"The Golfing Machine" by Homer Kelley

[wlkarnes]

The best video's I have seen in regard to TGM is: . This is much more to the point than Manzella's videos. There is a series of four videos for Hitters and about the same for Swingers. I have found that, much like the Bible, I get more from people's interpretations than the actual read. TGM makes A LOT of sense though. It is a brilliant book that was written by a poor communicator.

[kafka01]

The body can't do anything automatically, it has to be learned. Why would you rather experiment with every possible movement instead of learning the proper ones right away? Makes no sense to me that everyone should be experimenting for themselves. How do you know when something is right and when it is not?

I watched this video a couple of months ago, and i thought this guy is making up total BS. Later i stumbled over this whole TGM thing - i started reading interpretations and informations that i considered relevant to my swing. I never actually read the original book, but all of a sudden the stuff this guy is talking about makes a lot of sense - belive it or not.

There is a lot of "complicated" but extremly valueable information about TGM but if you are capable of deciphering it and applying it to your game, it will make your golfing life much easier - and contrary to the orginal thinking, simpler. You dont have to guess around anymore, its pretty clear how things work together in the swing and you can just go and hit away applying the fundamentals properly...

[The Recreational Golfer]

The best video's I have seen in regard to TGM is:

If you can tell me how to make sense of this book, please do. I've tried several times and just can't get my bearings.

[nevets88]

Anyone know if these videos are a good explanation of TGM?

http://www.pushgolf.com/TGM_downloads.htm

[iacas]

Anyone know if these videos are a good explanation of TGM?

I've heard both good and bad things about them. The good were enough to get me interested, and the bad were enough to prevent me from buying them. Though I may be at a different level - part of the bad might have been "it's pretty basic and you're already past that level." But I may be mis-remembering...?

[impactfix]

Those videos are very basic. However, they do make a few interesting points. And I would strongly advice a person interested in a tgm introduction to watch those videos before, or when reading List #1 in the book.

I started reading TGM a year before i started playing golf. It's actually the book that got me started playing. This might sound wierd. But, my father in law had a 6th edition lying around. And being an engineer. "Geometric Golf" sounded a real fun read! While it wasnt a fun read at the time, AT ALL, I never thought golf could be so VERY complex! (proved me wrong to say the least). I studied golf swings, watched golf on tv. Researching terms and expressions, trying to understand what it all meant. It would have been alot easier had I been playing at the time, or had some more guidance. But, my stubborness just had me keep reading, and trying to understand and analyze. And eventually, it started to make sense (with alot of help from the internets!). TGM is not a pedagogic approach to understanding the golf swing, its a catalog of alignments, not a manual. But it isnt ILLOGICAL. It is VERY logical, once you hear what Mr K has to say. ( few things in the book are outdated, for instance ball flight laws, however though, Homer Kelley did say that the face was responsible for the initial ball flight direction, and this was a LONG time ago.)

And, after a year of reading, and really getting hooked on wanting to know more, I finally started playing, a year ago, taking lessons from a non tgm-oriented pro. Once i had the basic motion down, I tried to build from there. While im visiting my pro now and again, I feel with the help of the book, it really helps me understand what im doing, and whatnot.
This year im playing from a 15 HCP, and that would not have happened so fast (or slow if you want) without the help of the book, and _hopefully_ i will continue lowering my scores. My pro, has been helping out alot. But without understanding what he tried to say, i would still have been in the dark. Im sure i will gain heaps, and heaps of more insight on the golf swing with the help of TGM. And so will you, if you just keep reading, and give it a while to sink in. I would very much like to go see a tgm-certified instructor. But, we dont have any here so i guess that will have to wait.

Thats my 5c.

[sjsconcepts]

Just recieved this book for Christmas. My mother-n-law purchased it from a garage sale from someone who told her it is a useless golf book. LOL it seems pretty good to me. Although I find this book to be a good "study" and not a good read. The only advice I can give is to study one chapter at a time until you understand it.

[BigMikey]

I've just recently thought about picking this book up and reading it.  I've probably read 20 book over the last 12 months related to golf all with good and sometimes conflicting points.  I can tell already that this book is either loved or hated based on reviews at several sites.

I'm looking at becoming a golf instructor down the road and also improving my game to the point where I can get my PGA certification.  So in light of that I'll keep this on topic:

1. How can this book help me?
2. Those who have read it an understand it, could your provide some advice on how to approach reading and digesting this book?  (I.E. If you had it to read over again how would you approach it)

[Etzwane]

There are several aspects in the book :

• A model of the golf swing, "The Machine", mainly in chap. 2, and from that the statement of the golf swing imperatives and essentials. That will be the foundations of the approch of the swing in the book.
• A décomposition of the swing in 12 sections and 24 components. That would be useful to anyone interested in the swing and in particular to instructors
• Throughout the book, a description of prefered golf swings (swinging and hitting), with some aspects that I don't see in other swing systems (like the right forearm takeaway, the magic of the right forearm)

That said, the book is a very tough read. Since H.K. wanted it to be a field manual for instructor, he kept it short. Many aspects are only mentioned once, sometime in a single sentence. There are no explanations of the reasons behind the statements, something I miss very much. All in all, I'd say that for most people it would be a several year journey to get most of what's in there (and I'm only through the first year...).

Yes, I think you wil benefit from reading it, in particular since you want to become an instructor.

[Etzwane]

There are several aspects in the book :

• A model of the golf swing, "The Machine", mainly in chap. 2, and from that the statement of the golf swing imperatives and essentials. That will be the foundations of the approch of the swing in the book.
• A décomposition of the swing in 12 sections and 24 components. That would be useful to anyone interested in the swing and in particular to instructors
• Throughout the book, a description of prefered golf swings (swinging and hitting), with some aspects that I don't see in other swing systems (like the right forearm takeaway, the magic of the right forearm)

That said, the book is a very tough read. Since H.K. wanted it to be a field manual for instructor, he kept it short. Many aspects are only mentioned once, sometime in a single sentence. There are no explanations of the reasons behind the statements, something I miss very much. All in all, I'd say that for most people it would be a several year journey to get most of what's in there (and I'm only through the first year...).

Yes, I think you wil benefit from reading it, in particular since you want to become an instructor.

[BigMikey]

Thanks,

At least I can know what I'm stepping into when I read this book.  I'll order it this week and give any feedback I can after I get through it.

Update: Just ordered the book today.  Also to boot, I contacted Lynn Blake who isn't too far from me here in Atlanta to possibly be my instructor for this year.  I figure if I'm going to learn anything from this book I better talk to someone who actually understands it.  I'll update you guys as I progress.

[gmbtempe]

The biggest problem people who buy The Golf Machine that I find is that it does not present a "this is the way you should swing and here is how to accomplish it" which is the basis of most golf instruction books.  There are just different components of a golf swing and the book lays those out, makes distinctions between the components, and tells you which ones fit with each other, IE someone who drive loads the shaft would benefit stopping the backswing at the Top position rather than the End (club parallel at top).

[Zeph]

TGM is not an instructional book, it's an encyclopedia for the golf swing. Which is how I use it most of the time, looking up topics I want some in-depth information about. It is most definitely not a book for the average golfer, hardly one for the better ones too. You better be pretty interested in the golf swing for reading it.

[lipout]

This thread has been quiet for a while, perhaps this will help get it started again.

I have had TGM for about 2 weeks.  Fortunately, I had read the book about TGM beforehand, so I knew that it was meant as a reference manual for teachers, not for people like me unless I was prepared for some serious study effort.

I am on my third read, and I am starting to find my way round the book, the cross referencing and the language.

I think I understand, at this point, maybe 0.1% of the book.  But that 0.1% has already improved my game.  My first takeway was that you were either swinging or hitting.  That was news to me (and I have a LOT of golf instruction books).  Then I got a slight grasp on what swinging was and where the power came from. Once I got the idea of "accumulator #4" from TGM, I was able to power a basic Stack and Tilt swing with body pivot and let the hands uncock automatically.

That was a revelation to me.  It moved me from a short hitter in my group to a good average in one go.  I now realise that I have been "throwing" the club and / or over accelerating from the top all my golfing career and TGM has already given me the language and insights to start to make progress.

My latest clue from TGM has been to swing the right forearm on plane.  This is helping me hit from the inside.

I would visit a TGM professional, but there are none nearby.  So, I will carry on and get as much as I can from TGM.

My take on TGM is:  this is the "mother lode" of golf knowledge.  But it takes a LOT of work.  So far it has taken 3 reads, each one several hours of intense reading, to get 2 actionable clues.   But I have spent many more hours and much more money with pro lessons and other golf books and got far less.

I really wish I had found it years ago.

[parsnates]

Since I've never seen a golf tip that I didn't like, I don't have the courage to read TGM. At my level I feel it would be like trying to learn about the solar system by staring at the sun. There is, however, a great book by Scott Gummer called "Homer Kelley's The Golfing Machine (The Curious Quest That Solved Golf)". It takes you through Kelley's journey and beyond. If you're like me and have an insatiable thirst for golf history, theory, etc, etc, you'll find this a thoroughly enjoyable read. Has anybody else on this thread read it? (Btw, I've finally created an account and this is my first post.)

[nevets88]

Richie3Jack has a TGM translation the spans a couple of dozen links: try it here

Look to the right menu for the links to all the other parts.

[Rennie]

Lipout:

I agree with everything you are saying. I am very analytical so I could tolerate going back and forth in TGM. I learned in 2006(?) about the (Hardy) two plane (swinger) and one plane (hitter) swings. Before that I  tried to incorporate every tip that sounded good to me and I just got messed up. But now that I am reading TGM (over and over), I can weed out the swing tips and use the hitter tips. One thing that has particularly helped me is getting all of my swing thoughts moved into feel. I started playing golf at 46 so I never had a natural swing with good rhythm and tempo.  That is just starting to come around. for me.

[Backhoe]

I have to agree. Right now the game of golf is struggling. People are leaving golf because it is simply too hard to initially learn. We really need a teaching platform that can get the bulk of the new players up to a level they can feel good about their game quickly. The Golfing Machine does not provide that platform.