Ben Hogan and his Golf Swing
Feb 13th, 2008 by admin
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Ben Hogan is a legend in the game of golf. His name is synonymous with determination and persistence. In regards to his golf swing, he was arguably the best ball striker in the game, particularly under pressure.
In this rare interview conducted by Ken Venturi for CBS, Hogan talks about his tough times being broke and moving from one tournament to the next with dwindling finances.
He also talks about the legendary golf swing change that rose “from the dirt” and countless hours on the practice range. This change transformed his game and became the springboard to his brilliant career.
Check out the video and then, if I may, let me ask you a question:
Did you hear Ben referring to his comeback after his near fatal car accident in 1949? He spent 59 days in the hospital and doctors said he may never walk again.
He walked again. He also won 6 more majors after the accident. His 64th and last pro victory was the 1959 Colonial in his home state of Texas.
Near the end of the video, Hogan talks about never getting back to the playing level he was at in 1948-1949. And yet, after surviving a broken pelvis, collar bone, left ankle, and broken rib, he returned to beat the best players in the world. He did all that with a battered body, blood clots, and painful arthritis.
So, it begs the question:
Without the accident, would Tiger be chasing Hogan’s all time major tournament record or Nicklaus’s?
Could Hogan have added another 9 majors to equal Nicklaus or even pass him, if his career had been uninterrupted? He won his first major at 34, so he had a late start. But he won 2 in 1950 and 3 in 1953.
It is well documented that walking the course became very painful for Ben due to his injuries. But how did it affect his swing? How much distance and accuracy did he lose? After all, modern players don’t play at all when they are injured.
Please leave your thoughts and comments below. It should be an interesting discussion.
Best Wishes,
Rob Cotter
Instant Golf Lesson
I thought Ben Hogan passed away a long time ago.
1. When was the video taken?
2. Is he much alive?
I will appreciate your reply.
Thank you.
David Jarashow
The video is from the mid eighties. Hogan died in 1997.
No doubt Hogan would have had many more wins if he hadn’t sustained the injuries. I’ve pondered this myself. It amazes me that he played as well as he did after the accident. How many players today do you think could do the same at Hogan’s age?
Good article but remember that many of the players served our
country in WW2 and this cut 3 or 4 years out of a career. This fact plus the accident/recovery time AND the rubber wound golf balls,
wooden headed woods( Real Wood), terrible steel shafts makes
me wonder if todays pampered “stars” could even compete under
those conditions. Not to mention the quality of courses with
REAL rough where you frequently couldn’t find the ball due to
the deep stuff. as far as ball striking, Sam Snead said that Hogan
could uncork a 350 yard drive anytime he needed to reach a long
par 5. All this from a guy 5′8″ and 140 lbs!
Ya can’t compare apples and oranges!
Can you compare Babe Ruth to Hank Aaron?
Can you compare Paul Horning to Ricky Williams?
Can you compare Shaqille Oneil to Wilt Chamberain?
The answer to all of them is NO!
A different era, a different level of play!
Today, fitness is a HUGE part of an athletes’ game!, NO sport was
that EXACT in its preparation 30-40 years ago!
Just accept them ALL for being great in THEIR time!, ’cause in 10-15 years from now, our heroes of today will become passe!
In time, SOMEBODY’s going to say, ‘Tiger!, he was a golfer, wasn’t he?’
Barry
Toronto
I concur wth Barry. The question is moot: History and records hang on circumstances and serendipities. One might debate whether Hogan did as well as he did in spite of his accident, or because of his accident. His incredible US Open win AFTER the accident is great because of the accident, just as Venturi’s was because of his heat exhaustion. Records and greatness are made as much by determination, unwavering will and focus, imagination and persistence, or perhaps more than, sheer talent and gifted coordination. Let’s honor all the greats, without having to rank them in some numerical order.
Ben and has comtemperaries were all great players - greater feel and mipliation of the ball, where today they are tecnology and stregth driven. So how to compare each age brings its great athelets. These Golfers did give us the love, history and integrity of golf of which I hope we never lose to money and our just me society.
Golf is a game played among our best friends and competitors. A game for life - and I honor all those that play with skill,humor and integrity.
I have little doubt that without the accident which took him out of the game when he was winning everything (like Tiger today) Ben would have won many more majors - probably as many as Jack Nicklaus. Ben’s ball striking was the best ever and he was not only long but he hit it straight, unlike Tiger who at times is all over the place. Tiger wins because he can extricate himself from the bad situations and is a fantastic competitor which was Nicklaus’s strength. There is only one swing I’d rather watch than Hogan’s and that’s Sam Snead’s - pure perfection.
Considering I think I’ve read every book on Hogan (and own most of them) I couldn’t pick up what Ben was saying at the end of the video about making club(s) for someone else (who?) and it being a mistake and how a week doesn’t go by and this “mistake” gets him “in the guts”. What was that all about - can somebody tell me please?
Footnote - I once visited Shady Oaks and sat in the great man’s chair but it was winter and he was not there at the time. Still it was a huge thrill. Also went to his factory at Fort Worth.
How about asking yourselves this question. How would todays players play on the courses of Hogan and Snead. How well would they hit the balls of yesteryear, with the equipment of those times. I think the answer is obvious , to me anyway. NO WHERE AS GOOD!
I thoroughly believe that Ben Hogan would have set many more records and won several more tournaments…Yes Tiger would still be chasing Ben. His swing, his game was amazing to behold, timeless, I only wish I could have met the man…
Lets get some things straight. He was a great ball striker, would he have won more than Jack, no he wouldn’t. One of the main reasons for his decline was his putting and thats got nothing to do with the car crash.
Would Tigers generation do well if they went back 50 years, probably better than if Hogans generation came forward 50 years. Yes the equipment was worse but the course layout was far easier. Fairways were much wider and the rough was actually nowhere near as deep. If Hogans era turned up at Oakmont they would be in for a shock.
There is a tendency now days to jump on the Ben Hogan bandwagon and start blurting out all these myths of his. He was a great ball striker and one of the great players, but nothing more. He is not up there with Tiger and Jack.
Dan, you couldn’t be more wrong. Ben was a very good putter before the accident. In it his left eye was damaged, forever damaging his vision. If he had been able to see well after 1949, he would have won an amazing number of tournaments. This isn’t my idea; those who played against him said so.