i doubt it :-) i'm groping around in the dark, smashing in to things mostly, one step forward two steps back :-)

trying to fix an image in my mind here.....when we talk vertical, horizontal & angled hinging are we talking in relation to the ground ? so a vertical hinge sees the blade (the left arm) swinging around a pin that is mounted horizontally like the top of a cat flap in a door ?

this thinking stuff hurts don't it ? :-)


ps Air if my lines of thought are messing with yours, please say & i will set up another thread - i originally thought otherwise but i can now see how they might be a negative to your understanding rather than a positive

All contributions are welcome. I can do my own thing anyway and when I want, so that's no problem.
To your question - . Vertical hinging (the palm of the left hand points vertical to the ground) - gives a clubface that points vertical to the sky - you can put a glass standing on it. Horizontal hinging is the opposite and angled in between the two others.

Maybe it's better to say that when the back of the left wrist (= the wrist watch) points (vertical) to the sky then it's vertical hinging, for the main point is that the flat left wrist controls the clubface - so where the top of your flat left wrist is pointing , so is the clubface and that describes what kind of hinging we are talking about.

that's great thanks & thanks for the pointer on how to view the hinging

here's a good description of Yoda's i found - i envy you your planned trip btw very cool to fly over & get it all direct from Yoda :-)

The Golf Stroke is all about inscribing near-perfectCircles with the orbiting Clubhead on the face of an Inclined Plane-- while simultaneously Sustaining Lag Pressure on the Clubshaftand controlling the Clubface through Impact

At my age, I suddently realized that there's no time to lose - so why not do what you want (if you can afford it).

If you are comfortable with the quote, you shouldn't have too many problems reading the book. I found the description a little heavy.

Yes I'll hit you with my sincere gratulations on turning something complicated into something understandable without compromising its content.

out of ideas
 

Allthough it's already Tuesday here, I'll wait til the morning before I start with Tuesday's program. But I notice already now that it won't last long with the idea of having a subject or a concept that I'll try to say something about. I've planned to say something about the stationary head tomorrow (seen from USA), but I don't think I know so many more things to write about. I'll try so long as it lasts, but it may be over already in a couple of days. No big deal, but I'm open for ideas. (And if I don't know so much about the subject I'll have to ask for help).

It's an Air World . . . We Just Live In It!
 

For the record, Air's March 2011 Cuscowilla reservations just hit my BlackBerry.

Gettin' his 'All Access' cart ready!

:salut:

I started this thread by saying it would be some sort of diary, where I could put some of my thoughts.

Well, I'm thinking of Cuscowilla again.

Will it be merely a repition courses? Nothing wrong with that - or can I pick up some new things that will make me a better player? Probably.

And the stay has its own merits - just the pleasure of being there (hopefully the weather is agreeable). It will render a flying start - I almost said wedges - to the season that is way too short here.

But I feel some pressure as well. The last day I was put to the test - and I did better than expected. How would it be to come back and perform worse than last time.? If that would the case, would I manage to take it like a man or a spoiled brat? I don't know.

Why am I dwelling on this?

I experienced it as unreal - almost to good to be true. Where do you go from there? It probably depends a little on what I do this winter. I'm not so sure I'll be a better golfer just sitting here with the lap top, nursing my thread the whole day long. Reading TGM is most certainly a good thing, but I need to get my but out of the chair and do a lot more training, not just typing in a lot of letters hour after hour. Get a grip on yourself man!

Goody-goody.

Makin' Motions . . . Makin' Shots
 

Not to worry, Air.

Over a period of five days, we built your Motion. We took it from 'where it was' to 'where it could be'. Indeed, we took it from 'can't' to 'can'.

True, many of your shots on our final days were wonderful. Far beyond anything you had ever hit. When you hit those last twenty or so drivers Saturday, was that just some kind of 'miracle'? When you hit the target pole from 60 yards Sunday -- first shot -- with a little 'bread and butter' knock-down and with three pro's watching, do you think that was an 'accident'?

We don't have to 're-create' those next March, Air.

We don't have to go down to the 'Lost and Found' department and look for them.

They are there.

Within you.

You -- and your Motion -- made those shots.

Alignments were the key.

And those, we can handle.

:salut:

You know how to say the right things. A student should trust his teacher. I do. I have to get rid of my usual self doubt: 21 years on the one side and 5 - or even just one? day - on the other side. And what will the effect of the long winter be? But - you are right - I know what I know, accordingly it's just to do the same motions each time and trust it and not just have sporadicly good shots based on pure luck not knowing what I was doing as the case was earlier...

Tuesday 16.11.10
 

p 116-119, 125, 131.


ZONE #2 (Arms Zone)


This zone includes the following Basic Components:

- Basic Grips (overlapping, interlocking, etc)
- Grip Types (strong, weak, etc)
- Basic Strokes
- Stroke Types & Variations
- Impact Fix
- Address
- Pressure Point Combinations
- Left Wrist action
- Lag Loading
- Trigger Types
- Power Package Assembly Point
- Power Package Loading Action

The arms are responsible for power as they include all of the elements of force and motion of bringing the clubHEAD into the ball.

The arms also dictate whether a golfer is a 'swinger' or a 'hitter' and what type of lag loading procedure the golfer uses. A golfer can either drive load, drag load or float load, all of which help determine if they are a 'hitter' or a 'swinger.' I will go into these procedures in later posts, just note that this is part of the fuction of the arms.

Another important quote from Homer Kelley:


'Good Golf is Power Golf -- don't be mislead by 'Accuracy' problems. As you master power (aka Zone #2) you will gain a basic Clubface Control (Accuracy...aka Zone #3).'


Homer also notes that Zone #3, which is responsible for accuracy, can never be any better than its Zone #1 and Zone #2 support.

From my experience and talking to people who have gone from the same experience, usually golfers are swinging and striking the ball their best when they are hitting the ball with optimal power. I'm not stating that they are swinging harder, I'm stating that when they take their normal swing they are hitting the ball as powerfully as they can hit the ball. When they do this, not only do they gain distance, but they also start hitting the ball more accurate. A great example was Greg Norman in the final round of the '96 Masters. Norman noted that on the par-3 4th hole he hit one flush and still wound up short of the green and into the bunker. He mentioned that he knew his timing was off that day since he wasn't hitting the ball with his usual power. As a result, his accuracy suffered as well. Thus, Zone #3 (accuracy) can never be better than Zone #1 (pivot/body control) and Zone #2 (power/arms control)

Homer then talks about when you're practicing to improve your stroke, you should look, look, LOOK in order to monitor the motion of your arms. Zone #3 deals with the hands, but you should swing the club by swinging your arms (you can use your pivot to help you swing those arms). The reason why Homer wants the golfer to monitor the arms is that if they are not using the proper motion and they are not swinging, then the golfer will tend to use the hands (Zone #3) to move the clubhead thru the ball...aka 'flipping.' Homer states that when monitoring the motion of the arms (Zone #2), if the flat left wrist, lag pressure and/or delivery line become lost or even vague, stop immediately and find that flat left wrist or that lag pressure or that delivery line before you start creating a bad habit.

I believe Homer Kelley was a big fan of Hogan's practice of swinging in slow-motion as a way to monitor the components of the swing, particularly the arms.

http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/index.p...ome-Video.html

Read more: http://richie3jack.proboards.com/ind...x zz15OXxFlqV



ZONE #3 (Hands Zone)


This includes the following components:

- Plane Line
- Plane Angle - Basic
- Plane Angle - Variations
- Power Package Delivery Path
- Power Package Release
- Hinge Action

As I discussed before, the hands zone is responsible for accuracy while the arms zone is responsible for power. Here again is the Lee Trevino video showing how the hands, in particular the left hand controls the clubface. Control the clubface and you control the ball flight and improve your accuracy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNPcb...ayer_embedded#!

Read more: http://richie3jack.proboards.com/ind...x zz15OYU3y8u

...



Chapter 8 (Twelve Sections - Itinerary and Preperations)

While there are 24 components in the Golf Swing (aka the Golfing Machine), that's different from the 12 sections of the actual swing. MORAD and S&T systems use a way of describing these section as 'parallels.' For instance, 'P2' is when the clubshaft is parallel to the ground on the backswing. Z3 is when the left arm is parallel to the ground on the backswing. Z5 is when the clubshaft returns to parallel on the downswing...and so on and so forth. This is different from components which check things like hip turn, elbow position on the downswing, grip, etc. Homer Kelley didn't create a 'Parallel' system like Mac O'Grady did. Instead he just labeled them into 12 sections. I will translate the only sections I seem that are not quite self-explanatory

Section 2 - Impact Fix - Impact fix is the golfer addressing the ball with 'impact hands' instead of 'address hands.' Here's a sequenced photo of Tiger Woods swing at address and then at impact. Notice the difference in the alignment of the hands.



If the golfer wants to, they can just keep the hands at the same position they would be at impact. This is known as 'impact fix.' Here's a pic of a golfer with his hands at impact fix.



I actually use impact fix on punch shots when I want to take a full swing, but keep the ball a little lower than normal.

Section 3 - Adjusted Address - This is the section where the golfer has already taken their practice swing and waggles and decided where they want their hands at address (either impact hands or 'mid-body' hands --- i.e. the butt of the club pointing towards the belt buckle) and then assumes the address position.

Section 9 - Release - I feel this is often misinterpreted by golfers, but my translation of the release is that it's the point where all of the power and lag pressure the golfer has accumulated is now released and the goal is to release all of that into the ball. If you do it before the clubhead reaches the ball, then you will not get optimal results. It's not about rotating the club over.

Section 10 - Impact - Homer talks about 'seperation.' That's just the point after the clubhead makes contact where the ball is no longer touching the clubface or it 'seperates' from the clubface. It's actually important when understanding D-Plane because technically the initial direction of ball flight is mostly due to the angle of the clubface at seperation. Most who understand D-Plane will say it's due to the face angle at impact...either not realizing it's seperation or trying to prevent some possible, unnecessary confusion. But the reason why shots off the toe tend to start out to the right is at impact the face angle is square, but the contact off the toe actually opens the clubface at seperation, causing the ball to initially fly out to the right.

http://richie3jack.proboards.com/ind...lay&thread=192

---------------------------------------------------------------
The stationary head.


The head is situated quite nicely on top of and in the middle of the shoulders, so you don't have to anything drasticly with your head to maintain this position. "Keep your head down" is not always the right thing to do, if it constrains the swing. And also avoid excessive axis tilt that moves the head and the swing center of the left shoulder too far behind the ball. Move the ball in the stance instead and the head will automaticly be moved in relation to the ball. The head does what the head does and the ball does what the ball does. And the head may swivel to see where the ball goes instead of you staring into the ground long after the ball is gone. The important thing is to avoid swaying and bobbing of the head - and not so much focusing on keeping the head behind the ball, but keeping the HANDS in front of both the ball and the head at impact.
....

Reading that was "Brutal". I could "Feel" my Heart rate increase.

It was like watching someone send coffee beans through a grinder, (as if that's not painful enough) and then, having to watch that same person trying to put them back together again.

I just don't understand how someone (not you Air) could read such a beautifully complex and interwoven, ingenious, and elegant system like the Golfing Machine and not "see" the right, and then take a ridiculously pedestrian idea like the "D" Plane and not see the wrong. Then use the two in the same sentence? :laughing9

In what way?
I'm just trying to ease my way into the book. This isn't the way, you mean?

Hi Air,

I don’t know how to express myself in this matter. It may take some time for me to think about it before I respond.

But: "The arms are responsible for power as they include all of the elements of force and motion of bringing the clubHEAD into the ball." Really?

There are ten or more other statements as misrepresenting as this one. Ah; whatever. Don't pay any attention to me. Forget-about-it.

Maybe it isn't such a good idea to copy this? It's just a way for me to organize the daily program of my reading of 3 pages in TGM. If I read them both I thought that would make it easier to understand the one that counts...?

I think you're doing well Air,

And when you have digested Daryl's comments you will be doing even better.

Ya, Air, you're doing great. You're way ahead of me when I started. A little at a time. A little everyday. It adds up fast.

Bernt and Daryl - thx for your encouraging words.

Wednesday 17.11.10
 

P. 1-3,221-222

Chapter 1
« Thread Started on Feb 13, 2010, 12:34pm »

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first part of the sequence that Homer Kelley prescribes reading is all of Chapter 1, then read section 12-0 and 14-0.



CHAPTER ONE


Homer Kelley has put Chapter One 'Introduction to the Game' into 9 different parts.

1-0 General
1-A Law
1-B Simplicity
1-C Geometry
1-D Structure
1-E Pattern Development
1-F Right Arm or Left
1-G Approaching the Game
1-H Miscellaneous Notes


1-0 GENERAL

Homer asks the question 'is Golf an easy game or a difficult game?' He states that it is both. It's easy in the sense that no amount of ignorance about the game or the golf swing will prevent a golfer from finishing a hole or a round of golf. Comparing this to say, completing a jigsaw puzzle, somebody who is ignorant about jigsaw puzzles may struggle to complete the puzzle. With golf, even if a golfer takes a 17 on a par-3 and shoot 150 for 18 holes of golf, they have still completed the hole and the round of golf.

Homer states there are shortcuts to golf improvement, but typical of short-cuts, they can easily turn out to be the longest route to golf improvement. Much like the golfer who opens his clubface wide open at address to prevent his hook may get that to work for a short time, but in the end it may just make the golfer worse and take even more correction to fix.

Homer then stats that it's a difficult game in the sense that total perfectiion is virtually unattainable because the Golf Stroke is fantastically complex and implacably demanding of mechanical precision and ruthlessly deviats with every slightest stretching of tolerances during application.

That's why I think it's important for the golfer who takes a mediocre swing and gets a decent result to NOT dwell on the mediocre swing because in one of the few things I like about Dr. Bob Rotella's books...golf is not about being perfect because being perfect does not exist in the game of golf because of the minute margin of error in the swing, the chip, the putt, etc. Just take note that the swing needs to improve and be happy that the result was decent enough to reward a possibly good score on the hole.


1-A LAW

The laws operating the golf stroke are the laws of Force and Motion, Geometry, Trigonometry, Materials and Structure, etc. Every golfer must comply with these laws.


1-B SIMPLICITY

I'll just quote the entire paragraph here since it's easy to understand, yet so important to note:


Treating a complex subject or action as though it were simple, multiplies its complexity because of the difficulty in systemizing missing and unknown factors or elements. Demanding that golf instruction be kept simple does not make it simple - only incomplete and ineffective. Unless this is recognized, golf remains a vague, frustrating, infuriating form of exertion. - Homer Kelley


1-C GEOMETRY

When it comes to Geometry in the golf swing, geometric theory is not utilized. Instead, it's a practice and study of shapes and lines of Plane Geometry.

1-D STRUCTURE

"Besides being geometrically correct, a structure must not be loaded beyond the strength of its materials" - Homer Kelley

Homer goes on to use the analogy of a vertical wall and a leaning wall. But what he's getting at here is that the length of a golfer's swing should vary from player to player depending on there speed, strength and thrust demands of their particular swing.

Somebody like Bubba Watson has a very long backswing, but a 'smoother motion.'


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDR1E...layer_embedded

Nick Price has a much shorter and quicker swing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djK0g...layer_embedded


Both swings are geometrically correct, but their stroke length is different because they have different speed, strength and thrust demands.

1-E PATTERN DEVELOPMENT

Deals with golf instruction and practice. The instructors job is to adjust, compensate, interchange and correct every component and to detect imprecisions. The student only needs to know the components of THEIR particular golf swing which has been recommended and/or put together by the instructor. One of the reasons why I wanted to learn TGM is so I could learn all of the variations of the golf swing so I would better understand the components of MY golf swing. Instead of focusing upon say Ben Hogan's pitch elbow on the downswing, I need to understand that I use punch elbow and what punch elbow looks like.

Homer states that the student should approach instruction as a step-by-step process. If building a good golf swing is like building a house, every board and panel of the house must be cut to fit its place and fit in with the overall design of the house. Just like every component must fit within the overall design of the swing.


1-F RIGHT ARM OR LEFT

This is talking about whether a golfer is being a 'swinger' or a 'hitter.'

The Right Arm is always 'driving.'

The Left Arm is always 'swinging.'

However, this does not seperate hitters from swingers. Swingers can actually 'swing' the club with either arm. However, the right arm can only operate a 'hitting' function.

The right hand should be used for sensing and controlling the acceleration of the clubhead. The left hand is used for sensing and controlling the alignments of the clubface. Only the right arm and the right shoulder can 'push' the club. Everything else will 'pull' the club.

Here's Lee Trevino explaining how the left controls the alignments of the clubface, just like Homer Kelley wrote about in 'The Golfing Machine.'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNPcb...layer_embedded

1-G APPROACHING THE GAME

Pretty explainable stuff, but another classic quote from Homer here:


Hitting the Ball is the easiest part of the game -- hitting it effectively is the most difficult. Why trust instinct when there is a science?


Read more: http://richie3jack.proboards.com/ind...x zz15SHSZfOf





12-0 (Stroke Patterns)

A 'stroke pattern' is another way of describing an individual's golf swing. For instance, Jack Nicklaus had a swing whose components included an interlocking grip that was a bit weak. He utilized pitch elbow and was a triple barrel 'swinger' who has a single shift plane angle variation. All of these will be described in future posts. But these components and other components of Nicklaus' swing formed his 'stroke pattern.'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH366...layer_embedded


Somebody like Brian Gay utilizes an overlapping strong single action grip. He is a 3-barrel 'hitter' with a double shift plane angle variation who utilizes a circular hand delivery path. These components and the other components of Gay's swing make up his very own individual 'stroke pattern.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnaKL...layer_embedded


It's not to say that Gay's stroke pattern is necessarily better or worse than Nicklaus', it's to say that Gay's stroke pattern probably is the best for him (and the same with Nicklaus). If Gay were to try and emulate the components of Nicklaus' swing, he would probably struggle. The same would be said if Nicklaus had tried to emulate a swing like Gay's back in his prime.

Like I quoted in my translation of Chapter 1 'There is no effort to classify any Stroke Pattern as best or worst, except on the basis of Mechanical Advantage.' So really Nicklaus' swing was not so much 'better' than Gay's swing is now, but it did have some obvious mechanical advantages which allowed Nicklaus to hit the ball so powerfully. However, there are some mechanical advantages to Gay's swing which allow him to hit the ball so accurately.

The reader who can understand the concept of a 'stroke pattern' can use this to their advantage by eventually understanding all of the components of their stroke pattern. Then they will need to make sure that they are not mixing up 'hitter' based components with 'swinger' based components and when that is done they can then learn to master each of those components to form an effective and repeatable golf swing. It's much like an antique car collector finding a neglected car from the 50's and the first step is usually getting all of the parts to that car and then making sure that each individual part operates as best as it possibly can.

Homer states that chips and putts basically have the same alignments and paths as a full swing and that chips and putts are 'merely miniaturized -- not altered.' Furthermore he states that when it comes to shorter strokes, like the chip and the putt, the following facets of the stroke are shortened in comparison to the full swing:

1. Power Accumulators
2. Lag Pressure
3. Release Interval
4. Pivot
5. Arm Motion
6. Release Motions

Essentially, there's a range in each of the facets of the stroke listed above. A full swing uses these with maximum range. A 3/4 swing uses these at 3/4 range. A 1/4 swing uses these at 1/4 range. And so on and so forth.

The rest of it is pretty self-explanatory, but Homer does talk about how beginners should start out with what he coined 'basic motion.' This is a stroke much like a chip shot where the clubhead goes about 2 feet back and then 2 feet thru. Learn how to master the execution of basic motion, then you can start building a better stroke. Here's a video by Lynn Blake in regards to 'Basic Motion'

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHBfy...layer_embedded


Read more: http://richie3jack.proboards.com/ind...x zz15ULT0oNh
..

Lag

Today I'm going to talk about lag. Not that I know so much about it or have much experience, but that hasn't stopped me before. In case anybody else reads this, they are more than welcome to shed more light on the subject.

The clubhead is trailing the hands on the downstroke. It's the drag the wet mop concept. It has to be a feeling of something heavy that stays behind and feels heavy as long as possible in the downstroke. That's sustaining the lag. The opposite, which I am more familiar with , is throwing the clubhead from the top and losing this stretch/counter balance feeling or stored power behind instead of keeping its "heavines" and stored power like a rubber band that's kept back on one side and pulled on the other. If you let go of it (too early) all the power is lost and wasted. (A throw away). A better image perhaps if you sit in a roller coaster that accelerates like mad and leaving you pushed back in your seat. You really feel that you'r staying behind (in) the vehicle that is driving forward.

In the downstroke that probably has to do with keeping the left arm straight at impact and swinging the hands (with a FLW and BRW) and not swinging the club(head), but the hands and always keeping the clubhead behind the hands down to impact and maintaining the "stored, loaded power pressure" ="sustaining the lag"? in the clubhead in relation to the hands that are in the driving seat so to speak? I guess it also has to do with the flying wedges, but now I'm way over my head...

Well, this was not a subject I could elaborate with much expertise.

The important question is : How do you get and sustain lag and how is it best released?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGAaO...eature=related

I have just come back from the driving range on our closed course. 28 F and a noticable cold head wind. Everyting was stone frozen and white, but there is no snow. The course has been closed 3-4 weeks I think, but the range lies there, so I went there with my own golf balls and a ball picker rather than going to the in door golfhall. I like it out door. I used my PW and started with basic motion, but it didn't take long before I certainly was doing acquired motion and even with a little swivel. (I'm not sure that is a good thing that i don't keep the hands under the parallel with the ground - maybe there still there a little breakdown in the FLW?). Mostly it was shots from 30-50 yards and I was pleased with the shots (because of the motion) about 75%. They felt effortless crisp. Then strange thing was that I was hitting with 2 gloves on (not golf gloves) to avoid freezing, but that didn't seem to matter. I hit about 20 balls each time and went out to gather them up 5 times = 100. Cold but nice.

Lag:

The hands leading the club head (Accumulator #2 + 3 lag)
The right elbow leading the right hand (Accumulator #1 lag)
The left shoulder leading the hands (Accumulator #4 lag)
The hips leading the shoulders
The feet should lead the hips

Leading as in being ahead in the rotation.

I see - a lot of leading going on here!

This is the key to avoid break down of the left wrist and basically anything else too.

When you manage to hold your lag from ground up ...when you turn on the power, the flat left wrist is a consequence of correct lead-lag applications, not a cause.

Hmm, interesting. I think I had it the other way around..

I forgot to mention: You still need a proper power package assembly to make it work. The components must be properly aligned when you start to apply downstroke pressure.

If you're not properly aligned at the top, you will get problems with rhythm and lag pressure in the down swing. You should be able to feel this when it happens. You should be able to feel that your club is is partly escaping the power you try to apply when this happens. A dog chasing its own tail kind of feel. Roundhousing comes to mind here as well.

It's not so easy to know if the power package assembly (have to look it up) is proper or not.
Roundhousing?

Thursday 18.11.10
 

P. 4 - 7.

1-H MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

Here Homer explains his use of unorthodox terminology in the book as he says 'the appropriate term promotes communication.' He then says for the average weekend golfer they should not be forced to eliminate a tendency that they have in their swing and instead they should develop a swing that compensates for the tendency.

The rest of Chapter 1 talks about why he capitalizes some of the words and his chapters and subsets of those chapters.

Another classic quote from Homer, which really truly describes his purpose in writing this book:


There is no effort to classify any Stroke Pattern as best or worst, except on the basic of Mechanical Advantage. But there is undoubtedly a best 'central' Stroke Pattern for each individual. - Homer Kelley


Read more: http://richie3jack.proboards.com/ind...x zz15aFEaDeK


As I feared, I have run out of subjects/concepts (that I know of) that are important in the golf swing. I only managed to think out 3 items:

1) The straight left arm & clubshaft.
2) The stationary head
3) Lag

Hopefully these are important subjects, but I ought to have many more!

very helpful Bernt - thank you

took these thoughts, together with 'down/out/forward compression' on the dog walk (with club & balls as usual) this morning & hit a few gooduns :-)

Hall of Fame post by BerntR !!! :salut:

Kevin

That's the most important thing about my thread - and all other threads - the important information that knowledgeable people are willing to share with us.

Air, I'm sorry I haven't dropped by until now.
 

Work stuff has been hectic. I know you have made a tough decision about going to the Master's.

Let me try to be gentle about this... if a medieval Pope wanted to get to the Master's, he would have had to promise somebody 800 priests saying daily mass for their forgiveness for 80 years. If President Obama wanted to go, I think it would rain 30 inches because GOD would get angry. :) (I'm a Hubert Humphry guy.)

Since the your child is doing well, and congratulations BTW, why not consider taking the Mrs. to see the azaleas? I'm guessing she likes flowers? Does she like to fly? Does she enjoy the attention of nice Southerners? As the kids would say, "Feelin' me on this?"

Your countrymen will really enjoy the autographed hats and things you bring back and the stories about speaking with Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and the signed photo of Win McMurray (don't show the Mrs. that one). Lynn might introduce you to all sorts of people!

Stories are like gold on the golf course while waiting for the foursome in front of you to make their 9th shot each on a par 3. :)

Anyway, you are a sensible guy by all indications...


ICT

You don't have to apologize for anything - except for trying to tempt me. I have already made reservations in March, so that's final, however stupid it may be. You must be blessed with the gift of exaggerations. BTW my wife's interest in golf it about as great as ... (what do you have the least interest of here on earth?) I have already been introduced to some important people at Cuscowilla...Who needs much more than that? I'm sensible in only some areas..but I forget which.
(H. Humphry had roots in Norway I believe..(or Walter Mondale - or both - I can't remember)

Friday 19.11.10
 

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.

away from the cold
 

It's 20 F outside and it's going to be even colder all next week It's about time to take a trip to the deep south of Europe and in a week's time that's exactly what I'm going to do. I guess that's pretty much like travelling from Minnesota to Florida on vacation. About the same distance and same difference in temperature(?)

Saturday 20.11.10
 

10-0
P. 134 -137
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Section 10-0 gives a brief introduction to Chapter 10. In Chapter 10 it goes into the 24 components of the swing (aka, the golfing machine) and each variation of each component. Homer explains his system of number designation.

The first number is the chapter. The second number is the basic component. The 3rd digit, a letter, is the variation of the component.

So, when somebody refers to 10-1-E in 'The Golfing Machine', which is the cross hand grip, it basically reads as 10 is the chapter, 1 is the basic component which in this case is the basic grip, and E is the variation of the grip which in this case is the interlocking grip.

If I were to look for the baseball grip in TGM, it's designation is 10-1-B. Same chapter, same component, just different variation. If I wanted to look up 'single plane shift', that designation is 10-7-B. So, that designation has the same chapter (10), but a a different basic component (7) and then the variation of that component is the letter B.

At the bottom of page 134, Homer just gives the reader a listing, in alphabetical order, where the reader can find each basic component. For instance, 'Address' has a number '9' next to it. That just means that to find information in regards to the Address position, you have to go to the 10-9 section of chapter 10.

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Hacking

To hit at the ball and not thru it, produces hackers. Not good. But this is very natural for most high handicapers. Are there any good ways of getting rid of this problem? Drills etc. Awarenes of the problem is one thing, but there has to be a practical way as well, I hope, that can be recommended, so that not everybody guilty of this fault has to find the solution all by themselves.

Hacking, interesting.

If you move the ball to Low-point (opposite the Left Shoulder), then the Low-Point plane line and Impact plane line are virtually touching and share the same line. Try to visualize the orbiting sweetspot of the clubhead intersecting the center of the ball. At the exact (almost) center of the ball, the Impact and Low Point plane lines and Orbit of the Sweetspot intersect.

Hit some balls from the low-point location. You'll need a tee to raise the ball and clubhead orbit to prevent the clubhead from touching the grass. Watch the clubhead orbit. It travels down and out, strikes the ball, and then travels up and in. Draw the clubhead orbit path on the ground. Hit a few more balls to confirm that the clubhead covers the orbit arc'ed line you drew on the ground.

If you wanted to move the ball 3" behind Low-Point, would you place the ball on the Target line or would you place the ball on the line of the clubhead orbit arc that you drew on the ground?

You are putting me on the spot? I guess you can't get any further down & out than the low point? That would probably mean that the clubhead is starting to orbit in & up after the low point, so that's where I would put the ball (I hope). If I am lucky the clubhead orbit path intersects the target line 3 in beyond low point (or is 3 in too little? ). I'm waiting to hear the master's voice.
I will have to wait to read it - in the morning (here).

Ok, wait for the master to speak. All that I'm saying is that if the ball doesn't intersect the clubhead Orbit, then you'll use the hands to move the clubhead out of Orbit to reach the ball. That's Hacking.