BobbySchaeffer
New
As all of you know, the great Ben Hogan suffered miserably with his early attempts at competitive golf in the 1930's (can you imagine g.o.l.f. in The Hawks hands at an early age). Here is a man, in my estimation, with world class athletic ability -- in the league of Michael Jordan, but more in the athletic make-up of an elite gymnast.
All of you students of Ben Hogan out there (and I know, on a site like this, that's 99.9% of you) know Hogan's golf game came alive in the 1940's where he took the QUALITY of golf to a level that had never been seen (you can make a strong case the quality of his shots has yet to be matched). He claimed for years that he had a "secret", but wouldn't share it with anyone (can you imagine the buzz in The Tour's locker room?). Life Magazine came along and offered him a nice chunk of change for his "secret" (Ben should have held out for today's $$$).
Ben Hogan claimed that his secret was to "cup" his left wrist 8 degrees at the top of his backstroke (double wristcock for all of you TGM'ers). He said that from that ALIGNMENT (let's all dispense with POSISTION golf) he could now roll his wrists (his words, not mine) as strongly as he wanted to and not hook it.
So with this "adjustment/addition" in his golf game he put together the final piece of HIS puzzle (stroke pattern). Make no mistake here, his pivot was OFF THE CHARTS. His plane was already UNWAVERING. Could double wristcock really make that big of a difference, as Hogan claimed?..............................................................................................................................
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....................... (enough suspense) OF COURSE NOT. But, I offer up this REAL SECRET. For the first time Ben Hogan put his mind in his hands (THE COMMAND POST)! Don't forget boys what Homer said, " Regardless of the amount of technical know-how and practice, uneducated Hands can nullify it all and never be suspected".
Isn't it nice that we don't, as Hogan said, "Dig it out of the dirt!". You can dig a lot (not all) out of that funny, little yellow book.
I wish I had time to write a little more on this subject, but I have to go out and conquer the day.
Good golfing lads and lasses,
Bobby
(added this part later after a few replies)
You guys, as always, make some good points.
I guess I didn't make it as clear as I should have. Of course we can discuss the many aspects of Ben Hogan, both personal and professional. My point, very simply, is specific to his famous Life Magazine article. Hogan was convinced it was utilizing the specific wrist conditions that he employed that helped his game so much. It is my contention that what he stumbled upon that helped him was for the first time having truly EDUCATED HANDS (mind in his hands, eyes on the ball), and with that a HAND CONTROLLED PIVOT that elevated his game so rapidly. I was attempting to make a very specific point, not necessarily open up a debate about the details that made him an icon.
More on Hogan at a later date.
All of you students of Ben Hogan out there (and I know, on a site like this, that's 99.9% of you) know Hogan's golf game came alive in the 1940's where he took the QUALITY of golf to a level that had never been seen (you can make a strong case the quality of his shots has yet to be matched). He claimed for years that he had a "secret", but wouldn't share it with anyone (can you imagine the buzz in The Tour's locker room?). Life Magazine came along and offered him a nice chunk of change for his "secret" (Ben should have held out for today's $$$).
Ben Hogan claimed that his secret was to "cup" his left wrist 8 degrees at the top of his backstroke (double wristcock for all of you TGM'ers). He said that from that ALIGNMENT (let's all dispense with POSISTION golf) he could now roll his wrists (his words, not mine) as strongly as he wanted to and not hook it.
So with this "adjustment/addition" in his golf game he put together the final piece of HIS puzzle (stroke pattern). Make no mistake here, his pivot was OFF THE CHARTS. His plane was already UNWAVERING. Could double wristcock really make that big of a difference, as Hogan claimed?..............................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................
.......................................................................................................................................
....................... (enough suspense) OF COURSE NOT. But, I offer up this REAL SECRET. For the first time Ben Hogan put his mind in his hands (THE COMMAND POST)! Don't forget boys what Homer said, " Regardless of the amount of technical know-how and practice, uneducated Hands can nullify it all and never be suspected".
Isn't it nice that we don't, as Hogan said, "Dig it out of the dirt!". You can dig a lot (not all) out of that funny, little yellow book.
I wish I had time to write a little more on this subject, but I have to go out and conquer the day.
Good golfing lads and lasses,
Bobby
(added this part later after a few replies)
You guys, as always, make some good points.
I guess I didn't make it as clear as I should have. Of course we can discuss the many aspects of Ben Hogan, both personal and professional. My point, very simply, is specific to his famous Life Magazine article. Hogan was convinced it was utilizing the specific wrist conditions that he employed that helped his game so much. It is my contention that what he stumbled upon that helped him was for the first time having truly EDUCATED HANDS (mind in his hands, eyes on the ball), and with that a HAND CONTROLLED PIVOT that elevated his game so rapidly. I was attempting to make a very specific point, not necessarily open up a debate about the details that made him an icon.
More on Hogan at a later date.