Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons, (06) Summary and Review, Notes

Post date: Dec 8, 2017 1:37:07 PM

Ben Hogan’s Five Lessons by Ben Hogan with Herbert Warren Wind

Chapter 6. Lesson 5: Summary and Review

• • Practice the fundamentals to become a real golfer with a sound, powerful, repeating swing. Gain a clear understanding of the fundamental movements.

  • Jot down after practicing what we are working on and precisely how it is coming along.

  • All that is really required to play good golf is to execute properly a relatively small number of true fundamental movements.

  • A golfer is bound to follow through correctly, provided he comes into the ball and hits through the ball correctly.

  • A golfer will be essentially correct in the impact area if he learns to execute three major movements (provided he is in the correct position at the top of his backswing)

• 1. He must initiate the downswing by turning the hips to the left.

  2. He must hit through to the finish of his swing in one cohesive movement, hitting with his hips, shoulder,arms and hands, in that order.

  3. He must start to supinate his left wrist just before impact.

• • A golfer will essentially be correct when he arrives at the top of his backswing (provided he is correctly positioned and poised at address) if he:

• 1. Waggles properly

  2. Starts back with his hands, arms and shoulders and lets his shoulders turn his hips

  3. Stays on his plane throughout his backswing.

• • A golfer will be correctly poised and positioned at address if he has:

• 1. A correct grip

  2. A correct stance

  3. A correct posture

• • Whether practicing or playing, think in terms of the cause and not the result. If we swing correctly, we cannot look at anything but the ball.

Stance and Posture

On a five iron, the feet should be set apart the width of the shoulders. The stance widens for the longer clubs, narrows for shorter clubs.

The Plane. The backswing plane inclines from the ball up through the shoulders. As arms approach hip level on backswing, they should be moving parallel with the plane and should remain parallel with the plane throughout the backswing.

The Waggle. When the player waggles the club back, the right elbow should hit the front part of the right hip. As the lower part of his left arm rotates on the back waggle, the golfer actually gets on backswing plane

Order of Movement. The hands, arms and shoulders start the club back almost simultaneously. As the shoulder turn, they start to turn the hips. Correct tension in the muscles between shoulders and hips is created by retarding hip turn.

The turning of the hips back to the left initiates the downswing. This movement of the hips automatically lowers the arms and the hands to a position just above the level of the hips.

In the chain action of the downswing, the hips are the pivotal element. The turning of the hips to the left releases the body, legs and arms in a cohesive movement to the left. As it enters the swing, each component adds its contribution to the ever-increasing speed and power of the swing. In this chain action, the shoulders and the upper part of the body conduct the multiplying power into the arms. The arms multiply it again and pass it on to the hands. The hands multiply it in turn. As a result, the clubhead is simply tearing through the air at an incredible speed as the golfer hits through the ball.

• • These are the authentic fundamentals. They are all that is needed in order to develop a correct, powerful swing that will repeat. Learn to execute these fundamental movements and become a more and more skillful player. The golfer whose swing is founded on chain action cannot help but have good timing. The swing is already timed for him. The chain action is the timing.

  • The same fundamental swing is used for every shot played. All standard shots should be spotted relative to the left foot, ½ inch inside the left heel. The ball can be shaded forward or backward depending on the spot of lowest part of the swing. To narrow the stance to accommodate the shorter shafts of the irons, do this by moving the right foot progressively closer to the left foot and toward the ball.

  • The swing changes slightly as the length of the club changes although there is no conscious variation in the swing The shorter the shaft, the closer we must stand to the ball. Accordingly the plane becomes more up right and the length of the arc shortened.

  • When the arc is shortened, there is less time to get the left hip out of the way. From the 6-iron down to the wedge: get the the left hip out of the way before beginning to play the stroke. Do this by setting the right foot a bit closer a bit nearer the ball at address.

• • Practice the fundamentals. Taking the time to master the fundamentals, making the correct movements second nature, allows the swing to be trusted to muscle memory. More attention can be turned to managing the golf course--thinking of proper strategy, deciding which route is wisest under current conditions, playing the right kind of shot to suit the terrain and the elements. We can meet the ever fresh challenge that fine golf holes present because we understand the game and have the swing to play it.

  • Golf is a most interesting, demanding and rewarding game. Develop a love of playing and a love of practicing. Any day with the promise of golf in it should have us leaping out of bed in the morning.