3Jack's Translation of TGM: Part 8

Part 8 and all of its sub-sections will translate Chapter 7 of TGM. All Chapter 7 does is give a general overview of each of the 24 basic components of the golf swing. It does not go into details of the variations of these components, just a general overview and how the component works.

7-1 (Grips - Basic)

Basic grip is just a term for holding onto a grip. So that includes, overlap, double overlap, reverse overlap, interlock, 10-finger, etc.

The grips with hitters and swingers should differ only in tightness. Usually the hitter will grip the club tighter than the swinger because the swinger needs to have an 'oily' left wrist so centrifigul force can do its work. But the hitter doesn't use centrifigul force and has a very rigid or 'frozen' right wrist. Ted Fort likes to say that if you are a hitter, you should feel like you are gripping the club hard enough to leave permanent fingerprints on the club. Ben Doyle usually teaches a 'swinger' procedure and likes to tell his students to be able to grip the club hard, but with loose wrists.

7-2 (Grip Types)

Grip types is more about the relation of the left and right hand and basically gets into a 'strong, weak, neutral' grips.

Homer states that if the hitter moves the ball back in their stance, they are setting themselves up for a hook. Conversely, if they move the ball up in their stance, they are setting themselves up for a fade. Trackman has gone over this as being quite true and that's where all that 'swinging left' business comes. Because the golfer moves the ball back in their stance, the Angle of Attack gets steeper. So if they have a path that is square to the target, it actually effectively becomes an inside-to-out path due to what's called the spin axis imparted on the ball. Conversely, if they move the ball up in the stance, their Angle of Attack becomes more shallow and that takes a path square to the target effectively become an outside-to-in path.

7-3 (Strokes - Basic)

Homer talks about the importance of the right elbow in the golf swing because of how much the right arm participates in the golf swing and the right elbow location dictates the type of right arm participation.

There are 3 Major Basic Strokes, all dependent on the 3 different elbow lcoations. Those elbow locations are known as pitch elbow, punch elbow and push elbow.

Because hitters use an 'angle of approach' and a swinger uses an 'arc of approach', their right forearm position at the top of the swing must differ. And because their right forearm position differs at the top of the swing, so does the location of their right elbow since the elbow is 'connected' to the forearm. Here's a Lynn Blake video explaining this.



So at the top of the swing, the right forearm is at about a 90* angle for a swinger and at about a 45* angle for a hitter (looking at the golfer from the DTL view)

Homer then gets into the 'right forearm on plane at impact', that's just having the right forearm and clubshaft in line with each other at impact.


Most high handicappers tend to have the right forearm above the clubshaft at impact. Most Tour pros have the right forearm 'on plane' at impact. Those who do not, usually have the right forearm just slightly above the plane and usually hit a fade.

Bending and Straightening the Right Elbow will RAISE AND LOWER the left Arm and/or COCK AND UNCOCK the Left Wrist without Bending, Flattening, or Cocking the Right Wrist. So, Right Elbow Action either powers and/or controls all three elements of Three Dimensional Impact. All this you will come to know as THE MAGIC OF THE RIGHT FOREARM.

This is a key quote. Like I mentioned earlier, there are *some* PGA Tour pros who do not have the right forearm on plane at impact


However, if you have your right forearm on plane at impact, you're much better off than not having your right forearm on plane at impact. My own golf swing focuses very much on the right elbow and the right forearm. If I'm a bit off in my swing, I usually work on where the right elbow and right forearm position is. My waggles at address are very focused on sensing and feeling the right elbow and right forearm. Swinger or a hitter, if you can sense the right elbow and right forearm and get those into some good positions and alignments, you're very close to 'getting there.'

7-4 (Strokes - Basic)

Stroke variations is the number of power accumulator the golfer uses in a particular stroke. There are 4 Power Accumulators and the number of accumulators used are termed as 'barrel' stroke. Thusly,

Single Barrel = 1 PA used
Double Barrel = 2 PA used
Triple Barrel = 3 PA used
Four Barrel = 4 PA used

Remember, the downswing sequence of release the PA's is #4-#1-#2-#3. However, only the hitter can *possibly* use all 4 PA's. The swinger can only use 3 PA's because they should not be using the #1 PA (folding and straightening of the right arm).

Homer states that it may appear golfers who do not use some Accumulators in their Stroke are actually using those PA's. But in actuality, the accumulators participation are 'negligible, incidental or minimal. Or their presence may be simply improper execution.

Homer states that full understanding and mastered skill in each power accumulator will allow the golfer to establish a correct execution of the accumulator and a proper sequencing of each accumulator. However, 'it is not at all necessary for the non-teaching player to know any more combinations than he finds useful to his own game.'

Just more customization and individualization from TGM.






3JACK

Playing In Wind & TGM

Thought I would use some of the translation to apply to the game. In this post, I'll talk about playing in wind and TGM.

Here's a general rule with golfers. Wind = higher scores. On a side note, the one weather factor that usually has differing results in rain and precipitation. Usually the good players do very well on a wet course. However, the average amateur struggles heavily on a wet course. But we'll get into playing on a wet course at a different time.

The big key to playing in wind deals with the #1 alignment in the golf swing according to TGM. That's the flat left wrist at impact.


That creates compression an compression will drive the ball into the air instead of letting the ball float or balloon into the air. That being said, I believe that playing in wind can help teach a golfer how to have that #1 alignment and compress the ball. When I think of some of the greatest ballstrikers ever, I think of Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan and Lee Trevino. All guys that grew up playing in Texas where it can get awfully windy out on the plains and the hardpan made things difficult as well. That forced these guys to learn how to get the #1 alignment and compress the ball.

The one thing you'll notice about playing in heavy wind is that it requires a lot of half shots. Get a lot of wind in your face, then you need to take a half shot to control the trajectory. Get a lot of wind at your back, then you wind up hitting a lot of half shots to hopefully control distance. In my estimation, the 3 most common ways to hit the ball lower are:

• Choke Up on the Club
• Play the Ball Back in Your Stance
• Abbreviate Your Follow Thru
• Weight Forward
  

You can do all four at once or any combination for that matter. Most high handicappers don't realize that choking up on the club will usually create a lower trajectory. But it does because it create a slower clubhead speed so the ball isn't as likely to scoot up in the air.

If I want to keep the ball really low, I usually find that choking up on the club by itself typically is not the answer. But it's important to note that if you have a tailwind and you are choking up on the club, the ball is likely to go low and you may wind up well short of the target because you didn't get enough height on the shot.

Playing the ball back in your stance is a very good way to keep the ball low. However, if you are taking your normal swing and just moving the ball further back in your stance, there's some things you should note:

The ball flight only goes lower with the ball back in your stance because the Angle of Attack is steeper. Contrary to popular golf instruction's beliefs, a steeper angle of attack will usually cause a lower trajectory. The steeper the angle of attack, the more left you need to swing in order to hit it straight. Ever hit a short, low punch under some trees? For most golfers who do not come over the top they almost inevitably hit a draw. That's because their Angle of Attack was steeper and they took their normal clubhead path. So if they want to hit that shot straight, they actually need to move their incline plane angle slightly to the left and 'swing left.'

The same applies if you're taking a full swing and moving the ball back in your stance to keep the ball lower. Provided that your clubface is relatively square to the target and you're not coming over the top, the only way to hit it straight with the ball further back in your stance is to swing left. But remember, it's not a big degree of swinging left. If your angle of attack is -10*, then you swing left by 5*, which is noticeably, but not wayyy left. But again, if you swing left, the face HAS TO BE SQUARE TO THE TARGET. If you want to hit a low fade, then you better swing very far left. That's why low fades are difficult to hit.

Now, the abbreviated follow thru part I find very important. This is often referred to as a 'knockdown shot' or a 'punch' or a 'stinger.' I feel the 'stinger' is basically punch or a knockdown, but with some type of wood, be it a fairway wood or a driver. Here's Tiger showing the punch and the stinger.



As you can see, the ball is moved a little back in the stance, the weight is a little foreward and the backswing is a full swing, it just doesn't go as far back either due to the club and/or the setup position making it hard to go as far back as normal.

But the main concept of the punch/knockdown/stinger is it's a full backswing, half follow thru. Or as Tiger has said, feel like you finish your hands at your rib cage. Of course, that's just a suggested feel, I suggest taking a slow full backswing and a slow downswing that stops halfway at the follow thru and see what that feels to you like.

The weight forward is just another way to help the golfer come down with a steeper angle of attack. And like I stated earlier, provided everything else is 'normal', if you come down with a steeper angle of attack you need to swing further left to hit the ball straight.

One other thing to keep in mind is the old saying 'when it's breezy, swing easy.' This is important for a couple of reasons.

1. An easier swing can generate slower clubhead speed which helps lower trajectory.

2. Since some of the alignments are altered, it helps to swing a little slower so you can still be precise with those alignments.

If I were to have a golfer come to me and ask me to eliminate the flip I would work on practicing a lot of punch shots. In fact, Ben Doyle is known to work on the punch shot with his students. I think this is fantastic because you'd be amazed at how many golfers cannot hit a quality punch shot, even from very short distances (say 120 yards) on a consistent basis. So if the golfer thinks they are eliminating the flip, I'd want to see their punch shot stroke. Furthermore, I'd tell them to go out and play a round of golf and add the twist that every full iron swing shot will now be a punch shot. They certainly will not score like they would, but they should be able to put in a decent score. I could probably shoot around an 80 doing that as a +1 handicap (remember, just full iron shots) and not even putt all that great.

Usually what happens with the higher handicappers is that they'll struggle a bit with a slice because they come over the top. Then once they get that down, they hit a hook...not only because they are not swinging far enough left, but because they are flipping the hands in order to keep the ball low and that closes the clubface quite a bit. A good player who doesn't flip can hit punches all day long because they know how to maintain their flying wedges with ease.

We talked a bit about the Aiming Point Concept and this is important to note here.


As I mentioned in the Translation Post of Aiming Point, if you choke up on the club, the aiming point moves forward. And thru trial and error I've found that if you move the ball back, the Aiming Point should move back towards the ball as well. If you move the ball up, the Aiming Point should be further out in front of the ball. That's important to note if you have a tailwind and you're trying to hit a big drive because it's so easy to let that lag pressure 'peter out' since your impact position is further ahead of where it normally is. And remember, once you lose that lag pressure, it's gone for that swing. Also with the ball up in your stance if you're trying to hit it high means you'll have to swing a little further out to the right to hit it straight, otherwise you'll hit a slice. To hit a high hook, you need to swing way out to the right. That's why it's hard to hit a high hook.

So here's a quick review:

1. When it's breezy, swing easy

2. Choking up causes the ball to go lower.

Ball Back In Stance = Aiming Point further back, swing further left

Ball Up In Stance = Aiming Point further in front, swing further right.

While all of these things can help dramatically improve your play in windy conditions, it's important to note that wind is usually the biggest weather deterent to low score. Mainly because it makes hitting GIR much more difficult and if you do hit a green, it's tough to get it close because your distance is likely to be off. So thus, putts/GIR becomes more difficult. GIR and putts/GIR are the top two statistics that correlate to stroke average. So with that, if it's windy you have to have the mindset that you will likely not hit as many greens nor make as many birdies. But the golfers who usually do well in the wind on Tour are usually the guys who putt and chip well, since it's unlikely somebody is going to go out and hit 16 greens and have a lot of close birdie putts on a windy day.





3JACK

Pescador Golf Shoes

Taking a small break from the translations of TGM posts, here's a pic of the Pescador Golf Shoes


Here's a video.



Hogan had the extra spike, Pescador has 15 spikes in this particular model!

I believe this model goes for $400.




3JACK

3Jack's Translation of TGM: Part 7G

Section 6-M goes into a general definition of the 'release', the sequence leading into the release, and a basic overview of the 2 different types of releases.

BASIC DEFINITION & OVERVIEW

The Release triggers the Power Accumulators into action and starts all the parts of the machine towards the 'Moment of Truth' (impact). All the golfer's attention will be directed towards the downswing sequence, so the full swing will flow smoothly thru impact from the top of the swing directly to the finish.

DOWNSWING SEQUENCE

The Power Accumulators release in the sequence of #4-#1-#2-#3 provided all of the Power Accumulators are used by the golfer.

Any Accumulator number may overlap or replace its preceding number, but cannot precede it.

Meaning, instead of a golfer using the sequence 4-1-2-3, they can go, 4-2-2-3. But, they cannot go 4-2-1-3.

RELEASE TYPES

There are two release types --- Automatic and Non-Automatic.

Non-Automatic = Drives the hands to their location at Impact.

Automatic = Drives the hands to the Aiming Point.

NON-AUTOMATIC RELEASE

The non-automatic release is part of the non-automatic stroke. The non-automatic stroke is actually what it sounds like, a swing that is not 'automatic.' Meaning that the golfer should consciously try and perfect each part of the swing and then consciously perfect the downswing sequence and the release of the power accumulators. Homer talks about never 'making a shot', but instead 'make a motion.' So if you want to hit a big fade, don't just try and hit the big fade and instead make the motion that will produce the fade. I think Hogan's slow motion drill is a good way to work on your Non-Automatic Stroke and the Non-Automatic Release.

AUTOMATIC RELEASE

Once the Non-Automatic stroke is mastered and it becomes a case where the golfer may have one or two swing feels and then they let it rip, the golfer can then push on to maximize things like delay of the release (aka maximizing trigger delay).

So basically, the non-automatic release focuses on the alignments. Getting those hands forward with some shaft lean so you have a flat left wrist at impact that is not bent nor arched.


Then once you get those alignments down and grasp those mechanics, you can feel what it's like when you have the proper mechanics and then you can approach the swing with a swing feel and let it rip.







3JACK

3Jack's Translation of TGM: Part 7F

6-F (Timing)

Homer talks about the 'Rope Handle Technique.' This is a technique used by many swingers in the startdown of the downswing. At the top of the swing, the golfer using a 'swinger' procedure will feel like they are pulling the club straight down with the left arm. This will feel like the golfer at the top of the swing is pulling a rope to a large bell straight down to ring the bell.

Homer states that 'timing' in golf terms is to bring the maximum force at impact.

With the 'rope handle technique' this moment of maximum force happens at the release.

There is also the 'axe handle technique' that Homer talks about and that's the technique employed by the hitter. This is basically the feeling of using an axe and driving the axe into the tree. If you want to grasp the axe handle feeling, I would suggest taking a club, pretending it's an axe and 'chop' an imaginary tree. That is the 'feeling.' There is no centrifigul force in the hitter procedure because the hitter actively drives the clubshaft into impact.

Homer says in the 'axe handle technique' this moment of maximum forces happens in the release as well, but to achieve it, the hitter needs to be more precise with their trigger delay and timing.

6-F-1 ('Right' Timing)

Homer states that to get the 'right' timing down, it's not a matter of PEAK SPEED, just a steady buildup of momentum (or force). So you want the clubhead to be steadily be gaining speed up to impact, but remember...according to the Endless Belt Effect (2-K), the hand speed stays the at a constant rate while the clubhead speed gradually gets faster.

Homer also says that 'right timing is actually Maximum Compresson.'

Acceleration ceases when the speed it has produced equals that of the thrust. So if the clubhead speed equals the speed of the thrust (or is greater than the speed of the thrust), the clubhead cannot accelerate anymore. Remember, LAG IS ELUSIVE. ONCE YOU LOSE LAG OR LAG PRESSURE, IT'S GONE FOR THAT SWING. That's because once the clubhead speed is at least equal of the speed of the thrust, the clubhead physically cannot accelerate anymore.

6-F-2 ('Off' Timing)

'Off Timing' is when there is not maximum compression. Off timing is a basic element of Zone #2 (the arms). However, Zone #1 (body -- pivot) can actually cause the arms to move improperly.

Homer notes that the flat shoulder turn can especially cause the timing to be off. This is important to note now since the Stack and Tilt guys preach an upright shoulder turn with an inside 'hand path' on the backswing. Homer believed that a too flat of a shoulder turn can be the result of faulty hip control.
Homer states:

These flaws may be uncovered by checking the selected Stroke Pattern. Or they may simply be components not yet incorporated into the Stroke, and therefore not known and consequently erratic. Three corrective actions are available -- and in the order of acceptability are -- incorporation, toleration, or compensation. Compensations are like temporary taxes -- seldom eliminated and soon forgotten.

So you may have a flaw in your swing that shows up in your stroke time to time, but is not fully incorporated in the swing. Thus it causes erratic swings. So you can either incorporate the flaw, tolerate the flaw or compensate for the flaw.

6-G (Hand Motion)

All swing motion is focused on driving the HANDS - NOT THE CLUB - towards the BALL.

Homer talks a bit more about this in the next few sentences. I would read those next few, self-explanatory, sentences. But this is a key part of TGM.

Again, Homer states that the focus is on DRIVING THE HANDS. The problem with most golfers is that they concentrate solely on driving the CLUB and usually the concept is to drive the ball INTO THE AIR. Good players tend to drive the HANDS into the BALL and provide a force that feels like they are driving the ball INTO THE GROUND.

Whether you hit or swing, keep those hands moving. Good 'hitters' keep those hands moving by using the force of the right arm thrust pushing them thru. Good 'swingers' keep those hands moving by using the force of the left side and pivot pulling those hands thru. Remember like I posted earlier, pretend at the top of the swing that your hands are a long distance runner and the finish line is outside your left thigh. You don't want the runner to stop short of the finish line and that will require you to either keep pulling that runner or keep pushing that runner into the finish line.







3JACK

3Jack's Translation of TGM: Part 7E

6-D (Throw Away)

Homer states that after the pressure point pressures have been established, the golfer's primary concern is the storage of the 'Assembly Point.' The Assembly Point is basically the position and alignments of the arms, hands, wrists and club at the top of the swing (there are some exceptions, usually with golfers who 'float load', which will be described later).


So you basically want to hold that angle at the top of the swing until 'triggering', when those angles are 'released' into the ball. Homer then says that both hitters and swingers have the 'power storage' problems below, but have to cope with them differently. So hitters and swingers have different component variations to their machines, but they often have the same problems. How they correct those problems is differently.

Here are the problems (not how they handle them).

1. The urge at the top of the swing to throw the clubhead from the wrists.

2. Too much hand speed throws the clubhead into orbit prematurely.

3. The FEEL that the uncocking of the wrists will align the clubface properly at impact. This forces the left wrist to bend backwards and produces a 'quitting' of the hands.

I find #1 and #3 the most common. #1 is a very impulsive move by the golfer. #3 usually consists of the golfer trying to square up the clubface by straightening out the RIGHT wrist instead of keeping the right wrist bent so the left wrist can remain flat at impact.

6-E (Thrust Direction)

A bit of a tough concept for most golfers to understand because most golfers use a 'swinger' procedure where thrust isn't as noticeable. Regardless if you swing or hit, the hands do thrust. With the hitter, they thrust the right arm. With the swinger, they let centrifigul force thrust the hands for them.

But what 6-E is really focused upon is the 'Aiming Point Concept' which is really about where the thrust should be directed. The Aiming Point Concept is a vital and brilliant concept. Not only can it produce precise golf shots, but it allows the golfer to further help customize their golf swing.

In fact, Bobby Clampett's book 'The Impact Zone' is largely based around the Aiming Point Concept.

All the Aiming Point Concept is a point, somewhere in front of the ball, where you want to aim that thrusting of the hands. If you are thinking of it in a hitter terminology where you are using the #1 Power Accumulator and are the 'boxer throwing the punch', the Aiming Point Concept is where you want the fist to punch.

Here's a pic of Clampett using the Aiming Point Concept


The problem I have with Clampett's 'Impact Zone' is that he says that the Aiming Point should always be 4 inches in front of the ball, regardless of the golfer and regardless of the club being used. This is unfortunate because Homer Kelley makes it a strong point that the Aiming Point should CHANGE depending on the golfer and the club being used.

Homer states that the two biggest factors in determining where the Aiming Point should be are the length of the clubshaft and the hand speed.

First off, the shorter the club, the further forward in front of the ball the Aiming Point should be. So let's say you find that your Aiming Point with a 9-iron is best at 4" in front of the ball. But if you have a 3-iron, you need to move the Aiming Point FURTHER BACK, say 1" in front of the ball.

Homer states that the SLOWER the hand speed, the further out in front the Aiming Point should be. We know from the Endless Belt Effect that a 'snap release' (Hogan) tends to have a slower hand speed. Thus a 'snap release' should have the aiming point further forward. Conversely, the 'full sweep release' (Watson) which requires faster hand speed means the Aiming Point should be further back.

Homer also states that if you choke up on a club, you move the Aiming Point further forward because the clubshaft is effectively made shorter.

Homer then talks about there being two ways to establish an aiming point.

1. Keep the ball position THE SAME, and adjust your Aiming Point accordingly. Homer then makes one of his greatest statements into the entire book:

'Try to drive the ball into the ground, not into the air.'

I find this to be vital for golfers because as Lynn Blake once stated, the clubhead motion thru impact is 3-dimensional (down, out and forward). Golfers can usually get the club moving 'out' and 'forward', but they usually never get enough 'down.'

A great drill for understanding the 'driving the ball into the ground' is to find a fairway bunker or if you can a practice bunker where you can take full swings out of it. Now, a basic way to hit a ball from a 'fried egg' out of the bunker is to square the face, play the ball back in your stance and swing the clubhead right at the ball (do not try to hit behind the ball like you would on a normal sand shot). Most decent golfers know how to hit the fried egg shot.

What I suggest is to take a 7-iron and give yourself some fried egg lies. Then, make your normal stance and normal ball position (don't play the ball back) with your normal swing, EXCEPT...you are going to want to hit straight down at the ball, just like you do with a normal fried egg lie from a greenside bunker. Just hit down on the ball. That should give you a FEEL that you can use when you go to hit a ball from a normal lie.

So in this procedure, I keep the ball in the same position at address...say just inside the left foot and I try to drive the ball into the ground. In order to do that, I have to move the Aiming Point further forward with the shorter clubs (i.e. PW, 9-iron) and further backs with longer clubs (i.e. driver)


2. The second procedure Homer recommends is that you can establish the Aiming Point and then MOVE the ball position in accordance to the established Aiming Point. So if the Aiming Point for your swing is around the tip of the left foot, move the ball forward or back in your stance depending on the club and just keep thrusting those hands, shot after shot, at the tip of the left foot. So with a SW, you need to have your Aiming Point further out in front of the ball. If your Aiming Point is at a fixed spot (the tip of the left foot), then the SW ball position needs to be moved further back. With a driver, you can play the ball near the tip of the left foot since the Aiming Point needs to be closer to the ball.


I personally use #1 for the most part. I prefer keeping one ball position, except for my driver which I move the ball up forward so I can have a more upward Angle of Attack to increase distance. However, I really don't use the Aiming Point in the sense of picking a spot to thrust my hands out in front of the ball. Instead, I think of driving the ball into the ground with the clubhead/clubface. And when I'm about to hit the ball, I want to have the pressure in PP #1 reach its maximum level. The big thing I think is I hit the ball my best when I can just feel like I'm hitting the ball into the ground and get a draw shot out of it. But remember, that's what worked for *me* and I use a 'hitting' procedure. When I use a swinging procedure, the concept is very much the same, but I am using the PP #2 and feeling like that it's reaching it's maximum pressure at impact and the I'm driving that ball into the ground using a 'karate chop' type motion.

There's one last picture done by Jeff Mann that I want to use to further illustrate the Aiming Point Concept.


The red line is the actual path Aaron Baddeley's hands take as they make the downswing. This red line path of the hands is considered a 'Straight Line Delivery Path' because as the hands are moving downward, they are moving in a straight line. Sure, the red line curves, but it doesn't curve until the hands stop moving downward and start moving forward, towards the target.

The yellow line is where Baddeley would likely direct his thrust (the Aiming Point) with a shorter club, like a 9-iron. The blue line is where Baddeley would likely direct his thrust with the driver. Again, Aiming Point changes with different clubshaft length.

For more on the Aiming Point Concept, I suggest part 20 of Peter Croker's TGM Downloads. I would also check out Jeff Mann's Web site on the subject which can be found here.






3JACK

3Jack's Translation of TGM: Part 7D

6-C-2-B (Angular Acceleration)

Very important to note the scientific formula for Force, which is F = M * A

That is: FORCE = MASS * ACCELERATION

Generally that is something every serious golfer should understand, even if you're say Fred Couples. Because when you are looking for say a driver, you need to weigh in the factors of the mass of the club and how fast you can swing it. If the club has a lot of mass, then it's likely to going to cut down on your accleration of swinging that mass. Swinging the club faster may mean decreasing the mass. Thusly, you need to find an optimal club that will give you optimal mass and acceleration (and then hope you can hit the thing accurately).

(Credit: Anonymous Reader who pointed out that the formula is Force = Mass * Acceleration instead of Force = Mass * Velocity, which I posted originally. For more, please see the comments section)

Homer states that on the downswing if you extend the swing radius that can increase the mass of the club which decelerates the hands. Per the Endless Belt effect, the hand speed is supposed to stay constant from the top of the swing thru halfway of the follow thru. So when you decelerate the hands, the clubhead decelerates as well. If you 'extend the swing radius' on the downswing, you are basically having 'clubhead throwaway' (aka casting) and losing that primary lever assembly.

Remember, you want the 'mass' to mostly be up in or near the hands on the downswing. That's where that clubhead lag pressure is. Let's take a look at Lindsey Gahm's swing:




While golfers that have clubhead throwaway tend to have a very circular hand delivery path and start to lose their primary lever assembly in a SIMILAR fashion to Ms. Gahm, the big difference is she keeps those hands moving at a constant rate and has plenty of lag pressure in the hands. This results in achieving the #1 imperative and alignment in the golf swing, the flat left wrist at impact.


The hacker who has throwaway slows down those hands and loses that lag pressure in the hands. That causes the clubhead increase in mass and the hands keep slowing down. One major thing to note in the golf swing is that ONCE THAT LAG PRESSURE IS LOST, IT'S GONE, YOU CAN'T GET IT BACK IN THAT PARTICULAR SWING. Furthermore, ONCE YOUR HANDS SLOW DOWN IN THE DOWNSWING, YOU CAN'T SPEED THEM UP IN THAT PARTICULAR SWING.

So when the high handicapper loses that lag pressure and the hands slow down, the clubhead mass effectively increases and that causes the throwaway.

6-C-2-C (Impact Cushion)

Pretty self explanatory here. That shaft bend you see at impact with good players at impact:


That's caused by the 'prestressed clubshaft' which will resist the added weight of the ball during impact.

Lag pressure will normally stay constant regardless of how much velocity is produced. The #1 PP (life line of the right hand that touches the left thumb) and the #3 PP (base joint of the right index finger) are a product of PA #1 (folding and straightening of the right arm).

6-C-2-D (Lag Loss)

There's a small degree of clubhead lag permitted by the flex of the clubshaft. That's one big reason why it's so easy to lose lag and have throwaway. The stiffer the shaft, the less margin there is to lose lag.

I get asked about this quite a bit in regards to shaft flex and the golfer. Per Endless Belt Effect, the smaller the 'pulley' the slower the hand speed can be to create an effective, powerful swing. The bigger the 'pulley' the fast the hand speed. So I believe (at this moment anyway), a lot of it has to do with the golfer's hand speed and their 'pulley.' Take two golfers with similar hand speed, but one with a 'snap release' (Hogan) and the other with a full sweep release (Tom Watson), then I would say the snap release golfer needs stiffer flex shafts and probably heavier shafts as well. Watson would need less stiff shafts and lighter shafts. It's no coincidence that Hogan had very stiff, heavy clubshafts. Sergio also has a 'small pulley' and good hand speed, and it's no coincidence that he has very stiff shafts. Somebody like Anthony Kim who has a medium sized 'pulley', but incredible hand speed needs somewhere in between a stiff and super stiff shafts.

Homer talks about 'over-acceleration' and that is basically the clubhead moving too fast and moving faster than the hands. As he classically puts it: 'Over-acceleration is the menace that stalks all Lag and Drag.'

6-C-2-E (Grips and Lag)

Homer states:

Clubhead Lag Loading should be the first factor learned in Zone #2 applications of the Grips. It should be introduced with the simplest Single Barrel Stroke Types, and become habitual before any other specifics are approached, to avoid the miseries of Address Position Impact.

What this means that the golfer should learn and grasp clubhead lag right away as part of 'training' or 'educating' the hands.

Homer splits the golf swing into:

- Single Barrel (only one power accumulator in the swing is used)
- Double Barrel (two power accumulators in the swing are used)
- Triple Barrel (three power accumulators used)
- Four Barrel (all four power accumulators used - hitters only)

So a single barrel stroke is the simplest of strokes, something like a putt or a chip. So even in a chip shot motion, the golfer should be able to execute and grasp clubhead lag. Not only that, it should become a habit before the golfer goes into other specifics of the golf swing.

As Homer states that the clubhead lag should be habitual 'to avoid the miseries of Address Position Impact.'

What Homer means by that is that the alignments and positions at address are vastly different than the alignments and positions at impact. Here's a sample of such.




If your impact position is the same as your address position, that will indeed cause you misery, frustration and anger in your golf game.





3JACK

3Jack's Translation of TGM: Part 7C

6-C-0

This talks about 'loading.' That means you are 'loading' up the power. Then you 'lag' the power, 'drag' the power and 'thrust' the power into the ball. It's a bit like a wrecking ball into a crane. The crane whips the ball back, then the wrecking ball lags, drags and releases (thrusts) all that energy and power into the brick wall. The major differece is the golfer can thrust the power whereas only centrifigul force is used in the wrecking ball.

Basically when something is connected to another object and it is trailing behind, it is 'lagging.' In the case of the golf swing, if the clubhead is trailing behind the grip, that clubhead is lagging. In the case of the flipper, the clubhead starts to move out in front of the grip...thus it is no longer lagging the clubhead. Homer refers to this as 'throwaway' because basically the golfer is 'throwing away' the lag. Somebody like Hogan got the clubhead way behind the grip, thus he had a ton of lag.

6-C-1 (Pressure Points)

There are 4 pressure points, with 2 of them in the right hand, 1 of them in the left hand and the other in the upper arm area:


PP #1 = Heel of the RIGHT HAND, right on the lifeline where it touches the left thumb or the clubshaft.

PP #2 = Last 3 fingers of the LEFT HAND.

PP #3 = The base Joint of the RIGHT index finger

PP #4 = Wherever the left arm contacts the left side.


Typically:

PP #1 & PP #3 = used by hitters

PP #2 & PP #4 = used by swingers

However, a golfer can use any ONE or any combination of pressure points.

6-C-2 (Clubhead Lag)

Homer states that Clubhead Lag is 'The Secret to Golf.' I know this may be unpopular to say, but this is in a way very different from Ben Hogan's 'Secret.' I'm not claiming that I know what Hogan's 'secret' really was, but I think most golfers need to worry about the 'real secret' --- creating lag --- instead of worrying about Hogan's secret. I believe Hogan's secret probably gave some end result where he could control the clubface better. Lag is great at not only creating power, but CREATING ACCURACY because it CONTROLS THE CLUBFACE BETTER than a golfer who flips the club through. But Hogan always had lag, he just couldn't stop letting that clubface close at impact and that's why early on he hit those snap hooks. So whatever his secret was, it was done to eliminate that shut clubface at impact.

I often talk about how realizing that 'creating maximum lag pressure at impact' took my game to another level and eliminated the flip. The key *for me* is the pressure points.

In my case, I use the #1 PP. When I can get maximum pressure at impact, that spells good news for me. That doesn't mean gripping the club with more pressure, but in this case, the left thumb is pressed at its maximum at impact. I believe this holds true for the other Pressure Points as well. Want to use the #2 Pressure Point? Feel maximum pressure with those last 3 fingers in the left hand at impact. The same goes if you use PP's 3 or 4 or any combination.

I think one of the largest issues with most, but not all golf instructors, even TGM AI's is that when teaching the grip they are concerned almost solely with where in the hands the grip is placed and whether the golfer has a strong, weak or neutral grip. I believe what's extremely key with the grip is if the golfer can sense the pressure points in the grip while addressing the ball and then use whatever pressure point or combination of pressure points in the swing. Put it this way, for myself:

Not sensing the pressure points at address = flipping

Sensing the pressure points at address = FLW at impact.

6-C-2-A

Homer states that the essence of clubhead lag is primarily aiming the lag pressure and thrusting the lag pressure point. The swinger 'subconsciously' thrusts the lag pressure point by pulling the left side and pivoting the body. The hitter 'consciously' thrusts the lag pressure point by thrusting the right arm and creating a piston like action with the right forearm into impact.

The clubhead lag pressure point is right where the #3 Pressure Point is. In fact, the #3 PP is considered the clubhead lag sensor. Here's a video from Jeff Evans describing this:



Homer talks about the clubshaft bending, which is sort of like this.


This is actually an optical illusion caused by the camera. The shaft actually bends somewhat like this at impact, like Homer describes. This is caused because you have pressure from the grip directed forward and the resistence of the clubhead hitting the ground.

If the Pivot moves the Right Shoulder at the same speed as the Primary Lever Assembly the Accumulators will not be released by this action until the right elbow can straighten.

That not only describes the importance of the right elbow and sequencing the pivot and the shoulder turn correctly, but describes how quick the accumulators release as the straightening of the right arm doesn't take very long.






3JACK

3Jack's Translation of TGM: Part 7B

I was going to do a video on the 4 Power Accumulators, but I lost my battery recharger to my camcorder. Instead, I'll do my best to explain them in this blog. We are now moving onto Power Accumulator #2, but I'm actually going to do Power Accumulators 2-4. I only did one post for PA #1 because that included a section on Extensor Action and since Extensor Action is important to understand if you want to fully grasp TGM, I couldn't fit PA's 1-4 and Extensor Action into one post.

For starters, Brian Manzella made a great video a few months ago explaining the Power Accumulators and that video can be found here. Plus, there is the part 10 of Peter Croker's TGM Downloads, which I highly recommend for any golfer interested in fully grasping TGM.

POWER ACCUMULATOR #2

Whereas the #1 Power Accumulator is considered 'muscle power' because it uses the muscles to fold and thrust the right arm, the #2 Power Accumulator is called 'velocity power.'

The #2 Power Accumulator is simply the vertical cocking and uncocking of the left wrist. I went over the positions of the left wrist...level, cocked and uncocked in a past post. Those pictures in that post showing the cocking and uncocking motion of the left wrist is the #2 Power Accumulator. Homer referred to that as the 'velocity accumulator' because of the 'shortness of travel time.' Indeed, the cocking and uncocking of the left wrist is very short.

Whereas I mentioned that the #1 Power Accumulator is like the motion of a boxer throwing a punch, the #2 Power Accumulator is like a person hammering a nail. So there is not a wide range of motion with this #2 Power Accumulator. It can also be like a 'karate chop' motion. If you were to have a camera pointing at you from the Face On view, at the top of the swing the back of the left hand should be facing the camera and stay facing the camera for most of the way down until impact. When I use a 'swinging procedure', I feel like I'm karate chopping that left hand into the ball. Or you could say I'm using that #2 Power Accumulator into the ball. Don't worry, the face will square at impact and then close hard into a horizontal hinge. That's centrifigul force at work. And if you want to use this 'karate chop' move, feel like you are trying to karate chop the ball right into the ground.

Maximum Power (PA #2)

obtained by maximum CONTROLLABLE hand speed and/or using a sharp breaking delivery path and max. trigger delay (I'll get into sharp breaking delivery path later on)

Max. Trigger Delay (PA #2)

Achieved by using an Automatic Snap Release (think Ben Hogan) or a Flip Release (not flipping, but think Ernie Els)

POWER ACCUMULATOR #3

This is a turning of the left wrist which is far different from the cocking and uncocking motion. Let's take a look at this swing sequence.


At the address position, the back of the left hand is facing the target. At the top of the swing the back of the left hand is facing the camera. Then at impact it's facing the target and then at the follow thru it's facing opposite of the camera. That's turning the left wrist. Uncocking is a hammering motion. Turning is a 'swivel' action. That's also the #3 Power Accumulator. Turn the left wrist back and the turn it thru.

You'll hear a lot of TGM'ers talk about 'throw out' motion and 'sending the clubhead into orbit.' That's part of the swinger procedure. The best way I can describe it is a feeling like you are either throwing the hands out towards the target or throwing the clubhead off the shaft out towards the target. Horizontal Hinging will create this feel. Angled Hinging doesn't have that throwout action.

The Flying Wedges I've gone over before in this video.

Maximum Power (PA #3)

For swingers, standard wrist action with a snap release and maximum width (aka maximum radius). For hitters, they have the wrists cocked, but not turned on the backswing because they use angled hinging.

Max. Trigger Delay (PA #3)

Swingers need to use a snap release. Hitters use a right arm throw.

POWER ACCUMULATOR #4

As explained before, #4 PA is a left arm motion. At address the left arm and then a line from the shoulders creates a 90 degree angle. At the top of the swing that angle reduces to about 45*, then at impact it is back to 90*


Homer called this 'radius power' because the left arm represents the radius of the geometry of the circle.

Maximum Power (PA #4)

Achieved by 'blasting the arm off the chest.' The shoulders turn on the downswing right against the 'left side connection.'

Max. Trigger Delay (PA #4)

Using a 'snap loading' ACTION. Very different from a 'snap release.' Snap loading is delaying the wrist cock in the backswing. Almost a bit like Nicklaus or Sergio Garcia. Then follow that snap loading with a snap release. Sergio is probably a perfect example of a guy who gets Max. Trigger Delay with the #4 Power Accumulator.

SEQUENCE OF POWER ACCUMULATORS

There is a sequence of the power accumulators. Homer believed that only the 'hitter' could potentially use all 4 power accumulators. The swinger could only use 3 power accumulators as Homer Kelley believed that the swinger should never use the #1 power accumulator.

So, for the hitter that does use all 4 power accumulators, that sequence goes 4-1-2-3. For the swinger that uses 3 power accumulators, the sequence goes 4-2-3. Now if a hitter only uses 3 power accumulators and does not use the #4 PA, then their sequence should be 1-2-3.

It's very important to note this sequence because more often than not, golfers get out of sequence. One of the issues I had when I used a swinger procedure was I was out of sequence going 4-3-2. So the left wrist was turning before it was uncocking on the downswing. Now that I use a 'hitter' procedure, I can pretty much use the #1 power accumulator (right arm punch motion) and that naturally uncocks the left wrist (#2 PA) and helps send my left hand into a swivel (#3 PA).



3JACK

3Jack's Translation of TGM: Part 7A

Part 7A will just go over the First Power Accumulator (6-B-1-0) and Extensor Action (6-B-1-D). Understanding the Power Accumulators and the Pressure Points are things that I've seen greatly help golfers even if they don't understand the rest of TGM. Each Power Accumulator discussed in the book talks briefly about the actual power accumulator and then talks about getting maximum power from the power accumulator. Then conversely it talks about what would provide zero power, then it discusses 'maximum trigger delay' from that accumulator.

6-B-1-0 (The First Power Accumulator)

This is the folding and then straightening of the right arm. The #1 Power Accumulator 'loads' as it folds in the backswing. It then starts to unload all that power as it steadily straightens in the downsing. Take a look at Hogan's swing and see how the right arm folds and then straighten and becomes fully extended in the follow through.

Again, notice how Hogan's right arm is bent as the club is almost at impact. Hackers tend to have a straight right arm at impact.

This folding and straightening of the right arm is very much akin to a boxer throwing a punch.

The right arm can only straighten as the left arm moves away from the right shoulder. Homer talks about the 'paddlewheel' and the paddlewheel motion. Below is a diagram of a paddlewheel.


These are used on ferries and steamboats to propel the boat forward. So imagine your right arm as one of the 'spokes' in the paddlewheel and the right arm pushes down in a counterclockwise motion, just like a paddlewheel.

The swinger does not use the #1 power accumulator according to TGM. Today's physicists are saying that's not exactly true, but according to TGM, the swinger does not use the right arm.

Maximum Power

Maximum force is produced by developing faster hand speed. But remember, according to the Endless Belt Effect, the hand speed must stay constant in the downswing.

Zero Accumulation

Only possible when the golfer pulls solely with the left arm. This is used by the swinger. The hitter *can* pull with the left arm slightly. I will get into this later on.

Maximum Trigger Delay

Delaying the lag of the club can be done by maintaining the wristcock on the downswing until the right elbow, from the golfer's perspective, 'passes the ball.' This may not be easily accomplished. However, I would suggest for those who want to have the right elbow 'pass the ball', they should greatly slow down their hand speed according to the Endless Belt Effect. This move of getting the right elbow to 'pass the ball' is part of pitch elbow, which I will get into later.

6-B-1-D (Extensor Action)

The base definition of Extensor Action is in the first line. It's exclusively the steady effort to straighten the bent right arm.

Homer also states:

It is in operation from Impact Fix to the end of the follow through.

Remember, at impact fix you're trying to get 'impact hands' at address. However, you're also trying to get 'impact elbow' at address. Since the right elbow is bent at impact, if you utilize 'impact hands' at address, then you want a bent right elbow.

Remember, extensor action is the steady effort to straighten the bent right arm. So it's not just a case of the right arm straightening out from the top of the swing to the follow thru. But it's actually the right arm straightening from the first place it's bent --- impact fix (provided the golfer uses impact hands at address).

Extensor Action also promotes:

1. Full extension of the left arm at all times
2. Full extension of the right arm for the follow through
3. The correct rate of clubhead closing
4. The proper type of support for 'passive' Clubhead Lag Pressure involving Wristcock.

Basically what extensor action does is it keeps your left arm straight on the downswing thru proper use of your right arm.

Furthermore, the right arm has a 'natural' need to fold at the elbow. So at impact fix, the right elbow is slightly bent. From impact fix to the top of the swing the right arm goes from bent to folding at the elbow. Then from the top of the swing to the follow thru, the right arm goes from folded at the elbow to straightening out into extension.

Because the right arm has a 'natural need' to *fold* at the elbow, proper extensor action will prevent this from happening and also prevent the left arm from bending. Here's a great pic of proper extensor action and improper extensor action and the problems it creates.




For more on the Power Accumulators and Extensor Action, check out part 9 and 10 of Peter Croker's TGM Downloads.







3JACK

3Jack's Translation of TGM: Part 7

6-A-1 (Triangle Assembly)

Triangle Assembly is the triangle that is formed between the arms and the shoulders. Homer assigns a number to each side of the triangle. The straight left arm is the forms Side One. The shoulders form Side Two. The right shoulder to the hands forms Side Three. Since the right arm can be bent or straightened...and remember, at impact the right arm should be slightly bent and after impact the right arm should straighten...the triangle can only change by changing the length of Side Three.

6-A-2 (Primary Lever Assembly)

Primary lever assembly is the left arm and the clubshaft and the 'lever' they form. Page 36 in the book goes over 3 different types of levers. Each lever has a fulcrum, a weight and a force.

In the primary lever assembly, the left shoulder is the fulcrum, the clubshaft down by the clubhead is the weight and the power (or 'force') is in between the weight (shaft) and the fulcrum (left shoulder). The pic on the bottom of page 67 shows Sally Kelley's primary lever assembly and where the fulcrum, weight and power (or force) are located.

The primary lever assembly is normally propelled by the Arms. The Arms are moved by the Power Accumulators and the Pressure Point #1 and/or Pressure Point #4 (we'll get into these later). The hitter normally uses PP #1, but can use PP #4. The swinger almost exclusively uses PP #4, but can use PP #1. There's more of a likelihood of a hitter using PP #4 than a swinger using PP #1.

6-A-2 (Secondary Lever Assembly)

Homer states that there's basically two lever assemblys. One is the left arm and the clubshaft. That is the Primary Lever Assembly.

The other Lever Assembly is just the club. That is the Secondary Lever Assembly. This Secondary Lever Assembly is also a Form III Lever.

In this Secondary Lever, the flat left wrist is the fulcrum, the clubhead is the weight and in between the the left wrist and clubhead is the power. Whereas the Primary Lever Assembly is propelled by the arms, the Accumulators and Pressure Points 1 and 4. The Secondary Lever is propelled by the hands, the Accumulators and Pressure Points 2 and 3.

6-A-4 (Arms)

Just briefly says that until after the follow thru, the left arm is never bent and the right arm is never straight.

The Left Arm bends if and when it is carried --- NOT THROWN --- closer than about 45 degrees to the Shoulder line.

I would say that the 45 degrees to the shoulder line is right about where the left arm is in the pic below:


As far as 'carried' vs. 'thrown', I believe what Homer is saying is that the left arm is 'carried' if it is moved by the pivot and/or right arm thrust instead of the golfer actively 'throwing' the left arm in the follow thru.





3JACK

3Jack's Translation of TGM: Part 6J

Part 6J will go over the last 3 sections of TGM, but mostly goes into Section 2-P.

2-P (Wristcock)

The Uncocking of the Flat Left Wrist is a Perpendicular Motion -- not a Horizontal Motion. - Homer Kelley

Perpendicular means 90*. So the left wrist uncocks on the downswing at a 90* angle to the ground. 2-P then goes over the left wrist positions.

Here are pics from Jeff Mann's Web site, showing the left wrist positions:

LEVEL OR NEURTRAL POSITION



COCKED POSITION



UNCOCKED POSITION


The left wrist can cock and uncock and also turn. When it uncocks, it's just a clubhead motion. When it turns, it's a clubface motion.

Clubhead Motion = Generating Clubhead Speed

Clubface Motion = Level of Accuracy

Wristcock shortens the radius, meaning that the 'width' of the circle in the swing will shorten when wristcock is involved. Watch golfers like Sergio Garcia who delay their wristcock in the backswing and they also have a larger radius.

However, when you uncock the left wrist on the downswing, that only extends the Primary Lever Assembly (the left arm and the clubshaft).

The left wrist will uncock in the 'swinger' procedure by Centrifigul Force. I have talked about one type of hitter procedure can see the golfer make a karate chop motion with the left hand at the ball. When that happens, centrifigul force will take over, square the clubface at impact, then close the clubface in the hinge action and create a horizontal hinge action. With the hitter procedure, the left wrist will uncock automatically when the golfer thrusts the right arm.

2-R just talks briefly about the pictures that will be used in the rest of the book. 2-S basically talks about taking the pictures in the book showing individual components of the swing and putting them together to create a 'whole picture.'

Homer does state:

Again it must be reitertated -- there is more information in this book than any golfer can use in many lifetimes. But it is not difficult to know everything in the book.

This is why I wanted to understand The Golfing Machine. I found it best for me to understand everybody's swing at some level in order to better understand my swing and create more precise alignments. Hogan is usually the standard of the golf swing and ballstriking that golfers usually wish to achieve. However, if you try to replicate his swing and don't understand The Golfing Machine you can find yourself missing key components of his Stroke and trying to replicate a swing that is something you cannot execute precisely time an time again. All the meanwhile missing out on a different style of swing that may be much better for you.

Obviously, a golfer doesn't need to know one thing about The Golfing Machine and getting into technical language may just confuse the golfer. But I believe there truly is a large 'market' for those who are best off learning TGM so they can eventually find their most optimal Stroke. And in the end, I don't think understanding TGM can hurt. It may not get the golfer to reach their golfing nirvana, but just understanding TGM will not result into regression.





3JACK

3Jack's Translation of TGM: Part 6I

2-N-0 (Clubhead Line of Flight)

Clubhead Line of Flight has a lot to do with the 'Visual Equivalents' (2-J-3) and Angle vs. Arc of Approach. John Furze, GSED did a great article on Clubhead Line of Flight. Homer states that the line of flight of the clubhead and the line of flight of the ball are not the same, but touch momentarily at impact.

Homer states that the closer the ball position is to the Low Point, the steeper the angle of attack and the higher the ball flight trajectory. However, according to Trackman, if you move the ball position back the angle of attack becomes steeper which causes the ball to fly lower.

There's also talk of the right forearm motion being 'three dimensional.' The clubhead motion at impact is 3 dimensional according to TGM. This means that when the clubhead of an iron strikes a ball, it makes the first motion of going further DOWNWARD (look at it from a Face On View). After it starts going downward, the clubhead will go further OUTWARD (to the right of the plane line -- just slightly), and then the clubwill go forward as the golfer follows thru and finishes. Thus the 3-dimensional motion of the clubhead is DOWN, OUT and FORWARD. The same can be said for the right forearm as well.

Homer talks about a feeling thru impact of making an underhand pitch motion. If you don't do that, you are either way underplane (aka roundhousing) or 'Steering' which is the hands trying to actively steer the clubface square to the target thru impact. Usually steering and getting above the plane (aka coming Over the Top) go hand in hand. This is important to note as most golfers who steer their buddies will tell them that they are not releasing the club or that they need to 'get behind it' when the real problem is they are coming over the top.

2-N-1 (Force Vectors)

Vector in physics is an 'influence.' So when we are talking force vectors, we are what influences force. Homer gives us three force influences.

1. For the outward part of the 'down, out and forward' motion of the clubhead thru impact, the PRIMARY influence of the downward foces is done by the shoulder turn (swinger) or the right arm thrust (hitter). The golfer can push or swing the primary lever assembly (left arm and the clubshaft) from when they are in the hinge motion and that will suffice as an outward force vector. Here's a Lynn Blake video explaining it a little better.



2. The Primary Downward Force Vector is produced by straightening the right elbow. The hitter can just straighten the right arm out. Homer notes that this includes uncokcing of the left wrist. This is what the 'swinger' can do. They can uncock the left wrist into impact and that will straighten out the right elbow. In fact, one way a swinger can use their procedure is feeling like they are making a karate chop of sorts with the left hand down into the ball. Without a club, take your normal swing to the top and stop. When you get to the top, the back of the left hand should be facing at the 'caddy' (aka the camera if you were filming from the face on view). Now, let your right hand go and as you make your downswing feel like you are karate chopping with the left hand with the back of the hand facing the caddy. It's natural to think that the golfer would shank it, but centrifigul force takes over, squares up the clubface and then causes the face to close in the hinging action and produce a horizontal hinge.

Homer also states that you can accomplish this downward force by just dropping, pulling or pushing the lever assembly downward.


3. The 'On Plane' Force vector is done thru getting the right shoulder on plane on the downswing and that's accomplished by tilting the axis (the spine) towards the back leg on the downswing.

This is important for golfers to learn so they can accomplish the flat left wrist at impact.

If the golfer is struggling with coming over the top, they may want to look at the outward and on-plane force vectors (#1 and #3). So they may want to look at their shoulder turn (swinger) or right arm thrust (hitter) as well as their right shoulder and see if that's on plane and if not, look at their axis tilt.

If the golfer is coming down on the ball with a steep enough angle of attack, then they should look at their left wrist uncocking on the downswing (swinger) or their right arm straightening (hitter).

I feel #2 force vector is important to grasp as Lynn Blake once said about the 3-Dimensional clubhead motion, most people can get the 'out' and the 'forward' part of the 3-D motion. However, where most golfers struggle is the 'down' part, they don't get enough 'down.'

Brian Manzella has stated that the proper amount of angle of attack with a 7-iron is about -3.5 to -4.0*. When I first went on Trackman, back when I had a flip and had a high ball flight, my Angle of Attack was at -2.7*. I've seen other flippers and high ball hitters have an Angle of Attack with a 7-iron in the -0.5 to -1.0* range. Now that I don't have a flip, my latest Angle of Attack numbers were in the -3.3 to -4.1* range.

Again, that's getting enough 'down' on the ball. I believe there's other factors that a golfer needs in order to be in a position to hit far enough down on the ball, but the main concept is that most Angle of Attacks by golfers are far too shallow and they don't have adequate downward force vectors to hit the ball with precision.






3JACK

3Jack's Translation of TGM: Part 6H

2-M-3 (Muscles)

Homer states:

Unless Pivot Thrust actually drives #4 Accumulator through Impact

I understand this as 'blasting the left arm' off the chest. The #4 Power Accumulator (there are 4 power accumulators) is the left arm and the shoulders. The left arm at address forms almost a 90* angle with a line from the right shoulder. At the top of the swing it reduces to about a 45* angle, and the turns back into 90* angle at impact.

Here's a diagram below:


'Blasting the left arm off the chest' is basically saying that at the top of the swing when the left arm is connected to the left side of the body, the pivot will throw the left arm right off the chest. It's almost like throwing a frisbee with the left arm.

If a golfer uses pivot thrust (usually a swinger) that forfeits right arm thrust (a hitter procedure).

A very important quote by Homer:

The Hands are strong, educated, adjustable Clamps attaching the Club to the Arms for control of the Clubface alignments.

I think it's very important to understand the clamps part (that's why I bolded it) and the strong part. The old saying that came from Sam Snead is that you should grip the club like you're holding a bird, light enough so you won't crush it, but strong enough so you won't let it fly away.

The problem with that is most people don't realize how big and strong Snead's hands were. And when they try to follow Snead's advice, they wind up losing that strong clamp onto the club. Ben Doyle, GSED probably had more sound advice where the hands could strongly hold the club, but the wrists are loose. I believe golfers who loosen the clamp struggle to use the power points to their full effect.

Another great quote from Homer Kelley:

The greatest hazard this Component faces is the belief that 'Effort' is 'Power.' No amount of effort will produce more than a player's maximum turning speed. Regardless of effort, you simply cannot push anything faster than you can run.

One of the big goals in developing a precise Golf Swing is to do it with effortless power, not powerful effort.

Homer then briefly gets into some kinesiology terms and what they effect in the swing, all of it is pretty self-explanatory.

2-M-4 (Body Power)

Gets into mostly 'blasting the left arm off the chst' and pivot thrust. Most of which I've already gone over.

The swinger can take from these as a way to use their pivot to contact the ball. 'Blasting the left arm off the chest' is very much like Jimmy Ballard's teachings of 'left side connection.' We've gone over some of the typical components of a swinger, so if you want to use left side connection, things like horizontal hinging should probably be one of the components of your swing.






3JACK

3Jack's Translation of TGM: Part 6G

2-L (Application of Force)

Very simple, Homer goes over the 3 forms of levers here. He then puts a diagram of each lever athte bottom of page 36. Of the 3 levers, only 'Form #3' is used in the golf stroke. Go to Section 6-A-2 and you will see how the Form #3 applies in the golf swing. The primary lever assembly in the golf swing is the relation of the left arm and clubshaft. The fulcrum in this case is the left shoulder, the weight isthe clubhead. And the clubshaft and the lag created is the force.

2-M-1 Basic Power

Homer states that the formula for clubhead power is 1/2 the mass of the clubhead * the velocity of the clubhead squared.

Clubhead velocity is developed by the thrust of the hands and the right arm which is an acceleration force.

Thrust may be muscular thrust (the hitter actively thrusting the right arm) or centrifigul force (the swinger pulling with the left side and the pivot and the right arm 'coming along for the ride').

Homer gets into some other stuff that's not all that overly important, but he does state this:

Still, always sustain the Lag through Impact AS THOUGH the Clubshaft were throwing the Ball off the Clubface -- NO QUITTING.

As we talked about in the 'Endless Belt Effect', the hand speed in the downswing should remain constant thru the release. So if they are moving at 50 mph (a random number) at the start of the downswing, they should be moving at 50 mph in the release. With 'quitting' the hands slow down and almost come to a half.

Here's a pic of Lee Trevino, who is the antithesis of 'quitting.'


Look at pic frame #9. And see where Trevino's hands are. They are about opposite of his left leg.

Now, take a look at this sequence of a person who is 'quitting.'


Take a look at this golfer's hands at impact. The hands are by the right leg because the golfer's hands have stopped moving forward, aka he's 'quitting' thru the ball. As the hands quit, the clubhead has to get to the ball somehow so the wrists do the work and 'flip' to get the clubhead thru impact.

At the top of the swing think of your hands like a runner with the finish line outside of the left leg. Homer Kelley is saying that you keep lagging the club thru the finish line. So you want to think and feel that the hands are crossing the finish line first before the clubhead does.

2-M-2 (Power Regulation)

The #3 Pressure Point is the base joint of the right index finger. This is also known as the clubhead lag pressure point. Homer states that this point regulates power.

To vary the effective clubhead mass, vary:

1. Vary lag pressure
2. Vary the 'width' of your swing.

To vary the Clubhead speed, vary:

1. The length of your golf swing
2. Release Interval.

Homer then states that the golfer can use any one or any combination of the four alternatives.




3JACK

3Jack's Translation of TGM: Part 6F

2-J-3 (Visual Equivalents)

In short, Visual Equivalents are the 'illusions' of the club and the dimensions of the motion of the club the golfer sees when they are looking down at the ground and the ball. Just like the old saying in golf 'what you feel isn't real', the same could be said for what the golfer sees. As Homer stated in the book in List #1 (and something I've already 'translated':

When the "Facts" are understood the "Illusions" not only cease to mis-lead but can be utilized. - Homer Kelley

John Furze has a fantastic article on 'Visual Equivalents' on one his Web Sites. In particular, Furze shows a picture of part of Ben Doyle's 'Facts and Illusions' Mat:


Homer states that the FACT is the geometric plane line is the Basic Delivery Line. That is the blue line on the mat in the picture above. If you can't see it, then go to the Furze article and check it out there. However, that's not the optical illusion the golfer sees. Instead the golfer 'sees' the clubhead coming into the ball on a curved path. We talked about 'Arc of Approach', which golfers, particularly swingers can utilize. However, this is a VISUAL arc of approach. So if you are legitimately using an ANGLE of approach, you will still have a VISUAL ARC of approach. In other words, if your clubhead is coming into the ball at an angle, you will still see the optical illusion of it coming into the ball with a blurred arc.

The big part of 2-J-3 is that it wants you to focus your eyes on the 'inside aft' part of the ball. Some do not know what that means, but when I hear the word 'aft', I came up with my own acronym for that:

Away
From
Target

For instance, if you're a right handed golfer and are looking for the Aft part of the clubshaft, that is the side of the shaft towards your right foot (the side that is furthest Away From Target). So understanding what the word 'aft' means is important for understanding other component variations mentioned in TGM. Here's a pic of the inside aft part of the golf ball, looking from the DTL view.


This is also part of the 'swinging out to right field.' Now, I've talked about 'swinging left' with D-Plane, but I feel that 'swinging out to right field' does have its importance as the higher handicapper is too far above the play (aka Over the Top), thus swinging out to right field helps the golfer eliminate the OTT move. And if you eliminate your flip and want to apply the D-Plane rules and 'swing left', you can still achieve that while hitting the inside-aft part of the golf ball. Simply imagine you're swinging on a plane board and just imagine that you are rotating the plane board SLIGHTLY to the left.

2-K (Endless Belt vs. The Flail)

I debated about getting into 2-K since it's a bit difficult to understand and I had yet to meet a fellow TGM'er that told me that 2-K really helped them with their swing. But then I read an interview with GSED Alex Sloan, one of Homer Kelley's first 3 students. Here's an excerpt of the interview with Mr. Sloan:

Homer talked at length to us about “The Endless Belt Effect” (2-K) and it was not until I got home from Seattle that I fully appreciated what he had told us. I was on the range hitting balls one day and I started thinking about this. The message I share with all my students is this. Once we start the swing, we must do nothing to try to increase the belt speed before impact. This is established at start down.

I was very guilty of trying to increase belt speed just before impact. As Homer explained it, we will get an increase in clubhead speed for a brief time but during the impact interval, the clubhead will actually be slowing down. We want to have the same belt speed from Start-Up (8-4) to the Finish (8-12). Once I was able to do this, it made such a tremendous difference. The lesson is this; do NOT try to add clubhead speed during the release interval. Keep hand speed constant. Once I realized all this, I started calling it the “Million Dollar” golf lesson. Hitting or swinging it is the same. - Alex Sloan, GSED

With that, I will used John Furze's (GSED) article explaining The Endless Belt Effect since he does a much better job of translating it than I do. Here's a link to Furze's article

The clubhead and belt (hands) travel at exactly the same speed; however there are two (2) different surface speeds between the pulley and the clubhead.

So keep in mind, in the diagram above, the hands are essentially the 'belt' on the pully system that is described above.

The Belt (Hands) speed never changes but the Clubhead speed increases as it goes around the pulley. The hands act as the belt, they must not speed up, slow down, or become jerky.

The hands do not change speed during the release. The smaller the pulley the slower you can swing.

The later the delay the slower the hand speed. The faster you swing the harder it is to keep the club from flying out.

So, the belt on the pully system does not change speeds. Meaning that the hand speed in the downswing does not change. So if your hands are moving at say 50 mph (just a random number) at the startdown then they should be moving at 50 mph thru the impact interval. But, the clubhead speed DOES change as it goes around the pull, particularly as it goes around the wheels of the pully system.

Where it says 'the smaller the pully, the slower you can swing' and 'the later the delay the slower the hand speed' sort of mean the same thing.

This actually has to do with 'trigger delay' and hand delivery paths. Looking from the Face On view, the path the hands take to the ball determine the 'delivery path.'

Here's a pic of Anthony Kim's 'circular delivery path.'



Here's a pic of Aaron Baddeley's 'straight line delivery path'


The red line shows Baddeley's actual path of his hands. It's not a perfect straight line, but that's what is considered a 'straight line delivery path' whereas Kim's hands move in an obvious circular motion.

The straight line delivery path that Baddeley makes the 'pulley' smaller. The circular path that Kim has makes the 'pulley' bigger. So Baddeley doesn't require great hand speed to hit the ball well. On the flip side, Kim requires more hand speed because his pulley is bigger.

Trigger delay is basically how long the golfer takes to 'release' the club in the golf swing. Somebody like Ben Hogan had 'maximum' trigger delay. This pic of Hogan and Lynn Blake show a lot of trigger delay.


However, somebody like Lindsey Gahm shows a lot less trigger delay. Hogan (and Blake) are employing what's called a 'snap release' (maximizing that lag and delaying the release for as long as possible). Ms. Gahm is utilizing what's called a 'full sweep release' where the club steadily releases from the startdown.



So with a snap release, which is done using a straight line hand delivery path, that means a small pulley. Small pulley = the golfer CAN use slower hand speed.

With a full sweep release, whichis doen with a circular hand delivery path, that means a big pully. Big pulley = the golf needs faster hand speed.

Snap release and full sweep release along with hand speed is much like a boat towing a skier. Let's say the skier wants to go around in a circle. If the boat takes a large circle to tow the skier in a circle, the boat has to travel at a higher rate of speed to keep the skier traveling at a reasonably efficient level. However, if the boat is traveling on a 'tighter' circle, the boat doesn't need to move as fast to keep the skier traveling at an efficient level.

In the Furze article on Endless Belt, he talks about Endless Belt and it's effect on power.

Furze would like the golfer to incorporate more of a snap release to help create power and here's why. While a snap release can allow the golfer to operate effeciently with slower hand speed, if the golfer can operate a snap release with good hand speed, they will hit the ball further.

Now, Anthony Kim who uses a circular path and something called a random sweep release which is a release between full sweep and snap release is one of the longest hitters on tour. That's because he has fantastic hand speed. Sergio Garcia employs a snap release and hits the ball about the same length as Kim. Sergio has good hand speed, but Kim's hand speed is probably fast enough to make up the difference in trigger delay.

Tom Watson was pretty long for his day and he uses a Full Sweep Release, much like the video of Lindsey Gahm. But again, he had very good hand speed to make up for the lack of trigger delay.

The two problems golfers tend to have when it comes to the Endless Belt effect is either the hands start to move faster or they slow down (more likely) instead of staying at the same rate of speed. I had a problem with my belt (hands) slowing down and once I focused on maximizing lag pressure at impact, that kept my belt (hands) moving at a constant rate of speed.





3JACK