Ben Hogans swing

[JustOne]

I've been looking at some stuff to do with Ben Hogan's swing lately... (thanks Foxholer for jogging my memory)...

And I was watching an interesting video which kind of shows that Ben Hogan used to take care of the entire weight shift into his left side before he even started the downswing... so all he had to do was rotate his hips in his downswing rather than need any kind of a bump towards the target as he was already as far left as he needed to go.... all very interesting...

[video=youtube;cov8R5Axt4k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cov8R5Axt4k[/video]

Anyone have any thoughts on this.... did he really do that?

 

[Alex1975]

Nope, what he did was... just before he started his down swing, yes before, he made a small movement with his left hip in a left rotating direction, at that point he turned his left shoulder as hard as he possibly could in a left (again rotation) direction and let his super power shoulder and torso turn carry his hips through to impact.

He did not move much weight onto his right side and only moved his hips to the right a small amount so did not have to make too much of an actual "move" to the left on the down swing or start of the downswing.

 

[Wildrover]

Whilst Hogan undoubtably had one of "The" great swings in golf, it's not something the majority of handicap golfers should try to emulate as he battled a hook all his career and his swing was designed to stop that. Consequently if you fade/slice then copying Hogan will only make things worse.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Whilst Hogan undoubtably had one of "The" great swings in golf, it's not something the majority of handicap golfers should try to emulate as he battled a hook all his career and his swing was designed to stop that. Consequently if you fade/slice then copying Hogan will only make things worse.

I can second that. I learnt my swing out of his Modern Fundamentals of Golf book and have never had a lesson - so I don't know any different. I don't do a lot of weight transfer to my RHS as I keep that firmly braced with my right knee pointing inwards. My back swing is compact and I do really drive through with fast hands and quite flat follow through to finish. And yes - I very rarely fade the ball (unless I want to ); usually play with a draw but do fight a hook and snap hook.

 

[Alex1975]

I can second that. I learnt my swing out of his Modern Fundamentals of Golf book and have never had a lesson - so I don't know any different. I don't do a lot of weight transfer to my RHS as I keep that firmly braced with my right knee pointing inwards. My back swing is compact and I do really drive through with fast hands and quite flat follow through to finish. And yes - I very rarely fade the ball (unless I want to ); usually play with a draw but do fight a hook and snap hook.

You may enjoy The Plane Truth for Golfers, it goes some way to correct the things we now know not to be true in Modern Fundamentals of Golf without dismissing it off hand.

 

[Val]

Early version of SnT

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

You may enjoy The Plane Truth for Golfers, it goes some way to correct the things we now know not to be true in Modern Fundamentals of Golf without dismissing it off hand.

Thanks Alex - may have a look but I'm probably too wedded to Hogan.

For example - on Sunday was playing a fourball comp. At one point one of the other pair asked me why I very often said 'plane' to myself (though clearly out loud) whenever I addressed the ball. I explained how it locks my mind into Hogan's swing and that keeps my swing nice and controlled. I don't have any lessons or anything else to fall back on - so in my minds eye - without necessarily seeing the pictures in the book themselves as I address the ball - all I say to myself is 'plane - plane'.

OK that probably sounds a wee bit weird - but it works for me. Once had someone I'd never played with before say to me that he couldn't work out why he thouight he'd played with me - then on the 9th hole he said - 'you've read Hogan's book - you've got his swing' - it was the swing he recognised not me :fore:

 

[Alex1975]

The Plane Truth in the 1 plane part of the book he mostly talks about Hogans swing, the book would not change what you have and has few pictures. Good read along the same lines that you would enjoy.

 

[JustOne]

note: hitting a wood not an iron.

Left hips starts behind the ball and by the top of the swing it's in front of it. Right hip has moved 'targetwards'.

Left hip is very stacked over left foot. Spine tilt (secondary axis) away from target is in place.

 

[Alex1975]

Hehe....

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

View attachment 3540

note: hitting a wood not an iron.

Left hips starts behind the ball and by the top of the swing it's in front of it. Right hip has moved 'targetwards'.

Left hip is very stacked over left foot. Spine tilt (secondary axis) away from target is in place.

Just looks like me (I wish) - if I move (sway) very much at all towards the target from the top of my backswing everything goes serious t**s up. I have to turn my hips and not move laterally

 

[JustOne]

I'm quite interested in this move, and how it relates to S&T... or rather doesn't.

The mantra for S&T is: Start left - Stay left - Go more left.
I'm toying with the idea of: Start left - Go more left - stay there.

When using S&T I'm sometimes very concious of having to bump the hip targetwards on the downswing (to get a secondary tilt), I wouldn't say it's hard but when you're stacked on your left leg already it's a move that kind of takes getting used to (not that I ever practice)

The move that I've shown in the picture above (as much as it pains me to say it) looks more like Shawn Clement and whilst I like him I don't believe that he has a swing that I'd be particularly attracted to.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I'm quite interested in this move, and how it relates to S&T... or rather doesn't.

The mantra for S&T is: Start left - Stay left - Go more left.
I'm toying with the idea of: Start left - Go more left - stay there.

When using S&T I'm sometimes very concious of having to bump the hip targetwards on the downswing (to get a secondary tilt), I wouldn't say it's hard but when you're stacked on your left leg already it's a move that kind of takes getting used to (not that I ever practice)

The move that I've shown in the picture above (as much as it pains me to say it) looks more like Shawn Clement and whilst I like him I don't believe that he has a swing that I'd be particularly attracted to.

Obviious question from me is - what is S&T?

 

[JustOne]

A swing where you stay over the ball instead of shifting at all to the right side.

 

[SocketRocket]

Must dig out my 5 lessons. I am sure Hogan has a picture where he shows the right leg braced inwards and suggests you place a shaft in the ground against it so that you keep the leg in the braced position through the backswing.

 

[JustOne]

Must dig out my 5 lessons. I am sure Hogan has a picture where he shows the right leg braced inwards and suggests you place a shaft in the ground against it so that you keep the leg in the braced position through the backswing.

Feel vs Real?

 

[chrisd]

My current teacher is fundamentaly a Hogan swing man (Paul Page Kingshill GC in Kent) he taught me the supination of the left wrist at impact which is how Hogan stopped his big hook. In Hogans book he says you can start the downswing by rotating the hips first and you cant go too fast with that rotation. I think that, like S&T you can take bits of the swing and leave out other bits as I have been taught to do. I believe that there are some similarities to S&T but its definitely not S&T but ultimately no two people swing identically. With the Hogan method, I have just found a series of linked moves which seem to work better for me

 

[Alex1975]

Are you trying to learn something here or make a point?

 

[JustOne]

Learn something, figure something out, understand what's happening and why, just talking golf - see post #12.

The swing that's shown in the 1st vid (which they say isn't Hogan's) is quite convincing.