Axis Tilt at Address

[ThomasTheTank]

How much axis tilt should you have at address? Im a tall guy (6'2) and have been struggling with pulls lately - I can feel my hips are tilted wrong at the top of the backswing sometimes and I come OTT

When I set up with my left hip up and forward - it *feels* like I have almost 30 odd degrees of spine tilt but I seem to be able to hit the ball well from there provided my swing is upright

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

How much axis tilt should you have at address? Im a tall guy (6'2) and have been struggling with pulls lately - I can feel my hips are tilted wrong at the top of the backswing sometimes and I come OTT

When I set up with my left hip up and forward - it *feels* like I have almost 30 odd degrees of spine tilt but I seem to be able to hit the ball well from there provided my swing is upright

Here's a drill that i do for people who don't have enough or too much, barring any compensation the following is how you create the proper amount of tilt with each club:

- Setup to the ball with whatever club you are using
- take your right hand off the club so that it hangs right next to your left hand (which is gripped on the club)
- You should now have square shoulders because you are in a neutral position since both hands/arms are hanging next to each other
- Now TILT YOUR ENTIRE SPINE TO THE RIGHT until you can grip the club with your right hand. Don't merely drop your right shoulder, you must tilt.

That's it, if you do this with every club you'll see how much more tilt the driver requires vs say a short iron.

 

[mrodock]

Here's a drill that i do for people who don't have enough or too much, barring any compensation the following is how you create the proper amount of tilt with each club:

- Setup to the ball with whatever club you are using
- take your right hand off the club so that it hangs right next to your left hand (which is gripped on the club)
- You should now have square shoulders because you are in a neutral position since both hands/arms are hanging next to each other
- Now TILT YOUR ENTIRE SPINE TO THE RIGHT until you can grip the club with your right hand. Don't merely drop your right shoulder, you must tilt.

That's it, if you do this with every club you'll see how much more tilt the driver requires vs say a short iron.

Do you want the shaft vertical or do you want it leaning like impact fix when you do this?

 

[joeparr]

Dont you mean to the left?

 

[hcw]

Depends...

Dont you mean to the left?

...on your point of view (as the golfer or facing them)...jim is talking from the golfer's (i think)...

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

Do you want the shaft vertical or do you want it leaning like impact fix when you do this?

no, just standard setup

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

...on your point of view (as the golfer or facing them)...jim is talking from the golfer's (i think)...

yup

 

[fronesis]

This sounds like an excellent set-up aid, as proper axis tilt at setup is one of the things that I have a tendency to slip away from if I'm not focusing on it specifically.

One thing in Jim's description confuses me, however. I understand why, IN THE SWING, it's important to have more axis tilt on a driver than on a wedge. But I don't understand why this drill would create more axis tilt AT SETUP for the driver than the wedge. Isn't my right hand the same distance below my left hand for all the clubs, and therefore the amount of tilt needed to get my right hand on the club would be the same?

Sorry if I'm just being dense, but if someone could enlighten me I'd greatly appreciate it.

 

[ThomasTheTank]

This sounds like an excellent set-up aid, as proper axis tilt at setup is one of the things that I have a tendency to slip away from if I'm not focusing on it specifically.

One thing in Jim's description confuses me, however. I understand why, IN THE SWING, it's important to have more axis tilt on a driver than on a wedge. But I don't understand why this drill would create more axis tilt AT SETUP for the driver than the wedge. Isn't my right hand the same distance below my left hand for all the clubs, and therefore the amount of tilt needed to get my right hand on the club would be the same?

Sorry if I'm just being dense, but if someone could enlighten me I'd greatly appreciate it.

Yes, im in the same boat, plus i also set up with more axis tilt than Jims analogy at address I think (for all clubs) becuase I *feel* that as I am tall I have to make a less severe move coming down to get more tilt into the ball - im not sure if its good or bad 'pre-setting' the tilt so you have to make a less agressive move coming down

 

[pecky987]

This sounds like an excellent set-up aid, as proper axis tilt at setup is one of the things that I have a tendency to slip away from if I'm not focusing on it specifically.

One thing in Jim's description confuses me, however. I understand why, IN THE SWING, it's important to have more axis tilt on a driver than on a wedge. But I don't understand why this drill would create more axis tilt AT SETUP for the driver than the wedge. Isn't my right hand the same distance below my left hand for all the clubs, and therefore the amount of tilt needed to get my right hand on the club would be the same?

Sorry if I'm just being dense, but if someone could enlighten me I'd greatly appreciate it.

because the driver is longer, and you stand more upright, your shoulder turn will naturally be flatter then with, for example a wedge. this makes it harder to get your right shoulder on plane, and requires more tilt to enable this.

so therefore, more tilt is required the longer the club

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

because the driver is longer, and you stand more upright, your shoulder turn will naturally be flatter then with, for example a wedge. this makes it harder to get your right shoulder on plane, and requires more tilt to enable this.

so therefore, more tilt is required the longer the club

Winner Winner! The longer the club the more upright you will stand (in you don't manipulate or compensate somehow) thus it requires more tilt at setup and more tilt through the ball to keep the right shoulder on plane

 

[Jim Kobylinski]

Yes, im in the same boat, plus i also set up with more axis tilt than Jims analogy at address I think (for all clubs) becuase I *feel* that as I am tall I have to make a less severe move coming down to get more tilt into the ball - im not sure if its good or bad 'pre-setting' the tilt so you have to make a less agressive move coming down

The more tilt you setup with at address, without any compensations, the more you will have the tendency to:

- be too inside on the backswing
- tendency to sway off the ball
- swing too far out on the ball'
- be underplane both at the top of the swing and the downswing

 

[fronesis]

Thanks Jim and Pecky for the replies.

I'm not trying to be pedantic, but I'm still not following one bit of Jim's original post about how to SET UP with tilt.

I understand why one needs more tilt in the swing with a longer club. And thus, I also understand why you would WANT to set up with more tilt with the driver.

What I'm not clear on is one element of Jim's outstanding tip on how to set up with tilt. He says this:

- Setup to the ball with whatever club you are using
- take your right hand off the club so that it hangs right next to your left hand (which is gripped on the club)
- You should now have square shoulders because you are in a neutral position since both hands/arms are hanging next to each other
- Now TILT YOUR ENTIRE SPINE TO THE RIGHT until you can grip the club with your right hand. Don't merely drop your right shoulder, you must tilt.

And then concludes with this:

if you do this with every club you'll see how much more tilt the driver requires vs say a short iron

Does the 'you'll see' bit mean, IN THE SWING you'll see what Pecky nicely explains above? Or is there some way that this drill itself will produce more SETUP tilt with the driver than with the wedge?

When I test out this great setup drill I feel certain that JUST DOING WHAT JIM says, produces the same amount of SETUP tilt with the driver as it does with a wedge.

Does that make sense?

Thanks for your patience.

 

[ThomasTheTank]

The more tilt you setup with at address, without any compensations, the more you will have the tendency to:

- be too inside on the backswing
- tendency to sway off the ball
- swing too far out on the ball'
- be underplane both at the top of the swing and the downswing

I think it may be a 'feel isnt real' thing .. what feels to me like a lot of tilt at address is probably normal to other people because it isnt what I was doing previously.