Homer Kelley must be spinning in his grave ...
 

... or maybe even doing somersaults ... if he is looking down on this 49 year old, 17 handicapper, hacking up the beautiful green fields of Ireland - in pursuit of that golfing dream ... ( on the plus side, two local farmers have offered me lucrative terms to plough up their fields ...)

... this is a fantastic website ... and I bought the little yellow book ... could not make head nor tail of it ... read a thousand posts or so ... and eventually downloaded the videos to try and make progress ...

... it seems to me that Yoda, Tomasello, Doyle and Dietrich are all saying different things -- about the same thing ...

... the left hand ... Tomasello tells you it only moves one way - put your hand out in front of you vertically and turn it down facing the ground ... end of story ... Yoda says it is only used in a hammering-like motion ...

... Dietrich says you use a hammer-like motion with the right hand on the downswing ... others say you only fan the right hand backwards and forwards ...

... I cannot get the sound properly on Ben Doyle's videos, but I think he says to hit those little chips and punches with your hips - and he seems to be moving his knees -- others say the bottom of body is still and the hands do the work ...

... in the last minute of Tomasello's Hands video ... it looks to me like he is turning over his hands completely to the right on the takeaway -- if I did this the clubface would feel completely open and be facing the sky by the time I had it back to waist level ...

.. Hogan said you start the downswing with your left hip ... He is my hero and I believe him ... but I like the guys here too - even though they are saying different things ...

... I am trying to become a Golfing Machine - but am turning into a pathetic, demented, broken-down, non-recylcable widget ...

... today I stood over a ball for forty seconds ... with my mind in such a mess that I could not even figure out if I had a club in my hand -- let alone what I should be doing with it ... very sad ...

... thanks be to God I am a already a semi-alcoholic ... or this could drive me to drink ...

Maverick,

Someone once said there is only one way to swing a club.

YOUR WAY

I'll drink to that!

The trick is making all the components of YOUR SWING marry up in perfect alignment. That's what TGM is all about.

Bagger

Read everything Yoda and YodasLuke have written you can get your hands on.

This site has a nice search feature.

No conflicts here - only clarifications.

I can assure you that Homer Kelley is not spinning in his grave but smiling down on everyone that is working through his book.

When I get the "deer in the headlights" feeling I go to the source:
http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/gallery.../3-HKSwing.wmv

Watch the video and realize how simple it really is.


Also watch one of Homer's prime models:
http://www.megspace.com/sports/moeto...demo_clip.html

The real dope on The Golfing Machine.

Homer Kelley's greatest gift to regular golfers (tour guys too), is that he showed that ANY swing COULD work, IF it had THREE THINGS.

These are—

#1 - a sweetspot that traces a straight line
(to the golfer it looks like the clubhead makes a curved blur)

#2 - the pressure from that INERT sweetspot being FELT and SUSTAINED on a point, usually on the crook of the right forfinger.
(like dragging a wet mop)

#3 - CLUBFACE CONTROL via a FLAT LEFT WRIST, making one of three motions through the ball: Closing only, Laying back and Closing, or just laying back
(full roll, no roll or reverse roll to the golfer)

This is why my dear old dad was a 6, even thoughh he aimed way left and spun even further that way through the ball.

This is why Jim Furyk is a US OPEN champ and Marty Fleckman isn't.

So, my friend, start somewhere.

Is the ball hit solid but curving off line?

FIX the clubface (#3)

Do you hit it straight but short and unsolid?

FIX the sweetpot lag pressure (#2)

And, by all means, learn to trace a straight plane line. You can do it with two $2 flashlights and some duck tape.

And one more thing—

Over the ball here is ALL YOU THINK about:

LOOK AT THE SPOT ON THE INSIDE-BACK OF THE BALL YOU WANT TO HIT ON THE WAY DOWN.

USE THE FEEL OF THAT SWEETSPOT ON YOUR RIGHT FORFINGER TO HIT THAT SPOT, HOWEVER HARD YOU NEED TO FOR THAT SHOT.

That's it?

Not to hard at all, huh?

For those that belive it is complicated
Homer stated that you only needed to learn 3 things:

Take the club up the turned shoulder plane
Take the club down the turned shoulder plane
Learn a hinge

Greta post Brian. You always have to go back to those 3 things....esp. when it's not going well.

...

amaverick....stick with it man....I've been there (and even with TGM too)....but I've more-or-less gotten through it. Took a year or so.....and that was w/o an instructor. I'm pretty much good to go now.....(for now)......there's always work to do and stuff to learn but I could stop reading stuff now and I will never again be so confused about the golf stroke as I was before.

That doesn't mean you don't have bad days.....you're just able to figure it out much faster (and without the wheels completely falling off...i.e. I don't imagine I'll just start hitting random shanks any time soon or anything like that.....no "I've totally lost it and have no idea what went wrong".....the old confused, want to quit golf and kill myself right now feeling...lol).

Keep learning (few new things per day).....then it'll make it's way into your swing.....you'll put all the pieces together one at a time, put a swing together slowly.....after a while you'll be fine.

"At the very worst it's a guided struggle versus a blind struggle." -HK

And always keep 3 Imparatives in mind.

Thanks for the responses... if there was a World Championship for practising mistakes ... don't even bother turning up ... I am THE MAN ... I will spend hundreds of hours perfecting a way to hit the ball incorrectly ... and then find an even worse way and start again ... I can shoot to my handicap - would be disappointed to be over 90 - usually mid 80s - but I am playing with guys that NEVER practise ... and I am not getting any better than them ... despite all my practise I am not improving ...

... in an average round, I may use 20 or maybe 25 different swings - outside / inside / grip change / twist / turn / pivot / weight transfer / shoulder turn / head still / right side / left side / hands / knuckles / knees / hips / feet / pray ...

... my swing can defy every known law of physics / geometry / science / gravity / medicine / mathematics and bullshit ...

... I can get myself into contortions that Houdini, at his peak, would not have a chance of escaping from ...


...the only reason that I ever bring in a score is that I am a good scrambler ... refuse to give in ... always battling / grinding / suffering incredible turmoil - pain - anguish - frustration ... surely it does not have to be this way ...

... sadly ... I still love it ...

Man....

I was there.

Honestly...

The 20-25 "different swings" comment is dead-on.....I can totally understand.

I always used to think....if I went to a pro....and he asked me what in my swing needed fixing......I would have to say: "Well which swing??"

You're in the right place.

Give it a solid season or two if you're on your own....

And surely much less if you see a good instructor...

It's not my drinkin that's got me stinkin, it's my my stinkin thinkin that's got me drinkin.

Amaverick: a wonderful post!
IMPACT-rehearsal is the chosen goal for a particular IMPACT condition for a resultant desired shot shape result!
Where you get to at TRANSITION means nothing (except to achieve enough angles for necessary acceleration on the forestroke), but being on the dynamic IMPACT-plane during IMPACT with the necessary clubFACE motion, clubHEAD path AND clubHEAD speed means everything to your shot results. However, certain TRANSITION positions are more compatible with certain chosen forestroke actions. There are many very sound golf stroke motions that produce great results with minimum compensations. Being mechanically perfect may be a goal, but being personally effective is all you should work toward. We all have personal physical limitations. However, Homer isolated many very correct conditions that one should consider.

Sounds like you may need some work on your routine (3-F-5 and 12-3)

If you don't step into a shot the same way each time, you can't expect to make the same kind of motion and get the result you wanted.

The human brain likes patterns. Patterns help us orgainize and deal with a world that is extremely complex. Pre-shot routines are the cure for such complexity in the G.O.L.F. motion.

Hi EdZ, in fact I am fairly good on the pre shot routine ... stand behind the ball and visualise, step in etc. - some fellow players looking slightly strangely at me - but I do not know how they can expect to approach a ball from the side and be lined up properly ...

... so my pre shot is ok ... it is the constant changing of what comes afterwards that is the problem - different takeaway - different planes etc. --- However ... all that is about to change ...

... I have just taken myself into a corner for a meeting and had a serious discussion with myself ... and I have reached a verdict ... I am going to transfer to the TGM and I am going to stick with it until it dies or I do ... and there will be no distractions by Gurus or golfing magazines or quick fixes ... and the man I shall follow henceforth shall be named Yoda ... and that is it / end of story / finito / goodnight and good luck / amen!

Hahaha good job....

I don't read golf magazines for instruction anymore....don't want to....don't need to. I learn more on forums....1000-fold.

Hmm.
 

So, you trust your pre-shot routine. Still though, it may or may not be ok.

I think you may have answered the problem already. If you can swing the club or need to swing the club 25 different ways to grind through a round, then I'll bet you have pretty good control of zones 2&3. I'll also bet you don't change any components in zone 1.

Your zone 2&3 cannot be any better than zone 1. I know this, I've been there. I lived there for a long time too. You may have a great feel for zones 2&3, and because of such be able to repeat them pretty well. But you must build your swing from the ground up. Zone 1 changes effect most of zone 2&3 components. You have to change your grip and swing each day, because zone 1 changes.

But hey, I'm not an expert. Read Zone 1 and all components and variations. Then read Yoda. Then read Yoda again.

... The saga begins ... I now set out to undo the damage of 10 years of practising mistakes ...

... ah well, this is a much more civilised passtime ... there is one more complicating factor in my swing ... I play pitch and putt which is fairly popular in Ireland ... play with a club every Sunday - and I play off scratch in that ... Now, when golfers hear that, they say my short game must be good ... but in fact they are two completely different games - like pool and snooker ... in P&P you are teeing the ball up from 50 - 90 yards and using the same club for 18 holes ... no resemblance to golf ... most good P&P players do not play golf ... it ruins their game! They tee the ball high - open the clubface and cut the ass of the ball ... I love both games but golf is my No. 1 - so I have refused to compromise my golf swing, such as it is ... try to tee it low and scramble my way around ... and to be fair, I am not doing too bad ... I suppose the fact that I am hitting a ball and putting etc. must be of some benefit to my game ...

From what I have read I would say that BTGM I am a hitter ( oh that's Before The Golfing Machine)- and I think that would be my preferred shot anyway - I have 2 questions ...

1) Should I just concentrate on hitting ... and ignore posts and video about swinging ... it may be easy for Yoda to switch between them - but I think hitting would be more than enough for me to master ... just need confirmation on this.

2)Imagine your left hand is out in front of you and you have a handgun in it - and there is a guy standing facing you - you 'arch' your wrist to point the gun at his feet - is this the way the left hand should be at address - or is this overdone - is it the back of the left wrist/hand that must be flat, if you know what I mean?

Thanks in advance.

To aim at his feet by solely using a wrist motion would be Uncocking. If you're using your left hand, aiming the gun to your right would be Arching.

At Address, your left wrist should be Level.....not fully Cocked or Uncocked.....right in the middle.

The three "dimentions" you have to worry about with your wrists are:

Horizontal- Bent and Arched...Flat lies in the middle of the two
Perpendicular (i.e. Vertical)- Cocked and Uncocked...Level in middle
Rotational- Turned (clockwise, i.e. to your right) and Rolled (to your left)....Vertical in the middle

As for Flatness...

Here's a good thread:

http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/forum/s...ead.php?t=2431

...

Learning about the Flat Left Wrist is prolly a good start actually....it's called the #1 Alignment in golf.....maintain those Flying Wedges.

...

Ask lots of questions as you go.....make new threads, etc....

We've covered most of what you need to know in past threads so the Archives and the "Search" feature should help you too.....but search or ask, whichever is easier.

... thanks birdie_man ... will digest that ... how did you know to write that signature of yours about me before you ever met me? .. I knoweth all about it!

No problem(eth) man.