Ben Hogan: An American Life by James Dodson

[Addington_Arnie]

Hi guys,

It took me a little while to get into Dodsons Hogan biography but I have started to really enjoy it. I read the Curt Sampson biography of Hogan a few years ago and incorrectly assumed with the Dodson biog that I would feel like I was treading over old ground. Anyway I thought I would pick out a few quotes or sections that struck me as interesting as I went along. Some might relate to other topics on the forum here or Lags philosophy, but others hopefully might proove discussion points.

Cheers, Arnie

[Addington_Arnie]

On p 107 Dodson gives us this on Sam Snead:

Sneads power attracted crowds from the first day he stepped out on Tour. His only problem, like Hogan’s, was the dreaded hook, an affliction that had him so down in the dumps after only a few months out on the circuit that he considered giving up the $45 a month windfall he Greenbrier was paying him to represent the resort on Tour and going home to teach hotel guests.

Prior to the start of the 1937 LA Open, however, Henry Picard had loaned Snead a heavy George Izett driver that weighed fourteen and a half ounces and had a swing weight of E-5, 8 degrees of loft and an ultra-stiff steel shaft.

With this monster of a club, Sneads driving woes vanished and his confidence soared. “The harder I swung,” Snead said later, “the straighter the dang ball flew.”

Sure enough, one week later Snead blasted past Picard in Oakland to win his first professional tournament …and 3 weeks later he did it again. Sammy decided there was no way he could part with Henry Picard’s Izett driver and gratefully paid him $5.50 for the magical driving instrument!

So thats Hogan, Snead and Moe all in favour of heavy clubs! $5.50? Sam should have been ashamed

[Addington_Arnie]

On page 141 Dodson talks about Hogans breakthrough in 1940

In just ten days, Ben Hogan had won the first three professional golf tournaments of his life, something no player had ever done so quickly before, possibly the most sensational stretch of tournament golf that anyone had ever played, a fact borne out by the statistics of his remarkable breakthrough.
Over 216 holes of competition, in three straight tournaments, he was an eye watering 34 under par, breaking 70 on all but two of the twelve rounds. During this violent assault on Old Man Par, he three putted just two greens, both in Asheville, and, maybe most amazing and revealing of all, missed only two greens in regulation over the entire stretch of play.

I am as much as a Hogan fan as anyone but even I find the GIR stats hard to swallow. 2 missed green out of 216 holes (12 rounds)? I have heard of Trevino missing 1 GIR in a 72 hole tourney but this seems to me almost beyond belief. Strike me down!

[Addington_Arnie]

Soon after on p148

Ben was found by a local reporter pounding a two-by-four against the head of his MacGregor five-iron, trying to flatten the club’s lie angle by several degrees.

Noting the young reporter’s perplexed expression, Hogan, explained to him that he clubs his equipment company sent him were always several degrees too upright. This caused the ball to come off the club face with right-to-left spin that promoted a hook, something he feared more than a coiled rattlesnake at his feet. For this reason he also filed most of the bounces off his wedges. Bounce promoted a hook, Hogan believed. That is why the leading edges of his clubs were sharp as a carpenter’s plane. He wanted a blade that cut like a buck knife.

Pausing in his exertions, Hogan lit a fresh cigarette and asked a black shop attendant standing nearby to go find some brass and someone with a blowtorch so he could “put some power” on he back of his wedge and nine iron. Ben liked his clubs as heavy as possible – otherwise he couldn’t “feel” them.

[eagle]

@Addington Arnie

Soon after on p148

Ben was found by a local reporter pounding a two-by-four against the head of his MacGregor five-iron, trying to flatten the club’s lie angle by several degrees.

Noting the young reporter’s perplexed expression, Hogan, explained to him that he clubs his equipment company sent him were always several degrees too upright. This caused the ball to come off the club face with right-to-left spin that promoted a hook, something he feared more than a coiled rattlesnake at his feet. For this reason he also filed most of the bounces off his wedges. Bounce promoted a hook, Hogan believed. That is why the leading edges of his clubs were sharp as a carpenter’s plane. He wanted a blade that cut like a buck knife.

Pausing in his exertions, Hogan lit a fresh cigarette and asked a black shop attendant standing nearby to go find some brass and someone with a blowtorch so he could “put some power” on he back of his wedge and nine iron. Ben liked his clubs as heavy as possible – otherwise he couldn’t “feel” them.

This is interesting, as I have a mid 1970’s Hogan wedge that has what appears to be negative bounce( “Special PW”), and i have often felt if looked sharp as a knife. We used to have a pro at our club who had similar wedges and was proficient with them. As I recall, he liked them to use them off of hard pan. I remember seeing him once open it up, take a full swing, and loft in onto a green about 25 yards away. I never see such wedges anymore, I am curious if the better golfers on this forum have more insight regarding the use of such wedges.
eagle

[Steb]

@Addington Arnie

On page 141 Dodson talks about Hogans breakthrough in 1940

In just ten days, Ben Hogan had won the first three professional golf tournaments of his life, something no player had ever done so quickly before, possibly the most sensational stretch of tournament golf that anyone had ever played, a fact borne out by the statistics of his remarkable breakthrough.
Over 216 holes of competition, in three straight tournaments, he was an eye watering 34 under par, breaking 70 on all but two of the twelve rounds. During this violent assault on Old Man Par, he three putted just two greens, both in Asheville, and, maybe most amazing and revealing of all, missed only two greens in regulation over the entire stretch of play.

I am as much as a Hogan fan as anyone but even I find the GIR stats hard to swallow. 2 missed green out of 216 holes (12 rounds)? I have heard of Trevino missing 1 GIR in a 72 hole tourney but this seems to me almost beyond belief. Strike me down!

That’s just incomprehensible Arnie - and to think he wasn’t approaching with wedges either. Let’s put this in perspective: If the best putter today hit 214/216 greens in regulation, they would be 60 under for those 216 holes, not a measly 34 under. Even the 100th best putter would be 49 under par. Shows you how rough putting greens were back then, doesn’t it. What a different game. No wonder it’s a freak show out there on the greens with space age putters and totally unnatural grips.

[Styles]

Its a great book Arnie, you will love it although Dodson’s writing style is not always to my taste.

I loaned it to my Dad who had always been a fan of Hogan but probably rated Nicklaus as much the better player. After finishing the book he declared that Hogan was on a different level to anyone who has ever played the game!

[bentshaft]

My driving range buddy (who strangely enough has persimmon in his bag) loaned me this book a couple weeks ago…
Dodson can be a bit tedious, but a great read none the less…
I enjoyed it very much…

Its truly amazing to me how driven he was to be better all the time, especially early in his touring days.
He clearly wasnt that great early on, went broke more than once, yet was somehow driven to succeed—incredible!!

[Addington_Arnie]

This is interesting, as I have a mid 1970’s Hogan wedge that has what appears to be negative bounce( “Special PW”), and i have often felt if looked sharp as a knife. We used to have a pro at our club who had similar wedges and was proficient with them. As I recall, he liked them to use them off of hard pan. I remember seeing him once open it up, take a full swing, and loft in onto a green about 25 yards away. I never see such wedges anymore, I am curious if the better golfers on this forum have more insight regarding the use of such wedges.
eagle

Seems to me that this type of grind might suit someone who enters/exits the hitting zone super flat. If your steep or dumping the load on the shaft down and out into the ground towards right field this grind is not going to do anything much for you apart than possibly jelp you penetrate the earths core . I remember Tom Wishon saying how surprised he was at the grinds of Hogans personal clubs when he examined them. He thought 99% of golfers would have a problem with hitting the ball fat using that type of grind.

Cheers, Arnie

[1teebox]

@Addington Arnie

Soon after on p148

Ben was found by a local reporter pounding a two-by-four against the head of his MacGregor five-iron, trying to flatten the club’s lie angle by several degrees.

Noting the young reporter’s perplexed expression, Hogan, explained to him that he clubs his equipment company sent him were always several degrees too upright. This caused the ball to come off the club face with right-to-left spin that promoted a hook, something he feared more than a coiled rattlesnake at his feet. For this reason he also filed most of the bounces off his wedges. Bounce promoted a hook, Hogan believed. That is why the leading edges of his clubs were sharp as a carpenter’s plane. He wanted a blade that cut like a buck knife.

Pausing in his exertions, Hogan lit a fresh cigarette and asked a black shop attendant standing nearby to go find some brass and someone with a blowtorch so he could “put some power” on he back of his wedge and nine iron. Ben liked his clubs as heavy as possible – otherwise he couldn’t “feel” them.

I wish I had been there to see all that. There is little else like seeing an artist in his or her work area, away from the main stage, doing things the way they alone get them done, creating from the roots of their being. Where was the loft/lie machine accurate to the 1/2 degree? In his head and in his hands! Still, how the heck could he bend lies that way without screwing up? Also, I wonder if Mr. Hogan ever bothered with a swingweight balance? If we should learn he just messed with the brass until he trusted it, would that surprise anyone?