Homer Kelley talking with Lynn Blake

[DOCW3]

You know, it really IS amazing! I don't have the exact date in front of me, but this conversation was recorded 25 years ago next month, and nothing in this system of golf instruction has changed. How many 'methods' have come and gone since? And how many of those few that have survived still profess their original principles and procedures?

I remember the call as if it were yesterday. Tommy Tomasello and I were sitting in the stands behind the practice tee during the Atlanta Golf Classic, enjoying a wonderful spring afternoon watching Gene Littler and Larry Nelson hit balls after their rounds. We had both become students of The Golfing Machine® in 1979 when Bobby Clampett emerged as a world-class player and drew attention to The Book. We got to asking each other questions that neither of us could answer and decided then and there to go call the only person we knew who could: Homer Kelley. So, off we went to Tommy's house. He hooked up his little cassette recorder to the phone in the living room, punched in Homer's number and the rest, as they say, is history.

For the record, I did not authorize the release of the tape, just as I did not authorize the publication of my photograph of Homer Kelley that appeared a couple of years ago in a feature article of Sports Illustrated. Further, I had no knowledge that the tape was being promoted on Peter Croker's new site www.crokergolfsystem.com. But, also for the record, had I been asked, I would have had no objection to it. The Golfing Machine® is so much bigger than any one person, and Homer's genius and words belong to all golfdom, not just to the few who were there. I am humbled to have had the privilege of working with Homer, and I am proud to be playing today least a small part in bringing his work to the forefront of golf instruction.

For his part, Peter Croker is a champion golfer and teacher who is doing a magnificent job communicating TGM concepts around the world. He wrote a note last year inviting me to participate in his U.S. tour and, while we were not able to connect, the groundwork for a future association was laid. Our own Lee Dietrick (ldeit) was and is an integral part of that connection.

And, finally, this third time for the record, the reason Tommy's and my tape (and so much more) have not appeared on this site is that I was advised early on by the current owner of The Golfing Machine, LLC -- first orally and later in writing -- that doing so would be an infringement on the "rights" they alledgedly hold to the name, image and voice of Homer Kelley. Through counsel, I requested documentation of those "rights," but I received none. Nor was my request even acknowledged. Nevertheless, respecting the notice given and not wanting to test those murky waters at this time, I have refrained from any public dissemination of my recordings. Also pursuant to their written order, we no longer sponsor the Homer Kelley Award -- despite the prior approval and participation in the 2004 Award by The Golfing Machine, LLC -- and have removed from the site all threads relating to it, including recognition of its deserved recipient, then 17-year-old Matthew Sluzinski.

I very much enjoyed the audio and was surprised that apparently many have not listened to others.

My thanks to Peter Croker for keeping me anchored to TGM with the Hit Basics video. I had set the book aside after an initial reading with a feeling of ineptness. The video was found in a used bookstore and I remember his name from the magazine series. There was a connection with his "push the right hand bent" and other drills. His book, Path to Better Golf was, for me, a disappointment and then he resurfaced in the Tomasello tapes. An associate, Martin Green, reveals a TGM foundation in his Push For Perfection video drills.

DRW

[ChrisNZ]

Like others, I found this tape very valuable. Yoda, can you remember what the exercise Tom had students do with a glass of water was? Mentioned at the 18 minute mark.

Thanks,
Chris