To say The Golfing Machine was ahead of its time when first published in 1969 is an understatement. It was revolutionary - Homer Kelley had single-handedly transformed golf instruction. Fifty years later his work is still considered a must-read for serious golfers and instructors everywhere. Usually an ambiguous term in the golfing world, relating somewhat to the overall speed or tempo of the swing. But in The Golfing Machine, rhythm is defined as “holding all components of a rotating motion to the same RPM”. (5) That’s to say — on the downswing especially — the shoulders, hands and club should all be turning with the same RPM (revolutions per minute). That’s not to be confused with speed, however. For starters, Homer said that EVERY golf swing is comprised of 24 components. These include things like the grip, the grip type, the stance, alignments, down-swing types, etc. etc. No matter what golfer you look at, they will ALL have some variation of these 24 components.

The golf ball will start LEFT of the target (Pull) if the club head comes into the impact zone from the outside (above the swing plane). The Muscular Force Swing, uses the muscles of the right arm to generate force and deliver it to the ball through a set of levers created by the golf club and the players arms and hands, as the right arm unfolds. The force is stored and released into the ball during impact as a linear thrust that propels the ball toward your target. also closely associated with power accumulators (see "understanding chapter 6" above), and the "Basic Motion." Also see Jeffrey Mann's analysis of this topic. Kelley was not a competitive golfer or even a teacher until later in life, but his book showed us how science could be applied to golf. The same laws that govern the universe also govern golf [1]That’s right, it’s not just a book but an entire system that has a worldwide certified teacher program too. So if you read the book but want a set of professional eyes on your swing too, you can also find an instructor as well. Principles of the Golfing Machine Teachers are hindered by student’s attitudes, physiology, practice time and desire — it is up to the student to listen, absorb and apply the information given in the classroom (the lesson tee) in the best way for them personally. Sometimes this take two seconds, two minutes or two weeks, but if students review the lesson tape they are given they will see what the instructor is trying to do over the long haul. And if they have questions, they need to ask! That is what teachers are there for in the first place!

The "Swinger" pulls the club head down and through impact, while the "Hitter" pushes the club head. If you will spend even an hour on the range or course with that alignment rod and follow these tips, your scoring average will improve a ton, and getting better with these pitch shots will improve your overall ball striking as well. More from the Wedge Guy

Chapter 1 - This chapter outlines Homer's overall theory of the golf swing and the way that he believes a student should learn it. He discusses how golf should be mastered step by step, and without a clear understanding of each step, a golfer will be plagued by frustration forever. He also states in this chapter that golf was never meant to be a "simple" game: "Demanding golf instruction be kept simple does not make it simple - only incomplete and ineffective." He later explains (in a vague manner) the "machine concept" behind the book. When the book was published in 1969, there were both skeptics and followers to Homer’s work. To the skeptics, Homer would always patiently approach criticisms with “That’s an interesting thought, but what if you looked at it this way?” He made sure that people understood that he did not make up the information in the book; that, in fact, The Golfing Machine is based on scientific principles covering physics and geometry. Homer – using the same problem solving techniques that he used with any job combined with the basis of his faith as a Christian Scientist – explained that he simply applied these age-old proven principles to the golf swing. And with that, The Golfing Machine was born. Challenge yourself. One of my favorite on-course practice games is to spend a few minutes around each green after I’ve played the hole, tossing three balls into various positions in an area off the green. I don’t let myself go to the next tee until I put all three within three feet of the hole. If I don’t, I toss them to another area and do it again. You can do the same thing on the range. Define a challenge and a limited number of shots to achieve it. With a book so complex by nature, it often begs the question as to how one can make this knowledge useful for their own game? Homer specifically states in the book that there is far too much information in the book for one golfer to apply across his/her entire game, so where do we even start? As you swing, your golf club will describe an INCLINED PLANE somewhere between HORIZONTAL and VERTICAL.

The golf ball will start STRAIGHT at the target if the club head comes into the impact zone on plane. A swinger of the golf club creates acceleration and impact with centrifugal force. By maintaining a stable center of gravity, a swinger can create an axis of rotation for the golf swing. Meanwhile, in the Golfing Machine system, there are tons of different variations of swing plane based on the 24 components. What pros use The Golfing Machine swing method?R, 2-S, and my posts on the inclined plane and ball-flight laws (which explains much of the unnecessary jargon that exists in chapter 2 of the book). Homer’s vision was to create an Authorized Instructor network, so instructors could share the knowledge contained in his book and ensure its proper instruction for golfers worldwide. Up to his death in 1983, Homer worked diligently to realize that vision.” While I love all of the books above, let’s not forget about the iconic history and amazing stories of this great sport. If you are not looking for technical books about how to swing better, improve your short game or master your mind, take a look at some of these choices. 11. The Greatest Game Ever Played, by Mark Frost The instructor can only inform and explain — the student must absorb and apply.” Can you get golf instruction to learn about the Golfing Machine Method? So, let’s get down to the basics to see if I can shed some light on these ultra-important scoring shots.