Lesson Breakthrough

[SteO]

I have had golf lessons with various pro's over the years but never really seen a vast improvement despite practising the "new moves" religiously after each lesson but seeming to get worse instead of better.

I have now had 2 lessons in the last couple of weeks with a pro that teaches "The Golfing Machine" method but doesn't get too technical with it. The simplicity in which he teaches and the explanation of why things work or don't work is like a breath of fresh air to me. I am already seeing a big improvement in my ball flight and ball striking as I am now getting the club more on plane than I ever have in the past and really starting to compress the ball.

Still a long way to go and yet to try it out on the course but at least I now have a clearer understanding of my swing and why my misses occur.

Can't wait for my next lessons and hope the improvements continue as I get more used to the changes.

It has certainly made me a believer in lessons again.

 

[Curls]

It has certainly made me a believer in lessons again.

Snap.

Had a couple over the years, never saw any real improvement (like yourself, quite the opposite). And like yourself Im a long way off consistency but the quality of ball strike Im getting when I do hit it is vastly superior to what I was doing so Im going to stick with it a while anyway.

Unfortunately he also explained to me that I'll spend my whole life fighting against my natural instinct which is to clear my body really quickly. Its how I always generated power being a slight build, now he's getting me to turn my shoulders more and slow the body down. It doesn't want to and apparently it never will.

Depressing eh?!

Not really, if I ever dont enjoy it Ill go back but its worth a try. Good luck with the lessons, game on.

 

[Maninblack4612]

I bought a copy of "The Golfing Machine" from the USA a while ago. Couldn't make head nor tail of it, not even sure it was about golf. Sold it on EBay to a Scottish pro.

 

[SteO]

I bought a copy of "The Golfing Machine" from the USA a while ago. Couldn't make head nor tail of it, not even sure it was about golf. Sold it on EBay to a Scottish pro.

I haven't even the seen the book but the instruction I am getting makes perfect sense and is working. Don't think I'll ever bother with the book

 

[virtuocity]

TGM is a really interesting teaching style. Hopefully you start to see the results on the course. Keep the thread updated!

 

[Curls]

TGM is a really interesting teaching style. Hopefully you start to see the results on the course. Keep the thread updated!

I'm unfamiliar - anyone care to put it in a nutshell please? (without the "google is your friend" response )

 

[Maninblack4612]

I'm unfamiliar - anyone care to put it in a nutshell please? (without the "google is your friend" response )

Written by an engineer, Homer Kelly, who studied the mechanics of the golf swing for about 40 years & wrote "The Golfing Machine" detailing every single element & variation of every move of the golf swing. There's a very interesting book about him

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Homer-Kelle...400684884&sr=8-2&keywords=the+golfing+machine

He died in the middle of giving a lecture about his theories.

 

[Curls]

Written by an engineer, Homer Kelly, who studied the mechanics of the golf swing for about 40 years & wrote "The Golfing Machine" detailing every single element & variation of every move of the golf swing. There's a very interesting book about him

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Homer-Kelle...400684884&sr=8-2&keywords=the+golfing+machine

He died in the middle of giving a lecture about his theories.

Interesting, never heard of him/it. Cheers for sharing, for the time being I think that if I fill my head with any more technical stuff it'll be counter-productive!

 

[cliveb]

... yet to try it out on the course ...

That's when you'll find out if things are genuinely improving.

Don't know about others, but I always seem to hit the ball far better on the practice ground than I do on the course. (And when playing a game, I hit the ball better in a friendly than in a competition, of course).

 

[the_coach]

I'm unfamiliar - anyone care to put it in a nutshell please? (without the "google is your friend" response )

As it says on the fly sheet in TGM by Homer Kelley. "The Star System of G.O.L.F. (Geometrically Oriented Linear Force)"

Putting TGM in a nutshell pretty impossible in a sense, is what Sean Foley said once, he went on to say at a coaching seminar I was at that, if he could have a do-over, it would be for Homer Kelley to still be around to re-write his brilliant instruction in a more readable & indigestible style so more folks could really understand it. As what was in it, if, you could understand it, was truly remarkable.

Many of the tenets of TGM in one way or another underly pretty much all sound golf teaching, most of the best instructors around use all of the underlying principle's, most knowingly, some unknowingly.

It's about various key alignment & pressure points, the use of the 'levers' & rotational movement. Golf stroke uses mainly two basic elements, the Geometry of a 'circle' & the Physics of rotational forces.

The number one key alignment being the 'flat left wrist' (& the law of the fail). It's sort of alignment golf which does away in a way with mandatory positions, as positions per se can be executed exactly & still miss the ball.
The book itself is a very tough read, but has many very sound reasons in it, in how to make a good & very efficient swing motion. Feel in combination with sound technical mechanics.

I'm fortunate enough to have a signed copy of TGM hardcover 1st edition, signed by Ben Doyle USPGA, GSED he was the Pro at Carmel Valley CC, Ben who is the first authorized TGM PGA Pro instructor by Homer Kelley back a good ways in 1969 when Ben was at a club in Seattle.
Sadly, he lost his wife just couple years back, now well in his 80's & in a retirement home in San Fran to be near his daughter. He was for many years the Pro at Carmel name changed to The Golf Club at Quail Lodge (the one in Monterey. CA, not Hollow ...) His grandson 'Ben Doyle' is now the pro there, so 'full circle', kind of apt in a ways.

 

[Curls]

As it says on the fly sheet in TGM by Homer Kelley. "The Star System of G.O.L.F. (Geometrically Oriented Linear Force)"

Putting TGM in a nutshell pretty impossible in a sense, is what Sean Foley said once, he went on to say at a coaching seminar I was at that, if he could have a do-over, it would be for Homer Kelley to still be around to re-write his brilliant instruction in a more readable & indigestible style so more folks could really understand it. As what was in it, if, you could understand it, was truly remarkable.

Many of the tenets of TGM in one way or another underly pretty much all sound golf teaching, most of the best instructors around use all of the underlying principle's, most knowingly, some unknowingly.

It's about various key alignment & pressure points, the use of the 'levers' & rotational movement. Golf stroke uses mainly two basic elements, the Geometry of a 'circle' & the Physics of rotational forces.

The number one key alignment being the 'flat left wrist' (& the law of the fail). It's sort of alignment golf which does away in a way with mandatory positions, as positions per se can be executed exactly & still miss the ball.
The book itself is a very tough read, but has many very sound reasons in it, in how to make a good & very efficient swing motion. Feel in combination with sound technical mechanics.

I'm fortunate enough to have a signed copy of TGM hardcover 1st edition, signed by Ben Doyle USPGA, GSED he was the Pro at Carmel Valley CC, Ben who is the first authorized TGM PGA Pro instructor by Homer Kelley back a good ways in 1969 when Ben was at a club in Seattle.
Sadly, he lost his wife just couple years back, now well in his 80's & in a retirement home in San Fran to be near his daughter. He was for many years the Pro at Carmel name changed to The Golf Club at Quail Lodge (the one in Monterey. CA, not Hollow ...) His grandson 'Ben Doyle' is now the pro there, so 'full circle', kind of apt in a ways.

Wow - cool write up! Thanks for taking the time, I was thinking when reading the blurb about the book amazon link about Sean Foley and wondering if he was an exponent of this - seems so!

 

[the_coach]

Wow - cool write up! Thanks for taking the time, I was thinking when reading the blurb about the book amazon link about Sean Foley and wondering if he was an exponent of this - seems so!

No worries, Mr Doyle was at Quail (Carmel Valley) for some time, & it's in my neck of the woods.
Great man, great teacher (although I never had a lesson from him personally, but met him a few times & was fascinated listening to him talk about golf, i was a kid at the time & he signed the book for me)
Eventually I got taught for a short while at more or less the same time as a then too teenage Sean Foley by Gregg (the hat) McHatton at a club not too far from LA. The Hat had lessons from Mr Doyle.

So Foley is fully aware of TGM, but he doesn't teach TGM, he's adapted his own way of teaching but has that base knowledge behind him.

To be honest the book unless you have studied in some depth the golf swing, ball flight & the physics of a golf swing, I wouldn't recommend trying to read the book it's probably going to be a ways too confusing.

 

[SteO]

No worries, Mr Doyle was at Quail (Carmel Valley) for some time, & it's in my neck of the woods.
Great man, great teacher (although I never had a lesson from him personally, but met him a few times & was fascinated listening to him talk about golf, i was a kid at the time & he signed the book for me)
Eventually I got taught for a short while at more or less the same time as a then too teenage Sean Foley by Gregg (the hat) McHatton at a club not too far from LA. The Hat had lessons from Mr Doyle.

So Foley is fully aware of TGM, but he doesn't teach TGM, he's adapted his own way of teaching but has that base knowledge behind him.

To be honest the book unless you have studied in some depth the golf swing, ball flight & the physics of a golf swing, I wouldn't recommend trying to read the book it's probably going to be a ways too confusing.

Been looking at The Hats videos on youtube along with those by Tom Tomasello. Both very informative and simplify TGM.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Some great insights to a concept I hadn't heard of. Mind you until I hooked up with the teaching pro I use, I hadn't heard of Plane Truth either. He is a great believer in that methodology although will adapt his approach depending on the pupil. I am a great fan of lessons and just starting to reap the rewards for the work I did in the winter of 2012 (although the 2013 season was a write off and took much longer to bed big changes in) and the work I did last winter.

Several wins, a lot of consistency and a new found enjoyment for the game. I've even got a semblance of a short game. Stick with what your doing and I hope you get the rewards and successes hard work deserves

 

[the_coach]

Yoda: aka Lynn Blake on his life with The Golfing Machine.


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