New to TGM. Need help
The Golfing Machine - Basic
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05-14-2009, 11:37 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Atlanta, Georgia
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Easy Does It . . . Or Does It?
Originally Posted by dvdpfstr
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WOW! Doesn't sound very good for me. I didn't have any intention of going "cheap", I just found out about TGM on another sites forum and thought I would buy the book and read as much about it on this website and others. Sounds like TGM might be too complicated by that response. I might just need to get out the old "Five Lessons" and re-focus on that. Thanks for the input guys.
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Let's see now, dvdpfstr . . .
You signed on with your first post at 9:39 p.m.
The author of the book in question spent forty years producing the work that ranked him #6 on Sport's Illustrated's All Time Great Gurus list (as ranked by Golf Magazine Top 100 Instructors / 2007).
You got four, non-combative and well-intentioned responses in 39 minutes.
And you're 'opting out' in favor of an already well-worn Five Lessons?
My advice: Embrace that 'old' lamp. Things won't change, of course, but it is much more comfortable (and much less challenging) than the 'new'.

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Yoda
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05-14-2009, 11:55 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2006
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Originally Posted by Daryl
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Did you buy the Cliff Notes or did ya just go cheap and buy the yellow book? You ain't gettin anyhow without them cliff notes.
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Are there really Cliff Notes or something similar for TGM? What are you referring to here Daryl?
OB
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05-15-2009, 12:04 AM
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__________________
Daryl
Last edited by Daryl : 05-15-2009 at 12:06 AM.
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05-15-2009, 12:29 AM
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Junior Member
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Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 5
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Originally Posted by Yoda
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Let's see now, dvdpfstr . . .
You signed on with your first post at 9:39 p.m.
The author of the book in question spent forty years producing the work that ranked him #6 on Sport's Illustrated's All Time Great Gurus list (as ranked by Golf Magazine Top 100 Instructors / 2007).
You got four, non-combative and well-intentioned responses in 39 minutes.
And you're 'opting out' in favor of an already well-worn Five Lessons?
My advice: Embrace that 'old' lamp. Things won't change, of course, but it is much more comfortable (and much less challenging) than the 'new'.
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I thought it would be reasonable that my first post would be to ask for help understanding TGM. But, if a senior member of these forums(forums that were suggested to me from members of other forums) say's the only way I will make any progress with TGM is by gassing up the car and driving 6 hours to stay in a motel to get a lesson from a contributor to this website, that's a little tough for me. As a father of three young children, a husband, full time career, and a part time college student, makes that option a little tough.
Like I said, I am a legitimate single digit handicap who plays in the mid- to low-80's with occasional rounds in the 70's who is just now starting to practice during the week to improve my game. I don't think that's too bad. I didn't mean to offend anyone and I apologize if I did. Seems like TGM aficionados are a little defensive.
For what it's worth though, Ben Hogan was pretty good.
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05-15-2009, 08:46 AM
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Senior Member
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05-15-2009, 08:54 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Illinois
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Originally Posted by dvdpfstr
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I thought it would be reasonable that my first post would be to ask for help understanding TGM. But, if a senior member of these forums(forums that were suggested to me from members of other forums) say's the only way I will make any progress with TGM is by gassing up the car and driving 6 hours to stay in a motel to get a lesson from a contributor to this website, that's a little tough for me. As a father of three young children, a husband, full time career, and a part time college student, makes that option a little tough.
Like I said, I am a legitimate single digit handicap who plays in the mid- to low-80's with occasional rounds in the 70's who is just now starting to practice during the week to improve my game. I don't think that's too bad. I didn't mean to offend anyone and I apologize if I did. Seems like TGM aficionados are a little defensive.
For what it's worth though, Ben Hogan was pretty good.
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I'm not dissing you dvdpfstr.  Ben Hogan was one of the worlds greatest Golfers and It took him Twenty years of grueling hard work to start becoming one of them.
You aren't starting out any different than any of us.  But, I had my first lesson after reading the book on my own for over twenty years and though I hate to admit, I learned more in that one lesson about the Golf Swing than I had during the previous twenty years on my own. But, I didn't have the INTERNET and all of the help from members on this web-site. I'm trying to save you time and agony. The truth is, why would anyone want to go through this just to improve their Golf Game?
You said "single digit handicap". Do you really want to study and learn everything about the golf stroke before you can apply that knowledge or are you simply seeking a few tips to get back into the single digits? It's an honest question.
If you only need a few component changes, why would you study the book? You wouldn't study X amount of years to become a Dentist so that you could "pull your own teeth".
But the Golf Stroke seems simple and innocent.  Anyone can learn it. Right? Everyone has time and understanding enough, especially if someone can just tell you the answers. But hey, anyway, it should only take a few days, right?
During these past 25 years, I could have become a Physicist, Doctor, Lawyer, and Dentist. And, I'm just beginning to learn what took Homer Kelley 40 years of his life to understand. Call me stupid.
I'm just trying to save you time.
Defensive. Hmm? Maybe. It's my time as well as your time.
__________________
Daryl
Last edited by Daryl : 05-15-2009 at 09:06 AM.
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05-15-2009, 09:01 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 168
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Hold on, dvdpfstr, reset....
As Augusta Golf said, go back to Basic Motion. Make sure you're in impact position, have the ball off your right foot, apply Extensor Action and zero out your pivot.
There is plenty of free video and spectacular, consistent info on this forum. And remember, while we take our Golf pretty seriously, we don't take ourselves too seriously. 
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05-15-2009, 09:10 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Illinois
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Originally Posted by O.B.Left
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Got a feeling the Cliff notes would be four thousand pages long and omitting much of the original content.
Congrats on the Black Hawks making it to the Eastern Finals.
oB
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You bet... I bought Cliffnotes in College and if the book was 200 pages, the Cliffnotes boiled it down to 20. Can you imagine the Golfing Machine Cliffnotes?  200 pages for TGM and 2,000 pages of cliffnotes. Man, it's encrypted. 
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Daryl
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05-15-2009, 09:16 AM
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Member
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Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 56
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Hi dvdpfstr,
Have you used an Impact bag? If not, then an old baseball bat with a big pillow or old couch might do the trick. Start hitting that Impact bag from 2 feet back. Retain the impact, and observe your impact alignments.
Assuming your a righty.
Is your left wrist flat (4-A-1) or bent (4-A-2) ?
Is your right wrist bent or flat ?
Is your left thumb aft of the shaft?
what pressure do you feel in your right index finger ?
Is the shaft and right forearm on plane?
Is your left wrist level (4-B-1)?
Yoda also has a short Impact Bag video.
Good luck and stick with it and you'll be pleasantly suprised.
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05-15-2009, 09:19 AM
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Lynn Blake Certified Instructor
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Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: West Linn, OR
Posts: 1,645
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Originally Posted by dvdpfstr
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WOW! Doesn't sound very good for me. I didn't have any intention of going "cheap", I just found out about TGM on another sites forum and thought I would buy the book and read as much about it on this website and others. Sounds like TGM might be too complicated by that response. I might just need to get out the old "Five Lessons" and re-focus on that. Thanks for the input guys.
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TGM is not complicated if you focus on the core concepts. Just understanding the 'flying wedges' can really be a big shortcut.
flying wedges = left arm and shaft in line (face on view) and right forearm and shaft in line (down the line view)
flat left wrist, bent and 'level' right wrist
Read the drills linked in my signature, and focus on the diagram in 1-L.
TGM has a lot of detail, but you don't need to understand the details to play well if you understand the concepts.
__________________
"Support the On Plane Swinging Force in Balance"
"we have no friends, we have no enemies, we have only teachers"
Simplicity buffs, see 5-0, 1-L, 2-0 A and B 10-2-B, 4-D, 6B-1D, 6-B-3-0-1, 6-C-1, 6-E-2
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