Martee,

No doubt we have somewhat of a semantic thing going here, but since TheGolfing Machine is all about precision, students should consider thefollowing:

First, Homer always said "You can define the words in my book by using thedictionary. If there are multiple meanings, then choose the one that fitsbest." For the word Geometry, there is no problem, because myWebster has only one definition: "The branch of mathematics that dealswith points, lines, surfaces, and solids, and examines their properties,measurement, and mutual relations in space." The definition for planegeometry, the science utilized by Homer, is even more specific: "Thebranch of geometry dealing with plane figures." And just what are thosefigures? Primarily, straight lines, e.g., per Webster's defintion ofplane angle: "An angle made by two straight lines that lie in the sameplane."

Clearly, the definitions of geometry are all about alignments, not motion.

Second, on the same page vii you have referenced, Homer emphatically states hisrevolutionary hypothesis:

"The relationships in the Golf Stroke can be explained scientificallyonly by geometry, because geometry is the science of relationships."

With this single sentence, Homer delivers the death blow to"position" golf. He states his premise and establishes thelinchpin of his work; namely, that the relationships between the variouscomponents and of their aggregate to "the Circle and the Line," i.e.,the Clubhead orbit through the Impact Interval, can be precisely defined onlyvia geometrical alignments (the various straight lines you havecorrectly referenced in your reply), and only secondarily in any gross motioncontext. It is why the cover of his book bears the sub-title Geometric Golf,as opposed to something more marketable, say, Power Golf.

Third, and this gets to the meat of it, what did Homer really mean with thestatement you have quoted, i.e., "And herein 'motion' is Geometry --'Action' is Physics."

Let's start with the last part of the sentence: "'Action' isPhysics." That statement is all about how you move the Club throughImpact. There is no mystery here: You either pull it through(swing) or you push it through (hit). Either way, Clubhead LagPressure is sustained through Impact, and as Homer states, both actions"seem equally efficient."

So, we are left with "And herein, 'motion' is geometry." In whatstarted this conversation, I have contended only that motion does not equalgeometry. Further, I contend that Homer would be mortified to find his"is" replaced by "equals." [Kind of reminds you of Clinton, doesn't it: It all depends upon what you mean by "is." ]

Again consulting Webster (the same process Homer utilized repeatedly as hestruggled for just the right word), in the first defintion we find that motionis "the passage of a body from one place to another." So, what Homeris attempting to convey -- within the context of the discussion and of thebook -- is that every Player, Hitter or Swinger, makes basically thesame pass at the ball, i.e., the same Basic Motion (up and back, downand out, and up and in). And that Motion -- however limited or imprecise -- isthe Geometric starting point in each individual's quest to improve. Quotingagain from page vii: "And all that would need to be added would be moreprecision in the Component relationships." The actual driving of the Club,i.e., whether you are Pulling or Pushing, is the Physics.

Summarizing, the "motion" Homer refers to as Geometry is the one theplayer makes to take the Clubhead through the Three Stations -- Address, Top,and Finish (and more specifically, from Impact to Separation) -- and thevarious component relationships that make this Total Motion possible.Absolutely, the whole enchilada is "in motion" -- that is why I usedthe term "dynamic" in addition to "static" in my post (andwhy Homer often used the word "flying"). But that "motion"does not negate the fact that geometry is the science of relationships --alignments in Golfing Machine terms -- nor does it in anyway mean that Geometry is responsible for the actual movement of thebody, arms, hands, or club.

A Postscript:

This discussion does highlight one of the major difficulties of the book;namely, its brevity. One reason for this conciseness was Homer's passionatebelief that it was his job (as the researcher) only to establish what he calledthe "bare-boned identities" and to get them down on paper. It was nothis job to elaborate on those defined identities and tailor individualsolutions. That work lay in the domain of the Authorized Instructor. In fact,the Authorized Instructor concept was Homer's ultimate solution to the brevityproblem.

There is a second, more practical reason why Homer so often limited hisobservations to one sentence or one paragraph, when there was obviously so muchmore that could have been said. It also explains why, even though the book didgradually expand over time, he more than once cut single lines and even wholeparagraphs from prior editions. Some of these cuts included, at least from myperspective, real gems.

"Was it wrong?" asked I.

"No," said he.

Then "Why?," asked I.

Said he: "Because I have new material and if I left the old lines in, thetext would overrun the page. And then I would have to add new pages and maybeeven make changes to the layouts of old pages."

"So?" says I.

"Do you know how much an extra page costs?!" says he.

End of conversation!