Homer Kelley's Most Important Swing Thought

[DOCW3]

<<He had spent so many years focusing on getting correctly to the Top >>

Yoda~

We know about plane angles and the plane line and that useful plane angles are those between the elbow and shoulder......about the flat left wrist and the bent right......about the shaft plane and the sweet spot plane and that both pass through the lag pressure point........about the RF Flying Wedge, the movement of the RF in an out of the plane .......about the right shoulder being on plane at the top....and that plane shifts are hazadorus but acceptable. As a student, please let me know if "getting there correctly" means taking a more specific path?

DRW

[Theodan]

Back into the kitchen with the dowels.......

Charlie

[Yoda]

Originally Posted by Yoda

He had spent so many years focusing on getting correctly to the Top...

Yoda~

As a student, please let me know if "getting there correctly" means taking a more specific path?

No, Doc. This was simply my explanation of Homer Kelley's dilemma: From Address, he visualized himself reaching the Top in perfect alignment, but from there...nothing. In other words, he basically had built only half a swing.

Let's listen to him tell about it:

"The biggest step for me was to visualize -- at Address -- the idea of coming down with the Bent Right Wrist...to 'see' it coming down and staying Bent. It was a big help to me because I would get to the Top, and I would forget about it...my mind would get stuck up there! And the Club would take off without me."

"But you know, until I began to dig up this stuff -- what was the difference? I really didn't have anything to think about on the Downstroke anyway! I didn't know what happened...all I was thinking about was the Green out there -- the Fairway. I really didn't get into position to hit the Ball."

Homer solved his problem with the thought of Right Forearm Plane Line Tracing. He now had a swing key to get him from the Top through Impact. He would visualize this Tracing at Address and remain totally conscious of it throughout the Stroke. It cured his Downstroke Blackout (3-F-5) and was the basis of his quote (from 3-B):

"To develop skill at Golf, your 'attention span' must be at least as long as your swing."

[DOCW3]

Yoda~

Thanks for sharing. There is something about TGM that sharpens our comprehension and listening skills (I think). The story reinforces my opinion that Chapter 4 is worth the price of the book.

DRW

[BerntR]

[quote="Yoda"][quote="DOCW3"]

Homer solved his problem with the thought of Right Forearm Plane Line Tracing. He now had a swing key to get him from the Top through Impact. He would visualize this Tracing at Address and remain totally conscious of it throughout the Stroke. It cured his Downstroke Blackout (3-F-5) and was the basis of his quote (from 3-B):

"To develop skill at Golf, your 'attention span' must be at least as long as your swing."

What a great post. I am certainly gonna try this.

While I probably have many swing faults, the biggest obstacle against more GIR's is in my case is probably the inability to trigger a stroke procedure that gives good results most of the time. I have several procedures lurking that work well. But more often than not I fail to call them.

And I often know at setup whether I have it or not. (If I were to not hit until I am 100% ready I would probably only make 36 holes during a season).

I probably need keys that is mechanically more precise than the very unprecise "now you don't have it" sensations that I currently have.

Please keep the keys coming.

Thanks,

BerntR

- First post
-Norwegian golfer, new to this forum, trying to learn the
mechanical and mental aspects of the GAME
- In need of a proper terrminologi to go from feel to mechanics and back
- Now trying to use TGM as a vehicle to understand my own swing.
Results sofar:
- by consulting some of your posts - confirmed natural born hitter
- On typical bad days good directional control, and poor distance
control. Has now learned that this probably corresponds with
compression leak caused by an angular hinge action and a solid slice
under the ball (I believe I can slice a draw).
- Discovered that n good days a (much more) horisontal hinging
action is present.
- can alternate between swinging and hitting
- has recently "discovered" that the integrity of the flying wedge
correlates with my stroke quality.

- and am very impressed with the stuff that is being published on the
TGM forums.

[pluthb]

Some of the research that I've read (and it may be wrong) got me thinking:
It takes 1/3 of a second for your hands to translate a feel up to your mind, a 1/4 second to process it, and a 1/3 of a second to send it back. (If anyone knows any better data please feel free to correct me). Your golf swing only takes 0.8-1.2 seconds from start-up to impact. What can you really think about in that amount of time? I think we would all agree that Homer was a smart guy but I think another reason it is hard to have downswing thoughts is that the ball is at least 20 feet off your club before you can't do anything about it.
In having this discussion with Joe Daniels, he stated that one of the many reasons Tiger is so good is that he has created a wider freeway lane from his hands to his brain compared to the small alleys that most of us have developed thus being able to save shots with unbelievably educated hands.
Maybe this should go under swing thoughts but as a G.O.L.F. instructor I try to build good address posture, get them to the top with precision and watch'em pose as they finish. I do use the right forearm tracing drill but I try to stay away from downswing thoughts unless that is the only thought they have during the stroke. Tracing works phenomenally with putting too!

[BerntR]

Some of the research that I've read (and it may be wrong) got me thinking:
It takes 1/3 of a second for your hands to translate a feel up to your mind, a 1/4 second to process it, and a 1/3 of a second to send it back. (If anyone knows any better data please feel free to correct me).

No car would survive a normal rush hour if the drivers had this slow reaction.

In 100m sprint the starting reaction time is close to 1/10 second.

In high scool we did an experiment using stop watches. Many of us recorded around 1/10 second reaction time many times. During that 1/10 we received a pressure in the left hand, and "shortly" thereafter stopped a watch with the right hand.


I think if you divide your figures by 10 you are in the ball park.

[Jimmy]

Homer solved his problem with the thought of Right Forearm Plane Line Tracing. He now had a swing key to get him from the Top through Impact. He would visualize this Tracing at Address and remain totally conscious of it throughout the Stroke. It cured his Downstroke Blackout (3-F-5) and was the basis of his quote (from 3-B):

"To develop skill at Golf, your 'attention span' must be at least as long as your swing."

I wish it wasn't dark (and the driving ranges closed). I suffer from Downstroke Blackout more often than I'd like to admit.

[havenjm]

Some of the research that I've read (and it may be wrong) got me thinking:
It takes 1/3 of a second for your hands to translate a feel up to your mind, a 1/4 second to process it, and a 1/3 of a second to send it back. (If anyone knows any better data please feel free to correct me). Your golf swing only takes 0.8-1.2 seconds from start-up to impact. What can you really think about in that amount of time? I think we would all agree that Homer was a smart guy but I think another reason it is hard to have downswing thoughts is that the ball is at least 20 feet off your club before you can't do anything about it.
In having this discussion with Joe Daniels, he stated that one of the many reasons Tiger is so good is that he has created a wider freeway lane from his hands to his brain compared to the small alleys that most of us have developed thus being able to save shots with unbelievably educated hands.
Maybe this should go under swing thoughts but as a G.O.L.F. instructor I try to build good address posture, get them to the top with precision and watch'em pose as they finish. I do use the right forearm tracing drill but I try to stay away from downswing thoughts unless that is the only thought they have during the stroke. Tracing works phenomenally with putting too!

I don't know if you're numbers are accurate or not, but I think they're irrelevent to the golf swing. In the golf swing you aren't reacting to anything. If you're visualizing tracing, you are planning ahead. You are anticipating what the hands are going to doing, and then maintaining consciousness throughout the swing. Maintaing awareness is something very different than reacting.

I'm sure that Mr. Kelley would admit that you can't react to anything during the downswing, but I think it's entirely possible to maintain awareness of something you've visualized prior to ever taking the club back. If you visualize a flat left wrist and a bent right at impact, it seems a fairly simple task to be conscious of that position through impact.

[birdie_man]

Well exactly...you are always monitoring it.

Whether it is consciously while you are practicing or subconsciously when it is engrained as a habit.