01
Understand the body
Charles’s teaching looks at the physical makeup of the human body and how its parts contribute to movement. He encourages golfers to work with the way their body is designed to move.
Charles Calhoun · The ShadeTree Pro
THINK TOP DOWN.
A different way to understand the golf swing—starting with movement, not a checklist of positions.
The Top Down approach
Work with your body.
Charles Calhoun’s Top Down philosophy starts with the body’s natural movements. His aim is to help golfers understand how the swing works physically and mentally, and bring that understanding to their own game.
On his original website, Charles describes the swing as a collaboration of defined movements. He believes that understanding how those movements fit together can simplify the whole action. The goal is a connected motion that you understand, rather than a growing list of positions to remember.
02
Connect the motion
In the Top Down approach, the upper, middle and lower body are considered together. The focus is the relationship between their movements and how those movements become a golf swing.
03
See your own game
Creative visualization is part of Charles’s teaching. Understanding the movement changes how you picture the swing, approach a shot and put an idea into practice.
The philosophy
Movement. Understanding. Purpose.
Charles’s mission is to help average golfers understand the inner workings of the swing—both physical and mental—so they can create their best golf.
His philosophy brings the golfer, golf club, golf ball and target into the same picture. The movement matters, and so does your attention to the shot you are trying to play. Charles’s books, demonstrations and lessons explore these ideas from different angles.
“My philosophy of working WITH the body instead of AGAINST completely changes the way you visualize and the play the game.”
The featured book
Top-Down Stack and Shift.
In The ShadeTree Pro Top-Down Stack and Shift, Charles examines the swing through his Top Down system. His introduction to the book on the original website asks golfers to reconsider their swing through their body’s natural movements, and to rethink the relationship between movement and the way they think about the game.
The book is the place to explore his fuller explanation of Stack and Shift. Pair the reading with his demonstrations to hear the concepts in Charles’s own words.
Explore the foundations
Set-up, grip and movement.
Golf Set-Up for Success
This book’s focus is a consistent set-up based on the natural movements of your body. It offers another entry point into Charles’s belief that understanding movement should shape how you approach the swing.
Explore set-up ↗Golf Grip for Success
Charles also devotes a book to grip. Read it alongside his videos to explore how he approaches the golfer’s connection to the club.
Explore grip ↗The Deadfinger and Middle Wrist
His work on the hands and wrist adds another perspective to his study of anatomy and movement in sports.
Explore hands and wrist ↗Instruction in action
See the movement.
The next step
Learn it from Charles.
Ask about lessons tailored to your experience and goals.
Inquire about lessonsALWAYS GOOD GOLFING.
Ready to discover a new way to think about your swing?
Contact Charles