Mr. Hogan's Five Lessons

After moving to Fort Worth in 1980, I soon discovered the great game of golf … and began to realize the mystique of Ben Hogan. Being an avid sports fan, I had heard of Hogan along with other legends such as Sam Snead and Byron Nelson.

Only after learning more about golf was I able to understand why his name was so magical. There are rock groups, and then there's the Beatles. There are great golfers, and then there is Mr. Hogan.

One summer I had the privilege of visiting the golf book library of my golf mentor, the late Dr. Charles Kemp. His collection took up an entire closet. I wondered why there were so many theories and secrets of the golf swing.

"You can learn something valuable from each of these," said Kemp in his simplistic style. "No one has all the answers … Mr. Hogan has the most." He then handed me a copy of Hogan's Five Lessons - The Modern Fundamentals of Golf.

"These are golf's Ten Commandments."

Forget choosing between Swing the Clubhead and Swing the Handle, not the Clubhead, I thought this little paperback book by Hogan surely must hold all the secrets of the golf swing that the average player needs. Since then I have read and re-read this 1957 masterpiece, gaining new insight each time from the author's clear concise style and the wonderful illustrations.

Hogan spent his life trying to piece together the puzzle of the golf swing and he probably did a better job of it than anyone has. Controlling the flight of the ball was his primary goal - putting is not mentioned in his book.

Hogan has influenced countless golfers even though he didn't seek the role of golf's highest instructor. Who besides Hogan's disciples talk about supination and pronation?

Instead he was a "golf scientist" who hoped his lessons would "serve as a body of knowledge that will lead to future advances in the understanding of the golf swing."

Yet with today's latest swing gurus, high tech equipment, video and computerized swing analysis, has the average golfer really improved? "By practicing and applying these fundamentals, the average golfer is entirely capable of building a repeating swing and breaking 80," wrote Hogan.

Forty years later, most golfers are still seeking scores in the 70s, preferring to purchase the latest equipment instead of practicing and taking lessons.

Swing gurus have come and gone. While these "fads" disappear, Hogan's Five Lessons have withstood the test of time and will continue to help golfers for decades to come.

One can learn more than just swing fundamentals from this book. It contains many autobiographical passages allowing a better understanding of Hogan, his background, and his way of thinking.

There are also lessons that non-golfers can learn from studying the life of Ben Hogan. He is a clear illustration of hard work, determination, dedication, focus, grit, courage, loyalty, sincerity and class.

His perceived "weaknesses" are also well-known - stoic, painfully shy, aloof, seeking privacy.

Yet, maybe overlooked is another strong attribute of Hogan - he had the courage to truly be himself and live his life as he chose to, irregardless of what the public thought. As a result he may have been as close to achieving "true piece of mind" as is humanly possible.

He taught by example - both the fundamentals of golf and in the more important game of life.

Thank you, Mr. Hogan.

Don Dowell is the Editor/Publisher of Golf in the SouthWest

(August 1, 1997)©