motion gives you the space to accelerate the clubhead into contact and keep it on plane.

The ultimate goal with clearing your hips through impact is to start your ball on the intended line and generate the prerequisite velocity.

The next time you are at the driving range, try and hit a shot where your hips stop rotating when they are square. In other words, when your hips are square to the ball, cease rotating. You will notice how your arms take over and guide the clubface to the golf ball.

This reduces your clubhead speed drastically and restricts your ability to square the face up at contact. As a result, you produce a weak, inaccurate strike. Now hit another shot, clearing your hips on the downswing, and notice the difference in distance and accuracy.

How to Properly Clear Your Hips: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Alignment

I will start with the basics to ensure you employ the correct address position. This sets you up to produce optimal shoulder and hip turn for more powerful golf shots.

Identify your target, and ensure that your front foot is parallel to the intended landing zone. In addition, your clubface should point directly at the target. This setup ensures that your golf ball starts on your target line for improved accuracy.

Step 2: Ball Position

The position of a ball in the stance impacts a golfer’s angle of attack. This is the difference between striking the ball cleanly and topping it a few yards ahead of you. In addition, ball position can hamper your ability to clear your hips.

If the ball is too far back in your stance for a longer club, you are left with minimal time to clear your hips. That causes you to strike the ball when your hips are square, imploding your clubhead speed. Plus, you have limited time to get your clubface on path for an accurate strike.

Those struggling in this department should review our tips on achieving the perfect stance.

Step 3: Shallow the Club at the Top of the Backswing

Shoulder and hip turn on the backswing is a breeze for most amateurs. However, the implosion starts at the top of the backswing. Players tend to prompt the hip turn too early in their downswing, sending the club over the top. An inside path is the only route to the ball from that position.

An inside path typically causes the clubface to stay open to the target at impact, prompting left to right sidespin. The outcome is numerous and lower clubhead speed.

Top Speed Golf provides a simple exercise to overcome this challenge. If you are right-handed, they suggest that your left elbow points directly ahead at the top of the backswing. It is easy to shallow out the golf club shaft from this point to transition to your downswing:

Shallowing out the club from the top of your backswing helps keep the shaft on plane and the clubhead on path. In addition, you accelerate your swing speed with increased wrist hinge achieved from this motion.

Step 4: Shoulders and Hips Rotate In Sync

Clay Ballard explains that your shoulder and hips must work in sync to achieve maximum clubhead speed and square face at contact. However, many amateurs lose their rhythm and tempo on the downswing.

Because we are constantly reminded to clear our hips on the downswing, it is the first motion that springs to mind. This causes golfers to activate their hips immediately from the top, separating the upper and lower body.

Ballard suggests that this brings the hips square early in the downswing and keeps them there through impact. That requires your shoulders and club to try and catch up, leading to a disjointed strike.

The reason for this jerk reaction from your upper body is that the muscles are stretched compared to the lower body. Therefore, it needs to play catch up and obliterates your rhythm,

You overcome this disparity by feeling the rotation of your upper and lower body working in unison.

A trick I use when I feel the disconnect is to stop at the top of my backswing. I don’t suggest doing this on the golf course, as it will impact your clubhead speed. However, this position allows me to feel the transition and flexibility of my body. It makes it easy to determine if one part is separated from the other.

When you reach the top of your backswing, pause, then start turning your hips and shoulders.

Step 5: Open Your Hips to the Target

The previous 4 steps built up to this point. Clearing your hips on the downswing. The momentum you generate from your lower and upper body rotation thrusts the clubface down and towards your ball for a powerful strike.

Since your clubhead lags behind your hips and shoulders, you must continue rotating through the upswing. This provides sufficient momentum to keep your club on plane and accelerating through impact.

When you stop rotating and keep your hips square at contact, you rely on your arms to guide the club into the ball. Naturally, this slows down your swing speed and may cause you to leave your clubface open to the target at impact.

Clay Ballard suggests that the shoulders and rib cage of PGA Tour players are open to the target by 20 degrees through impact. Optimizing their rotation on the downswing helps them swing faster and boost the consistency of their shots:

I have a basic exercise that you can do to help you improve clearing your hips through impact. Address the golf ball with your club in hand, and set up as if you are hitting your shot.

Next, start your takeaway and step back with your trail foot. That is your right foot for right-handers and left for lefties. The movement helps you feel the rotation of your upper and lower body on your backswing. Pause in this position, and take a step forward as you follow through. Do not hit the ball yet.

Repeat this process for five repetitions, and feel how your weight transfers from front to back and back to front. You will feel increased power and control from takeaway to impact.

Finally, employ your standard swing without taking a step back. The motion of clearing your hips through the downswing should be more natural at this point, allowing you to optimize clubhead speed and square face at contact.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

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Tom Kim is having a moment. The 20-year-old Korean known for his love of fast food and his choice of the name “Tom” because of his affection for a children’s play train by the same name is suddenly accomplishing things that haven’t been accomplished since trains were the primary means of transportation for most of the world.

After winning the Wyndham Championship in August in just his 14th start on the PGA Tour, Kim crushed at the Presidents Cup, where his 2-3-0 record belied the reality that nobody was a bigger star and nobody changed the perception of their future more than him. Then he took Sunday’s Shriners Children’s Open over Patrick Cantlay, and suddenly he’s the No. 15 player in the world while winning two PGA Tour events faster (18 PGA Tour events) than Tiger Woods (20 events).

Let the hyperbole wash all the way over you, courtesy of Justin Ray.

Kim is the youngest to get his second PGA Tour win in 90 years. He’s the youngest international player since 1900 to win multiple times on the PGA Tour. The only comparison for what he’s done in his tiny career thus far is to invoke the name of the best to ever do it: Tiger Woods. Those men are the only two golfers to win multiple times on the PGA Tour since World War II, and Kim was younger; he doesn’t turn 21 until next summer.

So the obvious question, it seems, is what to make of all this. What … is this? It’s probably not the second coming of Tiger. I think we can all agree on at least that. But when you’re part of a statistical category that includes only yourself and a legend of his caliber, it’s also not nothing. Kim needs some sort of context and projection around what he’s achieved.

So, let’s start.

It would be easy to write off the Wyndham and the Shriners as two easy golf tournaments to win and discount what Kim’s achievements. However, Data Golf rates both tournaments among the 20 hardest for a regular PGA Tour pro to win throughout the year. Winning one might be an anomaly. Winning both, though? Hardly an aberration. Then there’s the way Kim has won his tournaments. He had good putting weeks in both, yes, but he also finished in the top 12 in approach shots in both events. Kim is a flusher, and flushers win a lot.

Statistically, Kim’s profile looks a bit like a slightly downgraded Collin Morikawa. There are much worse comps than “a slightly downgraded Collin Morikawa.” Morikawa is deeper off the tee, and thus gains more strokes in that category, but Kim is slightly better on and around the greens. While Morikawa is one of the best iron players of this (or any other) generation, Kim is a solid but not necessarily elite iron player. At least not yet.

So we arrive at the hardest portion of all of this to project: improvement. Can Kim make a leap as a 21-year-old or beyond to become a +1.5 or 2.0 strokes gained player (this is the very upper crust)? Or will he stay where he is (around a +1.0 player), which is still very good and pick off a few tournaments when he has hot putting weeks?

It might be instructive to take a look at Kim’s personality to catch a glimpse around the corner of his career. While Kim is playful and exciting on the course, it’s clear that he’s not necessarily excitable, which is an important distinction. As a 20-year-old, it’s quite easy to be excitable, but in situations where Kim had the opportunity to get out over his skis, he has refused. Case in point: He was asked on Saturday night at the Presidents Cup whether he wanted to play Justin Thomas on Sunday in singles. There’s not a good answer to this question, and Kim realized that and neutralized the entire situation.

“Anyone, really,” he said. “Someone’s got to play someone. So I just want to play with anyone and try to get a point for the team.”

The First Cut podcast crew is back to bring you their recap for the Shriners Children’s Open and the LIV Bangkok event. Follow & listen to The First Cut on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

This is how somebody who is going to mature in the right way speaks at age 20. It creates a bullishness about his career from the mental and emotional side that he understands how to be a professional and what it takes to improve into a future that is wide open for him and his gifts. However, he combines it with an innocence that embodies the 2021 Padraig Harrington quote about how there’s a sweet spot between gaining experience and losing wisdom that’s a hell of a place to exist.

“I mean, I’m playing on the PGA Tour as a 20-year-old,” said Kim after his second win over the weekend at the Shriners. “It’s hard to get tired from this. I’m a 5-year-old at Disneyland, for sure. That’s the way I would pronounce it.”

Then there is the question of the majors. Kim is incredibly short off the tee for a top 20 player in the world (even Morikawa is quite a bit longer than he is). However, a few of the 2023 major venues- — namely Los Angeles Country Club and Oak Hill — might favor his game. The last time a major was held at Oak Hill, two of the shorter hitters in the game — Jason Dufner and Jim Furyk — were in the mix for the 2013 PGA Championship.

I don’t know what Tom Kim is going to be. Nobody does — not even Tom Kim. What I do know is that the PGA Tour is always in need of 20-year-old potential superstars who think rightly about the future even while soaking in the present. In a year in which there has been a lack of celebrating the right things, Kim represents so many of them that we love about golf, and it’s likely that he will for a long, long time.

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The 2022 Presidents Cup has finally returned after a three-year hiatus created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Last seen at Royal Melbourne in Australia during the winter of 2019, a highly-contested bout between an underdog international group and a favored United States squad played out in dramatic fashion.

With the international team taking a two-point edge into Sunday singles, any and all results were still on the table. The U.S. team, led by playing captain Tiger Woods, pulled off the comeback down under, winning the Sunday session to the tune of 8 to 4 and the overall match 16 to 14. Bettering its record to 11-1-1 in the history of the Presidents Cup, it was thought the U.S. had finally been caught in terms of skill, analytical prowess and strategy in this competition. 

Fast forward to the present and not only are new faces present, the aura around the event has changed. The upstart international side is no longer a pesky underdog but rather a team holding on by the threads after LIV Golf poached key cornerstone pieces Abraham Ancer, Louis Oosthuizen, Cameron Smith and Joaquin Niemann. 

In their place is a crop of young, hungry players hoping to prove captain Trevor Immelman correct and the wider golf public wrong. Tasked with defeating a stacked U.S. roster that features last week’s Fortinet Championship winner Max Homa, an array of major champions and a bevy of firepower, the international team is up against it. 

Will the experience of Hideki Matsuyama and Adam Scott lead the international team in this David vs. Goliath matchup? How will young rookies Cameron Young and Sam Burns fare in their first U.S. appearance? Is there anyway this will be a competitive contest? The answers to these questions lie on the shoulders of 24 men and based on their play, the answers may vary.

2022 United States Presidents Cup team

After Homa’s win in Napa and Kevin Kisner’s slight rise, all 12 U.S. players find themselves inside the top 25 of the Official World Golf Rankings. Coming in at an average of 11.6, it is a stout front that is sure to give the internationals all they can handle. Despite this depth of talent, it is a relatively young group in terms of experience.

With neither Woods nor Dustin Johnson at the helm, it is Jordan Spieth who has become the headman in the locker room. Taking on this leadership role alongside his good friend Justin Thomas, the two will have combined for 13 U.S. appearances between them all before turning 30. 

This equals the number of appearances of Homa, Kisner, Young, Burns, Billy Horschel, Collin Morikawa, Scottie Scheffler and Patrick Cantlay. Thomas should have fond memories of Quail Hollow Club as he notched his first PGA Championship victory here in 2017. Homa collected his first PGA Tour win in Charlotte as well, but outside of them and Kisner, the other nine have yet to collect a top-10 result.

So, while on paper this U.S. team should roll to a convincing victory, there are certainly cracks in its armor that the international could expose. Needing only five new additions since the 2021 Ryder Cup, current form, continuity and home course advantage all lie in the hands of the U.S. but so do heavy expectations.

2022 International Presidents Cup team

The turnover from 2019 is glaring as Matsuyama, Scott and Sungjae Im are the only players who competed at Royal Melbourne. Factor in Si Woo Kim’s participation at Liberty National in 2017, and the South Korean rounds out the short list of players who have been members of past international teams.

Scott is set to play in his 10th Presidents Cup as he has been a mainstay in the competition since the early 2000s. Playing his way into the Tour Championship from outside the top 70, the Australian is in fine form and is still in search of his first team victory as his debut came in the 17-17 tie of 2003.

With little team experience under their belts and an average world ranking of 48.9, I wouldn’t say the internationals are completely done for as they faced a similar task in 2019. Half have won on the PGA Tour over the last two seasons with Tom Kim’s victory at the 2022 Wyndham Championship being the most recent. His fellow countryman, Im, ran rapid in the Tour Championship, nearly stole the FedEx Cup from Rory McIlroy and will have to serve as the catalyst if they are to pull off the improbable.

Im, Matsuyama and Scott will most likely play in each session as will Conners despite being a first timer. Captain Immelman will have to rely on what little experience he has and marry it with the scoring abilities of Munoz, Lee, Davis among others. If able to effectively do this, there is a path to victory — albeit a narrow one.

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