Jim McLean claims credit for discovery, but called to the carpet
By Joe Daniels, MS, PGA,GSED
In a recent article produced by the Jim McLean golf information factory he is quoted as being responsible for detecting that the clubface is more important than the clubhead in determining the direction of a golf shot. McLean states that he was one of the first golf instructors to declare that Face Angle was far more important than Club Path in determining Launch Direction. TrackMan, a launch monitor, has since then proven McLean´s theory right. McLean is taking credit for this find when in 1969’s first edition of The Golfing Machine, the book’s author, Mr. Homer Kelley, states: “The direction of the ball will always be square (90 degrees sic) to the leading edge of the Clubface at separation…”
Now we know that McLean visited Mr. Kelley because he stated so in his book about Mr. Hogan. Therefore, logic states that Mr. Kelley led McLean on a journey of mental discovery, which McLean has chosen to forget so he can take credit for and put himself in the limelight of being an intellectual in the field of golf.
Considering McLean’s disrespect for Mr. Kelley which is evident in his book on Mr. Hogan I do not believe him to be a threat to anyone’s intellect. This is evident with the facts of the X factor, the teaching philosophy he popularized, or is it now the Y factor? Is he running out of alphabetical letters to create any more articles or a theoretical concepts?
Yes, Jim some of us watch and listen and give due respect to those who came before us. Mr. Kelley in 1969 stated how the ball reacted off the clubface, yet you are now taking credit for finding this phenomenon. Shame, shame, shame!