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.

"The Golfing Machine is one of the most important works in golf instruction of the 20th century. The quest by Homer Kelley to seek the truth has infiltrated down into many teaching philosophies...I know it has mine! Scott Gummer has done a great job in bringing the mythical figure of Homer Kelley to life in this book."
—David Leadbetter

"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." —Guy Yocum, Golf Digest