Now I'm interested in the book . . . wasn't gonna read it. Did y'all see the little write up about it in the most recent Golf Digest with the dude with the starter mullet that assumes 'the position' when he reads putts on the cover . . . Golf Digest called us a "cult." Beautiful.
My name is Scott Gummer, and I am the author of the new book Homer Kelley's Golfing Machine: The Curious Quest that Solved Golf.
Firstly, I wish to thank Lynn in this public forum for the time and insights provided. It was a whirlwind researching and writing the book, and it has not let up since the book came out.
I interviewed dozens of subjects for the book and spent significant time with people who were closest to Kelley, including Ben Doyle, Don Shaw, and Sally's niece Anne Timm. I traveled to Hawaii to meet with Diane, Homer's model and only co-worker. I spoke with a number of Homer's students and AIs, unearthed Homer's job applications, marriage licenses and divorce decrees, and tracked down Marilyn Cooksie, the daughter-in-law of the Tacoma billiard hall owner who first took Homer golfing in 1939.
To that, nothing in any of the research or interviews suggested that Homer played golf between his rounds of 116 and 77. He took lessons, courtesy of Cooksie, before going out the day he shot 116, but those closest to Homer, who recalled hearing the story first hand from Homer himself, suggested he did not play in between.
I felt tremendous pride and responsibility in having the opportunity to finally bring Homer's story to light, and I appreciate the interest in the man and the passion for his work.
My name is Scott Gummer, and I am the author of the new book Homer Kelley's Golfing Machine: The Curious Quest that Solved Golf.
Firstly, I wish to thank Lynn in this public forum for the time and insights provided. It was a whirlwind researching and writing the book, and it has not let up since the book came out.
I interviewed dozens of subjects for the book and spent significant time with people who were closest to Kelley, including Ben Doyle, Don Shaw, and Sally's niece Anne Timm. I traveled to Hawaii to meet with Diane, Homer's model and only co-worker. I spoke with a number of Homer's students and AIs, unearthed Homer's job applications, marriage licenses and divorce decrees, and tracked down Marilyn Cooksie, the daughter-in-law of the Tacoma billiard hall owner who first took Homer golfing in 1939.
To that, nothing in any of the research or interviews suggested that Homer played golf between his rounds of 116 and 77. He took lessons, courtesy of Cooksie, before going out the day he shot 116, but those closest to Homer, who recalled hearing the story first hand from Homer himself, suggested he did not play in between.
I felt tremendous pride and responsibility in having the opportunity to finally bring Homer's story to light, and I appreciate the interest in the man and the passion for his work.
Thank you for your visit to our site, Scott, and for this first post. Also, thanks for your diligence in documenting Homer Kelley's life. His was a life worthy of documentation, and I'm glad you were up to the task.
Your work was made more difficult by the inability to converse with the man himself, and thus, to verify certain facts. In the referenced issue of Homer's first 18-hole score, I have a recording of his personal recollection of that special day (and those leading up to it). I may have been able to shed further light on the subject. And I would have . . .
Nobody has championed Homer Kelley and the truth regarding his life and teaching more than me. There is no doubt that Lynn Blake Golf, LLC (its website and 54-country outreach, its products, and its Academies conducted world-wide) is directly responsible for much of the renewed interest in The Golfing Machine. Further, my personal work with PGA TOUR players and the resulting publicity -- for example, CBS, The Golf Channel, Sports Illustrated, and ESPN radio -- is generating international recognition that has long been absent.
Good luck with your book. I wish you both critical acclaim and commercial success. I sincerely hope that our continued success will increase your book sales and further spread the word about Homer Kelley and his remarkable Golfing Machine.
My name is Scott Gummer, and I am the author of the new book Homer Kelley's Golfing Machine: The Curious Quest that Solved Golf.
Firstly, I wish to thank Lynn in this public forum for the time and insights provided. It was a whirlwind researching and writing the book, and it has not let up since the book came out.
I interviewed dozens of subjects for the book and spent significant time with people who were closest to Kelley, including Ben Doyle, Don Shaw, and Sally's niece Anne Timm. I traveled to Hawaii to meet with Diane, Homer's model and only co-worker. I spoke with a number of Homer's students and AIs, unearthed Homer's job applications, marriage licenses and divorce decrees, and tracked down Marilyn Cooksie, the daughter-in-law of the Tacoma billiard hall owner who first took Homer golfing in 1939.
To that, nothing in any of the research or interviews suggested that Homer played golf between his rounds of 116 and 77. He took lessons, courtesy of Cooksie, before going out the day he shot 116, but those closest to Homer, who recalled hearing the story first hand from Homer himself, suggested he did not play in between.
I felt tremendous pride and responsibility in having the opportunity to finally bring Homer's story to light, and I appreciate the interest in the man and the passion for his work.
Congratulations Scott on a very well done job. I really enjoyed it and recommend it to all golfers whether they know of Homer Kelley or not.
The goal is quite simply to share Homer's story, and to that end I hope my book will lead golfers to Homer's book and to teachers who are carrying on his lifework.
One thing I found most interesting: ultimately, human emotion is the ghost in The Golfing Machine, a fact that manifests itself not only in the story of Bobby Clampett (and the never-ending struggles of Joe Duffer), but also in the fractured TGM fraternity.
For as precise as Homer was in his studies, his constants could not overcome the variables of individual interpretation and perspective. A lot of devotees are working earnestly to achieve what they believe Homer would have wanted, however those beliefs are often at odds.
This is by no means surprising; look at the way family members often clash over how best to move forward when the patriarch has passed. I offer this simply as an observation of what is/was perhaps inevitable. It would be nice if there were a unified TGM movement...but then it would also be nice if I could sustain more lag.
To wit, it is not impossible. It just takes time and effort.
I do not recall how I first found her, but we spoke on the phone then I went to Hawaii and spent a lovely and enlightening day with her. She is sharp, and her memories were clear and insightful. Nothing interesting was left on the cutting room floor; everything she shared made it into the book.
In many ways I think Diane was the most important supporting character in the book, as she was Homer's only co-worker, the only person with insights into what he did and how he did it given that he was making it up as he went and she was Homer's guinea pig (both in front of the camera and during the lessons he gave her as barter for her modeling).
Hard to imagine Homer's book--or mine--without her.
I do not recall how I first found her, but we spoke on the phone then I went to Hawaii and spent a lovely and enlightening day with her. She is sharp, and her memories were clear and insightful. Nothing interesting was left on the cutting room floor; everything she shared made it into the book.
In many ways I think Diane was the most important supporting character in the book, as she was Homer's only co-worker, the only person with insights into what he did and how he did it given that he was making it up as he went and she was Homer's guinea pig (both in front of the camera and during the lessons he gave her as barter for her modeling).
Hard to imagine Homer's book--or mine--without her.
Mr Gummer,
Just a quick note of thanks for your book. I loved it, and I believe it is a MUST HAVE for anyone who loves the work of Homer Kelley.
Thank You,
Kevin
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