Ben Hogan's Masters Tournament Gift - 1965

Ben Hogan received this gift from the Masters Tournament in 1965.  It must have been a tradition for the tournament host to give various gifts each year.  This one looks like a tope measure, a pair of pliers, and a little hatchet.  I wonder if Mr. Hogan ever used them around the house.  This was part of a display by the his family at Shady Oaks Country Club, site of the Ben Hogan Invitational, a yearly even held in September each year and benefitting the Ben Hogan Foundation and the Henry House Charities.  Look them up, they deserve support for the wonderful things they are doing in Fort Worth.

I took the picture and you can see some of my shadow on the glass case.  It was a great day for the tournament at Shady.  Colonial Country Club is also close by and the clubhouse has a terrific new exhibit about Mr. Hogan. 

WWW.BenHoganFoundation.org.

March Magic

March is such a great month.  Spring breaks for the kids from school and the mini vacations with the younger ones and the huge parties for the older ones.  March Madness NCAA basketball and the NIT to mix sports viewing with tournament golf and even NASCAR events.  A lot of sport on TV and in our local venues in Florida.  Grapefruit league baseball gives us a chance to see the stars up close during spring training and its a lot easier to get an autograph.  The weather can be unpredictable but if lucky you can enjoy the outdoors. 

And getting in the mood for the Masters Tournament.

Getting ready for the spring and summer golf instructional season at Doral. 

The 5 Lessons, Modern Fundamentals of Golf projects (iPad and tablet apps and the iPhone and mobile phone apps) are taking off in the marketplace as well as the new book,'The Complete Hogan'.  The Ben Hogan Collection 3 DVD box set is still a hot seller.  I guess I have been busier than I realized.

Here are some open questions:

And where in the heck is Peyton Manning today?  Where will he play?

When will Tiger win again? 

Will the Miami Dolphins finally get a top notch quarterback?

Will the Miami Marlins fix the parking problem at the new stadium?

Ben Hogan

The production of the new dvd 'Five Lessons: The Modern Fundamentals of Golf' is moving along. The producer is in Fort Worth doing site research for upcoming filming at historic sites such as the Colonial Country Club, Shady Oaks Country Club, and the home of Ben and Valerie Hogan. Discussion with supporters and potential sponsors is ongoing. Hopefully, Mr. Hogan will be attired in some of the stunning new Ben Hogan Apparel. The clothing is classic, sharp and breaks new ground in sports performance apparel technology. The golf equipment will of course be from The Ben Hogan Company (http://www.benhogan.com/), owned by Callaway Golf.

According to golf historians Anthony Ravielli photographed Ben Hogan in Fort Worth to provide the documentation he needed to create the line drawing artwork found in the Five Lessons. Some of the original photos and negatives were sold on Ebay a few years ago. Also, some were used as images in David Leadbetter's book on Hogan's golf swing.

All the artwork and photos from Anthony Ravielli are now owned by Classic Sports Brands of New York (http://www.classicsportsbrands.com/). The portfolio is being preserved in tack along with Mr. Ravielli's studio. Select items will be incorporated into the new dvd production of the Five Lessons. Selection of a lead production company is almost complete with proposals under review.

This new modern production will incorporate the Ravielli drawings and artwork, photos and film of Mr. Hogan, and the new technologies of motion capture and high definition 2D and 3D computer graphics to create an entertaining and informative instructional program. The full capabilities of these new technologies and the outstanding artwork from Ravielli, the instruction content on golf fundamentals from Ben Hogan, and the poetic writing style of newly inducted World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Herbert Warren Wind are included in the pre-production plans.

Fort Worth is the 'Home of Hogan'. Friends and supporters of the new Ben Hogan Foundation have committed to several significant projects as part of their goals. One such project is the establishment and funding of a new Ben Hogan Learning Center in Fort Worth. Details of this project and other committments can be found at the organizations website, http://www.benhoganfoundation.org/. Donations to the foundation can be made throught this site or through Ebay. In addition, another donation solution for Ebay sellers is to identify the foundation as their charity of choice when listing new products for sale. A portion of the sale is then automatically sent to the foundation. Another option is to directly make a donation through the Ebay and Paypal systems. The Foundation has already started to receive donations through this option.

The Ben Hogan Collection website (http://www.benhogancollection.com/) is changing a bit. Some of the items that were listed have been sold out (towels, stand bags, golf balls) with no restocking seen in the future. Sales of The Ben Hogan Collection 3dvd Pack with software cd are contuing along with the coffee table photo book 'The Man Behind the Mystique'. Ben Hogan caps, visors, and new iron sets are still available but in limited supply. Coming soon to the site are Hogan's instructional book, 'Five Lessons' and 'The Secret Behind Ben Hogan's Golf Swing' among other titles.

Praise for Ben Hogan Collection

A while back we received this wonderful bit of praise for 'The Ben Hogan Collection' 3 dvd set and Interactive Software. It was unsolicited and was appreciated by all involved in the planning, production, and funding of the 'Collection'.


Please forward my congratulations to Jim for putting together The Ben Hogan Collection. The collection is by far the biggest bargain of information and price ever.
The guest speakers were all fabulous, a treasure. Your work finally puts to rest all of the silly "Hogan's Secret" claims by some rather lame teachers out there.
The way the DVDs are laid out, anything Mr. Hogan had to offer is right there to see. My favorite section is the "Y" factor as it also shows left shoulder and left elbow height as he reaches the back side/at/and a bit through the impact zone.

The Interactive EXE. file is a stroke of genius. Thanks for doing that.

Best Always,

Larry Mowry
1989 PGA Seniors Champion

Over the past couple of years we have received terrific reviews from golf publications. These can be seen in the media section at our website: www.BenHoganCollection.com.

It would be nice to hear from other satisfied customers.

We also have provided sample copies to quite a few tour players including the Callaway Tour Staff for both the PGA Tour and European Tour. I wonder how they liked being able to view Ben Hogan on the dvds and being able to control the swing speed with the software?

Please forward my congratulations to Jim for putting together The Ben Hogan Collection. The collection is by far the biggest bargain of information and price ever.
The guest speakers were all fabulous, a treasure. Your work finally puts to rest all of the silly "Hogan's Secret" claims by some rather lame teachers out there.
The way the DVDs are laid out, anything Mr. Hogan had to offer is right there to see. My favorite section is the "Y" factor as it also shows left shoulder and left elbow height as he reaches the back side/at/and a bit through the impact zone.

The Interactive EXE. file is a stroke of genius. Thanks for doing that.

Best Always,

Larry Mowry
1989 PGA Seniors Champion

Ben Hogan Foundation charity on Ebay

I wanted to again provide notice that now the Ben Hogan Foundation, a not for profit organization, founded to keep Ben Hogan's legacy current in the world of golf, can receive direct donations on sales through Ebay listings.

Sellers have a choice to include a portion of their proceeds from a sale to automatically be sent to the foundation with a partial match from Ebay from their fees. Its an easy way to contribute but alternatively one can contribute to the Foundation by calling them or going to their website at http://www.benhoganfoundation.org/. There are contact numbers there and a direct donation link.

The Foundation is also accepting donations of Ben Hogan memorabilia that it can display or use to generate additional funds for its charitable work. The website also provides information on its charitable initiatives including the funding of the Ben Hogan Center in Fort Worth, Texas. This will operate in conjunction with the area's First Tee Program located at a local municipal golf course complex.

Left Handed Golfers - National Left Handers Day

Today is National Left Handers Day I am told by the media folks. I guess us right handers get the rest of the days of the year? Just kidding with you.

I would like to point out a couple of great video resources for those left handed golfers out there that would like to see THE GOLF SWING ROLE MODEL, instead of Phil or Steve who are on the PGA Tour now.

I have posted a video of Ben Hogan swinging the a driver in a left handed view courtesy of some computer software magic. It is on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5swNm6SofQ.

I have also included several left handed versions of the video clips of Mr. Hogan in the 'Video Vault' located on our website. There is a free trial period so it won't cost anything to view them for a couple of weeks. You can then opt out of the credit card payment at that time and you won't be charged if you choose not to continue the service.

The left handed version is nice if you are able to look in a mirror at the same time as your reflection looks just like Mr. Hogan on the video clip. Pretty neat instructional perspective.

I wonder who looks like Mr. Hogan from the left hand side that is on tour now?

Olympics in the future for golf?

The debate on golf in the Olympics is taking a more serious turn it seems now that China is showing some growth in facilities and people who enjoy golf. Golf in the Olympics seems like a natural. It is now a game that is truly enjoyed world wide in so many countries and seems to be growing at a rapid pace outside the US. There are some questions.

The biggest questions is when? 4, 8, 12 years from this summer's games?

What would the format be? Stroke play, match play, teams?

How does a country select its teams? World golf rankings, competitions as qualifiers?

Would they have to be amateurs or allow professionals to compete? Now there's an easy answer!

What about the ball? Will there be an Olympic ball with specific requirements that allows each manufacturer to produce it for their sponsored player? Logos on the ball? This one could be tricky as there are patents and legal issues to resolve. Maybe in 8 years the legal battles would be resolved. What about other equipment?

What will the governing rules be for the games? USGA or a special set of rules for the Olympics? They change a lot of rules for basketball. Will they need to do so for the Olympics?

Will Tiger Woods be there?

What country will Ernie Els play for?

Will the rules and venues be the same for women?

Will the top players in the world show up? Some players don't like to travel the world, others love it as a way of life. Kenny Perry comes to mind as does Ben Hogan. Perry sits out the British Open. Ben Hogan was finally convinced by his friends and legends of the game to play the Open Championship in 1953 before it was revived as a substantially well known and respected event in the US. Gary Player used to spend most of his sleeping time during any given day on a plane travelling the world to play and win his beloved game. Phil Mickelson is now becoming a globe trotter for the game. The fellows that play on the PGA Tour have not been heard yell a resounding yes to the Olympics even though the Commissioner has endorsed golf in the Olympics.

What will the role of the PGA, PGA Tour, USGA, LPGA, PGA sections, NCAA, etc. be in the selection and rules process?

Will there be 'official' Olympic training site(s)? Will they be selected based on the types of grass used, the types of greens, their championship venue characteristics? Bent or Bermuda?

Where will the competitions be held? A good guess would be a Jack Nicklaus design golf course and if not his, the Pete Dye will have his mark on it.

Who will be the coache(s)? What will the coaches teaching philosophy and technique? Five Lessons, The Modern Fundamentals of Golf, Stack and Tilt, McLean's 8 Step Swing, Faults and Fixes?

And last but not least, will I get to go and see this wonderful event!?