"Yes, but didn’t the Lions eat the Righteous? A few of them anyway." :confused: Daryl, 2006


"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."
(Theodor Seuss Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, 1904-1991) :smile:

I was going to ask the same question. :)
The letter was so well written that they probably didn't have any comeback.
Yoda- you must have a great filing system seeing that you are able to easily retrieve a letter written 24 years ago. I can't even recall where I left my TGM book that I read last week. :confused:

A New Day And A New Way
 

No word processor, Jim. Just an old IBM Selectric typewriter with a Courier 72 ball. My how things have changed!

Ben Hogan Says "No."
 

Here's a letter dated May 9, 1967, that I received from Ben Hogan in reply to my request for private lessons. At the time, I was a 21-year-old serviceman who was doing the best he could to get the information he so desperately needed.

The Golfing Machine was still two years away from its first edition, but what I would have given to have known of Homer Kelley way back then. Short answer: a lot! But, alas, that road was not to be, and another fifteen years would pass before our paths would cross.

In any event, I may not have gotten Ben's lessons, but at least I got his letter. And that ain't all bad! :)

A wonderful letter. I'd keep it in the Frame.

Cool!

How did he hit it anyway? What do you remember?

Wonderful Boss,

Hogan Memories
 

I watched Ben Hogan practice at the Masters. As everyone knows, he hit a fade. Most of the time, the ball went pretty straight and just fell to the right. But sometimes, one would get away from him, and the ball worked hard left-to-right. He used to practice only on the tee to the right of Magnolia Lane (looking from the Clubhouse), a tee no longer there. (It is now a dedicated short game area.) And he would practice only from the far right side of that tee. If another player was there, he would wait for that spot!

One morning, Ben arrived and found some poor devil hitting in 'his' spot. Ben stood with his caddy some 6-8 yards back of the offender. Ben lit a cigarette, cupping it in his hand between draws. He stared ahead looking at nothing...and waited.

But not very long! :)

With the way cleared, the caddy laid Ben's bag flat on the ground—It was just a plain, black leather bag; no fancy logos like all the other pros had; it didn't even have his name on it. Then he dumped the shag balls and hustled out into the range to be used as both a ball retriever and target (not exactly without risk when your boss is Ben Hogan!). In those days, there used to be a hedge down the right side, and Ben would curve the shots back toward it. Most of them landed at the caddy's feet, but the ones that got away...well, it was over the hedge and 'adios amigo' .

As I recall, Ben wore the same outfit every day. Or at least it looked like it: all black laceup shoes (without the kilties or buckles that were popular back then); navy pants; white or powder blue shirt (with a navy sweater if it was chilly); and a white cap (Hogan-style, of course!). Or maybe it was gray pants and a navy shirt. Anyway, he always looked the same...blues and whites and grays.

Another memory:

In the 1964 Masters, Ben was in the hunt late in the 3rd round, and I caught up with him on the 17th tee box. He was registering red numbers like crazy on those big scoreboards, and everybody knew that 'ol Ben was takin' care of business. The next day, he would fade into a tie for 9th behind the winner, Arnold Palmer. But on this glorious Saturday, he would shoot 67 and beat The King by two shots.

Anyway, the roars were echoing through the pines big-time, and even though I was only 17 and a mere spectator, my nerves were jangling with the electricity that can come only at Augusta. As Ben assumed the tee, I distinctly remember wondering if the aging Hawk was feeling it, too. Surely he had to be!

He addressed the ball, waggled once and then stopped abruptly. Without moving out of his stance, he raised his driver a few inches above the ball and proceeded to tap the teed ball down. One tap. Another tap. And then one more. The ball never wavered on its tee. It just went down, down, down. Satisfied that the ball was now at the correct height, the great Hogan waggled once more, and with all the authority and 'swoosh' of his whiplash swing, sent the ball whistling down the middle of the fairway.

I could not believe what I had just seen. I can't do that lttle trick when nothing's on the line, much less under the gun of the most intense competitve pressure. Add one more reason to the list why he was Ben Hogan...

And I'm not! :salut:

That is awesome.

:pray:

I want to learn that!

He could of done that so everyone could watch him hit balls....to build fear.

(muwahhahaha)

Priceless
 

What a treasure signature Yoda....a little off topic but can you share with us when your fascination/romance for the GAME began. At the beginning did you struggle to improve and were there any doubts about your abilities to achieve a high level of success. Did you have a mentor/teacher when you first began the journey.

Thanks for sharing ...it may be interesting to the members.

No Name Necessary On the Bag
 

Hogan was Hogan.

No more. No less.

Which was why they feared him.

An Affair To Remember
 

About age eleven, I learned two things about golf, one from my Dad and one by myself. From Dad I learned that golf takes a long time to play. On my own, I learned that golf balls go farther than baseballs.

My Dad was military, and I learned both these things in Germany. There were no courses near our American community, and when Dad played, which wasn't often, he would always come in at night. So it seemed to me that golf took a very long time to play.

For my first swing, I used my mom's Patty Berg 3-wood. I couldn't use Dad's clubs because he was left-handed. I don't know if I hit the ball on the first try, but I do know that when I did make contact, I fouled it from our backyard (in a community apartment complex) into a neighbor's balcony. There was a terrific crash as the ball slammed into their glass sliding door, so I didn't hang around long and don't know what happened after that. But I do remember my first feeling . . . Wow. Golf balls go farther than baseballs. A lot farther!

I even liked the smell of golf balls. And their stickiness, one against the other, right out of the sleeve. I would take'm out and roll 'em around in the palms of my hands, then put 'em back and pull 'em out and roll 'em around again. I liked the painted wooden tees, too. Dad had a million of 'em in the deep pocket of his canvass bag, in all different colors, and I would dig down in there, crunch around, and bring'em up by the handful.

I didn't touch a golf club for the next three years and then only as a caddy in the chicken-wire pen behind the putting green at the old O.B. Keeler Golf Course in Kennesaw, Georgia. But then and there in my backyard is when I learned the truth . . .

I love golf. :)

The Romance Continues...
 

So now we've reached age 14 ...can you share with us a little more...how this romance continues:)

Is that "the truth" or The Truth?

Like hg, I'd also like to hear more!

Nothing But 'the truth'
 

Just 'the truth,' Tongzilla. This was a simple narrative, and you'll notice I did not include my usual capitalization of golf-related terms. :)

Hogan
 

A couple of things I heard from a fellow that knew him...

He smoked quite a bit on the golf course. If he hit a shot he didn't like much, you could hear him take an especially hard draw on that cigarette.

Sam Snead did not like to play with Hogan, because Hogan's tempo affected Sam. I believe he would try not to watch him hit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp3BrR5JIXI

The ball doesn't know, Yoda knows and Homer knew.

Yoda

Please tell us more about young Yoda....after age 14...let the story continue:)

My First Edition
 

During my personal study with Homer Kelley at his home the week of January 11-15, 1982, I began a reasonably intensive personal lobby for a 'first edition' of The Golfing Machine. He said he didn't think he had any more around, but that he would look. Over the next ten months, by phone, I continued to lobby, and he continued to look.

Finally came the day when I went to the mailbox and discovered his 'care package.' I stripped away the envelope and wrapping and there it was: the First Edition. Alas, as was so characteristic of his humble nature, he didn't sign it. But he did include an invoice in his own hand dated December 6, 1982, clearly stating the contents:

"1 Copy 1st Edition"

And the price...

"$7.50."

At the bottom of the invoice he penned this note:

"In putting the 6th edition material in storage I gathered up everything and put the archives in order. I found it pretty bare, but not empty. Have fun.

Homer Kelley"

What is this combination of book and personalized invoice worth today?

Who knows?

Who cares?

It belongs to me, and I ain't sellin'.

The memory I share with you.

:)

Young Yoda's First Conversation With Homer Kelley
 

A long time ago in a galaxy far away, Young Yoda had his first converation with Homer Kelley. The call was placed from Tom Tomasello's living room in May 1980, and we recorded it. It's been floating around the Internet for a couple of years now, but we've never posted here, so many of you may never have heard it.

There's a little story behind the call; I'll edit this post later and tell it.

For now, just visualize Tommy dialing the phone -- he had recently ordered some TGM books from Homer and had made the initial contact -- and me waiting in the wings . . .

http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/assets/...mer_Kelley.mp3

Homer: It's all in the book!
 

wow
I love the discussion on hinge action, very helpful
thanks for the post!!

Time Machine
 

You're welcome, birdie! That conversation took place 28 years ago, yet it seems like only yesterday.

I'll be 62 on my next birthday.

:shock:

Better get busy . . .

:clock:

Hope springs eternal
 

Yoda

You do not know how inspiring you are to those of us who are right behind you in age and light years behind you in swing mechanics. As my pastor preached today .... we are all connected by hope...I still hope to be better tommorrow than I am today...as a person and at a game that I enjoy to play.:)

Wow, that was cool. Thanks Lynn, I'll hold on to that gem.

PS I couldn't see Hogan's letter to you. Is that not available anymore?

PSS - Do you remember what TT's "glass of water" drill was that you mentioned? Thanks again!

The link to the photos changed with a gallery upgrade, but they've been restored in their original post:

http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/forum/s...2310&page=4#36

any chance Yoda that we can get more of your convos with Homer?

Time Remembered
 

I have longer term plans . . .

:)

What a great thread!

I really enjoyed reading the posts and looking at the photos.

Highlights must include the letter from Mr Hogan, but Mr Kelley speaking from beyond the grave is a privilege to hear.

Early Light Sabre Work!
 

Yes, milan, you are exactly right . . . I am holding "two flashlights joined at the ends". See Post #1 in this thead http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/forum/s...?t=2310&page=1. I used my simple homemade device to illustrate a principle -- adherence to the Baseline of the Inclined Plane throughout the Total Motion -- an idea totally foreign to the teaching methodologies of the day.

In my public seminars and classes, the lights would dim, and I would 'Trace the straight line Plane Line' with the flashlight beam. First, with the 'head end' beam in Start Up and then the 'butt end' beam later in the Backstroke. During Start Down and the first half of the Downstroke, the 'butt end' beam would continue to Trace the Line. In Release and to the end of the Follow Through, the 'head end' beam would once again point at the line. Finally, in the Finish Swivel and beyond, the 'butt end' would once again do the Tracing. When the beam ran parallel to the floor, it would also run parallel to the Line. Pretty dramatic stuff, especially with the dimmed lights and when you are seeing it for the very first time.

In those days, no one had ever heard of such a concept, much less found training aids commercially available, e.g., lasers, purporting to accomplish the same thing. I say "purporting" because I held the first beam near my #3 Pressure Point (Right Index Finger) and in line with my Right Forearm. So, when the first beam pointed at the line during Start Up and Release, so did the Right Forearm. When the lasers did become available, they all were mounted at the Clubhead end of a shaft. In this configuration, it is quite possible -- even probable given the popular 'hanging right arm' (Off Plane) Address position -- that the beam can point at the Plane Line while the Right Forearm continues to point well inside it. This works on the living room rug, but not so well on the golf course!

Anyway, my simple device predated today's popular Smartstick http://smartstickgolf.com/ by some 25 years. BTW, the Smartstick folks will be with us at The Barclays http://www.lynnblakegolf.com/forum/s...ead.php?t=5708, and we soon will be marketing the product on our site at a 10 percent discount to our members.

Stay tuned for the introductory post and link!

:golfcart2:

I am not sure that this is the place to say this, but I want to second Yoda's comment on laser plane-line-tracing aid. This past Christmas I received one as a gift. It was the kind one attaches to the shaft. Unfortunately, I could never get on plane with it. My right forearm did not point inside the plane line, but outside it. And it caused all sorts of grief. On the course, I was constantly searching for the correct plane and ended up most of the time on a severly flat plane, well below the TSP. That made it extremely difficult for me to hit the ball first with any kind of power. I finally junked the laser aid and went back to the dowels Yoda gave me last year. It was a revelation, and every thing is back like it is supposed to be. In my case, modern technology did not help.

Dear Yoda,

Besides of the weighted bar, was that the right hand "claw" of the Bertholy method in the photo?

I spent a long time to read and try to understand the "method" during my long holidays (healing of my elbow). I read Paul preferred the flywheel action over the right arm thrust. Is that similar to TGM spinning the flywheel?

I also found a story that Moe Norman recommended Paul Bertholy to his friends and in return treated the manual as a treasure. Would you share more with us?

I just have to ping this thread. I was playing the Royal Aberdeen the other day. The green fee was rather stiff but they gave us a goodie bag to sugar it. The backside spelled: "The origin of the 5 minute rule". Simple words with tonnes of historic content. Just like this thread.

Looking on how today's top performers strike the ball, it's obvious that Homer - and Lynn - was ahead of time when Lynn wrote his letter to Golf Digest.:salut:

Wow, thanks for the bump in the thread, great conversation.