Courtesy: Golf Digest

One of the strengths of blogging and the so-called Web 2.0 world is the instant feedback that a blogger can receive and a reader can create in the form of "comments".

This blog site contains a "comments" area on every post but, recently, for some reason unknown to me, comments posted over the last couple of weeks have not been showing up on the site.

Apparently, it was a technical glitch on my site whereby comments posted were treated as dreaded "spam" and relegated accordingly.

So, dear readers, after manually correcting that issue, I hope it doesn't occur again. Comments are once again visible.

I mention this in some detail because two very important comments have gone temporarily by the wayside.

One of them is a wonderful story related by Mark Greenwood, Director of Instruction for Swing Machine Golf Canada and, as many know, also my teaching pro.

Mark commented on the post, "Thank You, Bob" and it's a moving account.

The other comment comes from Andy Plummer, "co-creator" of Stack and Tilt, the swing theory that seems to be turning the golf instruction world on its head.

Andy wrote to correct several errors in my post "Stack and Tilt Guys Fail To Impress", for which I publicly thank him.

I am posting both comments today with links back to their appropriate posts.

First, Mark Greenwood commenting on "Thank You, Bob":

"That is a wonderful thing to read. If more of us "played" golf instead of "working" at golf it would truly be a great experience EVERY round. We should all take a lesson from Bob. When you get the OPPORTUNITY to play golf, we should make the best of it. We should not have any expectations other than the fact that we are going to experience the wonderful countryside. The beauty of green pastures and "play" what truly is a game. Enjoying oneself on the golf course should be paramount in your mind when teeing it up. Whether it be at the most lush resort or the neighborhood goat track. The number of strokes made should not matter that much. Strides taken on what is truly a magnificent piece of land should. I had a great friend and good golfer pass away a few years ago now from a "rare" form of Cancer at age 46. Before it finally overcame him, he had his left arm amputated and went through all the treatments that modern medicine can conjure. The last round of golf he played was with me up in Lindsay, Ontario at Oliver's Nest GC. This was a favorite track of his. Now remember, he had only his right arm and not a lot of go left in him. He just wanted to come with me and drive the cart. Well, when I went to pick him up, doesn't he come out of the house with his clubs and shoes. I was astonished that he was actually going to try and play. All the way up there he was marveling as was Bob, at the beauty of the countryside with the rolling hills and trees. We arrived and went to the first tee and Michael pulled out his Driver. I must admit that I was extremely apprehensive about his ability to actually hit the ball never mind get it down the fairway. With a great right arm swing he advanced the ball about 75 yards right into the fescue in front of the tee. He decided then, that maybe it might be prudent to just drop a ball at the 150 yard marker and play into the greens from there. On the third, he actually holed out from the greenside bunker with probably a better swing with one arm than he had ever made with two. Anyway, shortly thereafter he ran out of steam and just drove the cart. At the end of the day on the drive home he told me that he did not think that he would ever be able to play again and that I should appreciate the fact that I would. To this day, I have never really allowed myself to get upset on a golf course. When I make a bad shot I hear Mike's words in my mind. He was the consummate golfer and a great friend. Without knowing it, he imparted to me the will to get into competitive golf. It was his dream to play on "tour". ANY TOUR. So, when I play any round of golf, I always think of Mike and try to play with grace and sportsmanship and most of all with tenacity. Hell, if he can play with one arm and enjoy the game and the countryside after what he went through, I can surely play knowing that I am just lucky to be there."

And now, with more than a mouthful of humble pie, I reprint Andy Plummer's comments on "Stack and Tilt Guys Fail To Impress":

"This is what happens when people do not know what they are talking about. First, Wilson and Axley did not withdraw due to bad backs. You're listening to many "other instructors". Wilson dropped a couch on his toe and Axley had planned not to play all along. Next, one should be able to tell the difference between drills and real shots when diagnosing practice. Seeing as how Mike [Weir] came into the [Canadian Open] tournament off consecutive top 10s in major tournaments he must not be having too much trouble. As for "unorthodox", I don't know if you're watching practice swings or listening to the establishment. These backswings are far from unorthodox - actually a little more like renaissance backswings. Your opinions are great, Chris - next time just try a fact or two to go along with them.

Ouch! But points taken. In my own defense, my information on Dean Wilson and Eric Axley withdrawing from the Canadian Open came from a published account. But I did not fact-check.

I am hoping that Mr. Plummer will take up my offer of an audio interview so we can go into the merits and roots of Stack and Tilt in some detail.