Originally Posted by Scott Gummer
Hello,
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.
