| Sixty three years ago this spring a golfer | | | | golfers, the dreaded slice. For golfers already prone |
| experienced the breakthrough of a lifetime. He | | | | to draw the ball, the focus on a strong adhesion of |
| discovered something that transformed him from a | | | | the right arm and elbow to the side, coupled with the |
| very good golfer to a legend in his lifetime, with an | | | | inside swing, often produced the worst kind of |
| enduring reputation as the greatest ball striker the | | | | confidence destroying shot, the snap or duck hook. |
| game has ever known. Ben Hogan discovered | | | | The recommendation to move the hips as fast as |
| something in 1946 and later insinuated and finally | | | | one could, as if they were attached to the wall by an |
| acknowledged that he had discovered a "secret". A | | | | elastic band, wreaked havoc on the swings of golfers |
| secret that enabled him to accomplish a goal he | | | | whose arms could not keep pace with the body and |
| sought for nearly 14 years on the pro tour, namely | | | | often ended up swinging wildly or by tossing their |
| how to produce a consistent, powerful, repeating | | | | arms through impact like a rag doll. Finally, a key |
| swing that allowed him to gain almost total mastery | | | | tenet of the swing presented in the book as a |
| over the golf ball. Debates continue to this day over | | | | breakthrough of sorts, the plane, proved too |
| who is the greatest golfer of all time. But as Jack | | | | complex , a bit esoteric and an issue that few |
| Nicklaus recently observed in response to a question | | | | understood. |
| about whether Tiger Woods is the best ball striker | | | | A Book Before or After its Time? |
| he had ever seen, "No, no that would unquestionably | | | | Out of fairness to his book, a new breed of |
| be Ben Hogan". And we have all likely read the | | | | "franchise" golfer was emerging in the form of Arnold |
| comment attributed to "Terrible" Tommy Bolt, a | | | | Palmer, Gary Player to a lesser degree and amateur |
| champion golfer in his own right, who famously | | | | star Jack Nicklaus. The "swashbuckling" era of golf |
| observed that "All I know is I seen Nicklaus watching | | | | was in full force and the go for broke style of |
| Hogan practice, but I ain't never seen Hogan watch | | | | Palmer, with a unique swing style that only an athlete |
| Nicklaus practice". | | | | could produce, seemingly bore little resemblance to |
| For a number of years Hogan would only | | | | the style advocated by Hogan. Then there was |
| acknowledge that he had discovered a secret. A | | | | Nicklaus, with flying right elbow, reverse "C" and |
| number of professional golfers speculated about his | | | | prodigious length that was described by Hogan's hero |
| secret in the 5 April 1954 Life Magazine. The next | | | | Bobby Jones as "A style of golf with which I am not |
| year Hogan revealed his secret for all to see in the 8 | | | | familiar". The reverse "C" gained prominence on the |
| August 1955 Life Magazine, The article was entitled | | | | tour and the style was quite unlike that advocated in |
| simply "This is my secret", with Hogan detailing how | | | | Five Lessons. Despite Hogan's reputation as a great |
| he had further weakened his grip by moving his | | | | ball striker and having achieved the admiration of his |
| hands left so he could barely see 2 knuckles, with | | | | fellow golfers, Hogan's style paled in comparison with |
| the V of both hands pointing right at the button of | | | | Palmer. Palmer's golf was compelling, emotional, and it |
| his chin. I say further weakened his grip because he | | | | created a ground swell of fan support that became |
| had previously moved his grip to the left or a neutral | | | | known as "Arnie's Army". Golfers wanted to play like |
| position in 1938 based on a tip to prevent hooking | | | | and be like Arnie. There was no love lost between |
| from Henry Picard. He had also adopted a so called | | | | Palmer and Hogan, whose insistence on referring to |
| shortened thumb position upon his release from the | | | | Palmer as "Fella" irked Palmer throughout his career. |
| service in 1945. The shortened thumb gave him | | | | The relatively conservative style of golf played by |
| better control of the club on the backswing by | | | | Hogan fell somewhat into disfavor during the period |
| cutting down on his tendency to "John Daily it", | | | | where Palmer peaked, Player began to be a force to |
| particularly with the driver. The secret he described | | | | reckon with and Nicklaus came to the fore. |
| involved the use of the Scottish technique of | | | | What of the Secret? |
| deliberate pronation. This technique involved a | | | | There was the hint of unfinished business over the |
| twisting or cupping of the left wrist on the | | | | years as Hogan closed out his career. From time to |
| backswing. The move was believed to make it | | | | time for the next several decades, there were |
| difficult to close the face of the club on the | | | | insinuations that there was more to his golf swing |
| downswing, therefore preventing a hook. Most | | | | and his knowledge than had been revealed in his golf |
| expert golfers considered it a technique not only | | | | books or the Life Magazine articles. He often |
| suited to get the ball in the air but also to promote a | | | | introduced himself as "Henny Bogan" when meeting |
| hook. He also described how he "supinated" his left | | | | people or when talking on the phone, which was an |
| wrist through the ball. Hogan further advised that his | | | | apparent joking reference to himself. He did an |
| secret would not be worth a hoot to the average | | | | interview with Nick Seitz in December 1984 that was |
| golfer and it would be ruinous for a bad golfer, | | | | added as a foreword for a reprinting of Five Lessons |
| particularly one that already fights a slice. But it | | | | as it closed in on 30 years in print. Hogan revealed |
| certainly worked for Hogan, as he won 33 | | | | the importance of pronation and the trials and |
| tournaments and 3 majors from 1946 until the | | | | tribulations that led him to the discovery. He also |
| interruption of his career by his automobile accident | | | | insisted that he "would not change a thing in Five |
| on 2 Feb 1949. This was a phenomenal run of | | | | Lessons and that everything he knew about the full |
| success that took him to the pinnacle of the golf | | | | golf swing was in there". There was speculation and |
| world. | | | | doubts about these statements anew, since the |
| Perception of another Secret. | | | | book made no mention about the secret that he |
| Several months before the revelation of his secret in | | | | revealed in 1955. Sometime over the course of the |
| Life Magazine, Jack Fleck defeated Hogan in a playoff | | | | next decade, Hogan reportedly offered to reveal his |
| for the 1955 U.S. Open Championship. Fleck was little | | | | actual secret that he apparently did not disclose in |
| heralded and lesser known and it is considered one of | | | | the Life Magazine article. There were rumors and |
| the greatest upsets in U.S. Open history. Hogan was | | | | speculation that the technique would allow a pro to |
| devastated by the loss, announcing that he would be | | | | shoot in the 50s. The asking figure was reportedly |
| a "ceremonial golfer" from that moment on. The win | | | | $100,000. The deal never came to fruition. There was |
| would have given him a record fifth U.S. Open | | | | an update in one of the golf magazines that provided |
| Championship and atoned for his perception of being | | | | a recap of much of the information known to date |
| slighted by his win of the Hale Open in 1942, which | | | | about the secret, but there was no new information |
| was conducted like an Open in all but name, including | | | | presented. |
| the award of an identical medal that matched Hogan's | | | | Emerging Secrets! |
| other four. Hogan later released in the spring of 1957 | | | | Hogan did not reveal any further information in his |
| a series of Sports Illustrated Articles that were later | | | | lifetime. Several books have been published over the |
| packaged into his classic instruction manual "Five | | | | last decade or so by credible people that purport to |
| Lessons, The Modern Fundamentals of Golf". | | | | reveal Hogan's secret as told to them, in some cases, |
| The book remains relevant and a classic over 52 | | | | by Hogan himself. While many of these present |
| years later. The book was not without controversy, | | | | interesting stories, in some cases the books are |
| though, as the secret revealed in 1955 was nowhere | | | | fiction and in other cases the premise of the secret |
| to be found within the book. There was little to no | | | | is based upon emphasizing the fundamentals outlined |
| discussion about "pronation", save for a brief mention | | | | in Five Lessons. Many have speculated that there |
| of the ruinous effects of early pronation on the | | | | was no more to be known and that Hogan was just |
| downswing. There was quite a bit of information on | | | | stringing people along. Others have difficulty explaining |
| "supination", however. With its focus on the basic golf | | | | why, if there was more to the story, an honorable |
| fundamentals, Hogan's philosophy held that proper | | | | man with integrity like Hogan did not reveal it in his |
| application and practice of the basic elements of the | | | | lifetime. Still others have postulated that Hogan's |
| swing was all that was needed. The basic elements | | | | secret was in his head, or it was an 8 letter word |
| consisted of about 8 total movements that were | | | | that "began with a P and ended with an E" (practice). |
| linked together in a chain action to produce a | | | | Byron Nelson said it was hitting it close to the hole |
| repeating golf swing. He felt that a golfer of average | | | | and making the putts. Still others insisted that |
| athletic ability could break 80. Golfers became | | | | whatever secret there may have been, it is no |
| skeptical when the book did not quickly lead to the | | | | longer relevant in the modern game with the new |
| promised results. There were around 18 pages on the | | | | technology and the focus on target golf and distance. |
| grip alone. After all that coverage, the relatively weak | | | | Jim McLean observed in The Ben Hogan Collection |
| grip advocated in Five Lessons was held up by many | | | | DVD that Ben Hogan's secret in the final analysis was |
| instructors as an example of a bad technique for | | | | a lot of little things. That may be closer to the truth |
| beginners, as it exacerbated the bane of most | | | | than anyone realizes. |