[vj]

Two years ago a kid from Fulton, MS won the US KIDS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP. He was nine years old at the time and shoots underpar to win the tournament. He would ask me questions like "don't all balls fly at the same height?" or "do you see red lines going into the hole?" To me that kid doesn't have to be taught TGM the way one with less natural talent for the game must be.

I had a 5 Time winner on tour going through a major swing change. "Now it will take some time" I said to him. "Not for me. I do things with a golf club that other people can't." He wasn't being hostile or cocky, he was just stating his past experience with the game.

Although complex at first glance (and the 2nd,3rd,4th....) Homer's work is really quite simple. The book is clear in its approach to better golf and a great number of drills, practice procedures, and playing procedures are there for us to use.

People like Lynn, Ben, Alex, Noel, Gring, really bring the book to life. At the same time, you don't have to learn it or teach it just like someone else. Different personalities will teach TGM different ways, that is one of the built in freedoms of the system.

On the same note, teaching Joe the 20 handicapper-Eric the #40 player in the world-and Ross the 9 year old prodigy are all different. So...my opinion on learning mechanics (alignments for different shots) can be concious, subconcious, self taught, or learned from someone else. There is no difference as long as the end result (the shot coming off the way you intended) is the same.

FOR ME, mechanics create creativity. If I can't hit the shot I will try and figure out why. Is it because I don't believe I can? Been down that road and the signs says DEAD END for me. I always believe I can. Is it because I don't practice it enough? How many times do I have to hit it? 100,1000,10000. Only so much day light for me. So the stroke components of a shot are a "cheat sheet" if you will. I can select and try until it comes off correctly. I can monitor different pieces and play them into dependability. Pretty cool book!

I hope this helps. By the way, Seve's game was/is great. His full stoke, pitching, and putting are all in the book. Every time I think of him I think of that face of determination always present in the Ryder Cup. Even that can be found in Chapter 14. The only question is can we absorb and apply it.