Homer Kelley's Golfing Machine

If you are a die-hard golfer, chances are you are obsessed with swing mechanics, always trying to find that one swing key to gain distance and narrow the shot pattern. So if you are in this category, it is likely that you have encountered Homer Kelley's monumental work The Golfing Machine. Kelley's ground breaking and eccentric study of the golf swing became cult-like in the world of golf instruction.

But what would drive a man to spend virtually his entire life in the pursuit of solving the conundrum of the golf swing? The answer lies in the explanation of how a man could play golf for the first time and score 116 and then six months later with no play or practice in between shoot a 77. Kelley's lifelong passion became the 39 stroke difference between those two scores.

Scott Gummer has taken a sensitive and judicious examination of the man and his work in an effort to help us appreciate the genius behind the most comprehensive study of the golf swing. The Golfing Machine is slightly more technical than the NASA Flight Manual but in Kelley's mind all the technicalities were necessary to completely dissect the golf swing. Yet, Gummer does not attempt to explain The Golfing Machine to us but rather reveal the man. He accomplishes this unmistakably. You will come away with a much more acute understanding of how one man, a non-golfer, could accomplish such a task.

Gummer also gives us insight into the book itself which took on a life of its own. Kelley labored for over twenty years before he published the book. When he did, the seeds of The Golfing Machine grew slowly. But Kelley persisted and finally found a teaching disciple in Ben Doyle and eventually playing disciple in Bobby Clampett. Gummer relates this life to us throughout the second part of the book.

If you are a golf swing aficionado, and especially if you are fascinated by The Golfing Machine, Homer Kelley's Golfing Machine is an absolute must read. It gives us greater awareness into the mystery we know as the golf swing.

How much are you willing to pay for a round of golf?

So the question for today, my dear golfing friends, is what is public golf access? To put it another way, how much are you willing to pay for a round of golf?
What prompted this reflection is the upcoming U.S. Open at Pebble Beach Golf Links. Pebble Beach, as you know, is open to the public – if you have enough money? The current price is $495 for a round of golf.

For most this is a bit exorbitant, a touch on the high side of the green fee scale. Others will go great extremes to come up with the prescribed fare. For a few classic stories on what it might take for most of us to unfold $495, we recommend Randall Mell’s fun story at TheGolfChannel.com.

To put all of this is perspective, allow me to relay this short story. We spent the summers of 2005 and 2006 in Buffalo, Wyoming. Now Buffalo has a wonderful, scenic 18-hole golf course. It sits right at the base of the Big Horn Mountains and is appropriately designated as the Buffalo Golf Club. The course is regularly listed in the top five in the state. At the time we were there, the cost of a membership was $450 for a couple to play unlimited golf. (The cost is now $500 per year.) This included only the greens fee. Carts, if you so desired, we an additional charge. Yes, there were a couple of steep climbs from green to tee, but if you sucked in your gut, walking was no problem. My common statement to folks was that you could play a whole season in Buffalo, WY for about the same cost as one round of golf at Pebble Beach.

You make the call.

Straight Down the Middle

Ever since Chevy Chase exhorted us to “be the ball,” golfers have been seeking the elusive “zone,” a place in the time-space continuum where physical ability has been layed aside and the mind conquers. Or perhaps the quest began when a shepherd first struck a rock with a crooked stick. Or perhaps this does not matter.

What does matter is that someone has actually documented that chase, lived (in a keep-your-sanity sort of way) to tell about it, and actually come out on the other side as a golfer more focused on the spirit of the game. Josh Karp's most recent volume Straight Down the Middle: Shivas Irons, Bagger Vance, and How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love My Golf Swing takes us on that journey.

Let’s face it, every golfer is trying in some way, shape or form to lower his or her score. Golfers will try just about anything. They’ll listen to any piece of swing advice from virtually anyone, always searching for the magic that will drop the score even one or two strokes per round. But very seldom do they pay attention to the mental game.

So, is it possible to transform one’s game and lower one’s handicap from the inside-out – increased attention to the mental game – as opposed to the outside-in – give a try to the latest and greatest swing tip?

Karp sums up the thesis of his quest in Chapter 2 when he states, “…that the actual ‘playing’ of a round of golf occurs in roughly 180 seconds… What’s happening the rest of the time, where our mind resides during that time, is something we pay almost no attention to, yet which profoundly impacts our performance.” From this realization the pursuit is on.

He goes from guru, to sensei, to golfing Buddha in an endeavor to find peace of mind in the mind boggling game of golf. As we travel with Karp we discover what seems like an endless number of golf instructors totally focused on the playing the game with just the mind and damn the swing.
Not only does Karp tell us his story – the toils and the triumphs – but he also passes along some useful (at least to him) instruction and drills such as the Jug McSpaden drill (pgs. 61-62). He also presents us with an apt description of the relationship between golf and spirituality, the struggle to make the ball do what you want it to do through only the force of our will.

How did all the senseis, gurus, Zen masters and whatevers help? Well, for one brief two month period beginning on August 8, 2008, Karp found himself in the zone … or whatever Zen golfers choose to call it. Golfing nirvana set in. But just as quickly and suddenly as it arrived, it was taken away by the ever vengeful golf gods.

And how does it all end for Karp? Let’s just say he is at peace with his golf game.

To Win and Die in Dixie

One of the marvelous aspects of golf is the rich history that it contains. And the most fascinating element of that history is the characters that the game has embraced. Tournaments come and go year by year, but it is the great characters that make the game come alive.

It is easy to recognize the more famous characters – Vardon, Jones, Hogan, Palmer, Nicklaus and a host of others. But is it a real discovery when a virtually unknown personality from the past is spiritually resurrected and brought to our attention. Such is the accomplishment of Steve Eubanks in bringing to us the story of J. Douglas Edgar in his latest book To Win and Die in Dixie: The Birth of the Modern Golf Swing the the Mysterious Death of Its Creator.

I must admit, even though I consider myself an enthusiastic student of golf history, I had never heard of J. Douglas Edgar. Yet when I had completed the book, I wondered how I had ever overlooked him. It is perhaps that his life was tragically cut short and that he never reached his full playing and teaching potential.

It is this story that Eubanks has uncovered for us. It is a biography of Edgar revealed through the investigation of his death by a determined Atlanta Constitution reporter Comer Howell. It is a story that contains all the elements of a great fictional murder mystery with one exception – it is not fiction; it is real life.

Eubanks has certainly done his research on the charismatic life and mysterious death of Edgar. The book is filled with detailed narrative. He has seemingly omitted no detail. But this great detail leads us to some fascinating stories. We learn a bit about Margaret Mitchell and how she drew her fiction from real life stories. We are also treated to a fun story concerning Alexa Sterling (pg. 98) revealing how greatly the times have changed in just over 100 years.

But as involved as we might get in the life and death of J. Douglas Edgar, we cannot forget his contribution to golf – the fundamentals of the modern golf swing. Chapter 7 gives us a good description of what is known as the Edgar Movement.

For students of the golf swing and golf history To Win and Die in Dixie is a must read; to those who enjoy a real life, enticing murder-mystery, it is a must read; and to those who would like to pick up some historical trivia, it is a must read.

Nancy Scranton captures inaugural Women's Senior National Invitational

Florida resident Nancy Scranton, just one day short of her birthday, gave herself a special present by winning the inaugural Women's Senior National Invitational. This was Scranton's first individual title on the Legends Tour, the official senior tour of the LPGA. Scranton captured first place with a 4-under 69 over the Catalina Course of the Tucson Omni National Resort. Her 69 was good enough for a three strroke victory over four other players - Rosie Jones, Kris Tschetter, Patty Sheehan, and Sherri Turner.

Scranton's round featured six birdies highlighted by four in a row from holes 9-12, all a result of great shotmaking and a fine tuned putting stroke. Her putting method is a bit unorthodox. She does not look at the ball while making her stroke, but rather fstares down the hole. This technique helps the player focus less on the mechanics of the stroke and more on the feel. It worked to perfection yesterday.

LPGA skips Phoenix in 2010, but ...

Do you know the way from San Jose? Or, do you know what this is? Sure you do. This is a picture of how close the LPGA came to Phoenix (and Casa Grande) this year. FYI this photo was taken on Monday, April 5 at 7:05 AM, the day after the Dinah Shore Kraft-Nabisco was completed.

As every golf fan in the greater Phoenix area should know, the LPGA was unable to secure a tournament in the Phoenix area for the first time since Patty Berg laced up her spikes. Well, that may be a slight exaggeration, but it sure seems like the LPGA has been visiting the Valley of the Sun forever. Now there is nothing except the back end of this fitness truck which went traveling by us halfway between Phoenix and Tucson.

Nevertheless, take heart. A bit of the LPGA is coming to Tucson this weekend. It's the LPGA Legends Tour and the competitors are true legends of the game. Actually it's a bit of a golfing deja vu. If you click on this link - http://www.thelegendstour.com/ - you'll get complete information on the event.

Here's just a teaser. Among the competitors will be three LPGA Hall of Famers and a combined 27 LPGA major championships.

Dream On

One of the most difficult goals in golf is to set a challenging target score and then shoot that number or lower. Do you think you could do it? Each year hundreds of aspiring PGA professionals attempt that same task, play 36 holes and try to match or beat a certain number. Most fail. It's not so much the physical strain but more the mental discipline that must be maintained.

But what if you were a self-proclaimed duffer or say no better than a bogey golfer who took on the challenge to equal or better par within a year? Is it possible to get down to scratch – for at least one round – in just one year? Consider what the Las Vegas odds would be. To get a sense of the Herculean task at hand consider the case of Charles Barkley. Even Tiger's current man could not help and he is considered one of the top teachers in the world.

Nevertheless less, undaunted, that’s exactly the quest and burden that John Richardson took on.

Dream On reveals Richardson’s trials and tribulations as he goes through a full year of practice and preparation to reach the goal of matching par. Throughout his year long journey we become a confidant to his physical and mental conquests and setbacks as he desperately attempts to deal with his golf game. Yet it is not just his golf game for which Richardson must adjust his daily routine. Fortunately he realizes from the start that achieving this goal will involve commitment from not only himself but also from his family and business. As he journey down the road toward par, we are privy to the obstacles within these relationships as well.

Richardson tells his story well. Dream On is lighthearted and enjoyable read. He allows us to observe his emotions as well as the physical challenges as he tackles a nearly impossible task. You will particularly enjoy his encounter with a young Rory McIlroy. Be sure to read this carefully.

About midway through the book he evaluates the condition of his game and realized the weakest part is course management, an aspect of the game every player neglects. His reflections here are valuable to all who struggles with the mental challenge of the game. And in his chapter on The 'Harrington' Moment, he provides an informative discussion about the importance of a viable pre-shot routine.

Yet this is more than just a golf story about one man's personal pilgrimage to conquer a game, it is a simple lesson for life- as most of golf is. Set your goal high and stop at nothing to achieve them.

Oh, and if you think we will reveal the conclusion, Dream On.