Combine Hogan’s inherent qualities with his intense concentration and steely focus, and it is apparent he always had the foundation to become one of the game’s finest players. Hogan had the strength, speed, and agility that are ideal for taking up the demands of golf. He had fairly long arms relative to his height (he stood 5 feet 8V½ inches), with a powerful, compact body; at the height of his career he weighed in the region of 140 pounds, and every pound seemed there for one purpose—to strike the golf ball efficiently. He also had big hands and very strong forearms, which helped him hold on to the club with control and power from start to finish. I also believe that his powerful lower body, in particular the strong gluteus maximus muscles (buttocks) and thighs aided his superb stability—a major factor in enabling him to go at the ball hard while retaining perfect balance.
Having been fortunate enough to be involved in the teaching side of golf for years and having taught some of the world’s great modern players, I regard the writing of this book as a labor of love and joy. It is an honor for me, but moreover it is a tribute to a man that I, along with millions of others, have long admired and respected. Many younger golfers have heard of Hogan but perhaps do not realize he was the ultimate technician of the swing, and that he had more control of the ball than anyone who has played the game. Many good players like to draw the golf ball, but some of the greats prefer to fade it; that was true of Hogan, and it is also true of Jack Nicklaus. In Hogan’s day, players had such immense respect for him that they would stop their own practice sessions and gather to watch the master at work. Though Hogan was basically a quiet man, even taciturn, when he talked about the golf swing players listened intently. Tommy Bolt once said that he remembers Jack Nicklaus watching Hogan practice, but that he never saw Hogan watching Nicklaus. Bolt meant this not as a slight to Nicklaus, but as a statement about Hogan’s reputation and exalted place in the game.
My goals in this book are threefold: (1) to examine what Hogan believed about the swing; (2) to offer my interpretations and, in some cases, examine his thinking as expressed primarily in Five Lessons, but also from other sources, so that I might provide a complete picture. Hogan wrote the aforementioned Power Golf, and also in such publications as Life and Esquire, and of course he wrote for and was often quoted in golf magazines. In regard to his many writings I will attempt to clear up some misconceptions that have arisen over the years. Speaking from experience, I am aware that misconceptions can easily arise when dealing with the complexities of the golf swing; and (3) to offer advice that could help golfers of all ability levels who dream of shooting 80 or lower; not so that golfers can recreate Hogan’s swing—that would be impossible—but so that they can learn from him and incorporate certain elements into their games and so become more consistent. Hogan believed that the golfer who studied and understood the basics of the swing and who then applied these principles in practice could develop a consistent swing and break 80. I also believe this.
On the subject of breaking 80, I think it is important to realize that this is indeed a dream for many golfers—a dream they hope to turn into reality. An improved golf swing will go a long way toward achieving this goal. At the same time, we should never forget how important it is to work on your short game and develop it in tandem with your long game. Hogan did not address the short game in Five Lessons nor will I do so here. But an improved short game is vital to any golfer’s plan to reach his potential. Ideally this book will help you improve your swing so that you do not have to tinker with it every time you practice. You will, I hope, be able to use your practice sessions to maintain your newfound, reliable swing and to devote more time to your short game. When I visit golf courses I see people beating golf balls hour after hour in hopes of improving their swings, although frequently they are working without a plan or concept—and they rarely work on their short games. This is understandable because they hit the ball poorly and are motivated to find something, anything, on the range.
I hope to give you that “something” in these pages, and in doing so free you to spend more time on your short game. This should help you become a consistent 80-breaker; or if you are already at that stage, a par-breaker.
I might add that I think along lines similar to Hogan in many important ways and consider myself something of a traditionalist when it comes to teaching the swing. I have always believed that no golfer can make headway in the game without understanding the fundamentals; the idea is then to stick with and work at these fundamentals. If in tandem you can develop a good short game, then you may well turn that dream of breaking 80 or breaking par into reality. This is one reason I am excited by the prospect of helping to bring Hogan again to the forefront of golfers’ minds, and ensure that he remains there. I consider this book a conversation with Hogan about his theory of the swing, and a blending of what we have learned about it and what we can hope to achieve in further study. It’s a blending, in other words, of the past and present with an eye to the future.
Stability and balance were major factors in Hogan’s swing.
As much as this book is an opportunity for me to engage with Hogan’s thinking, I am at the same time reminded that I never saw the man strike a ball. This is my one big regret in golf. On one occasion my friend and student David Frost, who was on good terms with Hogan and represented the Hogan company, set up a time for me to watch him hit balls at Shady Oaks, his club in Fort Worth. Regrettably, Hogan became ill and my visit was canceled. Still, in the course of writing this book I do feel that in a way I encountered Hogan. My research led me to speak with many people who knew him and his game, and to examine every bit of information available about Hogan, including books, films, and letters. I feel I have come to know him—not only his swing but to some extent what made him tick—and I can only say I have more admiration for the man now than ever before.
It is interesting to note that while Hogan said years after writing the book that he put everything he knew about the swing into it, still he felt that there was more to learn. Hogan, in fact, encouraged further study and interpretation by declaring in Five Lessons: “I hope that these lessons will serve as a body of knowledge that will lead to further advances in our understanding of the golf swing. Every year we learn a little more about golf. Each new chunk of valid knowledge paves the way to greater knowledge. Golf is like medicine and the other fields of science in this respect.” Nick Price, with whom I have had the good fortune to work for years, feels that he could compress twenty-five years of learning into just a couple with the information available today. The pace of learning is accelerated and compressed today; all golfers including those who have played for decades can benefit from the advances in teaching.
I might also point to Nick Faldo, with whom I started working in 1985. Faldo wanted to rebuild his swing so that he could rely on it under the pressure of major championships. It took him two years to incorporate the changes, and in 1987 he won the British Open after making eighteen straight pars during the final round—proof that his swing could stand up under extreme pressure. He has since gone on to win two more British Opens and three Masters. I learned while working with Faldo that it really is possible for a golfer to revamp his swing, as Hogan suggests it is. Clearly, not all golfers want to put in the time that Faldo did, because he is, of course, a touring professional, cast in the Hogan mold of dedication. Still, as Hogan points out, any golfer who is committed to change can improve as long as he works on the fundamentals. Faldo, like Hogan and now Tiger Woods, has been driven by the search for perfection. Your own search might be so that you can work toward winning a club event, or simply to reach a new personal best in terms of ball-striking and scoring. Hogan believed it and I believe it: you can improve. Just as I was amazed to see the changes in Faldo over time I have been equally amazed to see the changes in amateurs with whom I have worked, though not at all surprised to observe how much they have enjoyed their golf as a result.
Hogan’s ideas provide an extraordinarily valuable resource for our continued studies. Five Lessons especially