[Vandal]

First off, welcome. Second off, I know exactly where you are coming from because I was there recently (although not quite as good as you already are). I have Hardy's book; I have Hogan's book; I now have The Golfing Machine. I used to frequent another "one-plane" swing site that I now consider a fraud.

To me, Hardy has a great concept but there are several pieces missing in it and not very much good information out there to help you get through it. I like his concept because he comes from a simplicity standpoint. However, I think it's a bit too simplistic. I tried implementing his stuff and found that other "one-plane" swing site and tried doing that as well. I ended up with the shanks and couldn't figure out how to fix them. I would go through periods of decent ball striking only to have a period of shanks come back.

Then I started looking more into TGM, and honestly I thought these guys were a bunch of freaks at first. It's the jargon (sorry guys) that creates a barrier at first. It's also the fact that people have been told over and over that the golf swing is simple and we should just keep it simple. Why cloud your mind with all these thoughts about mechanics? I'll tell you why. I can self-diagnose my own swing with decent results. I am even starting to correct it. I think those who think we should swing "natural" or forget about mechanics never really competed in other sports. Or, if they did they didn't really understand what their bodies were doing. And they never really attained any real level of success.

Hardy's "idea" of a one-plane swing in TGM terms would be a zero-shift swing, meaning that the backstroke and downstroke trace a single plane. But Homer Kelley defined a few different planes that one can choose or is naturally inclined to use. The golfer is free to pick the one best suited, but the preferred plane (I think) is the turned shoulder plane. Kelley also described other versions where there are varying amounts of shifts, which would be akin to Hardy's dual-plane concept.

In the last couple of months I have sifted through hundreds of postings on this site and two others. I have studied the Yellow Book and taken a lesson from a member here who is also an AI (ldeit). Best of all, I am seeing results, using what I call the world's cheapest training aid -- two wooden dowels.

My advice -- start sifting through some of the stuff around here and try to get a grasp of the vocab. Check out all the videos here, visit Brian Manzella's site and ask questions. Depending on where you are located I'm sure someone here can also recommend a good AI to get you started. Oh yeah, I recommend TGM over Hardy. TGM is not a method or a trend. It is a description of the entire process and how it works and the variations that can work.