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My try at duplicating the Ben Hogan Swing


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I love the conversation with your daughter! :lol:

 

Yaah, I've been watching them play that game on and off since the summer ya know, and I never even thought about the similarity of my project and learning method. Kim wasn't fond of me including them in my Hogan project madness; she said that all I was trying to do was prove a point, and to convince myself that it all makes sense.

 

I wasn't trying to prove any particular point. I just wanted to get honest feedback from someone that hadn't been "programmed" to think a certain way yet. I was surprised at how it all played out. I thought she would just get frustrated with all my questions and put the game away. The proudest part was when she turned to me with her head up and chest out and boldly stated that she could learn anything she wanted to. I'm still smilin about that.

 

Now if that had been my boys, I'm not sure if it would have gone the same. A 10th grader and college freshman.

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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Ran into a neighbor that lives on the other side of our subdivision. He was walking his dog and saw a few stray whiffle balls in my yard and golf became the topic, and of course Hogan came up. He mentioned that one of his favorite courses is Bobby Jones in the Buckhead area and I said I also play there a few times. He asked how often I played, and that we should get together sometimes. I said I was not headed back onto the course until spring time, and I was reluctant to tell him about my project. Not because it is anything wrong with what I'm doing, but because I always have to explain "why," then deal with all the "WTF is wrong with you stuff" lol. So I just mentioned that I was in the garage tweeking my swing and working on a few things. He said he was doing the same this winter and that he was re-reading 5 lessons. Then he asked me if I had read 5 lessons and what I thought about it. And you already know what my answer was. "Nope, but....ummmmmm. I'll get to it soon." (Heck, soon could be 5 stinkin years!) He was kinda shocked that I had been into the game for 4 years and hadn't read it yet. (I'm used to that shocked look now). We rambled on some more about what the 2012 season was gonna be like, who was gonna be the front-runner.....what Tiger was gonna do....yada, yada.

 

The main reason for me rambling on and on and the neighbor is because he said something that caught my ear. He mentioned something like "Well, ya know, 5 Lessons is THE only golf book anybody needs. It's the best selling golf book of all time." So, I got curious and wanted to know when it was written, and that kind of stuff. I also wanted to know the date published to see which one of the swing vids I'm using as my training guide comes closest to that date.

 

Did a google search for "five lessons golf." Clicked on the Amazon link. Looks like the one I clicked on was published in 1985, but the original one was published in 1957. I scrolled down to the section that says "What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item" and "Similar Items" just to see other related books. I saw "Power Golf" (I've heard of that one mentioned a lot too), but didn't see an original publishing date.

 

So I decided to do an amazon search for "Power Golf" to hopefully find out the publishing date. Nothing. Then I did an amazon search for "Ben Hogan."

 

HOOOOOLLLLEY SHMOLEY!!!!!! I WAS SHOCKED!!!!!!

 

There are not only 5 Lessons and Power Golf, but a whole slew of Hogan books. This guy must have been good or something!

 

> Afternoons with Mr. Hogan: A Boy, A Golfing Legend and the Lessons of a Lifetime by Jody Vasquez (Mar 25, 2004)

> Ben Hogan: An American Life by James Dodson (May 3, 2005)

> Ben Hogan's Magical Device: The Real Secret to Hogan's Swing Finally Revealed by Ted Hunt and Sean Connery (May 26, 2009)

> Ben Hogan's Short Game Simplified: The Secret to Hogan's Game from 120 Yards and In by Ted Hunt (Oct 27, 2010)

> Golf Fundamental von Ben Hogan. Der Golf Albrecht. by David Leadbetter and Lorne Rubinstein (May 1, 2001)

> Hogan by Curt Sampson (May 5, 1997)

> Hogan: The man who played for glory by Gene Gregston (1978)

> Miracle at Merion: The Inspiring Story of Ben Hogan's Amazing Comeback and Victory at the 1950 U.S. Open by David Barrett (Oct 8, 2010)

> Mr. Hogan, the Man I Knew: An LPGA Player Looks Back on an Amazing Friendship and Lessons She Learned from Golf's Greatest Legend by Kris Tschetter (Oct 14, 2010)

> My Partner, Ben Hogan by Demaret; Jimmy (1955)

> The Complete Guide To Golf by Ben Hogan, Cary Middlecoff and Sam Snead (Jun 18, 2011)

> The Complete Hogan: A Shot-by-Shot Analysis of Golf's Greatest Swing by Jim McLean and Tom McCarthy (Jan 3, 2012)

> The Secret of Hogan's Swing by Tom Bertrand and Printer Bowler (Sep 29, 2006)

> The Upset: Jack Fleck's Incredible Victory over Ben Hogan at the U.S. Open by Al Barkow (Jun 1, 2012)

Ben Hogan: An entry from Gale's Notable Sports Figures by Julia Bauder (2004) - HTML

> Ben Hogan: The Man Behind The Mystique by Martin Davis (Sep 2002)

> Ben Hogan's "Secret" by Bob Thomas (1997)

> The Final Missing Piece of Ben Hogan's Secret Puzzle by Dave Hamilton, VJ Trolio and Brent Raklovits (Oct 26, 2010)

> The Caddie Who Knew Ben Hogan by John Coyne (May 15, 2007)

> I Remember Ben Hogan: Personal Recollections and Revelations of Golf's Most Famous Legend From The People Who Knew Him Best by Mike Towle (Mar 1, 2000)

> Ben Hogan's Secret: A Literary Portrait by Bob Thomas (Sep 1, 2001)

 

There were a few more, but I got tired of copying them.

 

Man, I'm gonna have a lot of reading to do!

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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It is so damn annoying to read the exact same thread in every golf forum in this planet!

 

I'm bored of this monologue which takes up space and storage in every forum database...

 

Lol. Just imagine me having to post it everywhere!

 

When I first got into all this, i was just putting my journal on youtube for my playing partners to see, then i was invited to a forum. The forum was fun cause I met people that enjoyed talking Hogan stuff. Then one of my international golf buddies invited me to other golf forums, and so on. I started getting a hundred youtube emaIls asking about my progress (or lack of). I initially tried to answer most of them, but it just was too much. So forums it is. I like all forums, but I've learned that some guys have a grudge against some of them, but I have no idea why. Maybe cause they take people's comments too seriously.

 

And I'm on your side.......my swing journal is one of the most boring things I've ever read. Lol, I have no earthly idea why you would ever read in the first place.

 

The main reason I'm in every forum across the land is to hopefully find someone else that is doing the same type project as me. So far nobody is as idiotic as me.

 

Ummmm, maybe this is too simplistic, but when I come across a thread or user that I don't particularly enjoy, I just avoid that users threads and posts lol. I just don't read them.

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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For your laughing pleasure..............

 

Here's some of my old vids converted from 8mm tape. I did no type of swing analysis back them. Only thing I was worried about was how far the ball went and if my finish was balanced. I didn't know anything about alignment or foot position. A guy on the driving range showed me the interlocking grip. I used to record our golf outings so we could get together at family cookouts and laugh at them. Dang, I forgot I wore a golf glove back then!

 

Wolf Creek 8-24-07. When I initially got into the game. Whew....took me a while to get the guts to load this vid on here lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOWc0fk6Vew&feature=g-upl&context=G25af3c7AUAAAAAAAAAA

 

Tup Holmes. 3-16-08. A year later. Think I was trying to figure out how to hit a draw on this day. Note the closed stance. Never understood it. Gave up on the draw. Went back to the straight and the fade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhAGLlkoY3Q&feature=g-upl&context=G2d95aa8AUAAAAAAABAA

 

Bobby Jones 7-20-08. After playing a little bit more, and reading lots of golf magazines. Looks like I had on my Tiger red that day lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NJ3G2JndhI&feature=g-upl&context=G2d51611AUAAAAAAACAA

 

I also remember later in 2010 when I got a big Taylor Made tour bag and brought it to Bobby Jones and embarrased myself on the first tee. Hit both tee shots into the creek! Too much crowd pressure lol.

 

I didn't start all this "tweeking stuff" until June 2011.

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4f8SR15LEo

 

I had no idea that Hogan's club went in a loop during the waggle, from high to low, in a circular motion. I always thought it went straight back away from the ball, then straight back to the ball.

 

It's kinda difficult to see from the DTL and FO views.

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLQ55n0KU6k&feature=g-upl&context=G2a9555dAUAAAAAAABAA

 

I got a lot of requests for the DTL view. So here ya go.

 

Same looping motion happening with the clubhead. Looks like the wrists are making things happen, but I am not sure.

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS3-GHRzLLs

 

Ben Hogan DTL view - address vs entire swing - Shell Hole #3

 

I put together a comparison of Hogan's address vs the rest of his swing. Want to understand how different body parts compare to the address position, such as hand and head movement.

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1hHaNA1-BVQ

 

This video is from an 8mm tape of my first time ever setting foot on a golf course or holding a golf club. Sorry for the bad quality, but it's the best I can get it for now. It was a company outing that I only attended for the free food and prizes. I was into competitive softball in those days and figured that golf couldn't be that hard. One of the "expert golfers" you see in the vid (my coworkers) gave me a lesson on the first tee box; how to grip the club as well as how to align myself to the target. I'm the guy in the light blue shirt, beige cargo pants, white tennis shoes, and black Nike cap (borrowed the cap from one of the coworkers). I had fun out there but didn't get any further urge to play again until another company outing in 2007, where a guy bet me money that I couldn't hit the ball in the fairway, and that I could use any club I wanted to. I shrugged my shoulders and said "no prob, you're on!" Of course I picked the driver cause it was the biggest, baddest and most violent looking, and cause my ego wanted to hit it as far as possible.......I failed. Sliced every ball off the map. Then I was hooked!

 

Wow! I just noticed at 10:55, I hit some kind of draw or hook!! How the heck did I do that?? Been trying to hit a draw for the past 2 years now...with no success!

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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Just playing around with the right hand(s). This is a vid I made on Dec 29, 2011. I'm posting it now because a discussion topic came up today regarding Hogan's club path.

 

RIght now, I'm only working on the teeup - walkaway - walkin. NOT the full swing or any part of it.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68ocy_erJCo

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tkEY1fj4Q4

 

Today, 1-21-12, working on the teeup - step back - step in. Took a few weeks to convince my mind and body that teeing up the ball on my right foot was normal. Still a long way to go.

 

00:07 My old method from 2007 thru 2011

00:26 1-4-2012 teeup

00:45 1-8-2012 teeup

1:07 1-21-2012 teeup

1:53 1-21-2012 Hogan teeup comparison

4:11 1-21-2012 DTL 2-right hands practice

4:27 1-21-2012 FO 2-right hands practice

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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01-22-12 Tee-up, Step-Away, Step-in:(a) My club is rising too early. While stepping back, Hogan's clubhead is always in contact with the ground. It slides on top of the grass. From initial tee-up, all the way to the stepaway, bottom of club is touching grass. Club does not rise until left hand adjusts left watch-pocket. Looks like left pants adjustment is in sync with right forearm/wrist raising the club to parallel. Club rises as final left foot is planted and weight begins to shift towards stepping back into ball.

 

(b ) During stepaway, my chest is turned too open to the target; need to be a bit more facing the ball.

 

( c ) I am stepping back much too far. Need to take smaller steps.

 

 

01-25-12 Tee-up, Step-Away, Step-in:Getting better. I'm starting to understand the rythm of this part of the swing.

 

 

Up next: Waggle Stage 1 (training should start within the next few weeks.)

As left heel makes contact with ground:

- Head look to target

- Right foot rise turn slightly CW (weight is on left foot)

- Wrists pull in to waist using bent elbows (during pull-in, weight settles on right foot and is now distributed evenly between R and L foot)

- Slight bump of clubhead towards target (need to investigate what is triggering this; wrists? elbows?)

- Look to ball

- Waggle (needs complete breakdown)

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNG322_eZxo

 

Still working on the tee-up, step-away, step-in. I notice that I am stepping into the hitting box with right foot too open.

 

Wanted to dabble with Step-in/Waggle Stage 1. Whew......lots going on there, and LOTS that needs understanding/tweeking.

 

0:36 Totally confused. Brain doesn't know how to translate what I described in words into physical movement.

0:56 Doing in my mind what I think the waggle should be.

1:25 A little later in the practice session. I've taken a few looks at my waggle vs Hogan to understand the differences.

1:55 My left, right, top, and bottom brain is fried.

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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Last nite, I kind of dabbled with the settling of the left foot and Waggle Stage 1. Gonna take me a while to work all this out. The most impressive thing I've learned so far with the tee-up / step-away / step-in (grrrrrrrr. I'm getting tired of typing that whole name....gotta find a cool abbreviation....maybe TU-SA-SI or TUSASI lol) is that there is a distinct rythm to it. Almost like a dance. No, not almost like one....definitely one. You should have seen me when my wife and daughters were dancing to the Wii game. I stepped in and started doing the TUSASI as a dance. I have to find as many creative ways as possible to ingrain this into muscle memory. Also, when I drop something on the floor, or have to pick anything up from the floor, I ALWAYS do the TUSASI. I was in Kroger with my son and told him to drop something on the floor so I could pick it up lol. His comment "ugggggg, Dad....not HERE?! One of my friends may see me!" Of course he dropped it anyway, and I hit the TUSASI to the best of my ability, right there in the checkout line.

 

Another thing....I understand the generalities of the TU-SA-SI, but only from one angle; FO. I will need to analyze/compare to all the other angles I can find, because things may be different. So far, Shell Worldwide match Hole #5 is a good LR (left rear) angle. I will have to search for other angles of the TU-SA-SI. Same goes for Waggle Stage 1.

 

This whole project will go in cycles. The first 6 months was all about experimenting with different things to understand my physical capabilities/limitations and to get an overall feel for the new movement. Now, I'm working my way through the entire swing. When I work all the way through it, I will be kind of a white belt. I will then start all over again like I've never seen it before. Then I'll be a yellow belt.......and so on. And right now I'm proud to say I am a bright-eyed bushy tailed no-belt lol.

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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I'm taking a family trip to Mardi Gras this weekend. Bruce said he's bringing his clubs. I'm bringing mine too wooohooooo!!! I've had enough of this stinkin basement.

 

Although I shouldn't get too excited......I'm probably gonna be the only guy on the first tee that tees the ball up like Hogan, steps away from it like Hogan, steps back into it like Hogan, waggles 3 times like Hogan, then picks the ball up and says "OK guys, that's all I know right now. Who's up next to hit?"

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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Yesterday, I was sitting back relaxing on the phone talking with my Dad about our upcoming golfing season.We plan to crank up the tournaments on March 3, 2012. He is in his late 60's and retired. He's going on and on about how we have no chance against him this year because he now has the time to focus on his complete game. Says he will be counting the number of days per month that he DOES NOT practice. He says this number will be counted on one hand. He knows what I've been doing since last summer and says I will not improve my game at all hanging out in my basement. So he rambles some more about his advantage over us and that he will be offering us strokes so we don't get depressed and quit the game. (trash talking is the fun part; helps build the hype up until game time!) He mentions that he is on ebay trying to buy some irons, but can't get past the credit card section. I tell him to add his bank account as a backup funding source and everything goes smoothly. I ask what he's getting. He says "a couple of Cleveland wedges and a Hogan hybrid." I kind of joked that there is no such thing as a Hogan hybrid, cause Hogan wouldn't be caught using one. It would make the game too easy lol...he liked tough things!! I tell him that he just needs to get a complete set of irons instead of buying one here-n-there and having a mismatched set. He says that he will eventually. Then he said "yahhhh, I had a set of Hogan irons a couple of years ago....I gave them to OP (his brother). WHAT!!!! I NEVER KNEW HE HAD A SET OF HOGAN CLUBS!!!! Dad had been playing with them since we got into the game in 2007 and I had no idea. I didn't know who Hogan was until last summer. And in those days, my Dads clubs didn't spark any of my interest because they didn't have a name like TaylorMade or Ping or Nike. When I watched PGA golf on weekends I never saw any Hogan commercials. So my next question was "SO DOES OP STILL HAVE THEM???????" Dad said, "yep..I think so." Lol....all this time he knew what my project was all about and he didn't realize that maybe I would want a set of clubs made by the guy I'm studying????

 

Now I'm standing up pacing in the living room lol.

 

OP plays once a year. So I ask if I can possibly get his bag and conviently swap all the Hogan irons. I would put my set of Sports Authority specials in his. Dad went to OP's house and got the bag. I went by Dads house and picked them up. Grips are kind of ugly (some type of Lamkin royal blue with white barbells all over it. I like old-style leather wrap grips. Clubs are 3i thru E. What the heck is an E club??????? Extra????? or Evil??? or Equalizer?? or Elevator??? or Easy????

 

The faces are a bit worn in a spot. Looks like someone was hitting it in the same place every stinkin time! When I picked one of them up and did a practice swing, my stinkin wrist almost snapped. WHAT THE HECK IS THIS CLUB MADE OF???????? FEELS LIKE I'M SWINGING AN IRON PIPE!!! Or maybe the clubs I've always used are just extra lite or something. Whew...gonna take some time to get used to.

 

Club description:

Shaft label is red with Hogan Apex and a #3.

Clubhead : Hogan with red underline. Forged. Edge. Club number.

 

Anybody got weight specs on these? Anybody use them now?

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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Full set of Ben Hogan Producer irons found at the Mobile, Alabama flea market. 2i thru 9i. And Spalding leather bag with working zippers and 1, 3, 4 head covers.

 

We were on the way to Mardi Gras in Mobile and Anita recommended that we stop by the flea market to browse. Of course I complained because the wives can lose their minds in there for hours. Then Kim reminded me that "you know, somebody might have golf stuff laying around....." She said the magic words!!

 

My daughter pointed out a golf bag at a nearby vendor. As I approached, I could start to see the "Ben Hogan" name imprinted. I tried by best to control my emotions, but I sorta yelled out and jumped in the air as I saw they were a complete set (Kim is still shaking her head on that one....says I acted like a kid on Christmas day! "Really????? Do you have to make a scene....you got people staring at us like we have no home training!") Well what does she expect lol??? She was absolutely right. Santa had come by the flea market and left me a gift!!!! You should have seen me trying to "act" unconcerned about the clubs. Lol, the lady at the booth had already seen me jumping like I won the lottery lol! I started talking loud to my kids saying "yea, these clubs are old and crusty. They are not worth anything. They look very used and no one would play with them cause they are so old and outdated. Even the bag is ancient. I can't think of anybody that would be caught being seen with it." I was saying all this really loud so the lady wouldn't jack the price up cause I squealed like a pig with I initially saw them. I walked over and said in my most neutral, monotone, non-emotional voice "I see you got these old beat up clubs here that are so outdated, my golf buddies would laugh at me if I brought them on the golf course." She said, "the price is on the bag." There was a small neon orange ticket that said "$30." I said, "Yeaaa, I don't know if they're worth even $10, just cause they are so old." She said "they were my dads....I'm not sure what he paid for them back in the 70's, but probably more than $30." I said "ok...I'll do $30 even though I'll probably get them home and toss them in a corner of my basement and let em rot."

 

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHAWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpJTF2o-Elw

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 3 weeks later...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTfw7KT-PRE&feature=g-upl&context=G27505e5AUAAAAAAAAAA

 

Pushing extra hard off the right foot....but probably need to push harder. I notice that my lower body and feet are always late in coming through, so I figured that one way to speed it up and get more in sync is to push with the right. I have no idea if I should be intentionally doing this or if it should just happen. Will investigate that more after I learn more about the takeaway.

Just a dedicated Hogan fan trying to understand this crazy game...

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  • 1 month later...

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