Ben Hogan's Not so Secret Secrets

It's in the dirt. Let's put that bogey to rest right off the bat (I'll explain at the end).

The legendary American golfer, Ben Hogan, famously said in an article published by Life magazine in 1953 that round about 1948 he had figured out a secret technique to strike a golf ball consistently in the middle of the face of the club each and every time he swung the club. If you've ever played golf or been to a driving range you would know how virtually impossible such a thing is. Even the best of today's pros from Tiger Woods to Rory McIlroy cannot do what Hogan claimed he could. Jordan Speith won the British Open last year notwithstanding he drove his ball a mile from the fairway in the final round. Mishits happen in golf. But not for Hogan.

And Hogan's performances backed up such bravado talk and apparent hubris. Google his stats from 1946 to 1953 and it makes for quite remarkable reading. Better yet, watch his swing on Youtube. It has been described as the "Mona Lisa of golf swings" by none other than Jack Nicklaus.

After Hogan uttered those famous words in 1953 everyone who has ever picked up a golf club since, from the touring pros to the weekend choppers, have been obsessed with discovering "the secret". Many golfers believe it's the magic bullet, the elixir, the ultimate solution to their never ending despair of trying to conquer and overcome the bane of golfers the world over - inconsistency. The secret has become an industry in and of itself. Everything from books, DVDs, training aids have been made and sold all alleging to contain the holy grail of golf.

For me, I just want to be able to break 80...once, and to start playing golf instead of playing golf-swing. And yes, I too have obsessed with the secret. I've dedicated (read 'wasted') almost 13 years of precious free time and ridiculous amounts of money attempting to unravel the mystery.

Many YouTubers like Christo Garcia have made a career out of this quest. Christo started his channel in 2012 with the sole modest objective of one day breaking 80 using the techniques and fundamentals found in Hogan's own book entitled "Five Lessons". Today, Christo claims to be a scratch golfer, has made his own coaching video which he sells to the public despite not being an accredited instructor, and has on several occasions proclaimed to have "found Mr. Hogan's secret". Christo found the secret indeed but it has nothing to do with delivering the club face square to the ball each and every time.

This is what I've observed about Hogan's swing which are rarely mentioned in articles or videos on this subject matter but which aren't exactly secrets either.

First, Hogan played with antiquated equipment. Many golfers today try in vain to replicate Hogan's swing using modern gear which Hogan would probably throw into the nearest pond. Hogan used heavy clubs which were fitted with extremely stiff shafts and bent 7-8 degrees flat from standard lie angles. Additionally, he played with a high spinning balata ball. Almost all modern clubs are manufactured to be lightweight, with regular flex shaft, and upright lie angles. Today's balls are made of plastic covers and don't spin nearly as much as a balata ball. Simply put, you will never swing like Hogan or replicate Hogan's swing using modern gear.

The second thing which I've observed about Hogan's swing is that he accelerated the club faster past impact. By this I mean that the club is travelling faster after it has struck the ball. Intuitively this doesn't make sense as what the clubs does after the ball is hit is seemingly pointless - the ball is already gone. But it makes sense if one thinks about martial arts practitioners who break layers of stacked concrete bricks or wooden boards with a punch or kick. The technique to doing this effectively is to aim for an imaginary point beyond the immediate target. The result is that punch or kick will still be accelerating or speeding up past the target so that the all the energy required to break all the bricks is not spent on the first one.

The third and last thing which I have observed about Hogan's swing is that he had a truly unique method to shallow the club in transition. Every golfer knows that you must shallow out the club on the downswing to hit the ball consistently. Failure to do this will result in doing the opposite which is to come over the top or "the death move" as it is also known. Hogan's method allowed him to return the club at impact to the exact same lie angle as it was at address. It is a remarkable feat which I have yet to see anyone else do. And it's why I believe he was such a great ball striker. Most golfers, including touring pros, return the club at impact slightly higher than it was at address. It's this variance which allows for inconsistent strikes and mishits.

When asked what the secret was, Hogan often replied with riddles and misdirection. The most famous was that the secret was in the dirt. And that is precisely where it will remain. The old man took all the secrets to the grave.