Saturday, November 8, 2008

Ben Hogan's 30's record, Tiger Woods 30's future

When Ben Hogan was in his 30's immediately after WWII he became Mr. Golf. He was winning almost every tournament he entered during this prime time of his career. Hogan is mostly remembered for his comeback from the horrible accident with a Greyhound bus in 1949 and his incredible majors run in 1953.

According to Hogan himself he was a better overall player after the war. The Ben Hogan Collection dvd set highlights some film taken during this period that shows that remarkable golf swing. The film came from the Alex Morrison portfolio of films and photos owned by McTee's Champions LLC. Golfers can see and learn from watching Hogan at his peak in these unique films. No other dvd set on the market has these films.

Tiger Woods is now entering that same period in his life as a professional golfer where Hogan was in the late 40's. With the credentials and records Tiger brings to this period of time one can surely expect some really terrific golf from him. Records will fall or be totally smashed. Tiger should finally shoot his 59 or better in competition. Hopefully he has taken it upon himself to continue his quest for a better swing, one that keeps him in the fairways and yields more birdies. Tiger has a great short game and is the best putter I have seen on tour. He will be putting for more birdies and eagles if he can approach the greens from the fairways and not the rough. Maybe he could learn to swing more like Hogan? What a nightmare it would be for competitors if Tiger could hit all 14 fairways most rounds like Hogan used to.

I wish Tiger all the best. Hogan would be proud of his dedication and perserverence to the grand game of golf.

Tom McCarthy

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Ben Hogan - Long Drive Contest Winner

Another amazing bit of golf swing lore comes to us from the 1952 Masters Tournament. Ben Hogan who was known for his excellent ball striking and course management expertise is also the winner of the long drive contest at this Masters. Hogan often won long driving contests in his earlier years on tour against all takers during exhibitions prior to tournaments but this was the grand stage at the Masters!

Hogan's flawless technique translates into both distance and accuracy. I really do recommend that new golfers and established players study Mr. Hogan's golf swing and try to emulate the fundamentals of the swing as he displayed them on film. The analysis provided by Jim McLean in 'The Ben Hogan Collection" is the best to date and far surpasses what has been published in various golf books on the subject. You can see Hogan and learn from Hogan by viewing the dvd's as they are programmed to give the golfer the best instructional presentation available. There are repetitive clips, various angles presented, and detailed guidance on what to look for and use in the golf swing from McLean.

Hogan hit it straight and liked to use the fade as his go to finesse shot. He could also drive it past other professionals on tour on a regular basis. Golfers should be learning Hogan's techniques, not trying to figure out what some of the modern swing gurus are selling. Even the pros seem to fall for this nonsense. Its a good thing they can putt and chip or their scores would be like the rest of us amateurs.

Tiger Woods is constantly trying to improve his swing and my hunch is it will look different when he gets back on tour after rehab. I am also confident it will look more like Hogan's!

Tom McCarthy