Golf

Ben Hogan

Ben Hogan's Secret

By John Lynch

What was Ben Hogan's Secret you ask?

Sports psychologist Dr. Bob Rotella wrote in his book "Golf is Not a Game of Perfect" that he interviewed Ben Hogan shortly before Hogan's death in 1997. Rotella asked him "what is the Ben Hogan secret?"

Hogan responded he had always told folks the Ben Hogan Secret was a weaker grip and a cupping of his left hand at the top of the backswing. He said the combination of a weaker grip and cupping of his left hand eliminated the nasty hook he struggled with early in his career.

Here's the deal...

Hogan stated the reason he always said this was because golfers wanted to hear something mechanical about his golf swing - so he gave the people what they wanted to hear...

The truth is that was a lie!

Hogan said it wasn't until 1946 at the age of 34 he won his first major tournament - the PGA Championship. Hogan started winning majors because he quit being so mechanically minded on the course and began playing by "feel" and trusting his golf swing.

Since his golf swing at this point in his life was already fundamentally sound due to all those years of tireless practice in the dirt, there was no need for him to think about his golf swing while under the intense pressures of PGA tournament golf. Hogan began to trust his swing - no more mechanical swing thoughts cluttering up his conscious mind.

The result...

9 major championships!

He said the Ben Hogan Secret is basically the mental process of transferring your golf swing from the practice range to the course.

The fact remains that in the good 'ol days of the 1940's any kind of 'mental' talk about the golf swing was considered voodoo stuff. This is why Hogan was so relectant to talk about any mental techniques he used and be thought some kind of kook or witch doctor.

Hogan said these mental techniques of simply reacting to his target on the golf course was like lifting a ton of bricks off him, freeing him to use his subconscious mind rather than his ego controlled consious mind.

Once Ben Hogan began to react to his target using the golf swing he brought with him that day, his golf game took a quantum leap...

Hogan learned how to score on the golf course!

Hogan firmly believed tinkering with your golf swing should be done on the range...

Not on the golf course!

This folks, is the real Ben Hogan Secret.

 

About the Author

John Lynch is owner of No. 1 Golf Book Reviews and has published hundreds of golf articles. To read more on the Ben Hogan Secret, John recommends you visit: BenHoganSecret.com

can i find photos and values of 1960's era ben hogan woods on line?

Here ya go, courtesy of art.com:

http://www.art.com/asp/search/ProductSearch-asp/_/search_String--ben+hogan/posters.htm?filteroptions=0&isSearch=Y&ui=1C8BF99536764CD7A2D71925F0456470

Ben Hogan - Attack of the Hawk

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