Ted Hunt - Ben Hogans Magical Device: The Real Secret to Hogans Swing Finally Revealed

S ir Thomas Sean Connery, a golf purist, was the first person (and for a long while the only person) who showed an interest in this book. I now realize that it would have died a borning if his encouragement had not been there. Also, I soon came to realize how like Ben Hogan he is. Born in abject poverty, both men rose to the top of their professions by the dint of steel wills and eyes that could burn holes in ones forehead if angered. On the golf course Connery was the same when standing over the ball. He has focused concentration, just like the Hawk.

I would also like to thank a lot of good golf people for their help:

Joe Jeroski, former CPGA professional, and the ever-helpful John Downie for sharing their Ben Hogan collections.

The managers of Point Grey, Capilano, Marine Drive, and Shaughnessy Golf and Country Clubs for their cooperation.

The Archives specialists at Vancouver Planetarium, and the University of BC, and Vancouver Librarys Special Collections.

Mike Manson, archivist for the New York Times .

Tom McCarthy of The Ben Hogan Collection.

Dorothy Williams of The Golf House and Museum at University Golf Club.

Yvette Reyes of Associated Press library.

Special thanks to Gerry Kitson, former CPGA professional, who read the third draft, and to Des Dwyer for his insights.

I thank Kevin Riley for his wonderfully delivered stories about Mr. Hogan and the other great players of a bygone age who had so much to do with the evolution of golf.

Colette Miller for her help with communications.

Todd Graves and Doug Brown for finding their old photos.

Grateful thanks to CJ Wilson, Steve Engs, Roy Miller, Layup Larry, and Harry Cotter for sharing their caddie stories and their memorabilia with me.

My thanks to artists Bill McLuckie and Peter Burnet.

Jules Alexander, the photographer, who began his career at fifteen taking shots of the up and coming stars and idols in New York like Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, and Duke Ellington. He served as aerial photographer over Europe and the South Pacific during World War II before turning to golf and his fascination and respect for Ben Hogan.

Mike Lilly, a family man who has introduced three sons to golf. A single digit handicap himself, he likes to follow Tiger with a quiet camera.

Derek Thornley and Alvie Thompson two CPGA club professionals who remember their Hogan years fondly.

Photographer Bayne Stanley and CPGA models Wayne Hong and Matt Lister.

And, finally Mark Weinstein of Skyhorse Publishing for a masterful overview.

Ben Hogan holds the PGA Champions trophy won at Norwood Hills St. Louis during a banner season in 1948.

B en Hogan stories abound as we look back on the career of this determined champion. Following his retirement from competition, he turned to recreational golf at his Shady Oaks club near Fort Worth, Texas. Of course, fellow members were anxious to play a round with the legendary ball striker. However, when so honored, they were perplexed to find that when Mr. Hogan reached the green, he would pocket the ball rather than suffer the indignity of putting poorly with the clouded vision in his left eye, an impairment that resulted from his 1949 car accident. Others have proposed that Hogan never considered a putt to be in the same category as a golf stroke, so he refused to contemplate the idea that a ball striker could lose to a putter. It was reported that he once told the great putter Billy Casper that Casper would be selling hot dogs if he couldnt putt so well. Jimmy Demaret apparently quipped, Maybe, but Casper would own all the hot-dog stands.

In any case, the members of Shady Oaks were determined to test themselves against one of the games greatest legends, and thus contrived a game where Mr. Hogan would play the ball from tee to green, and his caddie would putt out. Money was bet on the sly, because Hogan had warned, If theres money involved, I dont want to hear about it. The match began with several dozen members following along, watching to see if the best ball from three members could beat Hogans assisted score.

The chosen caddie was Big Harry Cotter, who knew Hogan from Quail Creek Golf Club in Oklahoma. Harrys Dad was part owner, and Hogan liked to visit when he was in the neighborhood. Big Harry played football for the Oklahoma Sooners, was to serve in the Marines in Vietnam, and was a scratch golfer in his own right.

The big-money match is best described by the caddie himself in complete detail, and with appropriately accented dialogue: From the first tee, par four, 390 yards, Mr. Hogan faded a drive to the right side of center; then he hit a pitching wedge three feet; I made the putt birdie one up. On the next hole, par four, 428 yards, Mr. Hogan faded a drive 250 yards then skipped a five iron in eight feet. I sank the putt for a birdie two up.

The litany droned on to the ninth and final hole where Big Harry had ridden Mr. Hogans immaculate shot-making for a twenty-nine, with wagers totaling just under $3,000. Mr. Hogan hit nine greens inside twelve feet I sank seven of them... and that was enough for the members.

It was very tough to get Mr. Hogan to play members because he was not a real friendly guy. If he liked you, hed do anything for you. People thought he was rude, but he just wanted to play golf not to visit.

Even if we review all of Mr. Hogans sixty-three PGA Tour trophies and his domination of so many majors that leave us in breathless admiration for the beauty of his shots, like the one iron at Merion in 1950 to win the U.S. Open, there remains one more story that demands our heed. It was related by Mike Wright, the young head professional at Shady Oaks in Westworth Village. He was, very likely, the last person to see Mr. Hogan strike a ball.

As advancing age overtook the great champion to the point where even his practicing dwindled away, it was doubted that he still had the ability to return a controlled club face with power to the ball as he had done for so many years. Mr. Hogan must have wondered that himself because, when closing in on eighty years, he came to the pro shop late one afternoon and asked the pro for his driver and three balls.

Mike obliged and watched from the shop window as the Hawk went to the tenth tee and plugged one in. The hole was 370 yards and well trapped. To open the green to the best angle for a tucked left pin, the drive should be to be right of center and past the fairway traps. Mr. Hogan hit three balls with his signature power fade. He smiled and nodded as they all came to rest beside each other in the perfect spot.

Mr. Hogan then returned to the shop where he handed in his club, thanked the pro with a wave, then left the game forever, passing away in 1997 at the age of eighty-five.