[airair]

What's "wrong with Tommy's way to illustrate this?" Here goes . . .

He's not illustrating 'this' -- Hinge Action -- he's illustrating 'that'. 'That' being his way of differentiating a laying back or closing Clubface using a rod stuck on the face of the club that finally becomes vertical (to the ground) or horizontal (to the ground). [As differentiated from the true concept below, the use of "to the ground" in the vertical action is deliberate and not a mistake.]

I'll grant that the rod makes the Clubface Motion more obvious. That's why I use and have fun with the super-large clubhead you've seen in some of my videos. But -- and here's the rub -- relating the precision Hinge Pin alignments of Vertical and Horizontal to the "vertical" and "horizontal" position of the rod makes me cringe.

Axiom #4 of the 21 axioms of The Machine (1-L) states that the Hinge Assembly (and its pre-positioned primary Hinge Pin) controls the Clubface alignment. The Hinge Pin is mounted Vertical to one of three Basic Planes: Horizontal, Angled, or Vertical.

Let's talk Horizontal Hinge Action for a moment. Tommy's rod on the Clubface becoming parallel to the horizontal plane, i.e., in a "horizontal" condition, has absolutely nothing to do with the true concept of Hinge Action. In fact, the rod becomes "horizontal" only at one point.

In true Horizontal Hinge Action, the Left Shoulder Hinge Pin (a theoretical, not biomechanical, concept) is always mounted vertical to the ground (the horizontal plane). This Hinge Pin mounting produces a Clubface Motion that is always closing.

In true Vertical Hinge Action, the Left Shoulder Hinge Pin is always mounted vertical to a wall (the vertical plane). This Hinge Pin mounting produces a Clubface Motion that is always laying back.

The Golfing Machine is hard enough already. "Short cuts" that confuse the issue do not make things easier. In fact, they serve only to confuse and, in the long term, make a true understanding even harder.

In your study, I implore you to find a competent instructor. One-on-one with an expert, complex concepts quickly become simple. But, as this post proves . . .

Going at it 'solo' can be a tough experience.

Finding a competent instructor is the least of my problems...