Homer Kelley's Golfing Machine: The Curious Quest That Solved Golf by Scott Gummer, Steve Elkington (Foreword by)

From the Publisher

The remarkable story of a curious genius whose lifelong quest to unlock the science behind the perfect golf swing changed the game forever.

In 1939, an average Joe named Homer Kelley played golf for the first time and scored 116-a respectable score for a beginner, but frustrating for a science-minded perfectionist like Kelley. He did not play again for six months; then when he did, he carded a seventy-seven. Vexed, he grew increasingly obsessed and devoted over the next thirty years to solving the science behind the perfect golf swing, self-publishing his findings in 1969 in a book titled The Golfing Machine. This revolutionary book explained golf, unlike every other tome that merely described it. Unfortunately, the majority of golfers dismissed the book because it was all but unreadable, too thick with physics and geometry and scientific vernacular. The Golfing Machine seemed doomed to obscurity until visionary teacher Ben Doyle and superstar-in-the-making Bobby Clampett brought Kelley's teachings to prominence-only to witness Clampett implode on golf's most public stage. Validation finally came seventy years after Homer Kelley's lifework began, and twenty-five years after his death, when a teenage prodigy named Morgan Pressel became the youngest golfer, male or female, ever to win a major championship.

In Homer Kelley's Golfing Machine, veteran journalist Scott Gummer brings to light the untold story of golf's most curious genius. A colorful portrait of obsession and an enlightening look into the nuances of the game, Kelley's amazing journey illuminates an important but underappreciated chapter in the history of golf.

Publishers Weekly

Few golf fans know the name Homer Kelley, writes Gummer, an acclaimed golf writer himself who admits even he didn't know Kelley's story until relatively recently. But Gummer aims to bring awareness to a man and the book he wrote that revolutionized the game of golf. Never a golfer himself, Kelley devoted his life to finding what made the perfect golf swing. Spending 30 years of his life in writing The Golfing Machine, Kelley analyzed the different components to a swing via geometry and physics, and insisted that there was no perfect solution-"it was a system, not a method," and it was up to the golfer to find the proper components geared toward his own game. Even after his first book was finally published in 1969, Kelley continued to fine-tune his work, publishing several updated editions. And perhaps fittingly, he died while giving a seminar on the book. Alas, The Golfing Machine itself might have appealed to only the most physics-minded players: as one critic of Kelley's lamented, it all seems "convoluted." Yet when one reads over the laundry list of professional golfers who benefited from Kelley's ideas, one wonders why Kelley's legacy lived in anonymity for so long. Gummer takes complicated ideas from Kelley's book and makes them easy to follow, and while the subject matter isn't universally fascinating, golf fans will find it to be a quick, enjoyable read. (May)

Bill Pennington - New York Times

On the 40th anniversary of Kelley's original work, the author Scott Gummer gives us "Homer Kelley's Golfing Machine: The Curious Quest That Solved Golf" (Gotham Books). And while this is a book about an instruction manual meant to explain - and demystify - every possible combination of every possible golf swing, it is most worthy as an engaging and warm story of a simple but complex man obsessed with the simplicities and complexities of golf. Kelley's disciples, among them Bobby Clampett, Steve Elkington and Morgan Pressel, are meant to be living proof that Kelley, who died in 1983, solved the enigma of golf. That's a mighty large statement. Read the book and see for yourself. It is a tale that at least adds a charming piece to the puzzle.

Guy Yocum - Golf Digest

Homer Kelley for years loomed as one of the games last great mysteries, an obscure but important man who reshaped our perceptions of the modern swing. In this substantive and stylish book, Gummer unravels Kelley's elusive personal history and sheds light on his considerable influence. It's a story that will enlighten teachers, enthrall serious players and entertain golfers at all levels.

Product Details

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Table of Contents