Approach to studying TGM.
 

I've been reading the book for a while now. I'm learning a good deal about the golf swing. And I feel my game is improving. My bad days are getting less bad, and my good days are getting better... from a golfing perspective. :)

To my question though.
I've been reading, but I'm not sure I can say I've been studying.
I'm not really sure how to go at it. I've been reading List #1, #2... and re-reading again, and again...and again.

This forum especially has been a gold mine for me...(along with the Alignment Golf Dvd) There are not many questions that I couldn't find the answer to using the search function. And not forgetting a bunch of very helpful members that answered my newbie questions in my Swing problems thread. Just awesome.

But what I would like to know is, how do YOU study the book? How do you Approach it?

I know there isn't a "the WAY". I know it's individual, but, maybe my question could help me find my way.

My approach right now, is trying to memorize key parts, and where I can find them in the book, and briefly what these parts are trying to say. This isn't studying as in understanding them. But, my hopes are that with this memo'ing, it will be easier for me to connect the dots... so to speak.


Chris.

Hi Christian,

A workable approach for learning the book is to participate here with the book by your side, and read the book in parallel. There's a lot to learn and a long journey. Enjoy.

The best approach for learning the motions is to seek a TGM or Alignment Golf instructor.

First thing I would suggest is . . . DEFINE YOUR MISSION . . .

Is your intent to "learn the dang book"?

Is your intent to "be a better golfer"?

Or both?

I'd say the DVD's are probably the best approach. You need to understand the CORE concepts. Once you understand the core concepts then you will really start to see how things work . . . you'll appreciate how brilliant Homer was. But some of the things in the book I'd have hard time thinking anybody could get without some handholding. For example the Flying Wedges. Defined in Chapter 6 . . . but without someone/video SHOWING you . . . I don't see how many people could just flesh it out on his description.

If I had to say how to approach it . . . wear those dvd's out . . . read the book in small bursts while you're on the can or whatever . . . I read it from cover to cover generally. The critical stuff to understand first is . . .

Plane and Circle Geometry . . . there are some great pics out here of Lynn's ground school papers on yellow legal pad paper . . amazing stuff. Absolutely KEY concepts. Learn about the importance of the clubFACE and the path's relation to the clubface . . . and how the ball flies . . .what causes the axis that the ball spins on to tilt and thus curve.


Learn about the Flail . . . the Flail is HUGE . . . Rhythm . . . surface speed via EXTENSION of the primary lever . . . ON PLANE HAMMERING . . . no garbage about "holding angles" . . . hinge at the left wrist or strap hinge . . . no rusty hinges . . . freakin' well oiled hinges that let the club FLY OUT . . Sling OUT down out and forward on plane . . . SLUNG out by the pivot (massive rotor) . . . DRIVEN OUT by the right arm . . . EXTEND THAT RADIUS IN RHYTHM!!! All the speed of the extension of the lever transferred into the ball via the #3 accumulator.

Understand the hand motions and wrist motions . . . feed your mind what your hands have to do . . . to make the club move on plane . . . down out and forward . . . slowly . . . define this in your mind . . . but don't make the mistake of making it your "procedure" . . . a sequenced release is a DESCRIPTION OF THE PROCEDURE . . . not the procedure itself . . not your procedure. Learn how it works . . but learning HOW is different from applying. You can't be playing golf thinking "now I'm uncocking . . . now I'm rolling" . . . too fast. But it will help your mind to know it.

Apply these concepts to the associated planes . . . hold the club on a horizontal plane . . .what do your hands have to do to hold the shaft on that horizontal plane . . . get the feel slow . . . swing it fast . . . two hands . . right hand only . . . left hand only. hammer on a vertical plane . . . lever extension is a vertical motion . . . #2 uncocked via cf/pivot or right triceps extending the right elbow . . . but it still works like a flail regardless of the mechanism that extends it. The loading is entirely different. Learn about how your flail has to work with your particular grip type (vertical left hand or turned left hand) . . .

The Endless Belt . . the physics of the hand path and delivery path . . . great stuff . . .

The entire length of the clubshaft lays on the inclined plane . . . where does the club "enter" your body on the way down . . .where does it "exit" your body on the way thru? Are you matching "on plane" . . have you shifted? . . . this is what it means to have a simple and efficient golf swing . . this is how you look at a whacko motion furyk/trevino/hoch/freddy and appreciate what is going on.

You have a guide book and a catalog . . . it's not easy . . . really understand the dvd stuff and the book will come to life . . .

A solid and worthy No. 4000. Congratulations.

Now that I have some motions to work on, I'm taking it easy with the book. I feel I don't have to read it. I might read some more if I want to, but I'm not pressing myself any more.

I use the book as a reference. I see my teacher from time to time. I practice with the Tour Striker. I do a lot of basic motion with and without golf balls. I also use tennis balls.
I have a Pure Ball Striker, a TALY and a Tour Striker. I have Alignment Golf videos that I get something from every time I look at them and it is often.
I hang out here way too much and I try to play as much golf as I can to put my learning into practice.
The book, though, is a reference--a very important reference.

I saved 12 Piece Bucket's post, wonderful stuff. That will be the focus of my study for the winter.

Kevin

I guess this is some kind of affectionate buddy talk that has gone on for a long time. But for an outsider it looks more like harassment, but if that's the way you entertain each other, who am I to comment on it? But it seems very strange...

There is a "Way". The Golfing Machine Way. Using Alignments rather than Positions. Using Hinge Action rather than a Swivel. Power Accumulators and Pressure to meter out distance, etc., etc.

You're in a learning phase. Flying Wedges. Power Accumulation, Loading, Storage, Delivery and Release. Hinge Action: So hard to understand, so easy/simple to use. That was a life altering experience for me. :) It took more than 25 years. I know. I'm not the smartest pencil in the box. But WoW. Now 10-2-B makes total sense. The Bent Right Wrist makes total sense.

I study the Book with a Golf Club in hand. Standing with a Dowel, 2 Dowels, Rackets, Ping Pong paddles, Look, Look, Look. "I don't care what you're doing as long as you know why". Plane Boards, Mirrors.

Turn to 7-19. Try everything your reading. Drive it, drag it, Float Load it.

Magic of the Right Forearm....Why does the Left Wrist Cock without cocking your right wrist when your right arm is raised? Try to figure it out.

I think that 50% of your Practice is like this. The other 50% is done at the practice facility.

With this Website and the Book, you should learn everything you want to know in a few months. (ok, maybe 4). You should be scoring in the mid 70's by next Spring.

Uhmmm Chris? Daryl has a very dry sense of humor!
 

Give yourself short term and long term goals. Perhaps a goal could be to consistently shoot in the low 90's (just suggesting), from April to June 1st. Let's say you usually shoot 100, so your goal is to drop 10 strokes off your average score. Then you'd look up Basic Motion and discover that it is a simple little chip shot. If you made 10 great chip shots a round, and left the ball within 3 feet of the hole, you'd save yourself 10 - 12 strokes maybe more! (TGM book, Alignment I DVD, LBG.com search) (score 90)

Longer pitches and wedges are Acquired motion shots. Did you know that some pros just use acquired motion to manage their game? AM might help you shave another 8 shots off your game in June. (Same resources) (score 82)

What about when your on the green? Maybe you are like me and throw away 8 strokes a round by simply trying to make birdie putts from too far away and missing the comeback putt. Use those same sources in July to shave off 8 more strokes. (Same resources)(score 74) and so on.

A TGM session with Yoda is essential if you want to advance. I'm frugal, independent, stubborn and cynical about most things claiming to be great so I held off on visiting Yoda because I didn't want to be screwed by another set of false promises. So, I wasted the cost to see him on 30 bad rounds of golf trying to do it myself. (I was bright enough to go see some TGM fellas in MN and I have an official TGM instructor which helps too.)

So, I don't know your situation but if your budget for golf in a season is about $3000 you could also approach this in another way. I don't know where you're living or flying from, but maybe:
1/3 Personal training in Cuscowilla
1/3 TGM/DVD / training-aids/video recording/ -work on the range
1/3 playing this great game trying to shoot par or better

Anyway....you have some decisions to make bout your level of interest/time/resources etc. We will be here to answer your questions. I would recommend reading through the book three times just to get an idea of some of the basics of TGM without a club and to see what you understand and what is foreign.

I say Daryl has a dry sense of humor because making a lot of changes in 6 months has caused me to hit the wall 3 or 4 times. Intellectually, I get most things but the bio-mechanical changes for mastery of new skills takes time. So, in 7 months I went down 10 strokes on my hcp. index. It'd been faster if I saw Yoda, I believe.

ICT