Brian Manzella
Administrator
I bought my first Golfing Machine book in 1982 because I wanted to learn from it. I did.
When I stopped learning from it on my own five years later, I went to see Ben Doyle. That was 20 years ago. I went to learn from him, and to learn more from the book. I did. Me and Ben are very close, and he just did a Manzella Acadmey School with him and Michael Jacobs. another G.S.E.D. and great friend on Long Island.
I continued to research and learn from the book—and the not so secret audio tapes—until I exhausted the “inventory” of information in it.
I read everything I can get my hands on. I research every day. I self evaluate my lessons and my work every single day. I go to every seminar and summit that are worth attending, and many that aren’t.
I want to be the very best, and if I am not there, I am getting closer everyday.
When someone says, “His findings are his findings,” is that supposed to mean my findings are lesser findings than someone else’s?
Homer Kelley was a brilliant man, and it took him 28 years to write the first edition of The Golfing Machine, thirteen more to write the 6th edition. He did a great service for golf, uncovering and naming all sorts of things that were either unknown or under-promoted. He systematized the swing in way that makes anything that came before it seem like a kindergarten project. The three imperatives alone are priceless.
Homer was not an engineer, nor a mathematician or physicist. He certainly was not a golf teacher by trade, and wasn't the greatest writer of the 20th century by any means. He didn’t own a high-speed camera, 3D system, or any of the multitudes of measurement devices available today. Yet, there are some that think he was infallible, and that every word in the book is gospel.
They are obviously very wrong.
Dr. Aaron Zick, who spoke at the last TGM Summit, was asked about the validity of a simple concept from the book from a scientific standpoint. His response was “You guys (the book’s followers) have bigger problems than that.”
He wasn’t talking about book binding problems or typos.
Robert Grober said there was a "mistake" on every page.
Having said that, The Golfing Machine is what it is—the best golf swing information source available currently in Golf.
I highly recommend anyone who teaches golf to become an Authorized Instructor, and attend the Summits.
Worth every penny and then some.
I am certainly no Dr. Zick or Dr. Grober, but I made a 131 on an IQ test and 41 on the Wonderlic, so I ain't no dummy either.
My “findings” are usually something that started with an idea of mine, cross-referenced with what is in the book or being taught elsewhere. I test it on myself, use it on my students, and research it to death. If I get lucky an Aaron Zick or a "Mandrin" or a Robert Grober will chime in with the science, either on my forum or somewhere else. High-Speed video or stills, or 3D are always sought out for back-up. The big equipment companies are a wealth of information when they share it from time to time.
For example, my preference for using the “twistaway” and the visually neutral grip for help cure chronic slicers—I didn’t just dream that up, it took 20+ years on the lesson tee to figure out the “Never Slice Again” pattern. It is something that Math can’t prove or disprove. It isn’t “in” the book, per se. But, I have the proof that it works, and I am willing to show up anywhere in front of my peers to demonstrate that it does work better that what is often used in pop instruction and by some AI’s.
“His findings are his findings”?
I suggest that the young man needs to come watch me teach for week and report back.
Now as for the “not necessarily accepted by the TGM community” comment, which TGM community is he referring to? He should have been at the last TGM summit. It would have been very eye opening.
But, let me say this, whatever any AI wants to teach is fine with me. I used to worry about it, because I like people to be accurate and things to be fair. Those days are over.
Let them teach whatever they want, and if they want to say it is the holy truth, God bless ‘em.
I teach what I teach for one reason and one reason only—results. When I can get better results with something else, I change instantly and let everyone know it.
The “truth” is that you either swing too far to the left or to the right, or your swing is on the right line for you. You either have the clubface too open or too closed, or it is just fine for you. The bottom of the swing is either too far forward, too far back or perfect for your desired result. The angle of attack is too steep, too shallow or perfect for your pattern. And, the Pivot is strictly for positioning those factors and generating speed.
All of the rest of it, Jimmy Ballard’s common denominators, Jim Hardy’s one plane pattern, Haney’s rotate the arms and have the club move in parallel planes, Harmon’s shortened backswings and wide downswings, Stack and Tilt, etc, ARE JUST THE MEANS for the above “truth” of what makes the ball go from point A to point B.
The rest is just marketing.
My "Manzella Matrix" is just a super understandable classification system of real-world patterns and solutions, and a philosophy of how to use it. It is not meant as a Golfing Machine replacement or TGM-lite. It is "my findings" and for all the research some teachers say they do, they haven't out thought and out-tested me in the last 25 years.
The beauty of what I do for a living—teach folks to play golf—is that I am my own boss. I don't have to listen to what the PGA says is correct, and I don't have to use the the Golfing Machine as a how-to manual. To me it is a tool, a great tool, but I teach to help my students play their best, whether it is a David Toms or a adult beginneer class. I do not teach to be accepted by any group.
I do like the “brilliant instructor” part, though.
