Monday, August 17, 2009

Golf Swing Fundamentals for Tiger Woods: See Ben Hogan


I am really stumped. For the life of me I cannot see why our golf announcers/writers/teaching professionals simple defy common sense about golf swing fundamentals as demonstrated by Ben Hogan. Too often I hear or read that Hogan was the best ball striker ever. Ask Butch Harmon. Ask Gary Player. Ask Jim McLean. Ask Tiger Woods.




Then, in the same sentence/breath I hear or read that a golfer cannot copy his swing; his grip and his 'secret' would only work for him and would only 'confuse' a golfer and/or simply create a really big slice. The fact is that Hogan went from a very strong grip in the evolution of his swing to a more neutral grip and finally into a weak grip that he used to hit his power fade. A shot that went left to right only a few yards and started off on line.


It should be relatively easy. There is new technology in the instructional arena. There is a perfect model. There is video analysis. There is biomechanical analysis and instant feedback. There are excellent instructors that advertise that they teach the 'Hogan' swing. There are motivated students of the golf swing who are willing to put in long hours of practice and dig it out of the dirt for themselves. There is video. There are excellent instructional books from Ben Hogan himself, 'Power Golf' and 'Five Lessons, The Modern Fundamentals of Golf'. There are detailed photo swing sequences.


So, the question is where and who has an exact replica copy of Ben Hogan's golf swing? If you have it or see it, let me know!

2 comments:

hogan's angle said...

There are swings getting quite close. Although I haven't seen his grip Martinez http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvBLofpbvXU is getting quite close. My own waggle and swing are getting there too http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTpWCJKVqB0

Mark J. Choiniere said...

You are not likely to see someone 5' 7" 140 LBS (with a 35" sleeve length) like Hogan anytime soon. That contributed to his unique look. Pro golf may be on the verge of going the way of hockey and basketball, e.g., a big man's sport where it will be increasingly rare to see relatively smaller stature and correspondingly flatter planes. Also, the one plane swing has a distinctively different look to it (my opinion) than does the original model (e.g., Hogan). Likely better in practice (theoretically and in actuality).