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The bottom line is we will never know just how these two golfers would have played against each other in their prime, using their own swings. .
I haven't really looked at the Ben Hogan part of that yet, but I really liked looking at the old ads and pictures! $39 for a new Simmons mattress (Sealy, too)? A battery that only needs water THREE times a YEAR? Winston tastes good like a cigarette should. Classic stuff.
According to the article, Hogan twisted the clubhead fully open at the top to prevent it closing too much at impact. That would have worked for Hogan who fought a terrible hook his entire life. It might be just the wrong advice for someone who had an awful slice.
I know people have searched for Hogan's "secret" for years just like people look for the Holy Grail. I don't believe it exists. Each fingerprint is unique and so is each swing. What worked for Hogan is not necessarily the only answer. If Lee Trevino tried Hogan's method, he couldn't keep the ball on the course, he'd be OB right all the time.
Ben Hogan's Secret is Bad for Slicers
Learn why the greatest ball striker's swing should not be copied by slicers
By DR. T.J. TOMASI
ONE OF GOLF MAGAZINE'S TOP 100 TEACHERS
Published: September 01, 1999
In a 1955 article in Life magazine, Ben Hogan -- at that point essentially retired from the Tour -- solved the mystery of how he had become one of the best ball-strikers in history. The article, titled "My Secret," caused quite a sensation and became required reading for thousands of amateurs. However, many golfers over the years have missed the key word in the title -- "My." Hogan's secret was for him and not necessarily for anyone else. Especially, not for a slicer.
The secret combined three swing keys that Hogan had carefully crafted to eradicate the hook that had plagued him early in his career. But to the majority of golfers then and now, those anti-hook keys have only one result: a big slice. If that's a shot you fight, Hogan's keys actually are throwing fuel onto the fire.
HOGAN'S SECRET
When scottish professionals arrived in America around the turn of the century, they brought with them the idea of rolling the left arm and hand away from the ball during the backswing.
This meant the toe of the club fanned away faster than the heel until, at the top of the swing, the back of the left hand and the right palm faced the sky. The move had gone out of style in the intervening years, but Hogan decided that this action set the club on the ideal swing plane. However, it also turned his clubface so it faced to the sky at the top -- a shut position that promoted a hook -- so two additional changes were needed.
To open the clubface, Hogan moved his left thumb on top of the grip and allowed a slight cupping of his left wrist at the top. These changes rotated the clubface so the toe pointed more toward the ground, correcting the shut position. A good tip if you hook the ball.
YOUR SECRET
Slicers would be wise to work on a secret of their own -- one that is nearly the opposite of Hogan's.
First, when you let your arms rotate in the backswing, be careful not to overdo the move. Most slicers allow the clubhead to move well behind their body. From back there, an over-the-top swing path is the only choice on the downswing.
Second, a weak grip is all too common among slicers, so rotate your left thumb to the right to create a stronger grip. Finally, make sure your left forearm and the back of your left hand are flat at the top of the swing. These changes will help you develop your own secret, that of the slice-free swing.
Spoiler
Hogan allowed the club's toe to rotate past the heel.
This produced an open clubface position at the top.
A stronger grip will help eliminate your slice.
Hogan's secret was a weak grip, the bane of slicers.
A flat left wrist position will help a slicer square the clubface.
Hogan's cupped left wrist position contributes to a slicer's problems.
The level of Hogan worship that exists in golf circles has always intrigued me. I'm not talking about his swing, that was magnificent - although I personally prefer Nelson's, but rather Hogan the man.
I know his background and all of the hurdles he overcame. By all accounts, his childhood (specifically, watching his father kill himself) was horrific. As was the car accident later in life. But also by all accounts, Hogan was not a particularly nice man. He was known to be terse or even rude at times, somewhat narcissistic with a short man's complex, and resentful of others around him who succeeded - particularly when (in his mind) they did so with working as hard as he did.
I'll always remember an interview with Arnold Palmer where Arnie was recounting his first Masters where he heard Hogan make a comment about him, the the effect "how did that guy get invited here?" Arnie then said (paraphrased to the best of my recollection), "Hogan was a great man . . . I just said 'great man.' I didn't mean that. Hogan was a great player, but [something along the lines of 'he didn't treat people respectfully.']"
Hogan carefully cultivated his public image and mythology- even to the extent of making demands on the wardrobe and dialogue in the biopic about him. I don't blame him for that - I would do the same. I'm just baffled by the sheer numbers of people who are mesmerized - almost brainwashed - by the 'cult of Hogan.'
Having said that, the old Life magazine article is cool.
The level of Hogan worship that exists in golf circles has always intrigued me. I'm not talking about his swing, that was magnificent - although I personally prefer Nelson's, but rather Hogan the man.
I know his background and all of the hurdles he overcame. By all accounts, his childhood (specifically, watching his father kill himself) was horrific. As was the car accident later in life. But also by all accounts, Hogan was not a particularly nice man. He was known to be terse or even rude at times, somewhat narcissistic with a short man's complex, and resentful of others around him who succeeded - particularly when (in his mind) they did so with working as hard as he did.
I'll always remember an interview with Arnold Palmer where Arnie was recounting his first Masters where he heard Hogan make a comment about him, the the effect "how did that guy get invited here?" Arnie then said (paraphrased to the best of my recollection), "Hogan was a great man . . . I just said 'great man.' I didn't mean that. Hogan was a great player, but [something along the lines of 'he didn't treat people respectfully.']"
Hogan carefully cultivated his public image and mythology- even to the extent of making demands on the wardrobe and dialogue in the biopic about him. I don't blame him for that - I would do the same. I'm just baffled by the sheer numbers of people who are mesmerized - almost brainwashed - by the 'cult of Hogan.'
Having said that, the old Life magazine article is cool.
Is Tiger nice?Freddy also has been known to be a prick
The level of Hogan worship that exists in golf circles has always intrigued me. I'm not talking about his swing, that was magnificent - although I personally prefer Nelson's, but rather Hogan the man.
I know his background and all of the hurdles he overcame. By all accounts, his childhood (specifically, watching his father kill himself) was horrific. As was the car accident later in life. But also by all accounts, Hogan was not a particularly nice man. He was known to be terse or even rude at times, somewhat narcissistic with a short man's complex, and resentful of others around him who succeeded - particularly when (in his mind) they did so with working as hard as he did.
I'll always remember an interview with Arnold Palmer where Arnie was recounting his first Masters where he heard Hogan make a comment about him, the the effect "how did that guy get invited here?" Arnie then said (paraphrased to the best of my recollection), "Hogan was a great man . . . I just said 'great man.' I didn't mean that. Hogan was a great player, but [something along the lines of 'he didn't treat people respectfully.']"
Hogan carefully cultivated his public image and mythology- even to the extent of making demands on the wardrobe and dialogue in the biopic about him. I don't blame him for that - I would do the same. I'm just baffled by the sheer numbers of people who are mesmerized - almost brainwashed - by the 'cult of Hogan.'
Having said that, the old Life magazine article is cool.
Is Tiger nice?Freddy also has been known to be a prick
What does that have to do with anything?