[airair]

P. 232-234

14-0 (The Computer)

As I posted earlier about why Homer Kelley titled the book 'The Golfing Machine', Homer viewed the golf swing like a machine that had 24 parts, 3-15 variations of each part and only 3 'imperatives' that each efficient machine must have.

It's very much like you and I would view an automobile, which is really a machine in its own right and has its own parts, variations of those parts and a few things it must have in order to be an efficient machine.

In the automobile, they utilize a computer in order to operate the machine and maintain its functionality. If your car is low on gas, the computer will monitor this and send a message to your dashboard and the 'low gas' light will go off telling the operate that they need fuel and usually the operator will then go to the gas station and fill up.

The Golfing Machine also has a computer according to Homer Kelley. In this case, the computer is the golfer's brain.

This part may sound a bit hokey or 'okay, the brain is our 'computer', but how does that translate to better golf', but it actually translates to better golf and in a quick fashion if the golfer uses their computer well. The better the golfer uses his computer, the better off they will be.

One of the things I wish I had been forced to do when I was younger was to play 'blade' forged irons. I am not a fan of offset clubs and in particular I'm not a fan of cast clubs that are very forgiving because I believe they do not allow the golfer to use their computer to their fullest capability which will allow them to have a much more precise stroke pattern and wind up with much better results.

With cast cavity back irons, it's very difficult to differentiate the feel between hitting a ball pretty well with a pretty good swing versus hitting a ball pretty well with a mediocre swing. Granted, I can differentiate with cast, cavity back irons a great swing and a poor swing...but, I don't have a lot of great swings and a lot of bad swings in a round. Most of my swings range in the mediocre to average to pretty good range. As Hogan said, he figured he hit about 3 shots a round just the way he wanted to. The difference between Hogan and somebody like myself is that 99% of his other shots were from really good, but not the greatest swings whereas probably 80% of my swings probably range in the average to very good but not great range.

Anyway...because it's very hard to differentiate the mediocre swing from the pretty decent swings, the computer can't make those subconscious and even conscious adjustments for me. However, with the blades there's a distinct difference that can be FELT when I take a pretty decent swing from a mediocre swing. That allows my computer to make the adjustments and the components of my swing improve. Garbage in will cause garbage out. Blades provide much better input, thus I produce much better output. The key IMO with irons is to find a set of irons that will provide quality input, but do not have harsh penalties when I do not catch one perfect.

Homer Kelley talks about a 'programming routine' that the golfer can use with their computer when it comes to their golf stroke.

Primary Programming Routine - The Computer must maintain the feel of your 'basic procedure.' So, operate 'basic motion' properly and then maintain the feel of that basic motion.

Second Programming Routine - Ball position to control the direction of the ball given the conditions (wind, side hills, hooks, slices, etc)

Third Programming Routine - Distance Control Data for Club Selection (lag pressure --- more lag pressure = more distance, turf and wind conditions, etc)

Fourth Programming Routine - feeling relationship of the alignments in the swing and the target. Homer believed that it's very easy for a golfer to have 'downstroke blackout' where the downswing happens so fast that they don't have any conscious thoughts or feels in the swing, which usually leads to disaster.

Fifth Programming Routine - a mental 'button' that wipes your mind of negative thoughts, anger, frustration, looking ahead to the next hole, etc and just focuses on your stroke instead.

I like to say that once I understood that TGM is a book about FEEL instead of mechanics and technical jargon, that's when I finally got what Homer Kelley was saying and I could use that to improve my golf game. 14-0 delves a bit into feel. There's a lot of talk about understanding and focusing on alignments, but there's a lot of talk about feel as well. Once you understand the role of feel in learning TGM and how to achieve the proper feels for your own game, the mechanics will follow. Like I've posted time and time again, learn feel FROM mechanics.

Read more: http://richie3jack.proboards.com/ind...x zz15fstkO6N

Extensor action:
Based on my own experience: In the backstroke the right arm wants to get straight(er). In so doing the right arm pulls the left arm as straight as possible.This is achieved in the backstroke by letting the 2 middle fingers of the right hand grip holding on to the end of the shaft - pull and stretch the clubshaft to the right (seen from the golfer's view) making the left arm, which is also holding on to the clubshaft, get pulled/stretched even straighter as a result of this motion. This will make the backstroke wider and the little shorter than it would be without this extensor action, placing the club in a better position to begin the downstroke on a more correct path?

This is extensor action in the backstroke, but I'm not sure if the middle fingers of the right hand do the job in the downstroke as well, or if it's more the role of the heel pad under the right thumb pushing against the left thumb?

Please feel free to expand on this important subject.

,,

In Physics, a Force is either a Push or a Pull. And, some people think of Extensor Action in terms of the Right Triceps pushing the Bent Right Arm against the Left Thumb. However, the defining concept is that the Right Triceps push of Extensor Action results in the Left Arm being stretched or pulled into a straight line. When you stretch something -- like a rubber band or a piece of string -- you are pulling it, not pushing it. You can pull a piece of string into a straight line, but you can't push it into one.

At the end of the day, if the Left Arm is stretched -- pulled into a straight line -- Extensor Action's purpose has been served. It matters little if that Action is alternatively perceived as a push of the Right Arm.
..

Extensor Action is employed from Impact Fix (or as late as Start Up) to the end of Follow Through. After that it is no longer in use (Finish). During the sections that Extensor Action is working its magic, the left arm is above the Plane (unless #3 is zero'ed out), necessitating the direction of the stretch to be below the Plane. But it does cross the Plane at the point of pressure directing the stretch. As you approach Top, the direction of the stretch is closer to the Plane Angle, but still below it.
..

The camera finds you wearing a rain jacket, windshirt or long sleeve shirt, but with your left arm out of its sleeve. With the sleeve dangling, you open with:

"Hi, I'm PGA golf professional BBax, and I'm here today to demonstrate how the two arms work in the golf swing. Oops, looks like I've forgotten to put my left arm in its sleeve. [Pick up the sleeve -- no stretch yet -- with the right hand and show it to the audience.] No matter . . . the left arm doesn't do all that much anyway. It functions like a piece of string. But we all know that the left arm -- the string -- needs to be straight, so it needs to be 'stretched out'. How do we do this? With the right arm! Like this." [Demonstrate a good stretch of the sleeve.]

"Now, how do we get this 'arm' to the top of the swing. Not by turning the shoulders! [Demonstrate.] And certainly not with the 'sleeve' itself! [Demo with chuckle: 'See, it won't move!'] Again, we use the right arm! " [Demonstrate how the bending right arm takes the sleeve to the top.]

"Notice that the right arm keeps stretching the sleeve. This same action in your golf swing will give it width and structure. But a lot of you stop stretching and so you look like this. [Demonstrate a backstroke with an unstretched sleeve.] So, your swing has no structure. It is flimsy. Keep that sleeve -- your left arm -- stretched!"

"Now, notice that the right arm can't be straight, it has to bend. That's because this sleeve is acting like a leash. See? [Demonstrate backstroke again]. Now it wants to be straight -- [Demo: let go of the sleeve halfway back and let the right arm rapidly extend and straighten out.] -- but it can't!"

"In fact, the right elbow gets more and more bent as it approaches the right shoulder [Demo backswing] and can't begin to straighten until it moves away from it [Demo release]. It can't be fully straight until well past the ball [Demo follow-through]."

"This is the way your arms work in the swing. The right arm lifts and lowers the left and keeps it stretched out. Now, go put on a jacket or a long sleeve shirt, but leave that left arm out of the sleeve. Get the feel. [Demo as you talk.] Without a jacket . . . [Quickly remove yours and toss it to the ground.] . . . simply grasp your left wrist with your right thumb and forefinger [Demo as you talk] and stretch that left arm! Now take it to the top, like this. [Demo as you talk.] Keep the stretch! [Demo] Into the downstroke, impact and followthrough. Keep the stretch! [Demo].

"Do this little drill for a few minutes a day, and you'll soon find yourself playing better golf. I'm PGA professional BBax, and I'll see you on the tee!"

Understand the Extensor Action Principle as defined and demonstrated in the post. Then, translate the Mechanic into its Feel.

Don't rely on your imagination: Put on a long sleeve shirt, sweater or jacket and actually do the 'armless sleeve' exercise. Keep that sleeve s-t-r-e-t--c-h-e-d from Address to Follow-Through (Both Arms Straight position). Then, make that Action happen in your Golf Stroke.

It's all you need to know.
..

You are always stretching the left arm in the direction it is pointing. Hence, the 'stretch' will always be Below Plane.

In addition to the 'Armless Sleeve' Drill (which can be replicated with a piece of string looped around the left shoulder), one of the best ways to get this Feel -- without a club -- is to grasp the left wrist with the fingers of the right hand (principally the thumb and forefinger) and simply take the left arm to the Top.

Then, do the same thing gripping the thumb and forefinger of the left hand with the last three fingers of the right hand.

Finally, just grip the left thumb, and make the same motion.

With a club, seek to reproduce these same Feels (of Extensor Action and the correct Right Elbow Action), and enjoy the fruit of your labor!

P.S. V.J. Trolio and I include several Extensor Action drills in the 26 drills we demonstrate on Disk #2 of Alignment Golf.