Hogan Ben - Ben Hogans secret fundamental : what he never told the world

Contents

Preface

The golf swing is a beautiful but baffling blend of art and science.

The art of it is in the creative ways that we use the science.

Modern technology has provided us with the tools to pin down the science, and then it is up to us to work with that knowledge in our own individual, creative ways.

Most people think that Ben Hogan was the ultimate technician, a human machine, when it came to swinging a golf club and striking a golf ball. And while he did achieve great ability to repeat an incredibly effective swing time after time, he was at the same time a creative genius in that he used the science of the swing that hed discovered to craft an array of golf shots that bordered on poetry in motion.

In this book you will learn the hard science of what Hogan foundhis true secretand then it will be up to you to decide how you want to use it for your own game.

In doing so, reinforced with drills to help you along, you will gain the ability to control the golf ball.

You will also learn Hogans secrets of course management, and his secrets of concentration, all of which will result in greater enjoyment and lower scores.

Ben Hogan is legendary, intriguing, and mysterious. Its a combination that has contributed to Hogan being the most interesting golfer in the long history of the game.

Aside from his amazing competitive record, Hogans secretive and solitary personality provokes wonder and devotion among thousands, perhaps millions, of golfers worldwide who attempt to unlock Hogans secret code of how to swing a golf club and strike a golf ball.

Hogan himself fueled this intrigue, mainly because he openly declared that he had a secret, one that he never publicly revealed.

Many top professionals have speculated on what they thought Hogans secret might be, but those speculations were not supported by any revelations from Hogan himself.

Until now.

Ive always been hesitant to write this book, mainly because Hogan demanded that what he shared with a select few not be shared with the general golfing population. This was not because he wanted to be secretive, but because he was afraid that what he said would probably be distorted and therefore misunderstood. He was afraid that if that happened, it would cause much more harm than good.

Hogan, while he was still competitive, only seriously mentored two top professionals, Ken Venturi and Tommy Bolt. And, according to Tommy, only he and Venturi were entrusted with the whole of what Hogan had discovered about the golf swing. Not coincidentally, those two, largely due to Hogans influence and tutelage, combined for 33 professional victories, including two major championships and eight top-five finishes in majors.

Both Venturi and Bolt are World Golf Hall of Fame members.

Tommy Bolt was my teacher during my very early twenties, before I became a PGA Tour player. Bolt learned from Hogan, and I learned from Bolt. Tommy shared with me many things that he learned from Ben Hogan, many things that have never before appeared in any of the numerous writings on or by Hogan.

Staying loyal to his teachers wishes, Tommy included me in the code of privacy, asking that I not share what I learned as long as the principals were alive, and, unless, as Hogan said to Bolt, You find a worthy and trusted protg.

But, since Ben Hogans passing, and the passing of his wife, Valerie, several people have come forward to write about their firsthand relationships with Hogan, feeling that the veil of secrecy could be lifted without violating the privacy of the man.

Bolt always said that hed like to see the whole of Hogans discoveries put forth in such a way as to help all golfers improve their swings, but that it had to be done sometime in the future, after Hogan and Valerie were gone. He also stressed Hogans concerns about what hed found being distorted or misrepresented.

Since the passing of Hogan and his wife, and the passing of Tommy Bolt, books began to appear by people who had close relationships with Ben Hogan through golf, social interaction, or business interests. And for decades now, every Tom, Dick, and Harry has speculated on what his true secret was. I have long felt that if Hogans secret were presented properly it could help thousands of golfers improve their performance and increase their enjoyment of the game.

After reading a bunch of these books, and reading all of the speculations about what various people thought his secret was, I became more and more convinced that the time was right to once and for all put an end to the guessing.

This is why I have decided to write this book. Tommy Bolt told me exactly what Hogans secret was, and I intend to present it in such a way as to hopefully eliminate any chance of misrepresentation. I will also offer advice on how average golfers can implement Hogans teachings in order to benefit their own performance. No one can swing the club like Ben Hogan. He was somewhat of a freak of nature in the way that he could produce and retain lag in the swing (due mainly to his unique physical characteristics). However, his swing principles will be of great benefit to anyone who will put forth the effort to diligently and properly work with them.

Tommy Bolt was old-school. He was straightforward, he was serious-minded, and when he spoke, it had substance. Everything he taught me and told me came straight from his teacher, Ben Hogan. And with Tommy there were no embellishments, no distortions.

Tommy said that without Hogans help he would have been relegated to a career as a carpenter, and not the world-class U.S. Open Champion and Hall of Fame member that he became.

Both Bolt and Venturi paid homage to Hogan for his mentorship in print, publicly. Both were asked by Valerie to be honorary pallbearers at Bens funeral.

Both men took the baton from Hogan and ran with it magnificently. Anyone who was privileged to experience Ben Hogan up close and personal was better for it in so many ways, and likewise, if you study the golfer and the man, you too will benefit on and off the course.

Larry Miller, PGA Professional

Acknowledgments

Having been immersed in the art and science of golf for 60 years, its difficult, if not impossible, to recall every positive influence thats come my way during this journey.

I call this journey the endless pursuit of perfection that can never be attained.

Of course, there were early influences. My late dad introduced me to the game, and along with my late mom went the extra mile to encourage and support my growing interest.

Then there were the early teachers, long gone from this world, whose emphasis was on the basic fundamentals of grip, stance, posture, etc.

As I developed as a player, the lessons broadened into the intricacies and complexities of performing an efficient golf swing, a never-ending quest that continues to this day.

My career branched into two, for me, interconnected directions, first as a player and then as a teacher.

Ive always been a keen student of the game and of the golf swing.

Ive learned from other players, from other teachers, and most of all from the multitudes of students that Ive helped through the years.

Just like Harvey Penick, Ive learned something from every student Ive taught.

A great teacher must possess three qualities: diagnostic abilities, communication skills (which includes people reading), and healing knowledge. Only the very best possess all three.

The first teacher who introduced me to the intricacies was Jim Hart, a former PGA Tour player and my first boss in the golf business at Lakewood Country Club in New Orleans.